Every year, hundreds of volunteers travel to Guatemala on service trips with HELPS. Between airfare, in-country transportation, lodging, food, and program expenses, the cost of service trips can be expensive.
In order to better support our dedicated volunteers, last year HELPS launched a new fundraising platform that allows them to create custom pages to share their stories and seek support from their friends and family. Health care volunteers can start a new page here and community development volunteers can start a new page here.
Fundraising from friends and family can seem daunting, but our volunteers’ requests for support for the meaningful work they will do in Guatemala are almost always met with great enthusiasm. Here are six steps to help you get started:
1. GET THE BALL ROLLING
No one likes to be first. That’s why it’s always a good idea to get your fundraising off to a strong start by making the first contribution. Once you have given, your friends and family will be more likely to get involved.
2. ADD YOUR STORY TO THE EMAIL
We have created an email template you can use right from your fundraising page. The most important thing you can add to this message is why you are involved. Share your story and tell your family and friends what serving in Guatemala means to you.
3. START WITH YOUR CLOSE CONTACTS
It’s best to start by reaching out to your close friends and family, because they are most likely to donate. Try sending out some quick personal messages to your inner circle to build up some momentum. After that, use the email template you customized to reach out to all your other contacts.
4. NOW MOVE TO SOCIAL MEDIA
Once you’ve sent your first batch of emails, it’s time to spread the word on social media. One of the best approaches to fundraising on both Facebook and Twitter is to tag and thank people who have already donated while you are asking for more donations. This spreads your message further and lets the people you are asking know that others are already getting behind you.
5. REENGAGE WITH EMAIL
Don’t hesitate to send a few followup emails. Emails are easy to overlook and people often open them up quickly and forget to go back to them. Use email to keep people up to date on your progress as you hit different milestones (50% raised, 75% raised, etc.) and ask supporters to help you hit your next milestone.
6. CONTINUE THANKING AND UPDATING SOCIAL MEDIA
As more of your network gets behind you, keep thanking them on social media and make sure you continue to share your progress. Remember to share stories from your service trip with your supporters after you get back from Guatemala.
Good luck fundraising and thank you for changing lives with HELPS!
Source: Classy, 2017 | Download + print our tip sheet