Coordinator Playbook
Everything from gathering information before you launch to thanking donors after the campaign closes. Read it in full before your campaign goes live.
Overview
The Jubilee Fund is a giving platform created by Rivergate Foundation to help the church rally around missionaries and church staff facing urgent, unexpected financial needs. These are not handouts. They are the church doing what the church has always done: showing up for one another.
Why It Matters
Missionaries and church staff are often the last people to ask for help. When a medical emergency hits, a vehicle breaks down, or a crisis arrives in the middle of an already stretched budget, the need is real and the timeline is short. The Jubilee Fund exists so that the church can respond with speed and dignity.
You are not the recipient. You are the advocate. You know this person. You trust them. And that trust is the single most important thing you bring to this campaign. People give when someone they know makes a personal ask, not a platform, not an organization. A person. That person is you.
Before you launch, here is what fundraising data consistently shows about campaigns that succeed versus those that stall.
Factors That Predict Success
| DO | DON'T |
|---|---|
| Launch with 20–30% of the goal already pledged privately before going public | Launch cold with zero initial donors and wait for the platform to do the work |
| Send personal texts and calls first, then post on social media | Post once on social media and go silent |
| Post a campaign update within the first 7 days, campaigns with updates raise 3x more | Use vague goals like "help with expenses" |
| Tell a specific, honest story, not a summary | Set an unrealistically high goal that feels unachievable |
| Set a realistic goal with a clear breakdown of how money will be used | Tell the story in a way that asks for pity rather than invites participation |
| Thank donors publicly and by name when appropriate | Go quiet after week one assuming people already know |
| Ask donors to share, not just to give | Share to everyone and ask personally of no one |
The Single Biggest Predictor of Failure
Campaigns that raise less than 20% of their goal in the first week have a significantly higher failure rate. People want to join something that is already moving. Your first week is everything.
Recruit 5 to 10 people before you ever post publicly and ask them to give on day one.
Your Biggest Advantage
You are not a stranger asking for money. You have a relationship with the person in need and with the people you are asking. That personal connection is more powerful than any marketing platform. Campaigns succeed because someone the donor trusts made a personal ask. That is the playbook.
Phase 1
Gather everything you need. This takes 30 minutes, not 30 days.
Before the campaign goes live, collect the following. Rivergate Foundation will verify some of these before approving the campaign.
About the Recipient
Their name and ministry role (missionary, church planter, church staff, etc.)
Organization or church they serve with
A brief description of the specific need: medical costs, vehicle failure, housing emergency, etc.
Total amount needed with a line-item breakdown where possible
Timeline: when is the money needed by?
Their explicit permission to share their story publicly
Documents to Gather
Invoices, estimates, or provider documentation supporting the dollar amount
A short personal statement or story written in your own words as coordinator
Referral or recommendation letter from the recipient's pastor, elder, supervisor, or regional leadership
Contact details for the recipient and for the leadership reference
How Disbursement Works
Funds from the Jubilee Fund are paid directly to providers: hospitals, clinics, auto dealerships, landlords, etc. Funds are never disbursed directly to the recipient. This protects both the recipient and the integrity of the campaign. When you submit the application, be ready to provide vendor or provider contact information.
This is where most campaigns win or lose. You need a short, honest, specific story.
Story Structure That Works
Who they are: their role and why they do this work (1 to 2 sentences)
What happened: the moment the need became real, specific about what changed
What the money will do: break it down ($500 for repairs, $1,200 for the medical bill)
What it means to have the church show up: honest, not sentimental
A simple, direct ask: what you want people to do and how
Assets
At least one photo of the person with their permission. A face connects a story to a donor.
Optional: a short video. Even 60 seconds filmed on a phone performs significantly better than none.
Your Inner Circle
Before the campaign goes public, identify 5 to 10 people who will give on day one. Text or call them personally before you post anywhere. Ask them to give on launch day. This seeds the early momentum every successful campaign depends on.
A Word on Security and Privacy
Before you share anything publicly, have a direct conversation with the recipient about what is safe to share and where. Some workers serve in contexts where public visibility on social media carries real risk. Let them guide what details, photos, and platforms are appropriate. When in doubt, share less and ask first.
Phase 2
How you start determines whether you finish.
Confirm with Rivergate that the campaign is live and approved
Send personal texts or calls to your inner circle asking them to give today
Post on social media with the link and a short personal message
Send a personal email to anyone you know who is not on social media
Ask church leadership if there is a way to mention the need to the congregation
Adapt these to sound like you. The language should feel like it came from you, not a template.
Personal Text, To Your Inner Circle, Before Going Public
Hey [Name], I'm helping run a campaign for [First Name], who [one sentence about what they do and where]. They just hit a really hard moment: [brief description]. Rivergate Foundation is facilitating it. Everything is verified and accountable. I'm asking 10 people I trust to give on the first day. Would you be one of them? [LINK]
Social Media Post, Launch Day
I want to introduce you to [First Name]. [One sentence about who they are and what they do.] Right now they're facing [brief, honest description]. I'm running a Jubilee Fund campaign through Rivergate Foundation to help. Rivergate pays providers directly, hospitals, auto shops, wherever the need is. Nothing goes to the recipient. If you can give, even $25 matters. If you can't right now, sharing this link helps just as much. [LINK]
Email, For Contacts Not on Social Media
I'm writing because I know you care about the people doing this work. [First Name] is a [role] with [organization/church]. They've given [brief description of their service], and right now they need the church to show up for them. [Two sentences on the specific need and what it will take to meet it.] Rivergate Foundation is hosting the campaign and pays providers directly, so every dollar goes exactly where it's needed. You can give or share here: [LINK].
Phase 3
Momentum dies without tending. Here is how to keep it alive.
Campaigns that post updates raise 3 times more than campaigns that go silent. Plan at least three touchpoints:
| Timing | Update Type | What to Say |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1–3 | Momentum update | Thank early givers by name. Share how far you are and what hitting the goal will mean. Ask them to share with one person. |
| Midpoint | Story update | Share a new detail about the person. How are they doing this week? Make it real. Invite people who have not given yet. |
| Final 72 hrs | Urgency update | Be direct about where you are. "Two days left. We are $X away. If 10 more people give $Y, we get there." |
Every campaign hits a mid-campaign wall. This is normal. Here is what to do:
Go back to personal. Stop posting publicly for a day and send 5 to 10 personal texts to people who have not given yet.
Ask your most engaged early givers to personally invite 2 to 3 people from their own network.
Share a new piece of the story: a photo, a voice note, a short video update from you.
Ask your church small group or community group to give together as a group.
What You Should Never Do Mid-Campaign
Do not go silent and hope things pick up on their own. They will not. The algorithm does not care about your recipient. The people in your network do. Get back to people, not platforms.
Phase 4
How you end matters as much as how you start.
Post a public thank-you, and where possible, thank donors personally, not just through a mass post
Send a personal thank-you message to your top givers, not just a mass post
Tell donors what happened: did you hit the goal? What will the funds specifically cover?
Share a brief update from or about the recipient if they are comfortable with it
Notify Rivergate Foundation that the campaign has closed so disbursement can be processed
Rivergate sends a close-out email to all donors, including those who gave anonymously. You will not have anonymous donors' contact info, Rivergate handles that outreach on your behalf
On Transparency and Follow-Through
Donors who feel like they participated in something real and saw what their money did are more likely to give again. A simple two-sentence update after the campaign closes is one of the most powerful things you can do for the next campaign Rivergate runs.
Closing Thank-You Template
To everyone who gave or shared
To everyone who gave or shared this campaign: thank you. [First Name] now has what they need to [specific outcome: pay the bill, fix the car, cover the month]. This is what the church does when it shows up. Not because it has to. Because it gets to. From me and from [First Name], thank you.
At a Glance
Seed the campaign privately before going public. Get 5 to 10 commitments before anyone else sees it.
Tell a specific story. Names, details, and exact amounts build trust. Vague needs raise vague amounts.
Ask personally first, post publicly second. A text is worth 10 posts.
Update early and often. Silence kills campaigns. Campaigns with regular updates raise 3x more.
Ask donors to share, not just to give. One share from a connected person is worth more than 20 cold views.
Thank loudly and specifically. People who feel seen give again.
Close the loop. Tell donors what happened. It matters for this campaign and every future one.
If you have questions about platform setup, security, or disbursement, contact Rivergate Foundation:
| Campaign questions | [email protected] or rivergatefoundation.org/jubilee-fund |
| Security concerns | Contact Rivergate before the campaign launches. Work with the recipient to determine what can safely be shared and where. |
| Disbursement | Funds are paid directly to providers: hospitals, clinics, auto shops, etc. Never disbursed directly to the recipient. |
Partnering in Purpose. Impacting Generations.
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