Fundraising for ACF

Below you will find a guide for hosting a fundraiser for the Animal Care Foundation!  If you have any questions you can email us at [email protected] and we will do our best to help you.

Hosting a fundraiser is a great way to scale your impact and we are so thankful for your participation!  Below you will find all of the information you’ll need to set everything up, customize the most important parts, and sample language!

We have done much of the heavy lifting for you because we know how busy you are!  Your time investment can be just 10-15 minutes! 
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Section 1: How to set-up your fundraising page and join the team.
Section 2: Tips to make your fundraiser more successful.
Section 3: Sample emails to adapt and conversation starters.

Section 1: Set-up your fundraising page and join the team!

Step 1:  Go to the Animal Care Foundation’s Give MN page https://www.givemn.org/team/Acfmax2023 (click stay on this page anytime a pop-up shows up) and then click Join This Team.

​Step 2: Click “Get Started” in the pop-up window.

​Step 3: Click “Build Your Fundraiser” in the next pop-up window.

Step 4:  You are now on your fundraising page!  Using the template, you can adapt it as much or as little as you want!  Any field that has a pencil next to it can be edited.  At a minimum, we recommend following the next two steps.

Step 5:  Edit your goal fundraising amount by clicking on the pencil and entering the total amount you want to raise.  ​

​Step 6:  Click on Settings and then customize the URL to something that works for you.  I made my own, ACFHeather.  Make sure to click the green “SAVE” button once you have customized it.

Step 7:  (Optional) Click on the Story Page in the dashboard and then scroll down to the “Story’ section.  Update the story section by sharing a personal story about the meaning of your pet to you or the impact you saw a pet have on a loved one when they were struggling.  A personal connection is a great way to motivate your friend and family to participate.  Once you are done editing, make sure to click SAVE (circled in red in the photo).  ​

Step 8:  Click on the publish button and follow the prompts in the dialogue box that opens.  Your personalized fundraising page is now live!  Check it out by entering the website you customized in step 6 above.

Step 9:  Click on “Share Now” to share to your social media!  Follow the prompts (you’ll probably need to login to your social accounts for this step).  Alternatively, you can share the unique website you made in step 6 directly on your social media pages with your own personal photo of choice.  ​

Step 10: Reshare a few days later.  The algorithms are not always in our favor, people are busy, and we all get distracted.  Give your community more than one opportunity to engage with you!

Step 11:  (Optional) Utilize the Bingo Sheet below and capitalize on the $10 bonus donations from our matching fund for each bingo you get!

Step 11: (Optional) Send it out via email and talk to your friends and family when you see them in person!  We have included some email templates that you can customize as well as some conversation starters you can use when talking to folks in-person.  We know not everyone knows how to bring these kinds of things up and we do not want you to do a hard sell.  Instead, think of it as sharing about something that you think is cool or interesting.  If folks want to give, they will.  If they don’t they are not going to think harshly about you for sharing something you are passionate about with them! ​

Section 2:  Tips to make your fundraiser more successful.

• A personal appeal is often the most successful.  If you had an animal that helped you through a challenging time, or if you had a grandma who got a lot of joy out of her cat, share that story!
• Share your campaign on Facebook, Instagram, via email, and any other virtual place that you meet with folks.  Bring it up when meeting with friends in person or over the phone using some of our simple conversation starters.
• Plan to share more than once!  We all miss emails, the Facebook algorithm isn't perfect, and the more you share the more your friends will realize that this is a cause that has meaning for you.  It doesn't need to be a hard sell, but your friends and family do care about what is important to you, so bring it up and let them in!
• If you would like to utilize the bingo form below, just fill it in as you get donations, when you get a Bingo, celebrate (with your community)! For each BINGO you get $10 will be donated to ACF from our matching fund!  (Up to $1000)

bingo_card_pdf.pdf
File Size:	1145 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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Section 3: Sample emails and conversation starters.

Sample Email 1:
Subject: Cool Organization!  Please support:)
Dear Friend,
I'm writing today to tell you about a non-profit that is doing some wonderful work, the Animal Care Foundation.  I can't imagine having a sick pet and not having the funds to get them the medical care they need.  You know how important _____ is to me!  To be faced with having to decide between giving my ____ up to a shelter so they might get treatment, letting them live in pain, or euthanizing them to keep them from living in pain is like a nightmare I hope I never need to endure.
The Animal Care Foundation provides Minnesotans who are elderly or disabled and cannot afford veterinary care for their companion animal with another option.  They provide veterinary care for wellness exams, preventative treatments, illness care, chronic disease treatment, surgeries, and  other necessary veterinary care.  Because of them, these folks can keep their pets and the pets can have a good quality of life with their families!  
I'm running a fundraiser to help support the work they are doing!  If you could make a donation it would mean so much to me!  Every bit helps!  You can do so at __(website)__.
Regards,

Sample Email 2:
Subject: Opportunity to Support the Animal Care Foundation

Dear Colleague,

I hope this email finds you well. As we approach Give to The Max Day on November 16th, I would like to extend an invitation to you to consider participating by making a donation to the Animal Care Foundation.  This Foundation is an amazing animal welfare organization that helps the pets of Minnesotans who are disabled or elderly get necessary veterinary care for their pet that they couldn’t otherwise afford!

The work done by this organization helps these animals remain healthy and with the families that love them!  You know the meaning, joy, and motivation that a pet can bring into your life.  The folks that ACF helps, love their pets so much and are faced with some very challenging choices since they do not have the funds to get their pet the care they need without pulling funds from a necessary expense like rent or food.
Your support would be greatly appreciated in helping further the Animal Care Foundation mission of providing vital care and support to animals in need. If you are willing to contribute you can do so at __(your website fundraiser here)___.  If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me directly. Together, we can make a substantial difference in the lives of these animals and their humans.

Warm regards,

Conversation Starter #1
Friend: What have you been up to lately?
You:  Well, I've actually been working on a fundraising campaign for this really cool nonprofit!  They help people who are elderly or disabled take care of their pets by connecting them with veterinary care they otherwise would not be able to afford.  
Friend: (they will either ask a follow up question or change the topic.  You can go with either, this is Minnesota and we do not expect you to do the hard sell!).   

​Conversation Starter #2
You: Hi, friend.  I've been working on this fundraising thing for this nonprofit that helps animals get veterinary care they otherwise wouldn't be able to get.  Do you think you can give me your opinion on what I've written/my plan.  (share the website, after they give feedback you can say if you want to donate you can do so here ___ )