Friendraise for Our Candidates

Fundraising Made Easy: Just Email Your Friends

Sample Email

Dear [Friend],

As you may know, I am volunteering with the Sister District Project to help grow progressive power in state legislatures. While most media attention is focused on what’s happening nationally, there are high-stakes races this November in Pennsylvania and Michigan. From abortion access to preventing firearms violence to protecting voting laws, state policies affect all of us every day, and studies show that engaging with voters about state elections can also energize them to vote up the ticket.


My Sister District chapter is focusing on Patty Kim in PA and Jaime Churches in MI, both contested races in key congressional districts. 


Can you chip in [$20.24] to support their campaigns. Donations are used for basic necessities such as paying for lawn signs and printing campaign flyers. Even a small amount can make a big difference and 100% of your donation will go to the candidates’ campaigns.I am personally trying to raise [$????] by [DATE] Can you help me get there? Click [your personal donation link] to help out.


With gratitude,

Thank you,

[Your name]

Tips and Hints

Specify the fundraising goal.

This number ($500 in sample email) can be whatever you want, but larger numbers inspire larger donations. Propose something substantial but reachable. Use the same number for all emails you send.

Specify the goal for each friend.

This number ($25-50 in sample email) can be whatever you want, but, larger asks tend to inspire larger donations. Propose something realistic; the number can be different for different recipients.

Specify a fundraising deadline.

You choose! Maybe a month from now? It helps people focus.  

Extra: If you’d like to get into detail about the candidates, know your audience. For friends who are traditionalists, or with whom you’re not close, you might focus on the candidate's values. For more personal friends, you might focus on your beliefs and values (e.g., “I’m concerned about protecting abortion, gun safety legislation and quality, affordable education, and I know these are issues Churches cares deeply about”).