Day 1 Email
Subject Line: Our Common Cause, Your Time to Lead
In this morning’s mail I sent you a letter and brochure for The Chicago Bar Foundation’s 12thannual Investing in Justice Campaign. Our firm (or company/organization) (again) is joining more than 150 other firms, corporate legal departments, and other organizations in this year’s Campaign, and we have made a strong commitment to support this crucial initiative. As our firm’s (or company’s)Campaign Vice Chair, I’m asking you to do the same.
The Investing in Justice Campaign was built around the principle that everyone deserves access to the justice system, not just those who can afford it, and we can make a tremendous impact by coming together as a legal community around this common cause.
Through the Campaign, you help tens of thousands of people in the Chicago area get a fair shot at justice. Your support will help our community’s pro bono and legal aid organizations to keep people out of homeless shelters, enable them to obtain steady employment, ensure children receive the educational services they need, and so much more. But there are so many more who can’t get help today because there are not enough pro bono and legal aid resources to go around. And that’s where you come in.
Please be generous in your support of the Investing in Justice Campaign this year. We are asking partners to make contributions of at least $500 to $1,000, counsel to make contributions of at least $250 to $500, and associates to make contributions of at least $100 to $250. (For corporate legal departments and other non-firm organizations, please modify with the equivalent titles as necessary; and if you are using the 1/10 of one percent giving standard that also can be inserted in place of the suggested amounts). All contributions count for the Illinois Supreme Court Pro Bono Reporting Rule and are tax-deductible as well.
You can donate to the Campaign online at chicagobarfoundation.org or by writing a check, but either way, please return your contribution card to me this week(in the next XX days) so we can keep track of our firm’s (or company/organization's)overall commitment.
Thank you for investing in justice.
Sample Email 1
Subject Line: A Moment of Truth
In the coming months, thousands of low-income and disadvantaged people in our community will face a serious legal problem where their safety and independence is at stake. What happens to them next will depend on whether they have access to a good lawyer. This could mean the difference between shelter and homelessness; medical assistance and unnecessary physical suffering; food on a family’s table and hunger; economic stability and bankruptcy; productive work and unemployment.
You can give them a chance to get the legal help they need to land on the right side of that fork in the road. 100% of your contribution supports the good work of more than 30 outstanding pro bono and legal aid organizations in our community that provide that critical assistance. All contributions count for the Illinois Supreme Court Pro Bono Reporting Rule and are tax-deductible as well.
Support the Campaign, because access to justice means a better, fairer, and stronger Chicago for us all. You can donate online at chicagobarfoundation.org or by writing a check, but either way, please return your contribution card to me this week (in the next XX days) so we can keep track of our firm’s (or company/organization's) overall contribution.
Thank you again for investing in justice.
Sample Email 2
Subject Line: Help Write a Happy Ending
Last year, more than 15,000 people received help at a legal advice desk supported by the Investing in Justice Campaign. People like Mary.
Like many low and moderate-income people in the Chicago area, Mary depended on having a reliable vehicle for her livelihood and wellbeing. In Mary’s case, that vehicle was a truck, and when her truck needed repairs it was a big deal for her.
Mary took her truck into a repair shop, where she expected it to be a straightforward process and gave them a hefty $2,500 down-payment. However, soon after there was a fire at the repair shop, and Mary’s truck was destroyed. The repair shop’s insurer offered to pay $5,900 to cover the value of the car but refused to reimburse Mary’s down payment on the repair.
Mary came to the Municipal Court Advice Desk in the Circuit Court looking for help, where she was able to get advice and assistance from an experienced attorney at CARPLS. The attorney helped her draft and file a complaint in the Pro Se Small Claims Court and coached her on the process from there. As Mary put it, “I had more questions than answers prior to coming here with a very stressful situation. The attorney made my stress level diminish. I walked out of there more confident.”
With Mary empowered by the legal advice and assistance she received from CARPLS, the repair shop eventually agreed to make monthly installment payments on the $2,500 down-payment plus the court costs, and Mary can now move on with her life without this situation hanging over her.
Mary’s story had a happy ending because free legal help was there when she needed it. You can write a lot more happy endings for people like her by making a contribution to the Investing in Justice Campaign and joining thousands of others in our legal community who are doing the same. You can donate online at chicagobarfoundation.orgor by writing a check, but either way, please return your contribution card to me this week(in the next XX days) so we can keep track of our firm’s (or company/organization's) overall contribution.
Thank you again for investing in justice.
Sample Email 3
Subject Line: A Great Investment Tip
When we think about investing, we typically think about it in terms of dollars and cents, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Sometimes, though, the return is so much greater than what can be quantified in monetary terms.
Through the Investing in Justice Campaign, you can invest in Chicago’s entire pro bono and legal aid system with a single donation. By being part of this broader initiative, you are making a collective impact that none of us could make on our own. Here’s what your Campaign contribution can do:
$100 will help three people get brief advice and assistance at a help desk in the Circuit Court.
$250 will help seven people get brief advice on the CARPLS legal aid hotline.
$500 will help someone get extended legal representation for a typical case handled by one of our community’s pro bono and legal aid programs.
$1,000 will enable a victim of domestic violence to get an order of protection and divorce, providing temporary safety, as well as a path to longer-term stability and independence.
Studies in Illinois and elsewhere show that these contributions will yield at least twice that much in measurable economic benefit to our community by enabling people to resolve legal problems before they spin out of control. But that’s just the start.
Not only does 100% of your giftdirectly supportmore than 30 outstanding pro bono and legal aid organizations, it leverages nearly $700,000 in additional funding for this work through the CBF’s government and foundation grant partnerships.Your giftalso benefits from the CBF’s strategic grants process, which puts funds where they can make the most impact.
Put your investment to work through this year’s Campaign. You can donate online at chicagobarfoundation.orgor by writing a check, but either way, please return your contribution card to me this week(in the next XX days) so we can keep track of our firm’s (or company/organization's) overall contribution.
Thank you again for investing in justice.
Sample Email 4
Subject Line: If not you, who?
I know you get asked all the time to support a wide variety of good causes. We all do. But access to justice is our common cause as a profession, and our leadership as a legal community needs to begin here. Because when we are talking about ensuring people in need have access to critical legal help, it is much different than the many other good causes we all care about.
That day we took the oath as lawyers, we became trustees of the justice system. With the special privilege to practice law came the special responsibility to make sure the system is fair and accessible for everyone, not just those who can afford to pay us for legal help.The truth is there is no other group of people that will understand these issues or respond in the same way as you and I can.
By now you’ve heard a lot about the Investing in Justice Campaign and the vitally important work that your gift to the Campaign makes possible. Please be as generous as you can in your support of our common cause. You can donate online at chicagobarfoundation.orgor by writing a check, but either way, please return your contribution card to me this week(in the next XX days) so we can keep track of our firm’s (or company/organization's) overall contribution.
Thank you again for investing in justice.
Peer to Peer Partner-Focused Email(or equivalent in corporate legal department or other organization)
Subject Line: Setting the Right Example
The Investing in Justice Campaign is a defining initiative for Chicago’s legal community—it’s our opportunity to step up and show our leadership. As Partners in the firm (or the equivalent in corporate legal department or other organization), it is especially important for us to set an example for both our colleagues here and for those at other firms, corporate legal departments, and legal organizations in the Chicago area.
Please be generous in your support. You can donate to the Campaign online at chicagobarfoundation.org or by writing a check, but either way, please return your contribution card to me this week(in the next XX days)so we can keep track of our firm’s(or legal department's)overall commitment.
Thank you again for investing in justice.
Peer to Peer Associate-Focused Email(or equivalent in corporate legal department or other organization)
Subject Line: Our Opportunity to Lead
By now, you’ve all seen the materials for this year’s Investing in Justice Campaign. I just want to follow up to say that if you haven’t made your contribution yet, there is no better time than now to give back.
As a result of the recent changes Congress made to the tax code, I am sure youhave noticed an increase in your paycheck the past few weeks. While the federal government will be asking us for less in taxes, our nation has still made a promise of equal justice before the law. By taking justsome of this unexpected income to contribute to making that promise a reality for more of our fellow community members, you can lead by example and help createa stronger, more fair community for all of us.
Please be generous in your support. You can donate to the Campaign online at chicagobarfoundation.org or by writing a check, but either way, please return your contribution card to me this week (in the next XX days) so we can keep track of our firm’s (or legal department's) overall commitment.
Thank you again for investing in justice.
Reminder Email to Those Who Have Not Contributed
Subject Line: A Personal Request
Dear [name]:
As our firm’s (or company's) Vice Chair for The Chicago Bar Foundation’s 12th Annual Investing in Justice Campaign, I am personally asking you to join me and our other partners (or the equivalent in corporate legal department or other organization) in contributing to this important initiative. So far, # of our # fellow partners (or the equivalent in corporate legal department or other organization) have contributed a total of $ .
While we all have many causes we support, ensuring that everyone in our community has access to justice is one that’s distinctly important to us as lawyers and something that’s critical to our profession. If we do not take the lead in this cause, who will?
Please send in your contribution by dayor contribute online at chicagobarfoundation.org(so your contribution can be matched by the firm). Either way, please return your contribution card to me so that we can announce our firm’s (or company's) total contribution amount.
Thank you for investing in justice.
Thank You Email at the Close of the Campaign
Subject Line: Thank You for Investing in Justice
As a Vice Chair of the Investing in Justice Campaign, I am proud to announce that through the generous support of you and your colleagues here and our firm/company/organization’s match, [name of firm/company/organization]has raised $ to make it possible for many more people in need in our community to receive critical legal help. I am also proud to say that (XX %) of our attorneys made personal contributions this year.
Your generosity and willingness to join in this 12thannualInvesting in Justice Campaign is truly remarkable. It makes me proud to be a part of this firm (or company) and to work alongside you in this great profession.
Thank you so very much for making the 2018 Investing in Justice Campaign a success!
The Chicago Bar Foundation 321 S Plymouth Court, Suite 3B, Chicago, IL 60604 | 312.554.1204 | chicagobarfoundation.org