GSI
Fundraising Toolkit

Fundraising Tips & Tricks

The more personal your ask, the more likely you are to succeed!
Asking in person > Video calls > Calling by phone > Email > Social Media

• Tell your story: While we’ve provided you with templates, the single most important thing you can do to be successful is to talk about what the cause means to you and why you are participating in our campaign. Take our templates, but tell your story.
• Success leads to success: The closer you get to your goal, the more likely people are to give. Start by asking the people most likely to make a gift, and do it in the most personal way possible. Then go to less likely contacts in less personal ways. Your success will build.
• Third time’s the charm: The average person needs to be asked three times before they give, so one post is not enough! Don’t get discouraged after a single post doesn’t yeild results. You’ll need to post frequently (a few times a week) to get supporters. And ask people in more personal ways than social media if you want true success.
• Ask. Thank. Repeat. Don’t make every post on social an “ask” for supporters. Balance asking with sharing information about the cause, why you are doing this campaign, and thanking your donors. Do always include a link to your fudnraising page, just in case a non-ask post inspires someone to give.
• Don’t forget your manners! As your contacts make donations, thank them personally (by phone or email) and thank them publicly. Each donation gives you a great reason to shout out your supporters and promote your campaign on social media.

Talking Points

Use these talking points in conversations with those most likely to support your campaign to explain what GSI is doing and why we need their support.

• In the United States, snakebites are rarely fatal, thanks to well-trained doctors, abundant anti-venom, accessible transport, and insurance-covered treatment. But in more than 70 tropical and subtropical countries—where more than 5 million bites occur annually—it’s the polar opposite! Each year, an estimated 600,000 people die or suffer lifelong disability—from disfigurement to an amputated limb. People in snakebite endemic countries regularly witness the devastation of neighbors suffering the consequences of snakebite, and list it among their greatest fears.
• The Global Snakebite Initiative is determined to stop a snake bite from being a death sentence. We are training healthcare workers to become competent and confident in treating snakebite, improving anti-venoms and hospital treatment protocols, and educating communities on prevention and proper health-seeking behaviors. To us, the solutions are tangible, uncomplicated, and reasonably cost-effective. Most importantly, they are near at hand.
• I am very proud to be doing my part to end this historically ignored crisis by doing my part to raise critical funds for GSI as part of Snakebite Awareness Day on September 19.
• GSI experts have worked in snakebite endemic countries for decades. They are advocates, multi-specialty physicians, community educators, scientists, herpetologists, conservationists, even filmmakers. They have been on the frontlines and have advocated for change in the local, national, and global arenas.
• By joining me as a GSI supporter, you provide critical funding to help GSI meet its goal of reducing death and disability due to snake bites by 50% by the year 2030. We know we can save thousands of lives with a strong community of supporters. Will you make a contribution to my fundraiser today?
• All donations made to the Global Snakebite Initiative this year will be matched by Tito’s Handmade Vodka (up to $1 million). So your donation today will be matched, doubling your impact to those suffering from this long-neglected crisis.

Remember to tell your story

While we’ve provided you with templates, the single most important thing you can do to be successful is to talk about what the cause means to you and why you are participating in our campaign.

Email Template

Use this email to send to your network to get them to support your campaign. Remember, you can modify any of our templates to talk about why you are supporting the campaign.

Dear Friend,

Last year, in coastal Kenya, a 26-year-old father was bitten by a black mamba—one of the world’s most deadly venomous snakes. Four hours later, when he finally arrived at a rural health facility, he was already in dire shape with severe breathing issues. He was given three vials of an anti-venom (known to be ineffective) by healthcare workers untrained in snakebite treatment. They then sent him to a larger facility some 35 minutes away. He was dead before he arrived.

Every day there is a new heartbreaking story of a live ended or ruined by a snakebite.

In the United States, snakebites are rarely fatal, thanks to well-trained doctors, abundant anti-venom, accessible transport, and insurance-covered treatment. But in more than 70 tropical and subtropical countries—where more than 5 million bites occur annually—it’s the polar opposite! Each year, an estimated 600,000 people die or suffer lifelong disability—from disfigurement to an amputated limb. People in snakebite endemic countries regularly witness the devastation of neighbors suffering the consequences of snakebite, and list it among their greatest fears.

The Global Snakebite Initiative USA Foundation is determined to stop a snake bite from being a death sentence. We are training healthcare workers to become competent and confident in treating snakebite, improving anti-venoms and hospital treatment protocols, and educating communities on prevention and proper health-seeking behaviors. To us, the solutions are tangible, uncomplicated, and reasonably cost-effective. Most importantly, they are near at hand.

NAME, I am a supporter of the Global Snakebite Initiative because I believe that this historically neglected public health crisis should no longer be ignored, and I invite you to join me.

GSI experts have worked in snakebite endemic countries for decades. We are advocates, multi-specialty physicians, community educators, scientists, herpetologists, conservationists, even filmmakers. We’ve been on the frontlines and have advocated for change in the local, national, and global arenas. We are the force that helped elevate snakebite on the World Health Organization’s agenda as a Category A neglected tropical disease, and we are now doing the work to ensure the world meets the WHO’s goal of reducing death and disability from snakebite by 50% by 2030.

By joining me as a GSI supporter, you provide critical funding to help GSI meet its goal of reducing death and disability due to snake bites by 50% by the year 2030. We know we can save thousands of lives with a strong community of supporters. Will you make a contribution to my fundraiser today?

All donations made to the Global Snakebite Initiative this year will be matched by Tito’s Handmade Vodka (up to $1 million). So your donation today will be matched, doubling your impact to those suffering from this long-neglected crisis.

Thank you,
YOUR NAME

Key Promotional Dates

Launch – Snakebite Awareness Day: September 19
End of Campaign: October 30

Who Should I Ask?

Start with the people who know you the best and will be most likely to support you. This could include:

• Your immediate family
• Your extended family
• Your partner’s family
• Closest/best friends
• Roommates/former roommates
• Close friends of the family

Then work your way out to people you know well, but maybe aren’t in as close contact with. This could include:

• Childhood friends
• Friends’ parents or siblings that you are in touch with
• Co-workers from your current job
• Co-workers/managers from past jobs
• College friends
• Partner’s friends

Then think about social groups you belong to, like your…

• Place of worship
• Book clubs
• Sport teams
• College alumni
• Kids’ play groups
• Neighborhood (listserv)

And you can always look through your list of Facebook friends or Twitter followers to come up with other names.

Need more help?

Get in touch with us!

If you have any questions or need more help with your campaign, you can reach out to us at donate@globalsnakebite.org.