Thank You Dear Pro- Life Homeschool Student, Parent, or Adviser,

Thank you so much for requesting a Homeschool Activism Kit from Students for Life of America (SFLA). We are so excited to be able to get free resources into your hands to help you in your mission to abolish abortion in your community. Together, we can see an end to this injustice in our nation.

This Activism Kit includes educational material, organizational and leadership advice, activism instructions, and available resources through SFLA. By reading though the material in this Kit, we hope to better equip you to get out and begin actively abolishing abortion in your community! Let’s get started! For Life,

The team at Students for Life of America

P.S. - For more information about our Students for Life Homeschool program, visit highschool.studentsforlife.org or email Missy Martinez at mmartinez@studentsforlife.org.

Table of Contents:Step 1 – Learn about Abortion A. Abortion Facts and Statistics B. Fetal Development C. Adoption D. Basic Apologetics: Defend Your Pro-Life Views in 5 Minutes or Less E. Watch your Rhetoric

Step 2 – Organize a Group A. High School Guidebook B. Training Videos C. Sample Meeting Agendas E. DBW: Don’t Be Weird

Step 3 – Get Active! A. Events B. Advanced Strategy Handbook C. Fundraising 101 D. Free Resources from SFLA

STEP 1: LEARN ABOUT ABORTION

Before you hit the ground running with pro-life activism, it is crucial that you educate yourself on abortion. This section will help you

articulate your pro-life views and give you the information that you need to back them up. You won’t know everything right off the bat, but this will get you going in the right direction. Even after you feel like you “know everything,” always be looking for opportunities to

learn more!

*Don’t forget to check out: http://highschool.studentsfor-life.org/get-educated for a whole lot more education on

various life issues!

Abortion Facts and StatisticsHow many abortions are occurring in the United States?

• America averages about 1.1 million abortions per year, which is approximately 3,300 a day (about 2 babies each minute).

Who is having abortions?

• About 52% of U.S. abortions are obtained by women under the age of 25.• Teenagers obtain 18% of abortions in America. Young women aged 20-24 obtain 33%.• College-aged women (ages 18-24) obtain 44% of abortions in the United States.

Why are women having abortions?

• 93% of all abortions occur for a social reason (i.e. the child is unwanted or inconvenient).• 6% of abortions occur because of potential health problems involving either the mother or

the child.• Contrary to popular opinion, only 1% of abortions occur for reasons of rape or incest.

When do abortions occur?

• 52% of all abortions occur before the 9th week of pregnancy --- By this time, the child is able to bend fingers around an object placed in the palm, and sucks her thumb. She also has fingerprints and fingernails. • 25% are committed between the 9th and 10th week --- The child’s body is sensitive to touch, and he or she can squint, swallow, and frown.• 12% happen between the 11th and 12th week --- At this point, the child can kick, turn his or her feet, curl and fan toes, make a fist, move thumbs, bend wrists, and open his or her mouth.• 4% occur between the 16th and 20th week --- By this time, the child can grasp with his or her

hands, and turn somersaults.

Abortion Facts and StatisticsHow many abortions are women having?

• 30% of all women will have at least one abortion by the time they are 45 years old.• 50% of all abortions are performed on women who have had at least one previous abortion.

How are abortions committed?

• Dilation & Curettage (D&C) - Used through the 12th week. After dilation of the cervix, a curette is inserted into the uterus. The baby’s body is cut into pieces and extracted, often by suction. The uterine wall is then scraped to remove the placenta and confirm that the uterus is empty.

• Dilation and Evacuation (D&E) - Performed up to 18 weeks. Forceps are inserted into the uterus, grabbing and twisting the baby’s body to dismember it. If the baby’s head is too large, it must be crushed in order to remove it.

• Intracardiac Injection - Performed in late-term abortions. The chemical digoxin is injected into the baby’s heart, causing immediate death. The dead baby’s body is then re-absorbed by the mother or delivered. This method is often used as “pregnancy reduction” when a mother carrying multiples wants fewer children.

• Prostaglandin - Performed during the 2nd half of pregnancy. A hormone-like compound is injected into the muscle of the uterus causing intense contractions and pushing out the baby. The violent contractions often crush the baby to death, though many babies have been born alive using this procedure, then left to die.

• RU-486 - Used through the 9th week of pregnancy, RU-486 is a synthetic steroid that blocks the hormone progesterone. Women then take a second drug, prostaglandin to induce contractions and expel the dead baby.

• Saline Injection - Usually performed during months 4 through 7. A 20% salt solution (the normal salt solution is .9%) is injected through the mother’s abdomen into the baby’s amniotic fluid. The baby ingests the solution and dies of salt poisoning, dehydration, and hemorrhaging of the brain. The baby’s skin is burned off. A dead or dying baby is delivered. A baby born alive is usually left unattended to die, though some have survived.

• Suction Abortion - After dilation of the cervix, a suction curette (a tube with a serrated tip) is inserted into the uterus. The strong suction (29 times the power of a household vacuum cleaner) tears the baby’s body apart and sucks it through the hose into a container. This is the most common method of abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Fetal Development First Trimester: 18-22 Days (3 weeks): Heart begins to beat.

28 Days (4 weeks): Arms and legs are budding. *Most women don’t realize they’re pregnant until the baby is approximately 4 weeks (28 days).

42 Days (6 weeks): Skeleton is formed; brain coordinates movement of muscles and organs. Brainwaves are detectable by 6 weeks and 2 days.

8 1/2 weeks: Eyelids and palms of hands are sensitive to touch.

9 weeks: Child will bend fingers around an object placed in the palm; thumb sucking occurs.

10 weeks: Body is sensitive to touch; child squints, swallows, puckers up brow, and frowns. Unique fingerprints appear and fingerprints begin growing.

12 weeks: Child can kick, turn feet, curl and fan toes, make a fist, move thumbs, bend wrists, turn head, open mouth, and press lips tightly together.

*Most abortions are performed before and during this time.

Second Trimester: 4 months: Movement in the womb can be felt by the mother.

5 months: Sleeping habits appear; a slammed door will provoke activity; child responds to sounds in frequencies too high or low for adults to hear. The child can also feel pain.

6 months: Lungs produce surfactant, which is necessary for breathing. Babies born at this age have survived. Third Trimester: 7 months: Eyelids open and close, eyes look around; mother’s voice is heard and recognized.9 months: Child triggers labor and birth occurs. By this point, the brain has nearly all the neurons it will ever have.

**Women can have abortions up to and through the 9th month of pregnancy in some states.

Sources and videos can be found at www.EHD.org and www.babycenter.com*www.guttmacherorg **abolishabortion.com/basic-pro-life-info

Adoption There may be times when a mother facing an unplanned pregnancy may feel completely unequipped to parent her child. She may feel her only option is to kill her pre-born child. Pro-life individuals touch lives by helping women place their baby or child for adoption. It is important to show women on your school that adoption can be the answer to all of her fears.

When talking with parents who have fostered or adopted, no matter what circumstances were that brought that child into their lives, be it genetics or adoption, they love that child dearly.

Some parents who have adopted have suffered under the scrutiny of strangers. Looks of confusion when the skin of their child is a bit darker than their own, a blondie found among a family of red heads, or a nose that doesn’t quite look like Mom or Dad’s. Questions like, “I know she isn’t your child, but is she, you know, yours“? Of course she is! No matter how a child came into their family, their union should be handled with compassion and love. Families that bring-up an adopted child should be celebrated, not scrutinized.

Adoptees are some of the strongest people in the world. They not only have to push through the emotional struggle of not knowing their birth parents, but they sometimes look so different from their family that they must overcome the idea that complete strangers know that they came into their family through adoption.

Most women who place their child for adoption faced an unplanned pregnancy and may have considered aborting their pre-born children. Pro-lifers should rejoice with a person who has been adopted…that person’s very life may have been saved because of adoption!

Today, 51% of abortions are performed on high school and college aged women, which means that women in school across the country are facing unplanned pregnancies and need to hear the message of adoption. Here are some ways you can take action in your school:

• Invite a member of the adoption triad to speak (birthmother, parent, adoptee)• Promote/raise money for adoption ministries and advocacy groups• Watch and promote pro-adoption movies such as: Bella, Juno, Penny Serenade, Meet the

Robinsons, and August Rush• Promote adoption songs such as: Temporary Home by Carrie Underwood; Everything to Me by

Mark Shultz; and When Love Takes You In by Steven Curtis Chapman• Organize an adoption flyer campaign! (Sample flyers on the SFLA website!)• Contact SFLA about hosting Catelynn & Tyler, the birthparents on MTV’s 16 & Pregnant• Chalk facts about adoptions on your school sidewalks• Volunteer with your local Pregnancy Help Center

*Go to http://highschool.studentsforlife.org/adoption-another-option/ for flyers and sources. ** If someone you know is considering adoption, check out www.ichooseadoption.org.

Defend Your Pro-Life Views in 5 Minutes or Less

BY SCOTT KLUSENDORF

Suppose that you have just five minutes to graciously defend your pro-life beliefs with friends or classmates. Can you do it with rational arguments? What should you say? And how can you simplify the abortion issue for those who think it’s hopelessly complex? Here’s how to succeed in three easy steps:

FIRST: Clarify the issue. Pro-life advocates contend that elective abortion unjustly takes the life of a defenseless human being. This simplifies the abortion controversy by focusing public attention on just one question: Is the unborn a member of the human family? If so, killing him or her to benefit others is a serious moral wrong. It treats the distinct human being, with his or her own inherent moral worth, as nothing more than a disposable instrument. Conversely, if the unborn are not human, killing them for any reason requires no more justification than having a tooth pulled.

In other words, arguments based on “choice” or “privacy” miss the point entirely. Would anyone that you know support a mother killing her toddler in the name of “choice and who decides?” Clearly, if the unborn are human, like toddlers, we shouldn’t kill them in the name of choice any more than we would a toddler. Again, this debate is about just one question: What is the unborn? At this point, some may object that your comparisons are not fair—that killing a fetus is morally different than killing a toddler. Ah, but that’s the issue, isn’t it? Are the unborn, like toddlers, members of the human family? That is the one issue that matters. (See the “Toddler Tactics” article for more on this.)

Remind your critics that you are vigorously “pro-choice” when it comes to women choosing a number of moral goods. You support a woman’s right to choose her own doctor, to choose her own husband, to choose her own job, and to choose her own religion, to name a few. These are among the many choices that you fully support for women. But some choices are wrong, like killing innocent human beings simply because they are in the way and cannot defend themselves.1 No, we shouldn’t be allowed to choose that.

SECOND: Defend your pro-life position with science and philosophy. Scientifically, we know that from the earliest stages of development, the unborn are distinct, living, and whole human beings. Leading embryology books confirm this.2 For example, Keith L. Moore & T.V.N. Persaud write, “A zygote is the beginning of a new human being. Human development begins at fertilization, the process during which a male gamete or sperm ... unites with a female gamete or oocyte ... to form a single cell called a zygote. This highly specialized, totipotent cell marks the beginning of each of us as a unique individual.”3

Prior to his abortion advocacy, former Planned Parenthood President Dr. Alan Guttmacher was perplexed that anyone, much less a medical doctor, would question this. “This all seems so simple and evident that it is difficult to picture a time when it wasn’t part of the common knowledge,” he wrote in his book Life in the Making.4

Defend Your Pro-Life Views in 5 Minutes or Less

Philosophically, we can say that embryos are less developed than newborns (or, for that matter, toddlers) but this difference is not morally significant in the way abortion advocates need it to be. Consider the claim that the immediate capacity for self-awareness bestows value on human beings. Notice that this is not an argument, but an arbitrary assertion. Why is some development needed? And why is this particular degree of development (i.e., higher brain function) decisive rather than another? These are questions that abortion advocates do not adequately address.

As Stephen Schwarz points out, there is no morally significant difference between the embryo that you once were and the adult that you are today. Differences of size, level of develop ment, environment, and degree of dependency are not relevant such that we can say that you had no rights as an embryo but you do have rights today. Think of the acronym SLED as a helpful reminder of these non-essential differences:5

Size: True, embryos are smaller than newborns and adults, but why is that relevant? Do we really want to say that large people are more human than small ones? Men are generally larger than women, but that doesn’t mean that they deserve more rights. Size doesn’t equal value.

Level of development: True, embryos and fetuses are less developed than the adults they’ll one day become. But again, why is this relevant? Four year-old girls are less developed than 14 year-old ones. Should older children have more rights than their younger siblings? Some people say that self-awareness makes one human. But if that is true, newborns do not qualify as valuable human beings. Six-week old infants lack the immediate capacity for performing human mental functions, as do the reversibly comatose, the sleeping, and those with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Environment: Where you are has no bearing on who you are. Does your value change when you cross the street or roll over in bed? If not, how can a journey of eight inches down the birth-canal suddenly change the essential nature of the unborn from non-human to human? If the unborn are not already human, merely changing their location can’t make them valuable. Degree of Dependency: If viability makes us human, then all those who depend on insulin or kidney medication are not valuable and we may kill them. Conjoined twins who share blood type and bodily systems also have no right to life.

In short, it’s far more reasonable to argue that although humans differ immensely with respect to talents, accomplishments, and degrees of development, they are nonetheless equal because they share a common human nature

Defend Your Pro-Life Views in 5 Minutes or Less

THIRD: Challenge your listeners to be intellectually honest. Ask the tough questions. When critics say that birth makes the unborn human, ask, “How does a mere change of location from inside the womb to outside the womb change the essential nature of the unborn?” If they say that brain development or self-awareness makes us human, ask if they would agree with Joseph Fletcher that those with an IQ below 20 or perhaps 40 should be declared non-persons? If not, why not? True, some people will ignore the scientific and philosophic case you present for the pro-life view and argue for abortion based on self-interest. That is the lazy way out. Remind your critics that if we care about truth, we will courageously follow the facts wherever they lead, no matter what the cost to our own self-interest.

Notes:1. Gregory Koukl, Precious Unborn Human Persons (Lomita: STR Press, 1999) p. 11.2. See also, T.W. Sadler, Langman’s Embryology, 5th ed. (Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders, 1993) p. 3; Ronand O’Rahilly & Pabiola Muller, Human Embryology and Teratology, 2nd ed. (New York: Wiley-Liss, 1996) pp. 8, 29.3. Keith L. Moore and T.V.N. Persaud, The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology (Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company, 1998) p.2.

Watch Your RhetoricThe Battle for Worlds IS the Battle for Hearts and Minds.

These words are IN

Pre-born Abortion facility

Abortionist Commits abortions

Placed with an adoptive family PRC or Pregnancy Resource Center

Abortion advocatesAbortion lobby

Abortion industry

These words are OUT

Unborn/fetusAbortion clinic

Abortion doctor or abortion providerPerforms abortions

Given up for adoptionCPC or Crisis Pregnancy Center

Abortion rights

STEP 2: ORGANIZE A GROUP

Now that you’ve read up a little on abortion, what should you do? Start a pro-life student group in your homeschool community! You are a key part of winning the pro-life fight in our nation. More than half of the women obtaining abortions in America are college and high school aged women. You

are on the front lines of this battle, and you are fighting to protect these young women. By starting a student group, you can begin to change the culture

around you. A student group will outlast your years in high school and continue to educate other students on abortion and save lives, even after you graduate!

Homeschool GuidebookBefore you continue reading through my materials, pause and head to the Students

for Life of America Homeschool Guidebook that came included in your kit.

This guidebook is a step-to-step guide to how to begin and sustain a pro-life group at your school. It covers everything from your frist meeting to events, budgets, and more!

Also included in the guidebook is a sample constitution and mission statement.

HOMESCHOOLGUIDEBOOKStudents for Life of America

Training Videos Sick of all of this reading?

Check out these short Students for Life of America training videos on online. For more helpful videos, visit www.youtube.com/user/studentsforlife

Educational Videos

Planned Parenthood’s Business Cyclehttp://www.plannedparenthoodproject.com

Inspiration: The Tide is Turning Videohttp://highschool.studentsforlife.org/success-stories

Inspiration: Megan and Jessica Video http://www.youtibe.com/watch?v=fkrB7Bb94

Training Videos

Plan Your Year Video and Guidehttp://highschool.studentsforlife.org/plan-your-year

Recruiting New Membershttp://highschool.studentsforlife.org/recruit-members

Running Effective Meetingshttp://highschool.studentsforlife.org/have-more-effective-meetings

Sample Meeting AgendasTo run an effective meeting, it’s important to plan ahead. Here are some sample meeting agendas you can use to be organized and on task for your group meetings:

Students for Life Sample Introductory Meeting

Introduction• Introduction of group leaders• Sign-up sheet• Icebreaker

Why your school needs a student pro-life group• Introduction of temporary mission statement

What kinds of activities our group can do• Develop a Cemetery of the Innocents Display• Hold a Diaper Drive• Organize a Candlelight Vigil• Participate in Sidewalk Counseling• Host Speakers/Debates• Attend Protests - National March for Life, every January in Washington, D.C.• Attend Conference - Students for Life of America National Conference, every January in

Washington, D.C; Regional Leadership Summits hosted by SFLA

Our First Event• Poll Table• Make signs and practice dialogue

Election of Officers• Nominations/Appointments• Election

Conclusion• Details of next meeting

Networking• Meet members after the meeting while enjoying refreshments

Sample Meeting Agendas Students for Life Sample Officers Meeting

Discuss why this group is important for your community

Write a Constitution/Mission Statement to present to the group at next meeting• Use samples from SFLA

Establish Committees that are needed• Publicity• Fundraising• Political• and any others you think your group needs

Outline the roles of the officers and committee heads

Determine what events the group should focus on for the first few months

Determine what the first fundraiser should be• Car wash?• Bake sale?• Donations from local Pro-life groups?• Write letters to potential supporters?

Conclusion• When should officers meet again?• Weekly before general meetings?• Bi-weekly?

DBW: Don’t Be Weird When we say DBW, what do we really mean? We mean: Don’t. Be. Weird. In your mannerisms, dress, and interactions, try to compose yourself in a way that will attract other people. Now, we aren’t asking you to change who you are and act fake, but we are asking you to look at how you may viewed by a stranger. Would you want to associate with you? Here are a few check points for you. The SFLA team has actually encountered all of these situations:

Respect personal space• Don’t get to close to people’s faces when talking. • Don’t touch people (i.e. grabbing an arm, rubbing back, etc.) Many people don’t feel comfortable

with it. • Give a firm handshake, not so hard to hurt them, but find a middle ground. • Control our fidgeting. Don’t distract there with your random movements.

Volume control• Don’t talk so LOUD. You are not a megaphone, especially when talking to people about a personal

story or life experience. • Don’t talk so quiet that people can’t hear you. We want students to be bold for life, but no shouting

and no whispering. • Tone: Speak with confidence and enthusiasm. Try not to be monotone; voice fluctuation is a good

thing.

Dress appropriately for the occasion• Men: If it is a tabling event, jeans, sneakers, and a clean t-shirt are good. For a more formal event, a

button-down shirt, tie, and slacks.• Women: Don’t wear shirts too tight or low. Be aware that your shorts/skirts are of appropriately

lengths.

Keep up personal hygiene• Brush your teeth everyday• Shower• Smell nice, wear deodorant • Brush your hair• Wear appropriate amounts of make-up ladies

Remember: Not everyone is religious • Not everyone is comfortable with discussing religion/faith right off the bat.• Don’t lead the conversation with your faith. Lead the conversation with the humanity of the pre-

born.• Don’t get into denominational arguments with your club or other students. This will drive students

away from you.• Have an open mind about having inter-religious groups within your pro-life group

Other students are looking for reasons to dismiss you as crazy. Don’t give them that opportunity! We have the truth on our side, and we can’t let the conversation be distracted from that.

STEP 3: GET ACTIVE!

You did it! You now have a successful homeschool pro-life group! It’s time to get active in your community by hosting an event! It’s important that you reach beyond the four walls of your meeting room and engage with the people around you. Organizing an event can be intimidating, but Students for Life of America will be with you every step of the way!

As a new group, it is important to start engaging your community immediately. Don't wait! The purpose of your club is to educate your peers and ultimately abolish abortion. You need to visible at community events from the get-go a start dialogues about abortion. Here are a few event ideas (listed in the order we recommend for new groups to have them) that are simple and easy that will help your group gain momentum:

Flyering campaign - post flyers around public areas on a specific theme. For example, basic abortion statistics, fetal development, or Planned Parenthood's' abortion business. Visit highschool.studentforlife.org/flyers for pre-made, downloadable flyers you can use! Be sure to add your groups contact information at the bottom!

Host an Apologetics Training - Ask your Regional Coordinator or a local pro-life leader to come and teach your group dialoguing skills. It is crucial that your members are comfortable talking to other students about abortion and they feel prepared to answer the hard questions.

Prayer Vigil/Memorial Service at Local Abortion Facility - Pick a date and time that is convenient for majority of your members. Drive to the nearest abortion facility and spend a set about of time in prayer or silent reflection. Use inclusive language so that all members, regardless of religious affiliations, can participate.

Chalking - Find public sidewalks and write life-affirming messages on them! This is a fun and creative way to get students active! Be sure to write contact information for your local pregnancy center or post-abortive recovery counseling centers.

Volunteer at Your Local Pregnancy Resource Center - Call your local Pregnancy Resource Center and ask if you can bring a group of students by for a volunteer day. This can include yard work, office duties, or babysitting!

For more advanced groups, host events like a Cemetery of the Innocents, movie night, baby shower, diaper drive, and a day of silence! Be sure to attend your local SFLA

Regional Leadership Summit and National Students for Life Conference!

Events

Advanced Strategy HandbookOnce your group has got into the swing of things and wants to further extend their

reach, read through Students for Life of America’s Advanced Strategy Handbook for more ideas and helpful tips!

Fundraising 101Does the idea of fundraising frighten you?

If you answered “Yes,” that’s ok and trust us --- you are not alone. The important thing to remember is that fundraising isn’t nearly as daunting as it seems and truly is a key part of your work to abolish abortion. You aren’t begging people for money. You are giving them the opportunity to work alongside you in the greatest human rights struggle our world has ever known.

There is no sure-fire blueprint to fundraising that says, “If you do A, B, and C, then you will raise $XXX.” As mentioned in the SFLA Advanced Strategy Handbook, there are plenty of ways you can engage in fundraising. Regardless of the type of fundraising you choose to do, the most important thing you can do is understand and appreciate your donor.

Understanding Donors and Building a Relationship

One thing that makes should make fundraising easier for you is the fact that you aren’t raising money for yourself but for an important mission --- to abolish abortion in our lifetime. And, unless your donor or prospective donor is a family member, the cause is more than likely what is going to get you that donation.

The good news is that people who care about ending abortion are usually pretty passionate, so it’s not too difficult to convince them/sell them on why your group needs money. However, your success or failure all comes down to how well you make the “ask.” And how well you make the “ask” ultimately comes from how well you know and understand the particular donor you are asking. For example, asking a school for funding is going to be a lot different than speaking at a church and asking members to donate.

Everyone you meet is a potential donor. Have a short 1 minute “sales pitch” that you can give to anyone who is interested in your group and mission. In this “sales pitch,” you should be able to clearly state why your group is needed in your community (majority of abortions are committed on women your age, the abortion industry targets this generation, etc), what you are trying to do (be sure to note one success you have had - a peer who converted to pro-life, baby saved, etc), what you have planned for the upcoming year, and how supporters can help. You need to show that you are organized/have a plan and can be trusted with money. In addition, you should also have a business card or something else that you can give to people with basic information about your group and how to contact you.

When you do find new potential donors or receive a gift from a new donor, put them into some kind of list. Excel (or a similar spreadsheet program) works the best – so you can keep track of donor contact information, notes about how they became involved with your group, and donation history. You should note every interaction you have with a donor or donor prospect.

Fundraising 101One Simple Way to Fundraise: A Calling Campaign

Every member of your group should start by collecting the names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and mailing addresses of family and friends. A good place to start is with your parents’ Christmas card list. Enter all that information into a spreadsheet and then add two more columns. In the first additional column, write what you think that person could give to your group. Double that projection for the second column.

Take time each day over a 3-4 week period to call a few people on your list to ask for a donation. Write a simple script that you can follow. The purpose of these calls is to ask for money, so be careful to not get sidetracked too much.

Start by explaining what your group does, why you are important among your peers, and your up-coming event that you need help funding. Then ask for them to donate in the amount of your doubled projection for that person. Then stop talking! Don’t say anything until the person you just asked responds. If they say “Yes,” great. Get their information (how would they like to give - via mail or credit card right away) and move on to your next call. If he or she is unable to make that donation, ask if they would be able to contribute your original projection. If they say “Yes,” great. Get their information and move on. If he or she is unable to do that, thank them for their time and say you will call again later. Maybe the next time you do a fundraising campaign, they will be able to donate.

Be prepared to take someone’s credit card information, so they can donate online right away. SFLA can set up a free online donation page for your group, just email us at info@studentsforlife.org. Or have a follow-up package ready to send to the person’s home with a thank you letter and self-addressed, stamped return envelope -reminding them of your call and their pledge to give $XXX. You want to make things as easy as possible for people to donate.

Record the results of each phone call in your spreadsheet. For example, if someone tells you he can’t donate because his dog is sick (or whatever reason), write that down. Next time you call, ask him how his dog is. This will help build that personal relationship with the donor. It may also be helpful for each group member to send their pledge totals every night to your group treasurer or fundraiser leader, so he or she can keep track of the campaign totals and continue to motivate the group - showing what you all are accomplishing together.

Be sure to follow up in the same fundraising cycle with people who don’t answer or can’t give you an answer the first time you call, but don’t call people again who have told you flat-out that they are unable to donate.

Repeat this process with your whole group 3 or 4 times each year. This may be intimidating at first, but it truly is the most effective way for your group to fundraise. The more you practice, the better and more comfortable you will become.

Following-Up and Staying in Touch

Following up with donors, those who have pledged to donate, and potential donors is crucial in building your relationship and increasing your chances of future donations. If you meet someone at an event and get their information, send them an e-mail this next day just to say it was nice to meet them. If a person pledges to donate during your calling campaign, make sure to get the follow-up packet in the mail in the next day. When someone donates to your group, make sure that you thank them within a few days of receiving the donation. The size of the gift and your relationship with that donor should dictate whether your follow up is a phone call, handwritten note, or e-mail thank you.

Add all donors to an e-mail list and send them regular updates, so they can see the impact your group is making with their investment.

Conclusion

Students for Life of America can help you fundraise by providing sample fundraising letters, calling campaign scripts, setting up an online donation page for your group, and general advice. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at anytime by e-mailing info@studentsforlife.org.

Fundraising 101

Free Resources for You! At Students for Life of America, we know that you are busy students, and we want to make it as easy

as possible for you to become active pro-life leaders and groups in your community. Besides this Activism Kit, we provide all of the following resources to you for FREE!

TrainingsYou can request a FREE in-person or Skype training from one of the Students for Life team members at http://highschool.studentsforlife.org/request-a-training-meeting/. Below are some of the

topics you can request!

• Apologetics: Dialoguing with Abortion Advocates • Developing Your Leaders • Pro-Life Activism • How to Talk about Abstinence • Embracing the Controversy of Abortion• Fundraising for Your Group • Recruiting and Retaining Members • Planning Your Year • Planned Parenthood’s Abortion Business

Topic Cards (Samples of each card can be found in this Activism Kit.)

We have cards for all the tough topics, and the best part is that you can request any number of them to hand out at your events, counter demonstrations, use for tabling, etc. Simply e-mail SFLA at

info@studentsforlife.org to order as many as you need!

• What about the Life and Health of the Mother?• What about Rape and Incest?• What does Planned Parenthood Have Planned for You? • Can You Really Have “Safe-Sex?”• Does Overpopulation Justify Abortion• Has Legal Abortion Really Helped Women?

Order an Event-in-a-Box! Each month during the school year, SFLA releases a new box for the month, along with resources

(flyers, event and speaker suggestions, talking points, and other marketing materials) that your group can download. The monthly “boxes” are announced in an easy-to-access blogpost at highschool.

studentsforlife.org and all of the school year’s “boxes” are posted at highschool.studentsforlife.org/event-in-a-box.

Free Resources for You!Download, Customize, and Print Flyers for your Events!

SFLA offers many flyers that your group can customize and print out to fit your needs. Visit highschool.studentsforlife.org/flyers and click on the flyers for an enlarged image. Please

print these out and use them in your community! (If there are any flyers that you would like us to create, send us your suggestions to info@studentsforlife.org.)

Get one-on-one support from the SFLA Team!Students for Life of America has a dedicated team of professionals to help students in any region. Our team is available for you. We are here to help you by offering one-on-one support for your group. Check out our Team Page to find an SFLA team member nearest you and e-mail them:

http://highschool.studentsforlife.org/where-our-team-is-located.

Attend SFLA’s Regional Leadership Summits and National and West Coast Conferences!

A Regional Leadership Summit is a great opportunity to network with pro-life students and to connect with other pro-life leaders. SFLA can provide highly specialized training for your

group leaders and all pro-life students for everything that you face. Our goal is to bring as many leaders (and future leaders) as possible together for trainings and to strategize on how to grow

the pro-life student movement in your area. For more information, visit http://highschool.studentsforlife.org/students-for-life-regional-conferences/

Our National and West Coast Conferences are held every year around the time of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. If you and your group are traveling to Washington D.C. to attend the March for Life or San Francisco, CA, to attend the Walk for Life, be sure to include the National

and West Coast Conference in your travel agenda! For more information, visit sflalive.org.

Participate in SFLA’s Thaddeus Stevens Leadership Fellowship! The SFLA Thaddeus Stevens Fellowship has been developed to raise up the next generation of high school pro-life leaders. We want to help high school and homeschool students become the best leaders and activists in their school and communities. Simply put, the SFLA Thaddeus Stevens Leadership Fellowship is the training you need for a future in the pro-life movement. For more information, visit highschool.studentsforlife.org/stevens-leadership-fellowship.

E-mail the Students for Life team anytime with your needs! We are here to serve you! info@studentsforlife.org