The fundraising letter

The following is my fundraising letter I sent out to over 400 peeps. Many responded and I am forever greatful to them. Others could't support financially, but are still a huge part of this experience and support me in other ways. Thank you to all!!!

My fundraising letter:

Dear Friends,
It has been a long dream of mine to travel to Africa. I know that Africa is a vast place with many different countries to choose from, but I've narrowed my choice down to Tanzania. When I go to Tanzania, I don't want to go as a tourist; I want to create lasting relationships and really connect with the people and their culture. After doing much research, I found an international volunteer organization named Cross-Cultural Solutions that will help me achieve my goals. They have a great program in Bagamoyo, Tanzania where I will be volunteering in local organizations working towards helping the community. I will have the unique opportunity to work with youth organizations impacted with HIV/AIDS, orphans, women's empowerment groups, secondary schools, and children with special needs. In the town where I will be doing service exists an arts school that teaches dance and culture. Through contacts on the ground in Tanzania, I have been invited to be a guest instructor not only with the arts school, but with other youth programs around Bagamoyo. I will be the first person to have this opportunity open to me. It is groundbreaking. I am super excited! Since my partner Carlton and I work for non-profit organizations, we are poor and need help supporting this trip. Carlton has donated significant funds to support me. I'm saving my money little by little and have some fund raisers planned, but I still need your help to make this dream come true. I have two financial goals I must meet. The first is the program fee of $3776 which includes food and clean water, lodging, travelers' medical insurance, basic amenities, and much more. I've been working towards my program fee since September 2007 by volunteering with CCS in my spare time. Also, I've raised money through donations from friends and family. I still need your help! Please consider sponsoring me by donating to my program fee directly through CCS. There are three in which you can sponsor me.
You can either log onto crossculturalsolutions.org to pay by Visa or MasterCard (you will need my email address for this transaction: macaban110@gmail.com), or
Call CCS at 1-800-380-4777, or
mail your check or money order to Cross-Cultural Solutions Headquarters 2 Clinton Place New Rochelle, New York 10801 USA. Make sure to put my name in the memo portion of the check or money order.
Sponsoring me for my program fee is tax deductible if you itemize your taxes. The following is a break-down of what I've raised towards my program fee:
Program Fee: $3776
Deposit: -$275
Fundraising &
Volunteering @ CCS: -$2708.40
Left for program fee: $792.50

The second financial goal includes airfare, travel and emergency money and living expenses when I'm away for the six weeks. So, in addition to the program fee, I must raise $3800. The important thing to keep in mind is this financial goal must be donated to me directly or to the financial institution listed below. Because CCS is a non-profit organization, if they receive more money than I need for the program fee, CCS will not be able to give me the extra back.

To donate to my airfare and other expenses, I have setup a savings account for my Tanzania trip with Washington Mutual. The address is 90-14 Jamaica Avenue Woodhaven, NY 11421-2103. The routing number is 021-272-723.The savings account number is 353-637-6234. You can also send your checks and money orders to me directly: Michael Caban 51-11 Skillman Avenue, Apt 3R Woodside, NY 11377.
Here's the breakdown of my second financial goal:

Airfare: $2000
Travel/Emergency
Expenses: $1000

Living Expenses: $800 (I still have to pay rent and utilities while I'm gone!)
Second Financial
Goal: $3800


I am very excited to go to Bagamoyo to do the work that is so desperately needed. Not only is Tanzania rich with culture and beautiful spirits, East Africa is said to be the origin of Human existence; very apropos for the work I do and am going to do in Bagamoyo. In this work, very few men are represented, much less men who are from under served communities. In fact, of the 4,000 volunteers Cross-Cultural Solutions sends abroad, less than 1% are Hispanic men. It is my hope that for the sake of inclusion and for the fact that the people in Bagamoyo are counting on me to do this work and create change, you will help me with this life changing trip. I am sure that this trip will inform me as an artist, an activist, and a soul. I also think it will, hopefully, inform me about my graduate education and maybe even help my entrance into a graduate program as well as with scholarships.

If you have any questions at all about Tanzania, the work I'll be doing, finances, or anything else, please feel free to contact me. Asante! (Swahili for Thank You!) Best Regards, Michael "Cabbie" Caban51-11 Skillman Avenue Apt. 3RWoodside, NY 11377Mobile Number: +1(718) 503-1749Email: MACaban110@gmail.com

P.S. - Please circulate this invitation to help to any networks that you think might want to support me. Anything and everything helps. If you are in the NYC area, I will be having some events to try and raise money. These dates and venues are yet to be announced.