It's easy to get stuck at the invite step. The page is built, the story is written, and then there's a long pause before you share the link. Almost always it's the same reason: it feels like asking for money. This guide is about taking that pressure off. The page is an invitation, and how you word it matters.
Running a Campaign
Ask for words first
Your first invite shouldn't mention money. Not because money is bad, and not because gifts aren't welcome. They are. But the first thing people should see is a chance to be there. Gifts follow on their own from the people who can. Asking for a few words is something anyone can say yes to, whatever their bank balance.
It also lowers the cost of showing up. A friend who is between jobs can leave a heartfelt note and feel they gave something real. A coworker who barely knows your Survivor can pass the link to their church. Nobody is left out by what's in their account.
Running a Campaign
Move out in concentric circles
Don't send the link to everyone at once. Invite people in layers, starting closest in and moving outward. Each new ring gets to read the notes left by the ring before them. By the time you share more widely, the page already feels alive, and that's what makes people want to join.
- Day 1: Five to ten people in the inner circle. The ones who will say something heartfelt without prompting.
- Day 2 to 3: Extended family and lifelong friends.
- Week 1: Work, church, neighbors.
- Week 2 and beyond: Friends-of-friends and the wider network, if your Survivor is okay with the link travelling that far.
Nobody wants to be the first to clap. An empty page is intimidating. A page with twelve warm notes is a place people want to join. By the time the outer rings see the link, the inner rings have already made it feel like a room with people in it.
Running a Campaign
Pick the right channel for each person
The channel is part of the message. The same words land differently as a text, an email, a handwritten note, or a public post. A mass Facebook post sent to your inner circle reads cold, even though the words are the same as the text you would have sent one person.
- Text message: close friends, immediate family, anyone you talk to weekly.
- Phone call: older relatives, people who don't check texts, the pastor.
- Handwritten note: the older generation, and anyone you want to feel singled out.
- Email: coworkers, extended professional networks, anyone where a text feels too casual.
- Workplace Slack or Teams: coworkers as a group, with a word to your manager first.
- Facebook or Instagram: the wider world. Remember anyone who has the link can open the page, so only do this if your Survivor is fine with that.
Running a Campaign
Templates for specific situations
Starter messages for the most common channels. Make them yours. Generic always reads as generic.
Running a Campaign
When someone doesn't respond
Some invites will go unanswered. Some of those people meant to respond and got swept up in their week. Some saw it and froze, not knowing what to say. A few may have a reason for keeping their distance that you don't know about. Almost none of them are rejecting you or your Survivor.
A gentle follow-up after a week, built around a specific update rather than a second ask, usually works without feeling pushy. Something like: "Hey, wanted to share that [name] had a really good day yesterday, here's a photo. Would love your voice in there when you have a moment. [link]" That lands much better than "Did you see the link I sent?"
Don't chase past two attempts. Trust people to find their own way in. Some of the people who mean the most will be the ones who show up six months later, on their own timing.
Running a Campaign
When people you didn't invite show up
Links travel. Expect surprises. The college friend you lost touch with. The neighbor from three houses ago. The coworker's spouse you've met twice. Welcome them.
Being remembered by someone they thought had forgotten them can be the thing your Survivor talks about for weeks. Make those people feel as welcome as the inner circle.