Practicing good follow-through on your donation requests will increase your fundraising success. For example, send reminder emails to people who haven’t responded yet to your fundraising emails sent more than two weeks ago. Your initial request may have become lost in the shuffle.
From the Email page of your Participant Center, click on the Need Follow-Up group to see a list of contacts you have emailed but have not donated yet. Check the box next to the name of the group, then select the Compose link on the right to begin composing your email.
You can start with the suggested "Follow Up" template we provide, and personalize it with your own story. Add a note about your fundraising and training progress, and give them a suggested deadline for their donation. Adding a little extra pressure like that could push your fundraising to the top of their priority list.
You can also click on the name of any of your contacts to see you their open rate, which is the percentage of emails sent to that person she/he has opened. If you see someone did not open their emails, it's possible that they never even saw it in their inbox. Certain spam filters are so strict, they may have inadvertently pushed your email into a bulk folder. For these contacts, perhaps it's time to pick up the phone or send a written letter to follow up on your fundraising request.
For those who have already donated, send thank you emails. Let them know how much you have raised so far, how much you have been training, and how excited you are about the incredible challenge you are taking on soon.
Not only is it the gracious thing to do, but it’s also a good way to give a final boost to your fundraising efforts. Keeping in touch will help cultivate these donors for years to come, and may even result in a second donation this year. Those who donated a long time ago might be motivated to make another donation. Someone who has already supported you with a donation may be willing to pass your fundraising request on to a friend you don’t know, widening your circle.
From the Email page of your Participant Center, Click on the Unthanked Donors group to see all of your current donors. Check the box next to the name of the group, then select the Compose link on the right to begin composing your email. You can start with the suggested "Thank You" template we provide, and personalize it with your own story.
In your thank you note, ask each of your donors to pass your letter on to a friend you don’t know, or share your story on their Facebook page. This expands your circle of donors, and you might get a donation from someone you don’t even know!
Your thank you note should also include a reminder for donors to look up their employer’s name on our Matching Gifts page to see if they match donations for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®. Even if their employer is not on our list - they still could match. Have your donors ask at their workplace. Applying for a matching gift costs nothing for you or your donor, and it could double the amount of the original donation!
You can also share your love for your donors with a photo of yourself holding this sign on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Don’t forget to tag it #The3Day.
Or print a Tribute Card or a Thank you certificate to present to your donor: