3 things for this weekend -- less than 3 weeks to go until 3/15!

 

Fri, Feb 23, 2018

Hi there, Alumni Fund friends!

We’re heading into the final countdown — less than three weeks to go until our March 15 deadline!

Here are three things to help you as we head into the homestretch.

1) Email Samples

We know the feeling: you’re sitting down, ready to reach out, but you’re not quite sure where to begin. Below are some sample messages that real life Alumni Fund agents have used successfully to contact their classmates.

2) Text Samples

Frustrated because you feel like your emails are going out into a big black hole? Try texting.

Marketing research shows that some 90% of texts will be opened, most within the first hour after receipt. Some say that’s within the first 3 minutes after receipt. (Compare that with email, where the Williams-average open rate of 42% is incredibly high.)

Not sure where to begin? Some samples follow at the bottom of this message. (Just please do me a solid and use pictures of your own adorable children [or grandchildren] if you use some of our samples.)

3) Pick Up the Phone

Yeah, it’s possible that they’ll send your call to voicemail, but if a classmate answers the phone, you’re more likely than not going to have a great conversation — and get the gift. It’s actually really hard to say no when you’ve just had a lovely chat with an old friend!

Share Your Strategies and Successes

Care to share something that’s worked well for you? Can you one-up our samples, and help your fellow agents do more, too? Send along any strategies or successful notes you’ve sent to us at [email protected]. Share them with your own agent team, too: your agent email listserv address is [email protected], where YY represents your two digit class year.

Thanks so much for all you do for Williams!

Laura

 

SAMPLE EMAILS

[Classmate],

I know [Agent] has been in touch with you but, with the Fund year nearing its end, I thought I’d give it a try. You’ve been a terrific source of support for the Alumni Fund for many years, so I hope you will be again this year. I’m sure you know how important and helpful each gift, like yours, is and has been to the College.

With, as I said, the Fund drive coming to a close, I hope you can make a contribution soon.  It is easy to give online at http://give2.williams.edu.

Hope you’re well (and warmer than I am here in St. Paul).

Head Agent

___________

Hi, [Classmate]!

How are you?  Just writing in the hope that you’ll be able to join me in making a gift to the Alumni Fund again this year.  Our gifts among other things help Williams remain one of only 44 colleges and universities out of 1,137 nationwide that admit students without regard to their ability to pay and then cover 100% of demonstrated need.  They also help the College continue to be able to cap loans at $4,000 per year per student, as a result of which $13,519 was the average TOTAL college debt among members of the Williams Class of 2017 who borrowed (vs. the national average of $30,000).

Please act today, [classmate], making your gift online at http://give2.williams.edu or by mail to Williams Alumni Fund, 75 Park Street, Williamstown, MA 01267, noting “Class of 1973” on your check.

Thank you!  Hope to see you at our 45th Reunion this coming June 7-10!

Best regards, [Agent ‘class year], Associate Class Agent.

Hi [classmate],

This is just a quick nudge to remind you that only a few weeks remain until the March 15 deadline of the Alumni Fund competition.  There are several categories of the competition, such as total dollars donated and participation, in groupings by years of graduation.

I appreciate your past support, and hope you can do so again for this Alumni Fund.  It is easy to give on line at http://give2.williams.edu.

Hoping to see you on the donors’ list, again!  In addition, I also hope to see you at our XX reunion in June 2019.

Best regards, and thanks again for your support and loyalty to our Alma Mater.

[Agent]

P.S.  Although the competition against other classes ends March 15, all donations received by June 30 count towards our overall support to the Alumni Fund.

Hello [classmates],

As you can see below, our stalwart Annual Alumni Fund leader, [head agent], is pushing us agents to contact loyal givers who have not participated this year in the annual fund. You both have been generous givers for years. I know I have dunned you both for the xx reunion, but it would be great if you could also help Larry with the Annual Fund. Many thanks. Kay and I are looking forward to seeing you in June.

http://give2.williams.edu

All the Best,

Kent

Dear [class year] Associate Agents-

 Dollars are good this year because of a few increased contributions. But… our participation is very weak. Enclosed is a list of your lybunts. Could you please reach out to each of them?

These Classmates will donate to the Fund. They just need a gentle push. Thanks, as always.

Hi [classmate],

I was thinking about you the other day because (some reason that relates to a point of common connection). I hope all is well.  Is (useful question, like, is your daughter doing a semester abroad this year?)

Things are fine here, though crazy busy around here.  Good news for me is that my son moved back from California to NYC recently, so I get to hang out with him. I’m actually trying to drag him to a Williams event this weekend!

It’s that mad time of year when your class agent team is scrambling to rally participation…as of today, we have XXX classmates in and need XXX more toward our goal, and time is getting short.  You’ve been so great about helping out (most every year, every year, never missing a year) and I’m so grateful for all you do for Williams.  Will you join us again this year? You can make a gift online at give2.williams.edu if that’s easy, or I can send you a handy envelope!  Just let me know how I can help.

I’ve really enjoyed the updates Williams sends — among them, the recent story about our classmate [Name] on the website — did you see it?  I love the fact that the Class of ‘XX is having real impact on the college. We always knew we had it in us!  It makes me feel all the better about having had the good fortune to live and learn with all of you.

Love to hear what’s up with you!

Best,

[Agent]

Message to a Non-Giver (historically non-giving)

Dear <Name> –

Happy President’s Day! I hope this finds you well. The Williams Alumni Fund is in its final weeks for the 2017/2018 campaign year, and I write to see if we might count on your support this year. Every gift of any amount helps Williams achieve its mission of educating tomorrow’s leaders. I’ve been back to Williams several times over the past few years, and I can tell you that Williams only gets better with age, yet somehow feels more and more like home each time I return. Among others, the new Sawyer Library is an incredible, vibrant building and definitely something to see if you are able to get back to campus. We’d be grateful if you’d consider making a gift at http://give2.williams.edu before the main fund deadline of March 15th.

All the best,

[Agent]

Hey [classmate]!

Hope all is well in Minnesota….snowing in New York now, but I should hardly complain to you!

We’re getting down to the wire on the Alumni Fund — March 15 is the deadline — and I truly hope you will once again think of the College.  You have been a consistent supporter over the years and it would be great if you continue that trend in 2017!  Helpful links below!  Thanks!

Online:  http://give2.williams.edu

By Phone:  Call in your credit card gift to: 888-374-8110 (toll-free) or 413-597-4153

Best, [agent]

Hi [Name] –

I hope you are doing well! With Spring maybe on the horizon (we hit almost 70 degrees over the weekend here in Chicago, but that was clearly a fluke!), we are also nearing the end of the Williams Alumni Fund push for this year. We’re hoping to get gifts in for our class by midnight EST on March 15th. Can we count on you again this year? We so appreciate your loyal support in the past, and a gift of any amount will do so much for current and future Williams students. (You can give easily online at http://give2.williams.edu, or at any of the ways listed at the end of this email.)

Also, you may have caught wind of the Teach It Forward campaign. A big piece of the campaign, and one that is near and dear to me, is Purple with Purpose (https://teachitforward.williams.edu/pwp/) – a series of initiatives completely focused on fostering engagement with Williams (and not on giving!). For example, some of the professors we had are retiring this year, and there is an initiative around collecting memories and stories to share with each of them upon their retirement – it’s a unique and inspirational form of recognition. I hope you’ll take a look, as there are about a half dozen initiatives that are really pretty cool.

Thanks for considering a gift, and good luck with the rest of winter ;)!

Best,

[Agent]

***

As a reminder, here are all the ways to give:
1.     Online at http://give2.williams.edu
2.     By phone at 888.374.8110 or 413.597.4153 (please have credit card handy)
3.     By mail – you can send a check payable to “Williams College Alumni Fund”:

Williams College Alumni Fund
75 Park Street
Williamstown, MA  01267

 

SAMPLE TEXTS