Sample Solicitation Email from 2014 Boston Marathon Team Member Whitney Leonard

Sample Solicitation Email from 2014 Boston Marathon team member Whitney Leonard:

Dear friends and family,
Exactly 150 days from today, I will be running the Boston Marathon in memory of my dear friend Katie Craig, and I'm asking you to support me in that journey.
The scoop: I'm thrilled and honored to be running the 2014 Boston Marathon on a charity team supportingSamaritans, an amazing suicide prevention organization based in Boston. I'm dedicating my run to Katie, a dear friend from college who took her own life in 2007 after a battle with bipolar disorder. Please join me in supporting the life-saving counseling services and grief support work of Samaritans by donating to my run, here:.

I've committed to raising $9,000 for Samaritans between now and April. That's a lot of money, so I need your help! Some of you may know Samaritans from when the fantastic Karina Carley Chandler worked there - they really do amazing work. Please consider donating any amount you can. And I'll be in touch again soon with details on prizes for people who donate more than $100, more than $250, and more than $500. Stay tuned!
I've also set a goal of receiving individual donations from 100 people (or more!). That's because I think it is incredibly important to spread the message far and wide that our society needs to talk about mental health and suicide.Katie's struggle with bipolar disorder, and her suicide, forced me to think about the many ways in which our society stigmatizes and fails to discuss mental illness, making it much harder for people to access the support services they need. That's why the hotlines, counseling services, and support groups that Samaritans provides are so incredibly important. And that's why you should donate!
As many of you know, Katie was an incredible inspiration to her friends and family, and her life brightened so many others. She made us laugh harder, dance crazier, ski faster, run farther, and smile more. I see her light reflected in so many of the people who were lucky enough to know her, and I know that light will be pulling me across the finish line in April. I'm excited to have all of you on my team too.
Finally, for those of you who I haven't talked to in a while, this also gives me a great chance to say hi! Drop me a line and let me know what you're up to if you get a chance – I hope you're all doing great!
Thank you SO MUCH for your support!
Love,
Whitney

P.S. If you want to find out about Samaritans and the great work they do, check out their website here:

Sample Solicitation Email from 2015 Boston Marathon team member Deanna Scinto, who wrote three emails to send to different audiences:

Colleagues

Subject Header: Boston Marathon (or I’m running the 2015 Boston Marathon to prevent suicide)

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

On April 20, 2015, I will be running the Boston Marathon in memory of my friend, Lauren, with Samaritans. Samaritans is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to prevent suicide and reduce the stigma surrounding suicide. In addition to their hotline, they also offer grief support to those who have lost loved ones to suicide, and seminars to educate the public on suicide prevetion. All of their services are provided free of charge to those in need, but they are not without cost.

Samaritans’ mission is particularly close to my heart because in March 2013, I lost my friend and college roommate, Lauren, to suicide. It was devastating. I had never lost someone so suddenly. I knew Lauren had been suffering from depression, but I had spoken with her in the weeks leading up to her suicide, and she had told me she was happy. I have since learned that this may have been a sign she had already planned to end her life.

I’m running the 2015 Boston Marathon to prevent others from going through what I did. If just one life is saved from my efforts, it will mean the world to me (or something of similar sentiment!)

You can help me prevent suicide by supporting me in my effort to raise money for Samaritans in order to prevent suicide and reduce the stigma surrounding it. My goal is $8000. You can find my donation page at the following link:

[Move this section to the P.S.: Your donation of any size will mean so much to me, but please consider giving at least $50 as, Genzyme offers a match to personal donations ranging from $50-$5000. Please visit the following link to apply for the match: Click to access AmeriGives, then click the “Matching Gifts” tab on the left, click “Apply for a Company Match,” click “Submit,” search for Samaritans (the tax ID is 042643466 and the address is 41 West St Boston MA), click “Select,” confirm by clicking “Yes,” enter your payment type, donation amount and date of donation. You can click “Yes” to add comments to the check and write “Deanna Scinto Marathon Fundraiser.” Click submit 1 or 2 more times and you are all set!]

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story and for your consideration! Please also consider passing this on to anyone you feel may be willing to support the cause or interested in Samaritans. You can find more information about Samaritans at

Warm regards,

Deanna

______

LKS

Subject Header: In Memory of Our Sister, Lauren Ciappetta (maybe change the subject line to “Let’s do this for Our Sister, Lauren Ciappetta)

Dear Sisters,

On April 20, 2015, I will be running the Boston Marathon in memory of our sister and my dear friend, Lauren Ciappetta. I first met Lauren my first year of pharmacy at St. John’s, at an LKS recruiting event. We became instant friends, as you usually do with your sisters. We were roommates throughout college and would see each often after college.

In March 2013, Lauren took her own life. It was devastating to me personally - I had never lost someone I was so close with so suddenly. I know it was also devastating to the Alpha Pi sisters and even our PDC brothers who knew and loved Lauren as well. I knew Lauren had been suffering from depression, but I had spoken with her in the weeks leading up to her suicide, and she had told me she was happy. As healthcare professionals, we sometimes have the opportunity to see those suffering and in need – either from depression, other mental illness, or other illnesses in general. We also understand the need to reduce the stigma surrounding suicide.

I will be running with Team Samaritans. Samaritans is a nonprofit organizationwhose mission is to prevent suicide and reduce the stigma surrounding suicide. In addition to their hotline, they also offer grief support to those who have lost loved ones to suicide and provide seminars to educate the public on suicide prevention. All of their services are provided to those in need free of charge, but they are not without cost.

I’m running the 2015 Boston Marathon to prevent others from going through what I did. If just one life is saved from my efforts, it will mean the world to me (or something of similar sentiment!)

You can help me prevent suicide by supporting me in my effort to raise money for Samaritans in order to prevent suicide and also to reduce the stigma surrounding it. My goal is $8000. You can find my donation page at the following link:

Let’s do this for Lauren.

Lamb’s Love,

Deanna
Alpha Pi Chapter, FPC’03P.S. – You can also support my run by sending a check to: Samaritans, Inc. 41 West Street, 4th Floor, Boston MA 02111. Just make sure my name is in the memo line!

______

Friends/Family

Subject Header: Exciting News!

Dear Friends and Family,

On April 20, 2015, I will be running the Boston Marathon in memory of my friend, Lauren, with Samaritans. Samaritans is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to prevent suicide and reduce the stigma surrounding suicide. In addition to their hotline, they also offer grief support to those who have lost loved ones to suicide, and provide seminars to educate the public in suicide prevention. All of their services are provided free to those in need, but they are not without cost.

As many of you know, in March 2013, I lost my friend and college roommate, Lauren, to suicide. It was devastating. I had never lost someone so suddenly. I knew Lauren had been suffering from depression, but I had spoken with her in the weeks leading up to her suicide, and she had told me she was happy. I have since learned that this may have been a sign she was already planning to end her life.

I’m running the 2015 Boston Marathon to prevent others from going through what I did. If just one life is saved from my efforts, it will mean the world to me (or something of similar sentiment!)

You can help me prevent suicide by supporting me in my effort to raise money for Samaritans in order to prevent suicide and also to reduce the stigma surrounding it. My goal is $8000 You can find my donation page at the following link:

With Love,

Deanna

P.S. – You can also support my run by sending a check to: Samaritans, Inc. 41 West Street, 4th Floor, Boston MA 02111. Just make sure my name is in the memo line!