Once you commit to a fundraising goal, it’s time to give some thought as to how you are going to reach it. We understand that raising this much money can be a bit intimidating, but you can be successful if you plan ahead, start early, use your resources, be creative and have fun!

One of the first steps after you setup your personal fundraising page is to write your ask email. This is the message that you send to extended family, current and past friends, neighbors, old college friends, your favorite teacher from fourth grade and just about anybody else that you can think of.

The Process
What makes the email so successful is how little time it takes to send to a lot of people. Once you get your email written and sent out - all you have to do is wait a week, and see how many donations roll in. Be sure to include your URL to your online fundraising (www.firstgiving.com/YourPage). The donation process is pretty simple. If you don’t believe me, just make a donation to your own page.

Start Now
The key to a successful fundraising campaign is starting early! It is important to get your first email out early. It will help you stay realistic about your fundraising progess, and give you time to make another round of asks closer to the event.

Writing the Best Fundraising Letter
The key to a successful letter campaign is writing a good letter that tells your story. Here are some suggestions to writing a successful fundraising letter.

1. Make it personal
   We all love to get personal letters, so make your letter personal. Let them know what else is going on in your life other than this event. Then slide into what the event is about and why you are personally involved.
2. Ask
   Very important! What separates this letter from normal letters is that you are asking them to act. Don’t just tell them you are doing this, but that you need their help.
3. Set a deadline
   We give you a deadline for your own fundraising, but we recommend you set a deadline earlier than that. People are always motivated by deadlines. This way you can assess your fundraising before the real deadline.
4. Suggested giving levels
   We recommend giving your donors suggested giving levels. If you don’t put your overall goal into your letter, donors may not know how much you need to raise, and they will need the suggested giving level to gauge what size donation they think is appropriate.
5. Let them know how to donate
   Tell them the procedure for making a donation. If they are confused, they are not likely to send a donation, so walk them step-by-step through the procedure. Be sure to include your URL address for your online donation Web site powered by Active.com so that people can easily donate online.
6. Keep a list
   Keep a list of all the people you send letters to. You can then compare this list to the bank statements and you will get to see who hasn’t donated. This is important for the next step:
7. Be prepared to send a reminder
   Some people will get your email and say, “Sure I’ll help out,” only to forget about it. The best way to send a reminder is to give training updates. Write to your donors and tell them, “Training is going well” and “This week was my first 10 mile run.” Let them know that fundraising is going well, but you still have a bit farther to go. We have seen reminder messages that have been more successful than original letters for bringing in the money.

We hope these tips will help you write a great ask letter. Happy fundraising!