#VOW2MAKEHISTORY

VOICE OF WITNESS EDUCATION PROGRAM

THE VOWCHAMPION'SGUIDE FORTHE MAKEHISTORYCAMPAIGN

First thing's first,THANK YOU!

Thanks for signing on to be a VOW Champion forthe Make History Campaign! We’re thrilled tohave you on board our stellar team of fundraiserswho are working to inspire support for the VOWEducation Program.

We’ve put together this toolkit with some ideas,instructions, and templates to help you getstarted. The information here is specific to theMake History Campaign, but if youvisit CrowdRise.com (our fundraising platform),you’ll find even more awesome tips for running afun and successful fundraiser.

In addition to these online resources, ourresource development associate Natalie Catasúswill be supporting you with everything you mightneed along the way. From crafting your story tosetting your fundraising goal and promoting yourcampaign, she’s got your back.

She’ll also be sending out regular emails withupdates, fundraising tips, and spotlights on a fewof our VOW Champions. If you need somehelp getting started, you can reach her atnatalie@voiceofwitness.org.

With respect,The Voice of Witness Team

Don’t miss any news!

voiceofwitness.org/newsletter

facebook.com/voiceofwitness

twitter.com/voiceofwitness

Make History: The Story

Timeline

How Does it Work?

3 Steps to Creating Your Page

Crafting Your Story

How Do I Set My Fundraising Goal?

Promoting Your Page

Who Should I Reach Out To?

Tips on Best Practices

Social Media Tips (also see appx. 1)

I Got a Donation! What Now?

Templates

More Resources

Appendix 1: Social Media Calendar

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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The Voice of Witness Education Program’s mission is to transform the way studentssee the world and their place within it.

Every day we help students engage with some of the most crucial issues of our timethrough stories told by the people directly impacted by them. Students who readthe oral history books in our series hear from undocumented immigrants, refugees,and the wrongfully convicted, among many others whose voices are rarely heard.They discover unexpected moments of connection and develop a more nuancedunderstanding of the world around them. To foster these experiences, we supportteachers with oral history training, books, lesson plans, and one-on-one curricularconsulting.

With the Make History Campaign, our goal is to inspire more students—our nextgeneration of leaders, teachers, history makers—to meaningfully engage with theworld. We can achieve this by connecting them with important, unheard stories, andby empowering them to tell their own stories in their own voices.

Over the past five years, we've offered our services and resources for free tothousands of students and teachers around the U.S. who otherwise could not affordthem. This would not be possible without the generous support of our donors, andwe rely on their help to continue this work.

By making a donation today, donors can help teachers and students make historytomorrow.

the story

MAKE HISTORY50k for the VOW Education Program

crowdrise.com/VOW2MakeHistory

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November 4-17 VOW Champions set up your pages

Get a head start: Begin reaching out to potential donors

November 18 VOW officially announces campaign in newsletter

Hard Launch: December 1 – Giving TuesdayThe campaign is officially underway!

VOW Champions announce their participation on social media and email

December 1-31Official Campaign Period

VOW Champions are sending emailsand making weekly social media posts

December 15 We’re halfway there!

December 29-31Final push

VOW Champions do last bits of outreach

December 21Campaign ends at midnight

January 1 Campaign results announced

January 6Raffle winners announced

TIMELINENovember - December 2015

#GivingTuesday is a global day dedicated to

giving back. It's a great time torally enthusiasm and

encourage people to supportthe VOW Education Program.

Keep an eye out for a messagefrom us with tips specific to

#GivingTuesday.

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The Make History Campaign is a social fundraiser where people in the extendedVoice of Witness community can harness the power of their own stories to inspiresupport for the VOW Education Program.

In a social fundraiser, participants eachcreate their own individual fundraiserpages under the umbrella of a largerfundraising campaign.

The goal of the Make History Campaignis to raise $50,000, so each VOWChampion will create their own pagewith smaller fundraiser goals, and thedonations raised by each VOW Championwill contribute toward our collective goalof 50k.

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HOW DOES IT WORK?

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3 STEPS TO CREATING YOUR PAGECrowdRise.com will be home base for the entire Make History Campaign, andcreating a fundraiser page on Crowdrise couldn't be easier (they like to say that youcan be fundraising in less than 42 seconds!).

1. Visit the Make History Campaign page: crowdrise.com/Vow2MakeHistory.

2. Create an account. Click on the button that says "Fundraise for this campaign."You'll be prompted to sign up for an account

3. Join the team. After you create your account, you'll see a pop up asking you tojoin the team. Go ahead and click to join. Your page has been created!

Now the fun part...

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Your CrowdRise page will automatically populate your story section with thegeneral campaign description. Feel free to borrow bits of this language, but it'simportant to make the story your own. Talk about the VOW Education Program,why you are so passionate about it, and what each donation means to you.

Consider who you'll be sharing your page with and how you can frame your story ina way that sparks a sense of connection for them. Your page may err on the side ofmore or less personal, but either way it will be helpful to find a good emotionalanchor that will resonate with your audience.

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CRAFTING YOUR STORY

getting started

Here are some questions to help you get going:

– Who are you? A student? A teacher?

– What makes the VOW Education Program special?

– What do you say about the VOW Education Program to your friends and family?

– How can the VOW Education Program make a difference in your community?

– How has the VOW Education Program had a personal impact on you?

– Who in your community is most helped by the VOW Education Program?

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Upload any images or videos you feel relate to the VOW Education Program andyour personal connection to it. This could be a picture of yourself in a VOW t-shirt,of yourself in the classroom, holding up a handmade I <3 VOW sign, or maybe just anice portrait. Get creative with it, and feel free to be silly. The visuals tell us aboutyou, and about why the VOW Education Program is meaningful to you.

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get inspired

Look at other fundraisers’ pages to get a sense of how many forms your story cantake. Some people dedicate their birthdays to a cause, or frame their story aroundan important person in their life. Browsing the other VOW Champion pages, andeven pages from other campaigns on Crowdrise, will spark some ideas about howto have fun with your story.

fefef eling stuck?

Check out the CrowdRise support pages at crowdrise.com/about/contact. Alsofeel free to reach out to Natalie at natalie@voiceofwitness.org for somesuggestions.

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Of course we'd all love to raise a million dollars, but the key to success is to set up aslightly ambitious but achievable fundraising goal. What that looks like will varyfrom person to person and will depend largely on the number and network ofpeople you share your campaign with.

Wondering how much you think you can raise? One way to get started is to list outten people you know who are likely to donate, and assume they'll donate $10each. That's $100 right there! A lot of people may donate more than $10, so thinkabout how you can refine and expand your list to have a mix of lower and higherdonations.

What's the minimum amount you think you can raise? What's the maximum? Thesweet spot is somewhere in the middle.

If you need help with this part of the process, feel free to reach out to Natalie atnatalie@voiceofwitness.org.

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HOW DO I SET MYFUNDRAISING GOAL?

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Now that you’ve set up your page, it’s time to start lettingpeople know about it! CrowdRise, the social fundraisingplatform we’re using, has some great advice on how to getthe word out. Here are some highlights:

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PROMOTING YOUR PAGE

Email is still the most effective way to get your networkof friends and supporters to donate. The second bestway is to use Facebook direct messages.

It's time-consuming to send a direct message on Facebookbut it's so worth it and we highly recommend it. If you senda lot of emails and direct messages on Facebook, you'lldrive the traffic to your page that you need to hit yourfundraising goal.

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CrowdRise will notify you whenever you get a donation. Be sure to thank everydonor as quickly as possible. It goes such a long way. And in your thank you, askthem to go a step further and share a link to your fundraising page with a few ofyour friends.

Be relentless. It's for a good cause.

The other way to promote your campaign is to go to the MANAGE CAMPAIGN tabon your fundraising page and click any of the social icons in the Ask ForDonations section. You can post to Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and Google+.

Be sure to include a link to your fundraising page and ask your network offriends to help you hit your fundraising goal. The more personal you make theask (don't write a novel unless you are actually working on a novel), the moreeffective it will be.

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WHO SHOULD I REACH OUT TO?

“If you ask your friends to support you, they will. Ask two or three times ifyou have to. Be relentless. It's for a good cause. We recommend setting agoal for your fundraiser and keeping everyone you know updated on howclose you are to your goal. They'll want to help you get there if you givethem a reason why it's so important to you.” —CrowdRise

Start close and work your way out.

Identify three people who you know welland who you think would donate on yourbehalf, and reach out to them via email.Pretty easy, huh? Now try another three.

It doesn’t matter whether you think theycan donate a lot. Even if they can’t donateright now, you can ask them to share yourpage. They’ll probably be happy to see youworking on behalf of a good cause.

It’s best to send personalized

emails individually or in smallbatches rather than sendingone email to dozens of people.It shows you thought throughthe ways they might feelconnected to you and the workyou’re supporting.

tip

Use this list to get startedbrainstorming who you might ask:

– People at work or at school

– Family and friends

– People on social media

– People in your differentcommunities

– Who else can you think of?

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Some more wisdom from CrowdRise:

TIPS ON BEST PRACTICES

#1 Make sure your fundraising page is so compelling that yoursupporters feel like they can't leave without donating. Getpersonal with your story, explain why you're fundraising, whatwill their money do for your cause, etc. Add lots of pics andvideos. The more well-rounded your page, the better yourfundraiser will perform.

Make the first donation. After your fundraising page is all set up,make the first donation. Make sure it's an amount that you thinkyour supporters will respond to. It sets the tone for your fundraiserand people like seeing that you're supporting your cause as well.

#2

Set a fundraising goal. Supporters like to help you work towardssomething and, it gives you something to message about duringthe course of your campaign. Sending out an email when you'reat 50% of your goal is super motivating and allows everyone tosee how their donations are impacting your cause.

When you get a donation, you'll get a donation alert. Make sure touse the CrowdRise Thank You tool to immediately thank yoursupporters. If they feel like their donation is appreciated, they willbe more likely to give again. And again.

Reach out more than once. Email and use social networks to asksupporters to give again and again. Keep them posted on yourgoals, where their money is going, how it's helping and what itmeans to you personally.

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SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS

This is the sweet spot for getting peopleto notice your fundraiser withoutoverloading their newsfeeds withrequests for donations. Depending onwhen you start fundraising, you’ll haveabout 4-6 weeks to be getting the wordout. Be consistent so it stays onpeople’s radar.

You’ll have plenty of chances to makedifferent posts, so don’t feel like youneed to tell your entire story in one go.Remember that the goal is to catchpeople’s interest so that they’ll clickthrough to your fundraiser page.

If you’re posting twice a week for 6weeks, you’ll want to be sure you’rechanging it up. If people feel like they’rereading the same post every time, they’llstop reading, but if you sharesomething a little different every timewill keep your posts engaging.

Lean on VOW’s Facebook and Twitteraccounts for content. We’ll be postinglots during the campaign, so feel free toreshare or adapt our posts if it helpskeep your social media outreachdynamic.

As soon as someone donates, be sureto thank your donor on all youroutlets, even if you've already made allyour posts for the week. Everyonefeels great when you show the loveand recognize their support publicly.

POST 1-2 TIMES A WEEK KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET

KEEP IT FRESH

REPOST & RETWEET SHOUT YOUR GRATITUDE

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I GOT A DONATION! WHAT NOW?

And the sooner the better. Thanking your donor immediately will make themfeel instantly appreciated and feel that their donation has a real impact.

More great advice from CrowdRise:

Thank 'em so super fast. The quicker the better.Use the Thank You Tool when you're logged intoCrowdRise, email 'em yourself or write your ownold-school paper note. Either way, do it fast.

Make sure to let them know what their donationmeans to you and your cause. If you can make ittangible, that's even better. For example, "Yourdonation of $25 will put a book in the hands of astudent".

Give them an update on your fundraiser and letthem know that they are a part of it all. Forexample, 'I'm halfway to my goal of raising $2000and it's because of donors like you that I'm ableto raise so much money for my cause.

on has a real impact.

After you’ve thanked your donor, ask them to goone step further and share a link to yourfundraising page with a few of their friends. They’llbe happy to let people know about the awesomecause they’ve just donated to.

tip

If you know your donor,think about how tothank them in a way thatwill have the biggestimpact on them. Inaddition to thankingthem using theCrowdRise tool andsocial media, thinkabout how an email, atext a phone call, or ahandwritten letter mightmake them feel extraspecial.

THANK YOUR DONOR!

and one more

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TEMPLATES

SUBJECT LINE:Want to Make History? Help me support the Voice of Witness Education Program

BODY:

Dear friend,

I’m fundraising for Voice of Witness to support the amazing work of their educationprogram, which connects students with important, unheard stories, and empowersthem to tell the stories of their own communities through oral history.

[Include your story here. Make it a short version of the story on your fundraiserpage. They’ll get to read the whole thing when they click through.]

Just $___ will go a long way to helping me raise $____ for the VOW EducationProgram to support students and teachers with oral history training, books, lessonplans, and one-on-one curricular consulting.

You can read more about why I’m so passionate about this cause here: [insert thelink to your fundraiser page].

#VOW2MakeHistory!

Signature

P.S. Want to join me in fundraising? Visit crowdrise.com/vow2makehistory.

EMAIL

Use these templates as guides for drafting the emails and social media postsyou'll be making about the Make History Campaign.

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I’m raising money for the Voice of Witness Education Program to connectstudents with important, unheard stories. Please help me by supporting thisawesome cause! To make a donation on my behalf, please go to myfundraising page and read my story: [the link to your fundraiser page goeshere]

I’m raising money for the Voice of Witness Education Program to empowerstudents to tell their own stories in their own voices. Please help me bysupporting this awesome cause! To make a donation on my behalf, pleasego to my fundraising page and read my story: [the link to your fundraiserpage goes here]

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Help me connect students with important, unheard stories with@voiceofwitness. Donate at [your link goes here] and #vow2makehistory

Help me empower students to tell their stories in their own voices with@voiceofwitness. Donate at [your link goes here] & #vow2makehistory.

You can #vow2makehistory today by supporting my fundraiser for@voiceofwitness. Read my story at [your link goes here]

– Tag the VOW Facebook and Twitter pages when you can– You can also tag friends who you think would be interested in VOW

tips

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MORE RESOURCES

Throughout November and December, we’ll be sending you regular emails with tipson everything related to your fundraiser.

We also highly recommend visiting CrowdRise’s support pages for information onbest practices and F.A.Q.’s. They also offer fantastic customer support via live chator email if you need it.

Thanks for joining us to inspire support for the VOW Education Program, and happyfundraising!

–The VOW Team

#VOW2MakeHistory

Mimi LokCo-founder &Executive Director

Cliff MayotteEducation ProgramDirector

Luke GerweManaging Editor

Natalie CatasúsResource DevelopmentAssociate

Claire KieferEducation ProgramAssociate

crowdrise.com/Vow2MakeHistory

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Appendix 1:Social Media Calendar

Tag Voice of Witnessin your posts onFacebook andTwitter

HASHTAGS KEEP US CONNECTED

#VOW2MAKEHISTORY@VOICEOFWITNESS

The official campaign dates are December 1-31, butthere's every reason to get started early! Social media isone of the best ways to do this.

Throughout the campaign, we're encouraging VOWChampions who use social media to make posts 1-2times a week. You only need to post one time on a givenday, but feel free to post more often if you're an avid socialmedia user (especially if you use Twitter!).

The calendar on the following pages consists of specificdates to post on and offers templates and suggestions forwhat to say. It's written with the general VOW Champion inmind, so feel free to adapt the language in a way that bestfits your own relationship to VOW. While it'll be helpful tostick to this timeline, the templates and suggestions aim toprovide a simple foundation to get you through thecampaign. It can be adapted as much or as little as you want.

Use the campaignhashtag:#VOW2MakeHistory

Use the hashtag#GivingTuesday on Dec.1, our official launch dateand the days leading up

#GIVINGTUESDAY

Using campaign hashtags connects VOW Champions and donors and helpspeople follow along as the campaign progresses.

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SOFT LAUNCH PERIODChampions have created their pages and are getting a head start on their fundraising and getting ready for the hard launch on #GivingTuesday.

Date Templates/Suggestions (you only need to choose 1 per day)

I’m raising money for the Voice of Witness Education Program to empower students to tell their own stories in their own voices. Please help me by supporting this awesome cause! To make a donation on my behalf, please go to my fundraising page and read my story: [insert your link] #VOW2MakeHistory

Stories transform the way we see the world and our place within it. I #VOW2MakeHistory this holiday season by helping students amplify the unheard voices of their communities. Read my story about why here: [your link]

Save the date: #GivingTuesday 2015 is Dec 1. You can be part of the celebration by giving back to the community. I'm giving back by supporting the Voice of Witness Education Program. Find out why at [your link] #VOW2MakeHistory

#GivingTuesday is only a week away, and I'm dedicating mine to the Voice of Witness Education Program. Will you help me empower students to tell their own stories in their own voices? Check out my story at [your link] #VOW2MakeHistory

Are you part of #GivingTuesday? It’s global day of giving for everyone! Find out how you can be a part of the movement at http://www.givingtuesday.org/

Wondering where to give on #GivingTuesday? Help me empower students to tell their own stories in their own voices! Check out my fundraiser for the Voice of Witness Education Program: [your link] #VOW2MakeHistory

As soon as you create your page

Announce it!

Nov. 24 Tues

#GivingTuesday is 1 week away

Nov. 27 Fri

#GivingTuesday is almost here

Nov. 30 Mon

#GivingTuesday is tomorrow

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The hard launch of the Make History Campaign kicks off with #GivingTuesday.

OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN PERIOD

Proudly dedicating my #GivingTuesday to the Voice of Witness Education Program. #VOW2MakeHistory with me by helping students amplify the unheard voices in their communities: [your link]

Suggestion: Upload an "UNselfie" showing your support for VOW Education on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Click here for the #GivingTuesday #UNselfie kit

Just $25 puts an oral history guidebook in the hands of a teacher who has the power to reach dozens of students. #VOW2MakeHistory with me on #GivingTuesday [your link]

Suggestion: Give an update and show your gratitude to your #GivingTuesday supporters

Stories transform the way we see the world and our place within it. I #VOW2MakeHistory this holiday season by helping students amplify the unheard voices of their communities. Read my story about why here: [your link]

Suggestion: Repost or retweet the link from the Voice of Witness page. On this day we'll be posting a spotlight on an education program partner.

Suggestion: Take a compelling snippet from your fundraiser page story to encourage people to click through to your page (include your link!).

Suggestion: Post about a Voice of Witness book or narrative that you really connect with and tell people why

Date Templates/Suggestions (you only need to choose 1 per day)

Dec. 1 Tues

HARD LAUNCH#GivingTuesday!

Dec. 3 Thurs

Dec. 8 Tues

Dec. 10 Thurs

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Suggestion: Repost or retweet the link from the Voice of Witness page. On this day we'll be posting a spotlight on an education program partner

Only 1 week left of the Make History Campaign and I'm almost at my goal! #VOW2MakeHistory and help me through the last stretch: [your link]

I'm helping the Voice of Witness Education Program inspire more students—our next generation of leaders, teachers, history makers—to meaningfully engage with the world. And you can too. #VOW2MakeHistory and help me reach my goal by Dec. 31: [your link]

Will you help me #VOW2MakeHistory before the year's end? A tax-deductable donation helps inspire more students—our next generation of leaders, teachers, history makers—to meaningfully engage with the world. Here's the story on why I'm campaigning for this awesome cause: [your link]

Dec. 24 Thurs

Date Templates/Suggestions (you only need to choose 1 per day)

I'm halfway through the Make History Campaign and I've raised X % of my goal. If just X people donate $X, I'll reach my goal! #VOW2MakeHistory with me by helping students amplify the unheard voices in their communities. [your link]

Suggestion: Repost or retweet the link from the Voice of Witness page. On this day we'll be posting a spotlight on an education program partner

Suggestion: Show gratitude to your supporters, or just tell people why you support VOW without making an ask.

Dec. 15 Tues

Half way there!

Dec. 17 Thurs

Dec. 22 Tues

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Suggestion: Show gratitude to your supporters by telling them what storytelling, empathic learning, and education mean to you.

Only 1 day left of the Make History Campaign and I'm just $X shy of my goal! If just X people donate $X, I'll get there by midnight tomorrow! Ring in 2016 with a #VOW2MakeHistory [your link]

I #VOW2MakeHistory before the year is out by helping students amplify the unheard voices of their communities. Will you help me reach my goal by midnight? [your link]

Thank you to everyone who supported my fundraiser for the Make History Campaign! The overall campaign was a huge success and raised $X for the Voice of Witness Education Program! We couldn't have done it without your support. Thanks for coming together with me to #VOW2MakeHistory!

Dec. 29 Tues

Date Templates/Suggestions (you only need to choose 1 per day)

Dec. 30 Wed

1 day left!

Dec. 31 Thurs

Final countdown!

Jan. 31 Fri

Thanks & results

Updates you can make throughout the campaign:

— Shout-outs whenever someone donates— Repost content posted by Voice of Witness— Let people know all donors are entered into a raffle, and post about the prizes as Voice of Witness rolls them out over the course of the campaign— Translate the amount you've raised into tangible outcomes

i.e. If you've raised $250 you can say, "Your support has put oral history guidebooks in the hands of 10 teachers!"

Once you reach your goal...

I reached my goal for the Make History Campaign! Thanks to everyone who helped me get there! Your support empowers students to tell their own stories in their own voices and connects them with important, unheard stories from around the world. Grateful to all who pledged to #VOW2MakeHistory!

I can't believe the flood of support that came in for my Make History fundraiser! Thanks to everyone who helped me reach my goal in record time! My fundraiser was just one little piece of this campaign, Voice of Witness still needs $X to reach their $50,000 goal. #VOW2MakeHistory here: https://www.crowdrise.com/vow2makehistory

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