WELCOME CAMPAIGNERS 

Thank you for joining with us and helping increase our impact on our community by becoming a Campaigner.  

At the Duluth Area Family YMCA, social responsibility is one of our three areas of focus.  It is through the support of campaigners like you that helps your Y to meet community need. 

DONOR TRACKING TOOL 

You can download your FUNDRAISING GUIDE & WORKBOOK here. This tool allows you gather the information you will need to be a successful campaigner, track your potential donor contacts, your progress toward your goal, and keep other notes.  

SHARING OUR MISSION TOOLS

There is no perfect script for writing a fundraising email, but there are some best practices to guide you.  Please refer to our FUNDRAISING EMAIL TIPS to help you craft an email to inspire giving within your circle of influence.  

Check out our SOCIAL POST GUIDE for some examples of suggested content for your personal social media accounts. You can copy and paste them right into posts and add your branch affiliation. Under SHAREABLE RESOURCES you will also find branded social tiles to help you as you become an ambassador for the Y. 

TIP: The more you can personalize your posts and emails, the more your social contacts will engage with you. Tell people why the Y is important to you and your family. Share how involvement has impacted you. 

MAJOR PROSPECT TOOLS 

To avoid conflicts when making asks, please use our PROSPECT CLEARING FORM  

To prepare for making an ask and to communicate the results of prospects meetings, please use our MAJOR GIFTS PreVisit Outline & PostVisit Notes document. 

 

Other Resources 

In-Kind Donation Request Form 

Heritage Foundation Letter of Intent for Planned Giving 

 

WAYS TO BE A SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGNER 

Make your gift first 

Make your commitment first.  It is difficult to ask others to make an investment in the YMCA before making your own!   

Share your Y Story 

Communicate the Story of the Y. Share what you have witnessed firsthand and our case for giving. Share stories of individuals that demonstrate community needs and share the benefits a donor gift provides. 

Be Specific 

When you ask for a specific amount your success rate is higher.  For example, “Thank you for last year’s gift of $100.  Would you consider increasing your gift to $150 in order to help sustain the Y as a community resource?” The number one reason people don’t give is that they are not asked! 

Person-to-person ask 

People give to people. Make the ask to friends, family and colleagues by making a phone call, sending a text message, scheduling a Zoom call, sending a personalized email, and sharing impact through social media. By making time for a personal visit, you demonstrate a genuine interest in a donor. 

 
Thank Yous 

Always follow up with a personal thank you note. Donors feel very passionate about their charitable giving and often have a very personal connection to the Y. Try to recreate the feeling the donor had when making the gift in your note.