For the best results in your fundraiser/drive, remember to be brief, but make sure you cover everything your potential donors would want to know.  We recommend the following considerations in writing your initial message and in promoting your fundraiser/drive:

• Introduce yourself and what you’re raising money for.  
• It always helps to explain your personal connection to the cause.  Include your connection story --how you know the St. Vincent DePaul Mission or the people and program your backing, and why this cause means so much to you.  When discussing the organization, you can always include our mission statement: “Through our network of services, we aid, support and empower people experiencing poverty, hunger, homelessness and mental health challenges so they may recover with dignity and develop sustainable solutions for a brighter future.”  Also, include the specific needs or problems of the clients or program/s you are addressing in your campaign.
• Educate the reader about your cause.  Make sure people know how their donation will be used, and why it’s so important to give.  
  • For example:
    • “The dining tables in use at the homeless shelter ever day are well over 26 years old.  They are constantly breaking down, stressed, and antiquated, and the program does not have the funds to rectify the situation.  For the individuals and families experiencing homelessness, who are already in crisis, I think we can do better. I’m looking to “Set the Table Right” and raise $10,000 for the purchase of new cafeteria tables, so people who are already feeling stressed, scared and devalued, can at least enjoy a meal on a clean, new table.  This will genuinely bring to life the environment of care we wish to promote and the messages we wish to communicate to those most in need: messages of dignity, value, hope, and recovery. Please consider your donation and sharing this campaign with others. Even a $20 donation will help us towards our goal.”
    • “Food insecurity affects over 19% of the population in Waterbury.  The St. Vincent DePaul Mission Soup Kitchen serves over 300 cooked meals per day, and the Food Pantry prepares and distributes over 45,000 bagged meals per year.  Families experiencing poverty do not need to experience hunger in our community. We’re looking to feed over 100 families with children through the Soup Kitchen Pantry.  Your donation can make all the difference to those experiencing hunger. By ________, please bring your nonperishable food items to ________ or make a cash donation of at least $20 to the Soup Kitchen.  Your donation of money or food will go a long way to help families in need. Please share this campaign with others. Together, we can make this happen.”
• When you ask for money, ask for a specific amount.
• Set reasonable and obtainable fundraising goals in the overall amount you wish to raise.  It’s better to overshoot your goal. We recommend sharing your fundraising or drive campaign goals with others, and using helpful graphics.  If you use a fundraising thermometer, put something in the thermometer. No one wants to give to an empty thermometer.
• Keep in touch with potential donors.  Express gratitude to your readers for considering a donation and sharing your campaign with others.  
• “If you could support my campaign by making a donation and then sharing it with your friends and network, I would greatly appreciate it.  This is a great cause and every little bit helps, so please, even $10 helps me get closer to my goal! Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll be happy to answer them.”
• Let the reader also know to share your campaign with others.  For example, “Help me get the word out, and please share my link on your Facebook page.”  To learn more about how others can help click here.  Refer readers back to our www.svdpmission.org website whenever possible.  Impress the importance for others to include a link every time they make a post.
• Also, share how you are progressing in your campaign goals to encourage others.  For example, “ FYI--I’ve now reached 40% of my goal. Let’s keep this going. Please continue to share this campaign with your friends and ask others to get involved.  Together, we can make a difference!” Donors appreciate being in the loop and this will also help to keep them motivated to continue sharing.
• Underline or bold words you want to stand out.  
• You can also imbed helpful links; add stories, photographs, graphics or videos to make your campaign more captivating and enjoyable to read.

 

For assistance with your fundraiser/drive, do not hesitate to call Edwin Rodriguez at 203-754-0000.

 

The dining tables in use at the homeless shelter ever day are well over 26 years old.  They are constantly breaking down, stressed, and antiquated, and the program does not have the funds to rectify the situation.  For the individuals and families experiencing homelessness, who are already in crisis, I think we can do better. I’m looking to “Set the Table Right” and raise $10,000 for the purchase of new cafeteria tables, so people who are already feeling stressed, scared and devalued, can at least enjoy a meal on a clean, new table.  This will genuinely bring to life the environment of care we wish to promote and the messages we wish to communicate to those most in need: messages of dignity, value, hope, and recovery. Please consider your donation and sharing this campaign with others. Even a $20 donation will help us towards our goal.

Food insecurity affects over 19% of the population in Waterbury.  The St. Vincent DePaul Mission Soup Kitchen serves over 300 cooked meals per day, and the Food Pantry prepares and distributes over 45,000 bagged meals per year.  Families experiencing poverty do not need to experience hunger in our community. We’re looking to feed over 100 families with children through the Soup Kitchen Pantry.  Your donation can make all the difference to those experiencing hunger. By ________, please bring your nonperishable food items to ________ or make a cash donation of at least $20 to the Soup Kitchen.  Your donation of money or food will go a long way to help families in need. Please share this campaign with others. Together, we can make this happen.

For Private Messaging to close friend

Hi [NAME], 

I'm reaching out to you because I have decided to start a personal fundraiser for St. Vincent DePaul Mission of Waterbury.  This cause is very special to me because [insert reason here].  The mission is in desperate need of funds to help taking care of the most vulnerable of my community.  Without our support many people could go without shelter, food, clothing, and support services to help them manage their illness.  My personal goal for this drive is [insert amount].   With your support, we can reach this goal in no time.  

If you could support my fundraiser by making a donation and then sharing it with your network, I would greatly appreciate it. I know that money can be tight, so please know that even $5 helps me get closer to my goal! Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll be happy to answer them.

Please click the link below to help support and read more about why this is such a great cause.

[Insert Link here]

Message to community members/ group friends/ social club

Dear [Community Member], 

I hope this message finds you well. I'm reaching out to you because we're both a part of [insert group name ], and I wanted to share my story with you. [Include how you are affiliated to the group and what you have contributed in the past]. 

While [include shared interest] has always been a passion of mine, I found myself looking to support a local cause of my community.  I have chosen to support the St. Vincent De Paul Mission of Waterbury, Inc. because [insert reason here].  The mission is in desperate need of funds to help taking care of the most vulnerable of my community.  Without our support many people could go without shelter, food, clothing, and support services to help them manage their illness.   [Include reason behind creating your fundraiser] [Explain how this will positively impact your life].

My personal goal for this drive is [insert amount].   With your support, we can reach this goal in no time.  

If you could support my fundraiser by making a donation and then sharing it with your network, I would greatly appreciate it. I know that money can be tight, so please know that even $5 helps me get closer to my goal! Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll be happy to answer them.

Please click the link below to help support and read more about why this is such a great cause.

[Insert Link here]

Sample initial Facebook post:

Hi all, I wanted to tell you about a fundraiser I have put together to support a cause near and dear to me. St. Vincent DePaul Mission supports the people of our community experiencing homelessness, hunger, and mental illness. Please click link to support our cause.

Sample Tweet:

Please support my fundraiser for St. Vincent DePaul. Their services help the most vulnerable people of our community. Click link to support.

Sample Reminder Facebook post:

Hi friends, I know that our feeds are often flooded with many causes to support but my personal fundraiser is so very important to me because [insert personal connection here]. With a small donation, you could have a big impact on the people of our community that need it most. The agency has various programs in Waterbury including the largest homeless shelter in the State, a soup kitchen a food pantry, as well as mental health and low income residential programs. Please consider clicking the link and reading more about how your donation can help me reach my goal! Thanks so much for any consideration of helping me make a difference.

Sample Final Push for Facecbook:

Hi Friends, Thank you to all of my friends that have supported my cause. We are raising money for the St. Vincent DePaul Mission to help the most vulnerable of our community. We are just ______shy of our goal. Please help me in my last push to reach our goal! Any little amount will have a large impact.

Set the Table Right

Dear Friends and Family,

For several years, I have had the privilege of serving on the Board of the St. Vincent DePaul Mission of Waterbury Inc., which cares for over 500 people a day in our community experiencing homelessness, poverty, hunger, and serious mental health issues.  Over the past 40 years, the Mission has been a respite for those most in need and is credited for saving thousands of lives: Serving individuals and families who struggle each day to determine what they will eat, where they will sleep, or how they can pay for their most basic needs.  

As a member our Board, I have seen firsthand the nature of their challenges and the needs of people we serve.  Many of the folks we serve are living with the challenges of limited job availability, underemployment, or disabling medical or psychiatric conditions:  People whose lives have been largely defined by hardship and trauma, and who simply need a chance to succeed in their recovery. They are truly in need. How do you begin again without essential services: shelter, food, housing, goods, and compassionate supports?  This is what we do every day to help people move towards independence, to help those in need have a brighter day, a brighter future. Won’t you support our cause?

 

Most people are not aware that only 58% of our funding is received by state and federal grants, so in order for our essential services to continue, we must depend on Community Giving and people like you--allies in the support of those most vulnerable in our community.

 

We all wish to provide dignity and respect to those of us who are looking for our help and support.  Yet, how do we express those messages to the children, families and adults we serve? Every day, people gather to eat at our shelter on cafeteria tables that are over 25  years old,--completely worn, tattered, and degraded from time and use. My goal is to create a genuine Environment of Care and “Set the Table Right.”  It’s difficult enough to feel scared  and homeless. Can’t we provide them with a descent place to eat?  Together, we can Set the Table Right and make a real difference.

 

My goal is to provide the message of dignity and respect to all.  And, with the right equipment and care, we can send the right messages to the right people and provide hope and dignity for the individuals and families we serve struggling with homelessness and poverty.  Everyone deserves a clean, safe, and secure place to eat and sleep. I respectfully request your help to Set the Table Right.

The funding we receive is insufficient to furnish the needs of our clients, and your investment can help us to purchase new cafeteria tables for the adults and children we serve every day at the shelter.  Please won’t you join us to provide a fresh start to those who need our support?

 

Donate now, share this message, and Set the Table Right for those in need.  Help us to buy the cafeteria tables that we so urgently need at the shelter.