Registering Your Fundraising Team
1.Visit GoFundMe.
2. Click the green button "Start a Team GoFundMe".
3. Enter your zip code under "Where are you located?"
4. Under "What best describes why you're fundraising", click on "Other".
5. Click on the green Next button.
6. Enter your Name and click on Charity
7. Under "Which nonprofit are you fundraising for?" type in Denver Bar Foundation
8. Select the option to fundraise for a nonprofit or charity
9. Enter your name and zip code information
10. Enter your fundraising goal. You can edit this information later.
11. Follow the prompts to create and verify a GoFundMe account.
12. Use the links and photos available on this toolkit to add cover art and videos to your team. You can edit this information later.
13. Name your team and tell your story. You can use our default story or create your own. 14.You fundraiser is now ready! From here you can follow the prompts to share your fundraiser on social media and add team members for additional fundraising power.
15. If you get stuck, don't worry! Contact [email protected] for help.
Team Management & Fundraising Success
• Increase your fundraising power by adding more members to you team. How to add team members:
- Sign in to your GoFundMe account and select the correct fundraiser
- Click the 'Team' tab on your dashboard
- Click the green button that says, "Add team members"
• Gather inspiration. Check out some successful team fundraisers for ideas: https://www.gofundme.com/discover/sports-fundraiser
• Keep your team motivated by sending periodic cheerleading messages.
- Help us reach the #1 spot by making a donation or sharing our page!
- Our team is climbing up the ranking in the MVL fundraising competition. We are only [AMOUNT] away from our goal! Keep up the great work by sharing our team page and reach out to your network.
- Team, we’re off to a great start and have raised [AMOUNT] in a day! Keep the momentum going by continuing to share our page.
- We’re halfway there! Team, congratulations on reaching this benchmark! Keep up the great work.
- MVL is counting on us! Continue reaching out and sharing our page to help ensure our success.
- Time is almost up! We’re in the final days of the campaign, so if you haven’t donated or reached out to your network for more support – PLEASE DO SO TODAY! Every little bit helps ensure MVL can continue to do its part for our community. Thanks again for the generosity of all who have donated!
Here are some useful conversation tidbits to highlight in your fundraising materials, team page, and when speaking to your potential donors:
• MVL is the pro bono program of the Denver Bar Association, in collaboration with the Adams/Broomfield, Arapahoe, Douglas/Elbert and First Judicial District Bar Associations.
•MVL’s mission is “to bridge the gap in access to justice by coordinating the provision of pro bono legal services by volunteer lawyers within the Denver Metro Area to people who could not otherwise afford legal services for their civil legal issues.”
•MVL provides free legal services to individuals and families living at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, including
o the senior citizen living in low-income housing who has seen the belongings of friends piled up the street after they pass and don’t want that to happen to them;
o the victim of domestic violence who is fleeing an abuser and wants to move forward by getting divorced but cannot afford an attorney; or
o the grandparent who has been raising grandchildren for years previously abandoned by their parents but now needs official paperwork establishing guardianship or custody for the purposes of medical care and/or education.
•MVL serves the local legal community by offering various opportunities for attorneys interested in providing pro bono services.
•MVL serves the courts by providing much needed assistance to the significant number of pro se parties with matters before the courts; in fact, the Colorado Judicial Branch report on Cases and Parties without Attorney Representation in Fiscal Year 2021 reported that 73% of parties in domestic relations cases were pro se.
•Support for MVL really means helping those who are most vulnerable at a time in their lives, when life is overwhelming.
•MVL offers clinics, provides legal advice, and facilitates full representation for those who could not otherwise afford legal services for their civil legal matters.
•The Barristers Benefit Ball will be MVL’s primary fundraiser this year.
•MVL has provided services to the community for over 55 years and continues to do so both remotely and in-person during these difficult times.
•MVL is about highlighting the best in human nature – it is about promoting the legal profession – it is about giving back as we should.
Here are a few “I Donated” and “Fundraiser” logos and badges your company can use on website and social media platforms to help advertise your involvement in the campaign.
•BBB Fundraiser
•BBB Donated
The following logos and photos are available for use in your fundraising efforts:
Not sure on where to start or who to ask for donations? Consider the following ideas:
•Start with employees in your firm or place of business. Many of them will likely give, or even help fundraise.
•Ask your company’s leadership to consider making a corporate donation, providing a big boost to your team’s total.
•Corporate vendors: Consider reaching out to vendors that your company works with on a regular basis.
•Social media: Use our sample language and graphics to create an ask on your personal and corporate social media pages.
•Consider sending our sample email to your friends and family.
•Your larger network: You can reach out to former classmates and coworkers, professional contacts, and others in your larger personal and professional network.
Here is some sample language you can freely borrow when reach out to and thanking your potential donors.
Sample “Ask” Text for an Email or Letter
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I am reaching out to you with a special opportunity to support our community and families in need. Metro Volunteer Lawyers (MVL) has launched the Barristers’ Benefit campaign that is open now through the month of May. I’m participating in a friendly competition with area law firms to see who can raise the most money for the campaign, and I hope that you join me by donating to my team.
MVL has served this community for over 54 years and continues to do so remotely and virtually during these difficult times. Metro Volunteer Lawyers offers free and low-cost representation to those who could not otherwise afford an attorney. Support for MVL means helping those who are most vulnerable at a time in their lives when things are overwhelming. MVL offers clinics, provides legal advice, and facilitates full-service representation for those who could not otherwise afford legal services for their civil legal issues. Please visit their website to see the great work MVL does: www.denbar.org/mvl.
I invite you to consider making your donation today: [INSERT YOUR TEAM URL HERE]
Thank you for your support!
Sample “Thank You” Text for an Email or Letter
Dear Friends and Colleagues, Thank you for your generous financial contribution to the Denver Bar Foundation’s Metro Volunteer Lawyers (MVL) program. This year, more than ever, families are struggling and need our help. Your generosity will allow MVL to continue representing families who have been disproportionality affected by COVID and its economic repercussions. Without your support, we could not achieve our success in bridging the gap in access to justice.
The Denver Bar Foundation’s tax ID number is 74-2554415. Your gift is tax-deductible.