Mentoring e-Mail # 1

This is the first email I sent to my "mentees":

Hi ladies –

‘Tis I, your mentor for this fine spring 2009 season! I am heading for Michigan at 6AM tomorrow, but wanted to get out a quick note for you. I can’t promise I will answer emails this week – depends on the internet access at the hotel and what I have going on – but if you need something, let me know and I will try to reach you.

A couple of reminders:

1. FUNdraising clinic – November 18 (next Tuesday) at 6:30, Dumbarton Library (on Staples Mill Road about a half mile north of I-64). This is really useful, a good way to hear ideas and stories, and to meet your teammates again.

2. Want to save some money? Have your fund-raising letter ready to mail next week. LLS will pay postage on the first 100 of these. So get them written (I am going to be challenged myself since I will be away until Monday night). You would put them in an envelope ready to mail. I usually include a self-addressed stamped envelope for easy reply.

3. Is your web page set up? Did you customize it with your own message? Emails out?

Here are some goals for you for the coming week:

1. Determine whether you will put primary focus on snail-mail or email.

2. Develop your mailing lists for US mail and for email.

3. Choose your fund raising goal. At the least it should be the minimum for your event, but why stop there if you can do more? Just like with a race, you can have multiple goals. In a race, I have a time goal – my “A” goal – that I can reach if all goes great. Then I have a “B” goal – things go pretty well but a few problems come up. Finally there is my “C” goal – just to finish the race in any amount of time. I do the same with my fundraising, both to challenge myself and to try to make every dollar count. Your goal is up to you of course – whatever you are comfortable with.

4. Depending on your answer to # 1, either (a) prepare your letter and get them all packaged or (b) get your web page looking great

5. Think of things you want to ask at next week’s clinic.

Even if you want to concentrate on emails and online fundraising, if you have more than a dozen or so people you will mail letters to, you sill might want to get that letter ready because it will save you some money if LLS mails it for you. So give that some thought.

Have a great week! Thanks for signing on with TNT to make a difference. I will leave you with this quote from Michelangelo: “The greatest danger for most of us is not that we set our goal too high and fail to achieve it. It is that we set our goal too low and achieve it.”

GO TEAM!
Art