True Love Toolkit

SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING TIPS

LOVE

LOVE

Successful Fundraising Tips www.TrueColorsFund.org © 2015 True Colors Fund

Getting married? Have an anniversary coming up soon? Share the love and turn your special occasion into a fund-raising campaign to support the True Colors Fund’s work in preventing and ending homelessness among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth.

A growing body of research shows that up to 40% of the 1.6 million youth who experience homelessness each year identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. The most commonly cited reason for these young people leaving their homes is family rejection. The True Colors Fund is working hard to end to this epidemic by educating and engaging the public, advocating within government, working collaboratively with young people, facilitating leading research, and organizing communities to develop solutions for preventing and ending LGBT youth homelessness.

But we can’t do it without you. We need your support! Start your own fundraising campaign today and join the movement to create a world in which all young people can be their true selves. Together, we can directly impact the lives of LGBT youth, the service providers with whom they work, and the communities in which they live.

The True Love campaign is perfect for:

• Weddings• Anniversaries• Valentines Day

We’re here to cheer you on every step of the way! This handy guide is filled with tips and tricks to help you launch a successful campaign. Just imagine the powerful message we’ll send to all the inspiring young people out there working so hard to create change for themselves and other LGBT youth—when we say, “We hear you and we’re standing with you.”

Have any questions? Feel free to contact us!

YoUR FUNDRAISING CAmPAIGN

http://www.truecolorsfund.org/fundraise

mailto:donate%40truecolorsfund.org?subject=

LOVE


GETTING STARTEDCreate a profile Tell your story: Why does this issue matter to you? Connect the issue to yourself personally or someone close to you.

TIP Focus your story on the positive outcomes and results. It’s easy to want to tug on the heartstrings of your donors, but we have found that positive images and stories produce better results when fundraising.

Set a goal: Give your donors something to rally behind! Set a goal that you can not only achieve but surpass.

TIP Track your goal throughout the process. This will allow folks in your network to track your progress as well.

Make a plan: Start by reaching out to a small group of close friends and family. Then expand from there to people and groups outside your immediate network (bookclubs, running groups, facebook groups, etc).

TIP Start with your wedding party.

Start the giving: The best way to kick start your fundraiser is to make the first donation. This will display your commit-ment to the cause and show your friends and family you’re serious about achieving your goal.

TIP Ask someone close to you to match your gift.

Broadcast it: Use social media to broadcast your fundraiser.

TIP Check out our social media (Twitter, Facebook, email, and blog) examples at the end of this guide.

Follow up: Thank all of your donors for making a contribution to your campaign no matter how much they contributed.

TIP Get creative and give a shoutout to your donors via social media. They will love the public attention.


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SoCIAL mEDIA TIPS Using social media tools like Facebook and Twitter can increase the success of your fundraising by up to 40%! Read on to learn how to use social media in the best way possible for your campaign.

MAKE IT A HASHTAG: Consider creating a hashtag around your campaign or event to promote and center conversation about the cause! The more buzz you can create, the better!

FACEBOOK: Post status updates with links and photos about your campaign that direct users back to your fundraising page. You never know who in your life will be moved to support the effort to end LGBT youth homelessness.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO BE VISUAL: Change your profile picture or cover photo to further promote your campaign!

TWITTER: If you’re active on Twitter, the network can be a great place to reach potential donors and supporters. Twitter is a great way to reach out to people outside of your network who may be interested in your campaign. Tweet about your fundraiser to influential leaders, businesses and organizations. You never know who you’ll hear back from or who may decide to donate!

INSTAGRAM: Instagram is a great way to share photos, videos, and all things visual. Instagram also utilizes hashtags, so make sure your hashtags are consistent on all of your social media platforms.

MORE THE MERRIER: Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+... the list goes on. Make sure everyone you’re connected to online knows about the important work you’re supporting. Keep them updated about your progress as you continue your cam-paign.

ASK FOR A SHARE: Not everyone is able to contribute financially to your campaign, but something everyone can do is share it with their own networks. This is how viral posts are born, and you want to reach the widest network you can. So if your little brother is in college and money is tight, ask him to post a link to your page with a message of support!

BE CREATIVE: Success on social media is about making people smile. Use your channels creatively. If you’re fundraising around your wedding, post update pictures every week to Facebook or Instagram! Post teasers as the big day appraoc-hes, and see what you can share from the behind the scenes of your campaign to keep your supporters engaged, inter-ested, and updated. Check out the selfie signs at the end of this guide that can help you be even more creative on social media.

USE YOUR TOOLS: You can set up a Facebook page or Twitter account specifically for your campaign. If you’re holding an event, create a Facebook event for it and invite your friends! You can use a hashtag to make it easy for people to follow news and updates about the event! Use the tools that social media gives you to make it easier to get the word out!


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Sample Tweets: Instead of wedding gifts, please support the effort to end #LGBT youth homelessness [INSeRT YoUR PAGe LINK heRe] @TrueColorsFund #YoURhAShTAG

help us make a big difference on our big day. Let’s end #LGBT youth homelessness [INSeRT YoUR PAGe LINK heRe] @TrueColorsFund #YoURhAShTAG

We want something bigger for our wedding. Let’s end #LGBT youth homelessness. [INSeRT YoUR PAGe LINK heRe] @TrueColorsFund #YoURhAShTAG

What’s a better wedding gift than ending #LGBT youth homelessness? [INSeRT YoUR PAGe LINK heRe] @TrueColorsFund #YoURhAShTAG

Sample Facebook Posts:I / We went ahead and took away all the pressure of finding the perfect wedding gift for our wedding.

In lieu of gifts, we ask that you join us in supporting the effort to end #LGBT youth homelessness by mak-ing a donation to the True Colors Fund.

our wedding is changing our lives. help us change the lives of others. #YoURhAShTAG

We don’t want any gifts for our wedding. We want something bigger.

Join us in supporting the effort to end #LGBT youth homelessness by making a donation to the True Colors Fund.

help us make a big difference on our big day. #YoURhAShTAG


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Sample email content: Dear, _______

We went ahead and took away all the pressure of finding the perfect wedding gift for our wedding. Instead, we want something bigger. People say your wedding day is the “biggest day of your life.” We want to change the lives of others on our big day.

In lieu of gifts, we ask that you join us in supporting the effort to end lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgen-der (LGBT) youth homelessness by making a donation to the True Colors Fund. 40% of young people who experience homelessness are LGBT, while only 7% of the general youth population are LGBT. The number one reason they’re homeless? Family rejection because of who they are. This is something we refuse to ignore… especially on our wedding day.

So as we all come together to celebrate love, _____ and I ask that you extend that love to these young people. It would mean the world to us if you would make a gift to the True Colors Fund in honor of our love. The True Colors Fund works daily across the United States, to end homelessness among LGBT youth and is having a real impact on young lives.

Please visit our fundraising page to make a donation or learn more.


LOVE


Sample blog content: People say your wedding day is the “biggest day of your life.” We want to change the lives of others on our big day.

[Tell your story here! Why is ending LGBT youth homelessness important to you? how does it connect to the story of you and your partner? Make it personal!]

In lieu of gifts, we ask that you join us in supporting the effort to end lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgen-der (LGBT) youth homelessness by making a donation to the True Colors Fund. 40% of young people who experience homelessness are LGBT, while only 7% of the general youth population are LGBT. The number one reason they’re homeless? Family rejection because of who they are. This is something we refuse to ignore… especially on our wedding day.

So as we all come together to celebrate love, _____ and I ask that you extend that love to these young people. It would mean the world to us if you would make a gift to the True Colors Fund in honor of our love. The True Colors Fund works daily across the United States, to end homelessness among LGBT youth, and is having a real impact on young lives.

Please visit our fundraising page to make a donation or learn more.


LOVE


FUNDRAISING ChECkLIST

Change profile cover photo

Facebook

Twitter

Create a hashtag

Promote on social media

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Make a Facebook event page

Send emails to personal contacts

Write blog post

Post ongoing updates

here is a quick checklist to make sure you’ve covered all your bases in order to get the most out of your fundraising campaign.


TogeTher, we can end LgBT youTh homeLessness!

heLp me reach my goaL oF $ .

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I am $ away From my goaL !

TogeTher, leT’s end lgBT youTh homeLessness.

25%

50%

75%

#

Thank you For heLpIng me reach my goaL oF $

TogeTher, we are endIng LgBT youTh homeLessness!

#

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