 |
STEP FOUR: Contact
There are a few ways to contact your sponsors. I’ve ranked them here in order of effectiveness:
1) Personal Ask
The most effective way to secure a donation is to ask someone directly.
2) Telephone call
Phone calls are second on my list of effectiveness because they are still very personal communications.
3) E-mail
Send everyone on your list something by e-mail-such as a link to one of the videos on www.runforone.org or to your personal Web page.
4) Letters
Everyone loves mail. I suggest very personal letters (not form letters) be written to each of your donors to ask them for support in your endeavor. The more personal, the better. Handwritten letters get the most response.
The following is a template that you can use for letters, e-mails, telephone calls, or personal asks. I’ve written it in the form of a letter template. Please add your own words, emotions, and feelings. Remember, people want to know why this is important to you. Be sure to put in a few sentences that reflect your passion for this project.
March 5, 2007
Dear Jack and Jill,
Did you know that every 14 seconds, a child loses a parent to AIDS? I didn't until recently, when I started to realize that many of these children live in countries where poverty and disease is rampant.
And that’s just the impact of AIDS. Even more children are abandoned by their parents due to poverty, drug abuse, alcoholism, and death. All told, there are about 143 million orphaned children living in our world today-that’s one for every U.S. family.
But what could I do about it? These numbers are simply overwhelming. I might be able to help a few children, but I’m not a professional psychologist or doctor. I felt like I had to do something.
I found something I can do, and I'm writing to ask for your help. On September 2, 2007, I am running a half-marathon in Virginia Beach to raise funds for an orphan named {child name}. I met this child through an organization called Children’s HopeChest. They work with thousands of orphaned children in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Africa. Through their Run for One team, I’ll spend the next few months getting in shape to {run or walk} all 13.1 miles of the half-marathon.
Alongside my training, I’ve committed to personally raise $4,000 for Children’s HopeChest to help children like {child name}. {Paragraph about the child/project you are running for-provided by Children’s HopeChes}
I'll need your support, and the support of LOTS of people like you, in order to meet this goal.
How can you help?
You can make a donation to my fundraising campaign online at my Children's HopeChest website:
http://www.runforone.org/{runnername}
There you can make a one-time gift, or a monthly pledge. Would you consider giving a gift of {gift amount}. I’ll be updating my site with information about {kid’s name/project name} and about the status of my fundraising and training. If you can’t give now, be sure to bookmark and check my page often.
If you prefer to write a check, make it out to Children’s HopeChest, and send it back in the envelope with this letter. Please put {RFOID#} on the check memo line.
You know, in less than the time it took to read this letter, another child became an orphan.
Thanks for helping me run for one!
Sincerely,
John Doe
P.S. Children's HopeChest is a 501(c)(3) charity whose mission is to change the world for orphans - one child at a time - through family-based care and mentorship. Children's HopeChest establishes programs for younger children living in orphanages and for older children who are navigating and transitioning into adulthood. These are abandoned children who will never be adopted into families. HopeChest provides them with ongoing guidance, support, skills, and hope. Without such intervention, these orphans fall into crime, prostitution, drug abuse, alcoholism, or suicide. You can find out more about Children's HopeChest Run for One by visiting www.runforone.org. All donations are tax deductible, and regardless of how you donate, you will receive a receipt from Children's HopeChest.
|
|
 |
|
