Email Templates

Before the Big Campaign Launch

Before officially launching your campaign, it might be a good idea to start things off with more of a “soft” launch.

You can do this either by starting it as an “Invite Only” campaign, or by just launching it publicly and only sending the link to a few select people -- starting with a “soft launch” in this manner can be a really useful way to drum up early support before you officially launch your campaign. That way, when the bulk of your network finally gets their eyes on your campaign page, you’ll hopefully already have a few supporters and your campaign will look more impressive (making it more likely that new readers will become supporters themselves).

But in either case, having a soft launch means that you’re going to need to reach out to the people you think would be willing to make an early contribution. For that, we recommend using email.

Here’s a template to help get you started:

Hello, [their name]!
[Include a sentence or two here introducing yourself, and clearly explain the project or goal for which you’re raising money].
I’m writing to you because I will be launching a LoanWell campaign on [write in the specific date you plan to launch your campaign]. It’s crowdfunding, but not through donations -- it’s a loan, meaning I’ll be paying back everyone who contributes to my campaign.
Would you personally be able to contribute to my campaign?
Here’s a quick preview of what the campaign looks like so far: [include a link here to your campaign preview].
As one of my biggest supporters, I’m asking you to be one of the first supporters to my campaign before it officially launches. Getting an early baseline of support before 1 open up my campaign will help insure it’s a success. [TK]% of campaigns that raise [TK] are more likely to reach their fundraising goals.
If you already know you can’t contribute to the campaign, I hope I can count on your to still spread the word about it once it launches. I’ll be in touch with more details.
Every bit helps, so even if you don’t plan on contributing to the campaign, I appreciate any kind of support you can provide.
Warmly,
[Your name]

Announcing the Campaign Launch

If you’ve already had your soft launch or if you just plan on skipping that step, you’re still going to need to message everyone in your network to tell them the news.

As far as your campaign is concerned, this is when the rubber needs to meet the road. You need to raise as much as possible during this initial launch period, because the majority of your contributions are probably going to happen within the first [TK] -- the rest will trickle in over the course of your campaign, with a last big push (hopefully) happening in the last few days before your campaign ends.

In order to grab the interest of potential backers and keep that interest going over the lifespan of your campaign, you need to reach out via email.

Here’s one way you might word that message:

Hello, [their name]!
[Include a sentence or two here introducing yourself, and explain the project or goal for which you’re raising money].
I’m writing to announce the launch of a LoanWell campaign to raise money in support of this goal. It’s crowdfunding, but not through donations -- it’s a loan, meaning I’ll be paying back everyone who contributes to my campaign.
I would like to ask you personally for a $40 contribution, but the important thing is just to lend whatever amount you’re comfortable with. [ask for whatever amount you think is appropriate, but it’s good to suggest a specific number here]
Can you help me spread the word to make sure this campaign is as successful as it can be? Other things I need help with are:
Sharing the link to my campaign over social media.
Sharing information about my campaign to your friends and any groups you think might be interested in lending.
If you can’t contribute to the campaign, let me know if there are other ways you’d like to help me reach my goal. Every bit helps, so even if you can’t contribute to the campaign, I appreciate any kind of support you can provide.

Warmly,
[Your name]

Following Up

Once you’ve sent out your first email announcing your campaign, you can’t just stop there. Follow up with everyone you’ve emailed that you haven’t yet heard back from.

Follow-ups show that you haven’t just set up your campaign and forgotten about it -- instead, you’re hustling to get as many people involved as quickly as you can.

It also lets you introduce a bit of urgency to your campaign, as even the people already planning to help you might not remember how much time they have left to contribute to your fund. Also, give updates on how far you are to your goal to let people know that others are supporting you.

Here’s an idea of what that kind of outreach might look like for those who haven’t donated

Hello, [their name]!
It’s me again. I’m still out here raising money for [include a sentence or two here reminding the reader about the project or goal for which you’re raising money]. We’re [number of days or weeks since launch] in now, and still going strong.
If you’re able to and haven’t already, now is a great time to contribute to this campaign. Like I mentioned before, it’s a loan, not a donation -- through LoanWell’s direct repayment system, I plan to repay every cent of your contribution back.
Loans that meet the suggested amount of $35 are a big help, but the most important thing is to just give as much as you feel comfortable with. [This might be a good place to bring up your goal amount, as well as how much of it has already been funded, but use your best judgment -- a low amount of funding late in the campaign might not be the best look].
Can you help me reach my goal?
And once again, if you can’t support the cause financially (or have already done so) but still want to help out, there’s lots of things you can do in addition to sharing my campaign link on social media. Just reach out!
Every bit helps, and I appreciate any kind of support you can provide. If you have any questions for me, let me know.
Thanks in advance,
[Your name]
The “Thank You” Email

One last important email to have in your repertoire is the “thank you” email for people who have already contributed to your campaign. It’s important to be able to show gratitude to your supporters gratitude for helping you and to remind them about your plans to repay them -- and if your campaign is still ongoing, you can always remind them that they still have time to share your campaign with their own network.

Here’s an email you can use to reach out to individual backers while your campaign is still going on:

Hello, [their name]!
Your support means the world to me. I wanted to personally message and thank you for becoming a backer of my campaign.
Thanks to supporters like you, we’ve managed to make it to [% of goal raised] -- but there’s still [# of days left in campaign] days to go before the campaign ends.
If you’re able to and haven’t already, I would appreciate if you took the time to share my campaign with your own network.
Loans that meet the suggested amount of $35 are a big help, but the most important thing to ask of your network is to just contribute as much as they feel comfortable with.
Now that I have your support, rest assured that I’ll be doing everything I can to use your loan responsibly and to pay you back consistently and on time. [Recap your plans for using the loan here, and talk about when you’re going to start making repayments.]
If you have any questions for me at all about the campaign or what comes next, let me know.
Thanks so much!
[Your name]

After The Campaign Ends

And here’s one last template you can send to all of your supporters once your campaign has run its course:

Hello, [their name]!
[Your first message should be something related to the success of your campaign, but even if you didn’t raise as much as you liked, try to keep it positive. Something like “We did it! My campaign raised the full amount,” if you were successful, or “We did great! The campaign raised a solid amount of funds,” if it didn’t do quite as well as you hoped it would.]
Your support means the world to me. I wanted to personally message and thank you for being a backer of my campaign. We would never have been able to accomplish what we did without the support of people like you.
[Now is the time talk about next steps. If you made your goal, or enough of your goal to keep the loan, then now is the time to recap your plans for using the loan and talk about when you’re going to start making repayments. If your plans are going to change due to not raising the amount you needed, bring it up here. Lastly, if you need to cancel the loan and refund your backers due to not having raised enough, mention that instead.]
If you have any questions for me at all about the campaign or what comes next, let me know.
Thanks so much!
[Your name]

Investing in Southeast Seattle

Rainier Valley Community Development Fund is a self-sustaining, community-controlled financial institution with loan products designed to meet the needs of small business owners.

Choose Application

Apply for a loan.Apply now

Apply for a loan.
Apply now