Sample Fundraising Email from a Real Person - James

Subject: Why I walk

Dear Friend,

As an energetic five-year-old, I had an obsession with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Their crime-fighting adventures became an escape from the world around me.

There was only one person whom I let into my world of TMNT -- my Uncle Troy.  I would go to Uncle Troy’s house after school and tell him all about the adventures of these “radical” turtles.  Our bond was special and I was content to share my world with him.

You can only live in fantasy world for so long.  Sitting in his red truck, my Uncle Troy and my mother attempted to explain to me that he had acquired HIV.  I didn’t understand much, but when he said that, “It was okay if I was afraid to hug him,” I knew I could never be afraid of this man.  As my mother watched her brother deteriorate, I watched my family sink into a depression that causes tears almost everyday. 

As I sat in the funeral home, the gravity of the situation was too much for a little boy.  I sat crying, watching my mother and grandmother weep next to my uncle’s grey urn.  I walked into the bathroom and sobbed, a young boy watching a disease destroy not only one man, but all the people who loved him.

I walk for my Uncle Troy.  I walk because I still walk into my grandmother’s bedroom and find her crying in front of his pictures.  I walk because I never want anyone to suffer like my uncle did.  If you cannot afford to donate money, please donate your time.  Every little bit counts.

Best Wishes and all my love,
James

Please support me in the fight against AIDS:
Visit my fundraising page at www.aidswalk.net/losangeles 
Click on “Sponsor a Walker” and type in my name to make an online donation.

You may also mail cash or check donations to:
James Doe, 123 Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90010

James Doe
james@email.com
213-555-5555