08.21.19 Foundation Fundraising Task Force meeting
Timeline in progress to get us to a 2022 ballot initiative: Snail mail to medium donors
Greg & Ivan working on a draft of this letter, as well as an ask for folks to become one of 10 who give $5,000.
Sara will email Take Action people asking them to host a Facebook Fundraiser and/or email their personal circles using 3 sample emails as fodder or using their own.
Concert
Boulder Easy Fun Gala
Foundation messaging for a while:
We’re going to make sure Colorado gets universal health care one way or the other. If Colorado has to lead, we’ll have the plan read. The real deal, not a faux plan.
We’re here before and after the election, and we’ll work on all different candidates, debunk phony “Medicare for All” programs, write letters to the editor and conduct social media public outreach campaigns. We’ll be there before and after the election, and we separate the lies/substitutes from the real deal.
Universal health care for Colorado, one way or another!
Next tasks:
Hard ask email: Colorado 1st. Ivan sent and this was successful. (Another?)
Online donations are way down. If you value having a Colorado iron in the fire, give now.
Personal emails from the strategy team to medium donors/ and combine with a follow up phone call. Continue to support us so we can continue to do the unique things we do. (This tabled for the snail mail, and ST will follow up with the TAP people.
From fundraising team/ST: Personal fundraising ask to our own contacts: Be direct about what you’re doing and why.
Ask our most active folks to reach out to their circles the way we did with reasons why. Share with those folks the doc: Why we work for and support the Foundation ask them to include theirs
Sara will Draft my personal email ask, Email sample to the Strategy Team with (template email for large donors), email to most active donors asking them to reach out to their personal circles.
Beat the drum: Monthly donations make the most difference.
3) Medium donors: Email/phone calls from Strategy Team
Next fundraising event
Let’s schedule the next Easy Fun Gala (at a restaurant!) Fort Collins
Let’s schedule the next Easy Fun Gala (at a restaurant!) Boulder
Concert for Universal Health Care (IM4A helps musicians)
Other ideas
Rock concert
Virtual Gala
Pancake breakfast, grants, Easy fun Gala in Fort Collins, and another in Boulder
collect money on the street corner (Universal Health Care for the homeless)
Actions
bake sale, send card counter to Las Vegas see if we can win big, Lottery ticket,
Personal contact with large donors.
ST calling people they knew from donor printouts.
Different kinds of social media
Give with one click-making it easier to give.
Pay the Foundation’s database bill
Pay the cost of a social media presence
Buy an Improved Medicare for All Forum kit for a local community
Real deal, one way or another
Go Fund Me campaign to end the need for medical fundraisers.
Foundation fundraising calendar
In the past we have had a short-term system for fundraising. We focused on what we can do the next month week or month, with a couple of annual events. Most of the approach had been to go to our small donor base and ask again and again. While this base has maintained the Foundation and been our best source of funds, we are exhausting its potential. To move the fundraising effort forward, we need to develop new donors. We also need to look at a fundraising calendar with a planned series of drives or campaigns. This is the outline of what is now in place.
Year-round fundraising
- Grocery store gift cards (King Soopers’ allows you to link your Supercard.)* Extra publicity for this! (Sara)
- Regular appeals through email
- Appeals at presentations and events
- Facebook fundraising (You too can host a Facebook Fundraiser for the Foundation!)
- Community Fundraising Events like CA Pizza Kitchen, MOD market, how to fundraise regional groups. Add these to the list for community organizing, as the primary purpose is to gather and grow, though the money helps too.
Additional fundraising events
Annual conference (Summer: Aug. 1, 2019?)
End-of-year snail mail/email fundraising (Thanksgiving)
Colorado Gives Day (12/4/19) (Apply in July! Deadline is August 30th)
Facebook Matching day (on Giving Tuesday, December 3, 2019)
Dec. 12: Global Universal Health Care Day
Sell T-shirts (Kristine is checking on this)
Posters? (Merchandise store)
Proposed ideas
Fundraising among business
All hands on deck meeting (Draft of eblast soon)
Possible option: Coordinate the next easy fun gala with a community fundraiser? (Example: Host a fun easy gala at Next Door and also sign up to receive % of proceeds. Can these be combined? Sara will send Kristine Hembre Next Door contact info.
Build on membership/business memberships
How are we making members feel special?
How are we growing memberships?
How are both categories effective?
Medical Professionals fundraising drive: Goal: to raise $20,000 (56% of docs want UHC), Med Students, (Education on the pay scale… that costs will go down, Medicare plus.)
Committee: Madi, Greg, Eileen, Nancy
Bob Wolfson?
Lila Rosenthal?
Dr. Fine gave a speech about how most of us have done well in the system: Can we give back to fix the system?
- What we’re doing
- Identify successes: Show momentum!
- Identify and articulate our needs
- We are the Foundation, we coordinate and amplify all statewide groups
- Average donation $48 (Can you give more since you’re a physician)
Next fundraising drive $5,000 Grow the grassroots coordinating effort; Upcoming events; getting in front of Coloradans more and more. We need funding for the following purposes.
Goals as we raise money education, bills, long-term goal of a universal health care bill and/or citizen’s initiative. Strategy Team/Fundraising Task Force had a joint meeting in person: Where is this headed, plus how are we going to meet fundraising goals. Elevator speech about where we’re headed. HB19-1176. Study leads to citizen’s initiative and/or bill in legislature in 2022. We’re going to need $13 million. Timeline of benchmarks in the works.
Larger business
Small Businesses
Chris Crigler, Greg, Ivan, Glenn
Greg will give Sara suggestions for an eblast to 125 conference attendees from 2018
In the wings
Mock gala
Patricia, Make a blueprint(?)
Crowdfunding
