[EXAMPLE EMAIL/LETTER #1] Dear ___________________, Did you know that in the United States someone is infected with HIV every 9 ½ minutes? Or that every half hour someone in the U.S. dies due to HIV/AIDS? These are just a few of the reasons why I will be joining over 1,100 other people on Sunday, November 4, 2012 for the 25th Anniversary Palm Springs AIDS Walk. I’m walking to help raise awareness and money that will make a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS in our community and I need your help. Please support the programs and services of Desert AIDS Project (D.A.P.) with your pledge today. D.A.P. is the largest AIDS service organization outside of Los Angeles. They provide vital services to over 2,200 clients living with HIV/AIDS – helping with medical and dental healthcare management, legal assistance, utility assistance, housing and counseling support. D.A.P. also conducts valley wide prevention programs that reach hundreds of individuals at risk of infection. Plus, D.A.P. is involved in essential advocacy and policy efforts. These programs and services need our help to ensure they continue. By walking on November 4th, I hope I will inspire you to contribute to this worthwhile cause. If you choose to donate, you can do so online by visiting my personal AIDS Walk page at [insert your personal page URL here]. Your generosity will help me reach my fundraising goal and support a great cause! You can learn more about Palm Springs AIDS Walk and the work of Desert AIDS Project by visiting www.desertaidsproject.org. If you would like to participate in the AIDS Walk, you can also register easily online. Thank you in advance for your gift! Sincerely, [EXAMPLE EMAIL/LETTER #2] TO: FROM: SUBJECT: This Walker needs your support! Dear Friends and Family, Please join me Sunday, November 4, in making a meaningful difference in the lives of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. This year is my [#of years here] year participating in the Palm Springs AIDS Walk, I know that together we can end AIDS in the Coachella Valley. Palm Springs AIDS Walk benefits client services of Desert AIDS Project (D.A.P.). For the past 28 years, D.A.P. has been dedicated to providing leadership to prevent new HIV infections. Almost since Desert AIDS Project was founded in 1984 in response to the emerging epidemic, the Palm Springs AIDS Walk has been an essential fundraiser to benefit client services for those living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. Since 1987, thousands of Walkers have been helping remind the world that “AIDS is not over” as D.A.P. fulfills it missions of Care * Prevention * Advocacy. Palm Springs AIDS Walk helps Desert AIDS Project meet the growing needs of our over 2,200 clients for HIV prevention, testing, education, medical treatment and care. Your donation makes it possible to continue to provide services that are essential to combat this terrible disease. By pledging to be an AIDS Walker I have set a goal to raise [YOUR FUNDRAISING GOAL]. I am hoping that you will help me go above and beyond in my fundraising efforts to support the services provided by D.A.P. Please make a generous contribution to Palm Springs AIDS Walk by going to [YOUR PERSONAL URL HERE]. It’s a quick and easy way to help in the fight against AIDS. The website is secure and all donations are 100% tax deductible. If you prefer to write a check please make it out to Desert AIDS Project and send it to our home: [YOUR ADDRESS HERE]. The Palm Springs AIDS Walk is our community’s single most powerful and enduring response to the AIDS pandemic, and I ask you to join me and be a part of that response. I thank you in advance for being as generous as you can and for joining me in this important cause. Warmest Regards, [YOUR NAME HERE] [EXAMPLE EMAIL NOTE #3] Subject: Why I Walk To all my family and friends, As most of you know, I've been participating in the Palm Springs AIDS Walk for the past couple years. Not only has it been fun and rewarding, but it's also given me the chance to give back a little bit to the world. What some of you don't know is why raising money for Desert AIDS Project means so much to me. When I was in high school, my Uncle Bobby told me that he had AIDS. He was hesitant to tell me at first, afraid of what my reaction would be, but I told him it was fine and what he had didn't change the way I felt about him as a person. My support meant the world to him. My Uncle Bobby died while I was in my freshman year at college. Since then, I've vowed to myself that I will do whatever I can to fight the disease that took his life. That's why I'm asking you all to sponsor me for the Palm Springs AIDS Walk. I really can't thank you enough for giving to this important cause. No matter what you decide to donate, your support will mean the world to me and to the millions of people affected by this disease. I'll send a jazz-‐themed mix CD to every person that sponsors me as a small token of my sincerest appreciation. Please check out or donate to my personal fundraising Web page by going to [your personal fundraising page url here] and clicking on the “Give Now” link on the right hand side. Thank you! Love, [your name here] [your name here] [your email here] – [your phone # here] [your address here] Please support me in the fight against AIDS. Visit my fundraising page at [your personal fundraising page url here]. [EXAMPLE EMAIL/LETTER #4] Dear Friend, As an energetic five-‐year-‐old, I had an obsession with the Green Lantern. His crime-‐ fighting adventures became an escape from the world around me. There was only one person whom I let into my world of Green Lantern -‐-‐ my Uncle Mike. I would go to Uncle Mike’s house after school and tell him all about the adventures of this radical crime fighter. Our bond was special and I was content to share my world with him. You can only live in fantasy world for so long. Sitting in his red truck, my Uncle Mike and my mother attempted to explain to me that he had HIV. I didn’t understand much, but when he said that, “It was okay if I was afraid to hug him,” I knew I could never be afraid of this man. As my mother watched her brother deteriorate, I watched my family sink into a depression that causes tears almost every day. As I sat in the funeral home, the gravity of the situation was too much for a little boy. I sat crying, watching my mother and grandmother weep next to my uncle’s grey urn. I walked into the bathroom and sobbed, a young boy watching a disease destroy not only one man, but all the people who loved him. I walk for my Uncle Mike. I walk because I still walk into my mother’s bedroom and find her crying in front of his pictures. I walk because I never want anyone to suffer like my uncle did. If you cannot afford to donate money, please donate your time. Every little bit counts. Best Wishes and all my love, [your name here] [TEAM MEMBER FUNDRAISING EMAIL/LETTER] Dear Team Member, The 25th Anniversary Palm Springs AIDS Walk is less than two months away! How are you doing with your fundraising? The staff at Palm Springs AIDS Walk is full of creative ideas and resources to help you in your fundraising and is always available to help! For now, I highly encourage you to set your fundraising goal! The higher fundraising goal you set, the more people will want to sponsor you and see you reach that goal! Even if you individually do not reach your goal, there is no penalty but you do contribute greatly to [YOUR TEAM NAME HERE]. I have the utmost confidence in all of you, and feel that the more money each of us raise for our Team, the better we'll do! After all, we have nothing to lose! Thank you and happy fundraising! [YOUR NAME HERE] [EXAMPLE EMAIL/LETTER #5] TO: FROM: SUBJECT: I am participating in the 25th Anniversary Palm Springs AIDS Walk! Dear Friends and Family, Did you know that ·∙ Between 40,000 to 60,000 people are newly infected with HIV every year? ·∙ Half of those newly infected are under the age of 25? ·∙ 25% of those newly infected do not know it? ·∙ Despite advancement made in treatment and prevention in HIV, the overall rate of infection continues to rise? The Palm Springs AIDS Walk benefits client services for Desert AIDS Project (D.A.P.). For the past 28 years, D.A.P. has been dedicated to providing leadership to prevent new HIV infections. D.A.P. services over 2200 clients annually to conduct and provide HIV prevention & education, housing, transportation, medical and dental treatment, support groups, outreach, case management, and much more. Join me Sunday, November 4th in making a meaningful difference in the lives of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. This is my [# of years you’ve walked] year participating in Palm Springs AIDS Walk and acknowledging that the fight is not over. I have set a personal goal to raise [YOUR FUNDRAISING GOAL]. Please make a generous contribution to the Palm Springs AIDS Walk by going to [YOUR PERSONAL FUNDRAISING PAGE URL HERE]. It’s a quick and easy way to help in the fight against AIDS. The website is secure and all donations are 100% tax deductible. If you prefer to write a check please make it out to the Desert AIDS Project and send it to our home: [Provide your Address here]. The AIDS Walk is our community’s single most powerful and enduring „feet-‐on-‐the-‐ street‟ response to the AIDS pandemic, and this year you can be a part of that response. I thank you in advance for being as generous as you can and for joining me in this important cause. Warmest Regards, [YOUR NAME HERE]