How to raise funds for ESLC!

3 Steps to becoming a fundraiser for children's literacy

Thank you for starting a conversation with someone you know about providing our children with a future filled with possibilities, dreams and hope! 

Your campaign will provide individualized reading tutoring for children in Pre-K through 3rd grade who cannot read at grade level yet! There is no charge to families.

Tutoring is provided by volunteers and paid, professional educators in a rigorous, structured program. Children participate four days per week during and after school and for up to 19 days in Summer Literacy Camps.  

1. Create a page on GiveMN.org or any fundraising tool you like to use. 

If using GiveMN.org, open ESLC's donation page. Click on the "Fundraise" button if using GiveMN.org tools. Follow their instructions to create your account and set a goal. 

2. Craft your personal message and page. 

Messaging ideas include raising funds for a race of any type - ask them to donate a certain amount per mile, step, lap, etc. Ideas others have used include raising funds in honor of someone who influenced your education or love of reading. You can also raise money for your wedding, birtday, anniversary, mother's day, or father's day requesting a donation to ESLC instead of gifts. 

Feel free to copy any content from ESLC's website, including pictures and logos. You can use our photos by right-clicking on a photo and clicking "save" to your downloads. Then you can upload to Facebook or anywhere you'd like to create your page. 

• Share why you love ESLC! “Did you know that I volunteer with East Side Learning Center? I love spending my free time tutoring children in Saint Paul because _________________________. ESLC is asking the community to support literacy tutoring for the children because the United Way cuts to all children's literacy resulted in many more calls for out-of-school literacy tutoring. Do you think you could help me help the children by making a gift?”
• Share your ESLC story! Start by sharing a funny or heart-felt story about your relationship with ESLC - why you volunteer, serve, give, or care. Then say, “ESLC has helped more than 4,000 students learn to read so far. Can you please help us support St. Paul children who need one-on-one tutoring in order to learn to read?”
• Share the facts about the children's success! “Did you know that only 36% of third graders in St. Paul Public schools pass their standardized reading tests and that students who do not read at grade level by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school? I am raising funds for East Side Learning Center, where more than 90% of kindergartners who started out behind were ready to read at a first grade level after completing the program. Would you consider a gift to East Side learning Center?”
• Tell your friends and family that by giving now, they can double the impact of your investmentThrough a matching grant from the Katherine B. Anderson Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation and the Otto Bremer Trust your impact will be doubled between now and Jan. 10, 2019. Suggested gift amounts for your page: 

• $6.62 funds two giveaway books per child
• $33.31 funds an hour of tutoring for a child
• $133.23 provides one child with a week of tutoring
• $279.68 provides two weeks of tutoring and two books for a child
• $1,395.11 ensures one child receives more than 41 hours of tutoring and eight free books for a school year
• $5,580.45 funds tutoring and eight books for three children 
• $13951.14 funds tutoring and eight books for 10 children for the year

3. Get the word out to friends and family. 

Copy the link to your page and share your fundraising goal, passion, and message with friends and family using any method you wish: email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. 

Start your personal fundraiser for ESLC's children

**Don’t forget to tell them their donation will be doubled!**