Sharing Resources

Message templates for every stage of your campaign.

Adapt every template to sound like you. The most effective outreach feels personal, not scripted. Click Copy on any template to grab the text.

Show templates for

Stage 1

Pre-Launch

Reach your inner circle before anything goes public. Get 5–10 commitments before launch day.

How to use these templates

Fill in every bracket with real details. The more specific you are, the more effective the outreach. A generic message raises a generic response.

Personal Text, Inner Circle, Before Going Public

Hey [Name], I'm running a Jubilee Fund campaign for [First Name], who [one sentence: what they do and where]. They're facing [brief, specific description of the need]. Rivergate Foundation is facilitating it, everything is verified and accountable. I'm reaching out to a small group of people I trust before we go public. Would you be willing to give on day one? [LINK]

Email, Inner Circle (Longer Version)

Subject: I need your help before we launch this campaign [Name], I'm writing ahead of our launch because I wanted you to hear about this directly, not through a social media post. [First Name] is a [role] with [organization]. [One or two sentences about their work and what it means.] Right now they're facing [specific need and dollar amount]. I'm running a Jubilee Fund campaign through Rivergate Foundation to help. Everything is verified and goes directly to the provider, hospital, repair shop, landlord, wherever the need is. Before we go public, I'm asking a small group of people I trust to give on day one. That early momentum matters more than anything else in whether a campaign succeeds. Would you be willing to be one of them? [LINK] Thank you for reading this far. [Your name]

Group Text, Small Group or Church Community

Hey everyone, I wanted to share something with the group. [First Name], who [brief description of their work], just ran into a hard situation: [brief description of the need]. I've set up a Jubilee Fund campaign for them through Rivergate Foundation. If we gave together, even $[amount] pooled, it would make a real dent. Here's the link: [LINK]. No pressure, just wanted you to know.

Stage 2

Launch Day

Go public after your inner circle has committed. Personal text first, social post second, email third.

Social Media Post, Launch Day

I want to introduce you to [First Name]. [One sentence: who they are and what they do.] Right now, they're facing [honest, brief description of the need]. I'm running a Jubilee Fund campaign through Rivergate Foundation to help. Rivergate Foundation pays providers directly: hospitals, auto shops, landlords, wherever the need is. Nothing goes to the recipient. If you can give, even $25 moves the needle. If you can't right now, sharing this link with one person who might care helps just as much. [LINK]

Email, For Contacts Not on Social Media

Subject: I'm writing because I think you'll care about this [Name], [First Name] is a [role] with [organization/church]. [One or two sentences about their service.] Right now they need the church to show up: [specific description of the need and dollar amount]. Rivergate Foundation is hosting the campaign and pays providers directly, so every dollar goes exactly where it's needed. You can give or share here: [LINK] Thank you, [Your name]

Stage 3

Midpoint Updates

Campaigns with updates raise 3x more than campaigns that go quiet. Plan at least two posts between launch and the final push.

Momentum Update, Days 1–3

Three days in. I want to thank everyone who has already given or shared [First Name]'s campaign, we're at $[amount], which is [XX]% of our goal. That's real, and it matters. If you've been thinking about giving, now is a good time. And if you can't give right now, sharing this with one person who might be moved by it helps just as much. [LINK]

Story Update, Midpoint (Day 10–15)

Two weeks in. I want to give a quick update on how [First Name] is doing. [One or two honest sentences about their current situation, not dramatic, just real.] We still have [X] days and need $[Y] more to hit our goal. Every gift between now and then matters. [LINK], and thank you for being the kind of community that shows up.

Stage 4

Final Push

The last 48–72 hours are critical. Go back to personal outreach. Stop posting publicly for a day and send individual texts to people who haven't given yet.

Urgency Post, Final 48 Hours

Two days left. [First Name]'s campaign closes on [date], and we're $[X] away from the goal. If [N] more people give $[Y], we get there. I won't oversell this. [First Name] needs the church to show up, and you've gotten us this far. If you've been on the fence, now is the time. [LINK]

Personal Text, To Anyone Who Hasn't Given Yet

Hey [Name], I wanted to reach out personally. [First Name]'s campaign closes in two days and we're so close. Even $[amount] would make a real difference. Is that something you'd be able to do? [LINK]

Stage 5

Close-Out

How you end matters. Donors who feel seen and informed are more likely to give again, for this person and the next campaign Rivergate runs.

Rivergate handles anonymous donors

When the campaign closes, Rivergate Foundation sends a close-out email to all donors, including those who gave anonymously. You won't have their contact information, but they will hear from Rivergate directly. Your job is the public thank-you and personal outreach to donors you know.

Final Public Thank-You

The campaign is closed. I want to thank every person who gave or shared [First Name]'s campaign. Because of you, [First Name] now has what they need to [specific outcome: pay the bill / fix the car / cover the month]. This is the church at its best, showing up for one of its own, not because it has to, but because it gets to. From me and from [First Name]: thank you.

Personal Note, Top Givers

[Name], I wanted to reach out personally and say thank you. Your gift to [First Name]'s campaign was generous, and it made a real difference. [First Name] wanted you to know that. Thank you for trusting me with this.

Reaching more people

Managing High-Volume Outreach on WhatsApp & Text

Once you're reaching more than a handful of people personally, a few habits keep things from turning into chaos.

Before you send anything

Saving each contact in your phone under their real name can make things easier once replies start coming in, since your phone will show you who's messaging you instead of just a number. It's not required, just something worth doing if you have a few minutes before you start.
If you'd rather message everyone at once instead of one by one, a WhatsApp group is simple to set up: open WhatsApp, tap New Group, add contacts from your phone, give it a name (something low-key, not anything that references the specific need), and send updates there instead of repeating yourself in individual messages.
One thing worth knowing about groups: everyone in it can see each other and see each other's replies. For a sensitive campaign, a broadcast list is usually the better fit instead. It works like a group for you, you type one message and it goes to everyone on the list, but each person receives it as a private, individual message and has no idea who else got it. Replies come back to you one-on-one, not into a shared thread. To set one up: open WhatsApp, go to Chats, tap the menu, choose New Broadcast, and add your contacts. Broadcast messages only reach people who have your number saved in their phone, so ask anyone who doesn't get it to save your number, or message them directly.
The site's one-click WhatsApp share still works great for sending the link itself, whether you're using a group, a broadcast list, or messaging people individually.

Once messages start going out

Send in batches of 15 to 20 rather than all at once. Two hundred messages at once means two hundred possible replies landing in the same few minutes.
Answer questions the same day, even briefly. A fast, plain reply beats a polished one that comes two days later.
If the same question comes up two or three times, that's a sign to answer it up front in your next batch of messages, not a sign something's going wrong.

If it starts to feel unmanageable

Split the list with your co-coordinator rather than one person carrying all the reply traffic.
It is fine to tell someone "I'll get back to you tomorrow." Slow and personal beats fast and generic.
If a question touches on how funds are used or disbursed, don't guess. Bring it to Rivergate.

What Rivergate can and can't see

Personal texts and WhatsApp messages are exactly that, personal. Rivergate has no visibility into who you've messaged or what was said. That's by design, it's what keeps the ask personal, but it also means you and your co-coordinator own the tracking entirely.
The gift itself is always tracked automatically once someone clicks through and gives on the campaign page, even if the whole conversation leading up to it happened over text.