Tell Your Story! The most effective way to fundraise is to tell others about your story. Why are you fundraising? How has pancreatic cancer affected your life? Why should people make a contribution to you instead of going to see a movie?

The number one way to share your story is through email. While not everyone checks Facebook daily, most people check their email pretty regularly. What makes a personalized email so successful is how easy it is to send to lots of people at once.

Tips For A Great Email

Make it personal. Share your story, tell them why you are involved and convince them to be as well.

Keep it short and sweet. Enough said.

Give them the facts (about Pancreatic Cancer and the Hirshberg Foundation). People are more likely to donate to something they understand. We all know the pancreatic cancer facts speak for themselves, let people hear what we are fighting. Here are some facts to use:

• Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest of all cancers
• There is no early diagnosis and no cure
• Pancreatic cancer survival rates are dismally low
• Life expectancy after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis is incredibly short
• There are only a handful of drugs currently used to treat pancreatic cancer
• The Hirshberg Foundation, founded in 1997 is devoted to finding a cure for pancreatic cancer
• The mission of the Hirshberg Foundation is to find a cure for this disease

Ask! It is more important than you think. What separates this email from others is that you are asking them to act. Don’t just tell them what you are doing; ask them for their help (by joining your team, sponsoring you, etc). Be specific with ways they can contribute.

Keep track. Emails sent through your Participant Center can be easily tracked. This way you will get to see who has or has not donated.

Be prepared to send a reminder. A lot people will get your email and plan on helping, but then forget about it or lose the email. The best way to send a gentle reminder is to give updates. Tell them how things are going and how far you have come, but how much more you can do with their help. Reminder emails can often be more successful than original emails.

Send out thank-yous. It is really nice to receive a note that says that your donation was important. Let them know all you accomplished and that you appreciated their support. A good thank-you card brightens anyone’s day, and makes your donors more willing to give again in the future!

A picture is worth a thousand words. Include an image that helps share your story when asking for support.