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Your Fundraiser Toolkit

Everything you need to share your fundraiser with confidence, including outreach frameworks, a 30-day rhythm, and encouragement for the journey. You can do this!

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Outreach

Build your launch email

Your email has four parts. Fill in each one in your own words. A personal message from you will always outperform anything we could write.
1

Why You

One sentence about why you’re doing this. Not why Petros Network exists. This should be a statement about why you care. This is a line people will read. Your voice matters.

2

What Petros Does

Pick one fact that moved you from the options provided below (copy & paste). One clear line is stronger than a paragraph. You don’t need to explain everything.

3

The Ask

Don’t be shy about your goal, a suggested gift amount, and the link to your fundraiser page. Be specific: “Would you give $25?” works better than “Would you consider giving?”

4

The Close

Why are you asking this person. Even one sentence like, “You’re someone I trust” or “I thought of you,” can change the whole tone for the better. Speak to the person you’re reaching out to,.

Opening lines

Pick one that sounds like you, or write your own.

“I don’t usually send emails like this, but this one matters to me.”

“I’ve been looking for a way to do something real about this, and I found it.”

“You’re one of the first people I wanted to tell about this.”

“I just did something I’ve been thinking about for a while.”

“I want to invite you into something that’s been on my heart.”

Your Impact Line

Pick the one that resonates

Choose one impact line to include in your emails, texts, and posts. Different fundraisers should pick different lines. Your message should sound like you, not like a campaign.

Church Planting

“50 shares at $100 each plants a church. I’m raising [X] shares.”
“It takes 3 years to train a church planter. My fundraiser helps fund that journey.”

Children’s Feeding

“$12 feeds a child for a month through their local church.”
“A meal every day plus clean water. That’s what $12 provides.”

Clean Water

“A water well means healthier families and kids who stay in school instead of carrying water.”
“Some communities walk hours for water that makes them sick. A well changes everything.”

Women & Girls

“Women in these communities are learning to read and starting businesses for the first time.”
“Literacy, job skills, and savings programs: tools that help a woman provide for her family.”

General / Where it’s needed most

“Every dollar goes where the need is greatest: churches, water, children, or women.”
“The team on the ground knows where impact is greatest right now. That’s where this goes.”

Reference

What a finished email looks like

This is a reference, not a script. Use it to see how the four parts come together, and then write yours in your own voice.
Subject: I started something. Would you be part of it?

Hi Mary,

I don’t usually send emails like this, but this one matters to me.

I just launched a fundraiser for Petros Network. They work with indigenous church planters in East and West Africa. These are local leaders who plant churches in communities that have never heard the Gospel. 50 shares at $100 each plants a church. I’m raising 5 shares.

My goal is $500. Would you consider $25 or $50? Here’s the link:

YOUR FUNDRAISER LINK

I’m asking you because you’re someone whose generosity I’ve seen firsthand. Thank you for even reading this.

Jamie

This is one example. Your email should sound like you, not like this. If two friends in the same circle receive the same email, it stops feeling personal.

Text Messages

Text the people closest to you

Text messages work best for close friends and family. Keep it short, make it personal, include the link. Pick the one closest to your voice and change it.
Option A – Direct

“Hey [Name]. I launched a fundraiser for Petros Network. They train local church planters in Africa to reach communities that have never heard the Gospel. Even $12 feeds a child for a month. Would you give? [LINK]”

Option A – Softer

“Hey [Name]. I’m doing something a little different. I set up a fundraiser to help plant churches in unreached communities through Petros Network. Any amount helps. Here’s the link if you’re open to it: [LINK]”

Option A – Minimal

“[Name] – I wanted to share this with you directly. I’m raising money for Petros Network to support [cause]. My goal is $[X]. Would you help? [LINK]”

Social Media

Share on social in your own words

3–4 posts total across your entire campaign. Your voice beats ours.
Before you post

  • Always include a photo. Your own photo outperforms any stock image or graphic.
  • If it sounds like marketing, your friends will scroll past it.
  • Don’t copy someone else’s post. If friends see the same caption from two peopl, it stops feeling personal.
The Personal Angle

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while and finally did something about it. I started a fundraiser for Petros Network — [one sentence about your cause]. My goal is $[X]. If you can give any amount, here’s the link: [LINK]”

The Impact Angle

“[Pick one stat line from above]. That’s why I started a fundraiser for Petros Network. My goal is $[X]. Will you help? [LINK]”

The Invitation Angle

“I want to invite you into something. Petros Network works with indigenous leaders in Africa who are planting churches in communities that have never heard the Gospel. I started a fundraiser because I want my network to be part of this. [LINK]”

LinkedIn / Professional

“I don’t usually post fundraising appeals here, but this one matters to me. I’m raising funds for Petros Network — a nonprofit that trains indigenous church planters in East and West Africa. [1–2 sentences about your connection]. My goal is $[X]. Any gift helps, and every donor gets an automatic tax receipt. [LINK]”

Keep Going

Follow-up messages that work

Don’t go silent after Day 1. Three more touchpoints make the difference between a campaign that stalls and one that finishes strong.
Days 10-14

Mid-Campaign Update

  • Share your progress (dollars + donors)
  • Add a personal reflection
  • Re-share the link
  • “If you’ve been meaning to give, today’s a good day!”
Days 25-28

Final Push

  • Name the gap: “I’m $[X] away”
  • Name the deadling: “[X] days left”
  • Make the ask direct
  • Urgency is real…lean into it
Day 30

Thank You & Close

  • Celebrate the total raised
  • Name the impact, not the gap
  • Thank givers, sharers, and prayers
  • Link to petrosnetwork.org for ongoing connection

Your Campaign Calendar

The 30-day rhythm

Most fundraisers follow a predictable arc: strong start, quiet middle, surge at the end. This guide helps you ride that arc.

Week 1 Launch Strong

The first 48 hours are your most important window. Most of your total donations will come from the first 3 days and last 3 days.

Day 1
Publish page. Send launch email (10–15 people). Post on social.
Day 2
Text messages to 5–10 close contacts.
Day 3
Follow up with email openers who didn’t give.
Day 4
Thank every donor personally within 24 hours.

Week 2-3 Stay Visible

The hardest part of any campaign. Don’t go silent, but don’t over-communicate either. One or two intentional touchpoints is enough.

Day 10-14
Send mid-campaign email. Share progress and a personal update.
Day 14
Post a mid-campaign update on social media.
Ongoing
Thank new donors within 24 hours.
Optional
Reach out to 5 new people you didn’t contact in Week 1.

Week 4 Finish Strong

Urgency is real in the final week. Give donors a deadline to respond to. The last 3 days drive as many donations as the first 3.

Day 25-27
Send final push email. Name your gap and close date.
Day 27-28
Final social post. Celebrate + invite.
Day 29
Personal texts to anyone who said “I’ll get to it.”
Day 30
Close. Thank-you post within 24 hours.
Total time commitment: ~4-5 hours across 30 days. Less than 10 minutes a day on average.

Know What’s Normal

What to expect

Most fundraisers follow a predictable arc: strong start, quiet middle, surge at the end. This guide helps you ride that arc.
40-50% of donations come in Days 1-3 and Days 27-30.
The middle will feel slow. That’s the pattern, not a problem.
10–15% of people you ask will give.
That’s a strong response rate. Most won’t give, and that’s okay.
~30–40% of fundraisers hit their exact goal.
The rest still raise real money for real impact. Any amount matters.
Your first ask will feel awkward.
That’s normal. It gets easier after the first one. The second email is always better than the first.
You’re not begging. You’re offering people a chance to be part of something that matters. The people who give through your fundraiser are people who would never have found Petros Network without you. You are the connection point. That’s not a small thing.

You have everything you need.

Now go share it.

Your fundraiser is live. Your toolkit is here.
The only thing left is to send that first message.

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