Personal Fundraising Page and First Email
Goal of the message: Inform people about SVT and ask them to support you in reaching your fundraising goal. The content from your personal fundraising page can be adapted/copied for use in your email outreach. Consistency is a good thing!
Here is a template that you can customize:
Dear (Name),
I am excited to be an SVT Champion!
As someone who enjoys the outdoors and wants to protect it, I am supporting Sudbury Valley Trustees and its "For the Love of Nature" Virtual Benefit Gala, which will be livestreamed on Thursday, February 16.
SVT is a nonprofit organization that conserves healthy natural areas in Massachusetts for both people and wildlife. I invite you to join me in supporting SVT's work.
Describe why SVT is important to you. Examples
- I have volunteered at SVT since 2014 and during that time have grown to really value our beautiful natural areas and the incredible effort it takes to care for land and keep it healthy and accessible. Nature and the outdoors are critical to health and wellness and I believe it is important to protect and care for it. That is where SVT comes in.
- I love to get outside and take walks through the woods. It's fun to take the whole family along, and I enjoy watching my children discover a new mushroom or hear an unfamiliar bird for the first time. Nature and the outdoors are critical to health and wellness and I believe it is important to protect and care for it. That is where SVT comes in.
Describe why raising money now matters. Example: Development pressure is high in the SVT region between Boston and Worcester, and we could lose half of our beloved lands in the coming decades. SVT is committed to making sure the important green spaces that we love and rely on will be protected so in the future the outdoors will still be a place where we can go to get away from it all.
Ask for a donation toward your personal fundraising goal. Example: I am trying to raise $5000 for the "For the Love of Nature" Virtual Benefit Gala to play my part in this important effort. Will you please make a donation to help realize this vision to protect our vulnerable natural areas before it is too late? Here is the link to my fundraising page. [insert the complete URL here]
Explain how to donate by check. Example: Donations are also welcome by check or through donor-advised funds. Please mention "For the Love of Nature" and my name when you send your contribution so SVT can count it toward my fundraising goal. The mailing address is: SVT, 18 Wolbach Rd. Sudbury, MA 01776
Invite others to tune in and watch the live event. Example: On Thursday, February 16, 7 pm – 8 pm, SVT is livestreaming its "For the Love of Nature" virtual gala to share “love stories” about the human connection to the natural world. Get the link to watch by registering on the SVT Website [https://svtprograms.force.com/s/event-detail?eventId=a4W5G0000019ThVUAU#].
Provide links for more information: If you think your network of friends and family are not familiar with SVT, you can provide links to our website and Social Media pages so they can learn more:
- SVT website: www.svtweb.org
- About SVT: www.svtweb.org/about-svt
- SVT Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SudburyValleyTrust/
- SVT’s Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/sudbury_valley_trustees/
Remember to say Thank you!
Reminder Emails
We recommended that you reach out personally 2-3 times if you don’t hear back after the first email.
- Provide all the same basic information from Email #1.
- Provide an update on you progress toward your fundraising goal.
- Invite your network to check out your personal fundraising page again.
Phone Calls
If you think your friends and family would respond better to a phone call explaining your personal fundraising goal and why you are asking for their support, go for it. It allows you to share why this work is important to you and why you thought they would be interested.
It also allows for a conversation. Do they love to hike or kayak? Do they like to walk a dog along the trails? Are they gardeners? Are they concerned about climate change and environmentalism?
After a phone call, you can follow up with an email that provide the link to your personal fundraising page and the link to register for the livestreamed event.
Social Media
There are two simple ways to spread the word through social media. Sharing and Posting!
- Share. If you are a Facebook or Instagram user, please follow SVT (see links below). You can share our posts throughout the weeks leading up to the live event on February 16
- Post. Create your own posts that explain why you support SVT and why you are an enthusiastic SVT Champion. You can include a link directly to your personal fundraising page. Here are some suggestions for posts:
- Save the Date to tune in to “For the Love of Nature” (Thursday, February 16, 7 to 8 p.m.)
- Why I am an SVT Champion
- Please support my personal fundraising goal
- Status update: report on the status of your fundraising and how much you have left to raise to reach your goal
- Last call! Post a reminder on February 15 or 16.
- Thank you!
These links will make it easy for your followers to learn more about SVT and our work:
- SVT website: www.svtweb.org
- About SVT: www.svtweb.org/about-svt
- SVT Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SudburyValleyTrust/
- SVT’s Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/sudbury_valley_trustees/
