So you have matching dollars from one of our ioby match programs or from a large personal donation? That's great news! The next step is leveraging your match opportunity to boost donations to your crowdfunding campaign.

You and your teammates have an extra ingredient of motivation to share with your donors: a match challenge! Every donor now has the chance to double their impact! And we think that's pretty exciting news to share early and often during your fundraiser.

First, reach out to your closest networks of friends, family, and colleagues and let them be your first investors! In those first few weeks, only send your page to the people who love you and trust you enough to donate even when you're still at $0. As you reach out to your first group of donors in your Soft Launch to ask for their early support, share with them that their early donation is important to you and to the project's success.

How you communicate your match opportunity to your donors is important, so here are a few things to consider when asking your donors to support your matched crowdfunding campaign.

1. Be sure to share there is more money on the table! Let people know that their donation will be doubled.
2. Share your story and what is in it for the donor. Try to answer these questions:
   Why are you doing the campaign?
   Where is the money going?
   Who is it going to impact?
   What is the money going towards?

3. Add a photo. People love seeing smiling faces and pretty landscapes, plus, it adds a little color to your email.

Here's a simple email template for asking potential donors for donations to your matched crowdfunding campaign:

Subject: Help us meet our goal in double time!

Body of email:

Greetings ADD FRIEND / FAMILY MEMBER NAME,

Giving is caring! For a limited time, your donation to our project [insert campaign page link] goes twice as far!

Thanks to matching dollars given by ioby through the ConEd match. For every dollar you give, your gift is doubled up to $1000, so give today!

Your donation  will help (make this section applicable to your project):

1. further our mission of environmental stewardship and youth development
2. create notable improvements in local parks and green spaces
3. make our environment better and greener for generations to come

Sharing your love for your community will help all of us. Donate today [insert campaign page link]!"

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME

In the example email below, you'll notice how this team included several components in their announcement:

• a clear call to action (make a donation)
• a sense of urgency and importance for the donation (help us win an extra $5,000)
• a due date for this action (this Friday)
• a heads up that they'll hear from you soon (you'll follow up with a call)

Subject: Help us win an extra $5,000 for Healthy Lunch Brooklyn

Body of email:

Greetings ADD FRIEND / FAMILY MEMBER NAME,

I am writing to share some exciting news. Today we launch our crowdfunding campaign on ioby with up to $5,000 in matching funds! We need to create a big buzz around the launch in order to win as much of the $5,000 as possible for our project. With the funds we can continue to change lives by providing healthy farm-fresh lunches. You can view our campaign LIVE this at: [insert campaign page link]

This is where you come in. The most successful campaigns raise 25% of funds in the first few weeks by getting friends, family and like-minded colleagues to commit to donating up front! I'm asking you to help us out. Donate [insert campaign page link] $50, $100, or whatever you can by this Friday, [insert date]. By doing this you are creating the momentum we need to win up to $5,000 in matching funds and reach the finish line!

Every dollar counts and during this match challenge and your donations will be doubled! By being one of our first 25 donors you will help build the early and essential momentum we'll need for our project to bring [insert project outcome].

Please help us make our dream a reality by making your donation by this Friday, [insert date] here: [insert campaign page link]

I will be following up over the next few days with a quick phone call to share more about our community building project!

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME

After you send that email or text, set a date to call or visit with the folks on your soft launch list that haven't yet responded. This could take 3-4 nudges, but each nudge is still very important.

Check out our guide, Soft Launch: The Smart Start to Fundraising, for more tips to get your fundraising campaign off the ground.

For more help on making your asks, check out this guide to asking for donations.

And if you're stuck, reach out! We're here to help. Your Leader Success Strategist will guide you through other tips and strategies that fit your team's needs. Call 917-464-4515 x 7 or email [email protected].