November 24, 2018
Dear <first name>,
For the past four years, one funder has provided $30,000 to
$40,000 grants to Virginians for Alternatives to the Death
Penalty — about 25% of our annual revenue.
We just learned that this organization can no longer
provide any funding, leaving us with a huge $40,000 hole in our
modest $165,588 budget.
As this news spread, VADP board members and staff redoubled
efforts to expand membership, identify and develop financial
support from new donors, and seek new grant funds.
But it’s not enough. We need your help. Now.
Contributions from people like you have gotten VADP this
far. We are very grateful for the 50% of our funds that come
from 350 generous individual donors like you each year.
However, we need these individuals to give an extra 25% in
order to keep building momentum with our grassroots education
campaign, increase grassroots support for legislative reform,
and ultimately abolish the death penalty in Virginia.
Over the past eighteen months your support has enabled VADP
Field Director Dale Brumfield to meet with hundreds of local
faith, social service, business, media, and political leaders ...
taking our message to Martinsville, Danville, Floyd, Elkton,
Winchester, Lynchburg, and other smaller Virginia towns.
Yes, he’s faced challenges, yet also celebrated victories.
An example: Dale staffed a VADP display table at the convention
of the Virginia Federation of Republican Women. As a result, he
was invited to speak about our cause at five more local women’s
clubs. At this conference he also met a prosecutor who
expressed support for our work.
In addition, Dale has spoken to many other local Democratic
and Libertarian groups around the state. He has even won the
backing of a former Circuit Court Judge who once sentenced an
individual to death here in Virginia.
This is the kind of grassroots work that we do that will
ultimately pay off in reversing the history of executions here.
Our movement has managed to avoid any death sentences for seven
years running now. Placing Virginia as the first Southern state
to abolish the death penalty is a goal within reach. Yet ...
It is only with your generous ongoing contributions that we
can continue to advance this important work.
That’s why I urge you to increase your financial support
before year end, by 25% or more, to help offset what could be a
devastating budget shortfall.
Your last contribution to VADP was <MRC>, given on <MRC
date>.
Today, I ask you to not only match that, but to increase
your support by 25%, 50%, or even double it.
We need many good people like you to together donate an_
additional $25,000 so we can finish the year with enough money
to make it through 2019 without slashing budget and staff.
To abolish the death penalty in Virginia, we need your
generous tax-deductible gift returned in the envelope provided ..
Please be as generous as you can be and as soon as possible.
(You can also give with your credit or debit card at our secure
web site: www.vadp.org “Donate”. )
With urgent thanks,
Michael E. Stone
Executive Director
P.S. As I explain above, we need all our individual donors to
increase their contributions by an average of 25% by the end of
2018 to help us overcome the loss of a $40,000 grant. Please
return your renewed and increased VADP donation today, using the
enclosed form and convenience envelope provided.
P.P.S. VADP continually searches for social and criminal
justice foundations that support work such as ours. If you know
of a family foundation that might be interested in our mission,
please contact me at your earliest convenience.
