How to Persue Endorsements

Each year we seek endorsements from a large number of organizations and institutions for several reasons:

1. To increase our legitimacy,
2. To help publicize our event,
3. To get people to register,
4. To gain volunteers,
5. and, in some rare cases, to receive donations.

Being an endorser is easy. All an endorsing organization has to do is:

1. Be willing to let us list their name as an endorser on our website and in our program booklet.
2. Send out information about our Seder (like the invitation) to their membership using their usual channels of communication.

They can choose to do more, but the 2 things above are all that’s required.

HOW TO GET ENDORSEMENTS

The short version:

• Decide which organizations or institutions you’re going to pursue
• Ask them to be an endorser (or, in some cases, also a donor)
• Follow up with them until they reply

The detailed version:

1. Open the endorsement spreadsheet

The name of who is responsible for nailing that endorsement is after each organization. Please take these steps:

1. The names of people who sought endorsements last year and people who have a connection are after some organizations. Look to see if your name is there. If it is, you can delete it, if you do not want to be responsible for that group this year. If you decide to keep your name there, you are responsible for that endorsement.
2. If there is an organization that doesn’t have a name after it, you can sign up to go after that group.
3. Then, if there is any organization that is not on the list that you would like to go after, add it to the list at the bottom and put your name after it.
4. Since registering Cabo Verdeans is an early priority, the organizations connected to the Cabo Verdean community are highlighted. You are encouraged to go after those first.

1. Go after the endorsements you signed up for.

Each organization is different regarding endorsements – some have an informal process; with others, endorsements must be approved by a board of directors. Here are two sample Endorsement Request Email Texts, one for just an endorsement, the second for an endorsement and a donation. Use them if you need to. Feel free to modify the Endorsement Request Email text however you see fit. It explains what the requirements of an endorser are. They are minimal: basically

1. allow us to list the name of your organization as an endorser, and
2. help us publicize our event to your contacts.

We will not solicit donations from most of our endorsers, but only those who have given in the past or who are likely to give. It’s up to you to decide whether to ask an endorser that you’re responsible for to donate. If an endorser wants to make a donation, please give them this information:

All donations are tax deductible because our fiscal sponsor, Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS), is a tax-exempt non-profit organization. Please direct all donors to make their checks out to “MAPS” and write “Cape Verdean-Jewish Seder” on the memo line. They should send that check to:

Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers
c/o Maria Cerqueira
1046 Cambridge Street,
Cambridge MA 02139

1. Follow up until the endorsement/donation is confirmed.

In most cases, you will have to contact your contact person multiple times until the endorsement/donation is nailed. Be persistent!

You should get started gathering your endorsements soon and have them nailed right away so they can promote the event. Please keep in mind that, as stated above, for many organizations, this endorsement has to be voted on by their board, which meets only once a month. When an endorsement has been made, please inform us by an email to this email address.