[Imc-outreach] completely re-written fundraising letter

[Jane Andrew]

Comments?  

I will have alternate versions for various member
types (new member, longtime member, lapsed member,
founding/sustaining funder, large Capital Campaign
donor)... this is just the version for new members.

______________________________



Dear «First_Name»,


Thank you for becoming a member of the
Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center.  Thanks to
you and over 200 other members of this community, the
UC-IMC has come a long way in the last three years. 
We have raised $66,000 for the ongoing capital
campaign to purchase a permanent home for the UC-IMC
in addition to raising thousands of dollars dedicated
to specific UC-IMC projects such as the Public i, IMC
Radio, IMC Shows, the IMC library, and WRFU.

Although we have had amazing success raising money for
special projects like these, we haven’t been able to
raise sufficient funds for the UC-IMC General Fund,
which pays for basic operating expenses such as rent
and utilities.  We currently have only $1,200-$1,500
in monthly bills, but we are routinely falling short
by $500 every month.  We cannot use our capital
campaign funds to cover this loss, and we CANNOT
continue losing money at this rate.  For these costs,
we depend on help from our members.  

How Can You Help?
·	Become a Sustaining Funder and contribute $10-100
monthly to help defray the operating expenses of the
IMC.  We only need 20 Sustaining Funders at $25 each
to bridge the gap and ensure the IMC’s presence in the
community.  And we are using PayPal to make it as easy
as possible to become a Sustaining Funder – you can
opt for the donation to automatically be deducted from
your bank account or charged to your credit card.  In
addition to keeping Indymedia alive and vibrant in
Urbana-Champaign, becoming a Sustaining Funder allows
you to have your yearly membership dues waived.
·	Renew your membership.  $25-50 gives you another
year of access to all the benefits membership offers,
including the ability to check out books from the
UC-IMC library, borrow media production equipment, and
use the UC-IMC’s production room!
·	Make a one-time donation.  If you cannot commit to a
monthly gift, and your membership is already current,
consider making a special donation to help the UC-IMC
get through the leaner summer months.
·	Invite a friend to the UC-IMC!  Share the exciting
resources of the UC-IMC with people you know. Give a
UC-IMC membership as a gift, or simply offer someone a
membership form to fill out.  Invite them to an UC-IMC
orientation, meeting, or special event.

The vast majority of the IMC’s funding comes from
members like you — this is another way that the IMC
stays rooted and accountable to the local community. 
Our goal is to eventually increase our membership to
500, at which point the UC-IMC will become
self-sustaining (all operating costs will be covered
by memberships).  Until that point, your monthly
donation goes a long way to helping the UC-IMC
maintain a solid financial foundation.

Please take a moment to fill out and return the
attached donation form to renew your membership, make
a one-time donation, or become a Sustaining Funder. 
We have enclosed a second form for you to give to a
friend.  With your support, the UC-IMC will bring
media access to the Champaign-Urbana community for
years to come.  If you have any questions, feel free
to contact us at imc-outreach at ucimc.org, or
217-344-8820.   We’re looking forward to hearing from
you!

Sincerely, 



IMC MEMBER

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IMC DONATION FORM

Please write in any changes to your contact
information below:

Name: «First_Name» «Last_Name»	Additional
Names/Members: «Name_2»
Street Address: «Address_1»
City, State ZIP:	«Address_2»		
Telephone: «Home_Phone»		 
Email: «Email_Address»
Please check one:

[ ] I would like to become a Sustaining Funder at __
per month. 
(Circle one)
$5		$10		$25		$50		$100	        OTHER: $__


[ ] I would like to renew my membership at __
($25-$50) per year with my enclosed check made out to
UCIMC. (Circle one)
$25		$30		$35		$40		$50		OTHER: $__


[ ] I would like to make a one-time donation of __
with my enclosed check made out to UCIMC. (Circle one)
$50		$100		$250		$500		$1,000		OTHER: $__



	
		
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