Spread the Word

January 18, 2006

Dear Texas Advocates:

Thank you for allowing me to talk with you about the Spread the Word, web-based fundraising program during your Texas Advocates board meeting last Friday. For those that were not there for the discussion, I want to give you some basic information about this exciting opportunity to raise funds for the Texas Advocates program. This new approach to fundraising allows us to use the speed of the Internet to contact friends and family members by email to ask them to “spread the word” about The Arc and to help raise funds for Texas Advocates. This program is fully researched, automated and with a full accounting system and is provided to us by The Arc of the US. The Arc of Texas did a pilot of the program with seven web sites and we produced more than $2600 in a matter of weeks. Here is basically what you will do as a volunteer fundraiser:

• Each volunteer fundraiser will set up a personal web page using the simple automated system. I did a website with Ricky yesterday over the phone and it took 15 minutes. I can help you do the same thing over the phone. You will include a short story or a few statements about how The Arc has helped you or how The Arc has helped someone that you know or about what The Arc has done for your community.
• You will send an email to friends, family, co-workers, or business acquaintances saying you are a volunteer fundraiser for The Arc and you are seeking donations for the Texas Advocates program. I can give you sample emails to use. James Meadours has been fundraising with his website already.
• Recipients of the email message will be invited to click on the personal web page link and asked to make a donation to The Texas Advocates Program. All donors will be given the opportunity to have their donation listed so others can see their commitment or they can choose to remain anonymous.
• All donations are processed by The Arc’s vendor, First Giving, and deposited into The Arc’s account and it will be coded to the Texas Advocates Program.
• Donors will receive an automatic “thank you” email and you will receive an email telling you that that person made a donation from your website.

I am asking you to participate as a volunteer fundraiser. This could be a project for your Chapter. Judith Laufer, Ricky Broussard and James Meadours have already signed up to be a volunteer fundraiser. Let’s partner together to create more awareness about the Texas Advocates and The Arc of Texas and increase our fundraising capacity. Please reply to this email if you would like to set up your own web site or if you want more information. We could set up a conference call to answer your questions. Please click on The Arc’s Spread the Word landing page below and James’ personal fundraising page to see what it looks like:

www.firstgiving.com/pfp/arc-texas
www.firstgiving.com/pfp/jamesmeadours

Please call me at 1-800-252-9729 or email lrivers@thearcoftexas.org

Hope to hear from you soon.

Lisa Rivers