[Imc-outreach] completely re-written fundraising letter

[Zachary C. Miller]

This looks good Jane! Sorry I couldn't make it to the meeting tonight.

I have an idea for the order in which we should do things:

1st - Mail out the "members handbook" to all members. This will put us
on their radar in a substantial way.=20

2nd - Wait a week and mail out the fundraising letter. This will hit
them up while they are busy being impressed by the membership
handbook.

3rd - Wait a week and call everyone hitting them up for funds. This
will hit them up directly while the funding issue is already on their
radar.

Jane Andrew wrote:
> Comments? =20
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> 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.
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> ______________________________
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> Dear =ABFirst_Name=BB,
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> 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.=20
> 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.
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> Although we have had amazing success raising money for
> special projects like these, we haven=92t 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. =20
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> How Can You Help?
> =B7	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=92s presence in the
> community.  And we are using PayPal to make it as easy
> as possible to become a Sustaining Funder =96 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.
> =B7	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=92s production room!
> =B7	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.
> =B7	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.
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> The vast majority of the IMC=92s funding comes from
> members like you =97 this is another way that the IMC
> stays rooted and accountable to the local community.=20
> 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.
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> 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.=20
> 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=92re looking forward to hearing from
> you!
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> Sincerely,=20
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> IMC MEMBER
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> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
-----------------------------------
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> IMC DONATION FORM
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> Please write in any changes to your contact
> information below:
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> Name: =ABFirst_Name=BB =ABLast_Name=BB	Additional
> Names/Members: =ABName_2=BB
> Street Address: =ABAddress_1=BB
> City, State ZIP:	=ABAddress_2=BB	=09
> Telephone: =ABHome_Phone=BB		=20
> Email: =ABEmail_Address=BB
> Please check one:
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> [ ] I would like to become a Sustaining Funder at __
> per month.=20
> (Circle one)
> $5		$10		$25		$50		$100	        OTHER: $__
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> [ ] 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: $__
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> [ ] 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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> =09
> 	=09
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> _______________________________________________
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Zachary C. Miller - @=3D - http://wolfgang.groogroo.com/
IMSA 1995 - UIUC 2000 - Just Another Leftist Muppet - Ya Basta!
 Social Justice, Community, Nonviolence, Decentralization, Feminism,
 Sustainability, Responsibility, Diversity, Democracy, Ecology