Sending out emails

Time to rake in the dough, people! Rather than asking you for a fundraising minimum, we want every Summer SunDay hiker to send out three or four emails to their communities. We encourage you to send it to as many people as possible; you never know who will donate!

Timing of emails

Everyone should send out the first three emails roughly along this timeline. Feel free to deviate a bit if it makes sense for you.

The first email should go out within a few days of signing up.
The second email should go out sometime the week before the hike
The third email should go out within a few days of finishing the hike
If you do a fourth email, send it out after the initial email, but at least 2-3 weeks before the hike.

Editing emails

Edit them as you please! Cut and paste our emails into your email service, and personalize them as much or as little as you want (dump our language if it makes you happy!). The more you personalize them the better the response will be. There are four things that you should make sure to do, no matter what:

Make sure there is a link to your hike page within the first few sentences
Make sure to mention that the money goes to support homeless youth
In your second & third (& fourth) emails, make sure to fill in the amount that you have raised so far
If you have a connection to At The Crossroads, mention it, and tell people why you have chosen to be part of our organization

Sending out emails

Create a list of your contacts in your email service, and save it, so that you can use it for all of your emails. Please make sure to add summersunday@atthecrossroads.org to your list, or copy us on every email you send out! We love to learn from the way that people write to their friends, and to use your emails as examples for other hikers. Also, if we see you are sending out your emails, it will keep us from bugging you.

Email templates

1st email – Don't forget to replace "yourname" in the message below with the name of your page! Subject heading: Please help homeless youth by sponsoring my hike Dear Friends and Family, I wanted to let you know about something I’m really excited to be participating in this summer: the Summer SunDay Hike for Homeless Youth! The hike is a fundraiser for At The Crossroads, an awesome nonprofit organization that works with homeless youth in San Francisco, helping them build outstanding lives. I hope you will sponsor me by visiting my personal hike site: http://atthecrossroads.org/summersunday/yourname Here’s a little info about the hike: * It’s going to be taking place July 24th, just a few weeks away! * I’ll be hiking up one of the tallest mountains in the Bay Area, Mt. Tamalpais! * I’ll enjoy it even more if you sponsor me! And here’s some info about ATC: - From 2007-2009, ATC evaluated the progress that long-term counseling clients had made in a few key areas; here are the results: * 95 percent had achieved stable housing * 87 percent had improved their legal income * 74 percent had were working, in school, or both * 93 percent had improved their social network - ATC works with young people who have been given up on, who aren’t accessing traditional services. ATC staff walk the streets at nighttime in the Downtown/Tenderloin and Mission districts of San Francisco, working with youth on their own turf. - In the past 12 years, ATC has worked with 5,200 young people, and has never kicked out a single client. Their support is unconditional. Please take a few minutes to visit my personal web page, learn more about the hike, and sponsor my efforts: http://atthecrossroads.org/summersunday/yourname. Your generosity will keep me motivated as I’m climbing toward the peak, and will make a big difference in the lives of young people on the streets of San Francisco! Thanks so much for considering this request! Best,

2nd email (send out the week before the hike)– Don't forget to replace "yourname" in the message below with the name of your page! Subject heading: Hiking Mt. Tam this week; please sponsor me Dear Friends and Family, I hope you are doing well and enjoying this beautiful summer! As you might remember, I’m going to be hiking for homeless youth this Sunday, July 24th in the Summer SunDay Hike for Homeless Youth! The goal is twofold: 1. Get my butt up Mt. Tam, one of the tallest mountains in the Bay Area 2. Raise much needed funds for At The Crossroads, a nonprofit organization in San Francisco that helps homeless youth build outstanding lives (www.atthecrossroads.org). Go to my personal webpage to find out more and sponsor my hike: http://www.atthecrossroads.org/summersunday/yourname In the time since my last email, I have managed to raise $X! A big Thank You to all who have already donated, and to those who haven’t, now is the time! MANY THANKS! Best, Your name

3rd email (send out a few days after the hike)– Don't forget to replace "yourname" in the message below with the name of your page! Subject: Final email about my Hike for Homeless Youth Dear Friends and Family, This will be the final email I send you about my Hike for Homeless youth; if you haven’t done so yet, I hope you’ll support me: http://www.atthecrossroads.org/summersunday/yourname I did it! This past Sunday I was able to summit Mt. Tam, one of the tallest mountains in the Bay Area. I hiked more than eight miles and climbed over one thousand feet, and had an amazing time! SO, If you've already contributed, thanks a million! So far, we’ve raised $X, making a huge difference in the lives of homeless youth in SF. If you have considered donating but haven't yet... What are you waiting for? Need some incentive? Check out ATC’s great documentary at: http://atthecrossroads.org/videos/. Then get over to my webpage: http://www.atthecrossroads.org/summersunday/yourname Thank you so much for supporting this worthy cause! Best,

4th optional email – Don't forget to replace "yourname" in the message below with the name of your page! Subject heading: Help make a difference in the lives of homeless youth Dear Friends and Family, Hope this email finds you well! In case you didn’t see my first email, I am participating in the Summer SunDay Hike for Homeless Youth! I will be hiking up Mt. Tam, one of the tallest mountains in the Bay Area, and raising much needed funds for At The Crossroads. I hope you’ll learn more and sponsor me by going to: http://www.atthecrossroads.org/summersunday/yourname ATC is a small nonprofit that helps homeless youth in San Francisco move beyond the streets and build outstanding lives. You can learn more about their work by checking out their 15-minute documentary at: http://atthecrossroads.org/videos/. Well, guess what? The hike is happening Sunday, July 24th! I am very excited to hike the eight miles and climb over a thousand feet. If you haven't checked it out: I have already raised $X so far, but I want much, much more! Help me support homeless youth in San Francisco and climb Mt. Tam by visiting my personal page here: http://www.atthecrossroads.org/summersunday/yourname To those of you who have given: MANY THANKS! And keep an eye out for pictures soon after the hike! Best,

Sending out emails

Timing of emails

Editing emails

Sending out emails

Summer Sunday