We know asking for donations may seem daunting, so we’ve tried to make it as easy as possible!

Use the “Invite Donors” feature on your fundraising page to invite friends and family to support you. This handy tool:

• Sends out gentle, automated reminders

• Allows you to quickly view and invite past donors

• Makes it easy to follow up and thank your donors

• Includes a pre-written message for your donors that you can personalize

How to send the invites

1. Log in the top right of the campaign page here, then go to the “Donors” tab.

2. Click the green “Invite Donors” button and then select “Send email invites.”

3. Customize your message if desired, add emails for your contacts, and send it off! If you’ve participated in previous campaigns on Pledge It, you’ll see a plus sign (+) you can click to view your donors from past campaigns and add their emails.

4. Looking for a quick message to copy/paste into a text or email? You can also choose “View message ideas” to see quick sample messages.

Don’t forget to thank your supporters and tell them how all funds are going to provide support to NorCal AIDS Cycle.

(If you’d like to see this feature in action, you can watch this video here).text goes here

We are excited and grateful to have you on board as a fundraiser for 2025 NorCal AIDS Cycle!

Your fundraising page is where you’ll send family and friends to donate, and where you can track all your efforts.

If you haven’t started using it yet, here’s a quick guide.

Getting to your fundraising page

You were sent a welcome email with a direct link to your page, but you can also get there from the campaign page here. Log in on the top right, then click the “My Page” tab.

Making sure you’re logged in

To see all the tools at your disposal, be sure you’re logged in. On your fundraising page, if you see the profile avatar on the top right, you’re logged in. If you see “Sign In” instead, go ahead and do so.

Editing your page

You can adjust your photos, story, contact info, goals, and more. On a computer, click the “Edit Page” button under the large cover photo. On a phone, click the settings icon at the top, then the black “Edit” button.

Sharing your page

To share your fundraiser page with friends and family, use the “Share” button (under your fundraising progress wheel). Choose a social network to share to, or choose “Copy page URL” to copy the link directly to your page.

The Community tab

You’ll find this at the top of your page on your computer, and the bottom on your phone. You can post questions, ideas, and inspiration to the rest of the campaign community, and scroll through everyone else’s posts.

The Donors tab

Go here to send pre-written email requests inviting people to donate to your page, track who has donated, and thank your donors.

The Activity tab

You may or may not see a tab for Activity. If you do, this is where you can record the activity you perform. You can add comments, photos, or other media, and choose whether to send your update to your donors.

Hello to our team captains,

Thank you for your commitment to 2025 NorCal AIDS Cycle! You are giving the gifts of leadership, community, and even some friendly competition!

Come show off your team!

We would appreciate if you would take a moment to introduce your team to the campaign Community. Showing off your team members is a great way to thank them for their involvement!

Just log into your fundraising page (on the top right of the campaign page here). Go to the Community tab and tell us:

• What brought your team to support NorCal AIDS Cycle?

• What makes you a team—how do you know each other?

• What are your goals?

Connect with your fellow captains

Scroll through the Community feed to see if other team captains have introduced their teams as well. Leave a comment to connect with them, share ideas and learn from each other.

Finally, if you have any questions about captaining your team, contact us. We’re always happy to hear from you.

We want to thank you once again for volunteering to captain a team for 2025 NorCal AIDS Cycle.

We want to make your job as captain as easy as possible. To help you motivate and guide your team members, here are some of the best approaches team captains can use:

Host a kick-off call or get-together

Seeing everyone together gives each team member the feeling they are part of something bigger than themselves. It also gives you a chance to plan any necessary details or divide responsibilities.

Use your team message board

You’ll find the message board at the bottom of your team dashboard. Build a sense of community by posting encouraging messages or helpful tips,and encourage other members to do the same.

Brainstorm fundraising ideas as a group

You can do this through text, in person, or right on that team message board. Team members can share creative ways to ask for donations, and others can borrow the ideas when reaching out to their own networks.

You may want to post:

• What brought your team to support NorCal AIDS Cycle?

• What makes you a team—how do you know each other?

• What are your goals?

The goal is to make each team member feel both appreciated and fully equipped to fundraise.

We want you to feel the same way, so if you have questions or need support, please reach to us!

Asking for donations can be a daunting task and frankly, a little uncomfortable.

We've got good news, though! We've found that people invited to donate are not only willing to give, but also happy for the chance to make an impact with little effort. (And they get to support you in the process—which is what they really care about!)

To make it easy for you to reach out, here are some tried-and true messages you can send to your likely supporters:

Copy and paste any of these

"I believe you already know I am passionate about NorCal AIDS Cycle and I’ve committed to raise funds to support their mission. Would you consider making a donation to help us reach our goal? Your support would make a huge difference."

"I am raising money for NorCal AIDS Cycle and I'm very excited about it. Would you be willing to make a donation to support me and help with their mission? Every little bit helps!"

"Can I ask you a favor? You already know I care a lot about NorCal AIDS Cycle. I’ve set a goal to raise funds for them by May 18, 2025. Would you mind donating to help me reach it?"

"I know you care about NorCal AIDS Cycle, so I wanted you to know that I’m currently fundraising for them. No gift is too small. Would you consider donating?"

(A tip: Emailing, texting or asking directly are proven to bring in more donations than social media.)

Tracking your donation requests

If you use the “Invite Donors” tool on your fundraising page, you can send direct email requests, see at a glance who has donated, and send personalized thank you messages all from the same place.

When logged in (on the top right of the campaign page), just click the “Donors” tab, then “Send Invites” to get started.

We're excited about your participation as a fundraiser for 2025 NorCal AIDS Cycle.

Sometimes, fundraising can feel daunting until you’ve got the ball rolling. Don’t worry, we have an easy three-step plan to help you get started.

The steps range from simple and straightforward to creative and—dare we say—fun.

1. Start by donating $100 to your own page. That way, you aren’t asking family and friends to do anything you haven’t.

2. Ask four family members to match your gift or donate $75 each to help you meet your goal. (Invite them through the Donors tab on your fundraising page to easily track and thank them.)

3. Post a challenge on social media: the first 5 people to donate $25 can pick a pose for a silly selfie that you promise to post.

The most important tip: sharing with someone why you truly care about the cause builds trust. It makes it easier for you to ask, and easier for them to give.

We appreciate all your dedication and hard work,

As we near the end of 2025 NorCal AIDS Cycle, we are asking all our fundraisers to make one last, big push to your connections. We're still not quite at our fundraising goal of $200,000 but we know we can get there with your help!

If you’re able, would you please…

• Follow up one final time with any potential donors who have not yet given. We find phone calls and direct conversations are the most effective.

• Post on social media one last time, with an update of your progress and how far you have to go. Explain to supporters the specific impact their donations could make.

• Donate a small amount to a fellow fundraiser—they may even show the love back!

Don’t forget to thank your supporters and tell them how all funds are going to provide support to NorCal AIDS Cycle.

Let’s get out there in these final few days to complete the challenge! Share it far and wide.

Let’s finish strong!

As a fundraiser for 2025 NorCal AIDS Cycle, you are a critical part of the NorCal AIDS Cycle community.

We are so glad you are with us, and we're hoping to learn more about you and your connection to the cause.

Come share your "why"

If you have a moment, please come post your reason for supporting NorCal AIDS Cycle to the Community. Just log in to the campaign page here and click the Community tab. We’d love to see your story.

Then, take a glance through everyone else's posts. You may find others here with stories like yours.

Finding personal connections can strengthen the NorCal AIDS Cycle community—and give you something vital back from your help with the campaign.

Beyond that, other fundraisers may be able to offer advice, resources, or encouragement to help you reach your goals.

Thank you for being here—we look forward to seeing your story!

We are filled with gratitude for all the ways our supporters are helping through 2025 NorCal AIDS Cycle. And we bet you’re just as grateful to everyone who donated to support you.

Thanking people is both polite and important, so there’s an easy way to do it:

Thank through your fundraising page

You’ll receive an email every time someone donates to you, with a button to thank them.

If you miss the email, you can thank your donors by going to your fundraising page (log in on the top right of the campaign page here) and click on the ‘Donors’ tab.

You’ll see a “thank you” button next to each donor’s name. Click it to load a pre-written email you can personalize before sending.

Three guidelines to follow

1. Thank your supporters within 24 hours.

2. Thank them individually—personal notes mean so much more than a social media post

3. No need to mention the dollar amount; just thank them for their donation.

If you need one more reason to send a “thank you,” remember, thanking donors both rewards their generosity and strengthens your relationship—perhaps they’ll be fundraising alongside you next year!

Thank you for all of your support,

A key part of successful fundraising is sharing your journey by posting updates to your fundraising page throughout the campaign.

Why it’s a good idea

Updates help your fundraising efforts build momentum.

• Donors get satisfaction from seeing your progress and knowing they are helping you make a difference

• Potential donors will see your commitment to the cause and be more likely to support you

• Your updates will appear in the Community, inspiring others to keep moving forward

What to share

Not sure what to post? Start with:

• Uploading a photo with a message about progress you've made

• Sharing a quick thank you message with donors for helping you reach 25, 50, or 75% of your goal

• Asking your donors to share your page on social media to help spread the word

• Facts about NorCal AIDS Cycle and how the funds will be used

How to do it

Log in to your fundraising page on the top right of the campaign page here. On the Community tab, post an update. You can choose whether the post should be emailed to your donors. (They want to hear from you!)