Friends and Family Campaigns

When you ask someone to give to RESULTS, you are giving them an opportunity to invest in ending poverty.

RESULTS offers specific Friends and Family Campaign opportunities throughout the year, including our popular Thanksgiving Virtual Feast. You can also host a Friends and Family Campaign anytime to commemorate personal milestones in your life like a birthday or anniversary with a Celebrations campaign.

When you sign up to host a fundraising campaign you have the support of the RESULTS development team behind you including personal outreach from a staff member and plenty of resources. We’re here to help you set up your website, share ideas for success, and answer your questions. Contact us anytime at [email protected]. 

How to Host a Successful Friends and Family Fundraising Campaign
 

Messaging Your Friends and Family Campaign

Your friends and family who give to support your Friends and Family Campaign are giving because they care about you and want to support you.

1. Tell them about your connection to RESULTS.

Share your RESULTS story:

• How long have you been an advocate?
• What issues are most important to you?
• Why does being an advocate mean to you?

Share your experience at the IC, meeting with a Member of Congress, or creating a media piece:

• What was your favorite moment at the IC? Share something you learned at the Conference.
• Have you ever meet with your Member of Congress or someone from their staff? What happened?
• What is it like getting a Letter to the Editor published?
• How has being an advocate impacted you?

2. Tie your personal RESULTS connection into an Ask for support:

• “Giving to my Friends and Family Campaign the work RESULTS volunteer advocates, like me, do across the country to influence political decisions including meeting with Members of Congress, writing op-eds, and mobilizing our communities.”
• “When you support my Friends and Family Campaign, you help continue this work to influence political decisions to end poverty by the year 2030.”
• “Together we can pass the [Reach Every Mother and Child Act and help put an end to preventable child deaths]. Help us reach this goal by supporting my Friends and Family Campaign!”

3. Say “Thanks!”

Send personal thank you notes – via mail or email – to your donors. Make sure they feel the love!

Remember, you’re not asking for money for yourself. You’re asking for a donation to support a cause that’s really important to you, and will help make the world a better place.

10 Best Practices for a Friends and Family Fundraising Campaign

1. Set Up Your Page
Your online fundraising page will be your campaign headquarters. You can set up your Celebrations fundraising page at any time by following the Registration instructions. Have questions about how to set up your page? Contact the Development team at [email protected] for help.

2. Set an Ambitious but Attainable Goal
Setting a goal is an important part of your campaign – don’t necessarily default to the suggested goal. Chose what works for you. Here’s one example of how to raise about $1,000 using the symbolic ask of $20.30, representing ending poverty by 2030:

• Sponsor yourself for $20.30
• Ask 10 family members for $20.30
• Ask 10 friends to contribute $20.30
• Ask 10 neighbors to contribute $20.30
• Ask 5 co-workers to contribute $20.30
• Ask your boss to sponsor you by contributing $100
• Ask 5 businesses you frequent to donate $50 each.

Getting close to your goal? Consider raising your goal to move more miles to raise more dollars!

3. Make a List
Think broadly about your contacts – your alumni community, fellow parents at your kid’s school, co-workers and former co-workers, neighbors, family members, area business owners. You'll be surprised who gives!

4. Make it Personal
Customize your emails and your fundraising page to include a personal story about why participating and raising money is important to you. Remember to explain what RESULTS is all about, and how donations will help. Always include the link to your fundraising page in your emails, and keep your page updated with successes, progress, or challenges so that visitors can stay informed and engaged throughout your fundraising effort.

5. Ask, Ask, and Ask Again!
Sometimes folks just need a friendly reminder after they’ve said yes. Not everyone will give.  Carry on, be tenacious, and don’t give up!

6. Share Online with Posts and Tweets
Social media is a good way to share your journey and support your specific asks. Share your campaign with @RESULTSEdFund on Facebook and @results_tweets on Twitter. Always provide a link to your personal fundraising page. Use Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn to update friends on your fundraising progress.

7. Create a Communication Schedule and Stick to It
Map out a schedule to send your emails or Facebook messages. Here is a sample schedule:

• Day One: Initial email and Facebook post announcing your participation with a link to your fundraising page. Include your fundraising goal, suggested donation amount, and a few reasons why RESULTS is important to you.
• Day Three: Follow up email thanking those who have already donated and reminding others. Include an update on where you are towards your goals and another reason you care about RESULTS.
• Day Six: Second update thanking those who have donated and asking others to donate now. Give them a deadline – “my campaign ends on Friday – please make your gift today!” – and reiterate your reasons for supporting RESULTS.
• Day Seven: “Last Chance” message as a final push for your campaign. Give another update.
• Day Eight: Wrap up and Thank You email. Let your supporters know your final numbers and give a heartfelt thank you.

Don’t hesitate to forward emails you get from the Development team or other RESULTS publications, like the Annual Report or blog posts. We’re happy for you to re-use our emails and materials!

8. Join a Team and Share Ideas
Need help staying motivated? Join a team for camaraderie, encouragement, and friendly competition. Have a great idea to share? We want to hear it! Reach out to other RESULTS Grassroots Fundraisers and the Development Team for tips and share your own.

9. Get Creative and Try New Things

• Add the link to your fundraising webpage to your email signature.
• Give out "piggy banks" and ask people to save their change for a month.
• Create business cards to give out during face-to-face interactions.
• Throw a party (we have a guide to help you with that, too!)

10. Send a Personalized Thank You
After you've completed your fundraising and the event is over, send your donors a note to thank them for their generosity. Tell them how much you raised in total and what your participation in this challenge meant to you. In addition to wrapping up your campaign, you are setting the stage for future donation appeals. Donors are more likely to give again if they feel that their donation was appreciated and valuable, and you might ask them to support RESULTS again next year!