Mutual Aid Template Letter

This is a template letter, meant to be customized for your truth and audience.

Included in parentheses are options for you to choose from, or places to add your own language.

The letter is meant to be a starting point for you to find your own voice as you give the gift of asking for support, and you may use as much or all of this copy with no attribution needed.

While it can feel scary or uncomfortable to ask for support, specifically money, two things are true: 

RVMS & DT cannot subsidize the amount of need which is asked of and still be a sustainable endeavor.

In preparation for collapse and breaking capitalism’s grip on us, we must learn to ask for help and to find ways to offer help when asked of us.

It can be helpful to make a list of people and organizations to send this letter to. Some examples would be family members, close friends, affinity or study groups, communities of faith, the groups you may choose to register with, and/or to share online in your social media networks. 

Mutual Aid Letter of Support

Greetings, 

Dear (individual name/ friends/ family/ community),

I’m writing today to share that I’ve found a spiritual-educational (course/ program/ training that aligns with my (interest/ desire/ need) in growing my learning and skills. (You can see more here. The topics which have lit me up/ feel necessary/ relevant are ____).

OR

I’m writing today to share that I’ve found a (consultant/ counselor) who can support me in my (interest/ desire/ need) (to further my healing journey/ help with the difficulties I’m experiencing for myself/ my organization). Her website is here.

I’m feeling excited to (register/ book a session), however I am currently under-resourced to participate even though the (energy exchange/ tuition/ cost) has been structured at below average in comparison to other similar (courses/ programs/ personal sessions).

I want to do two things: support the (teacher and school/ counselor/ consultant) by bringing a fair energy exchange, and to practice reaching out to create networks of mutual aid.

In short, mutual aid is an organizational model where voluntary, collaborative exchanges of resources and services for common benefit take place amongst community members, and networks of relationships to overcome social, economic, and political barriers. 

Currently, I have an economic barrier and I’m asking for help. 

(Even though mutual aid, at its heart, is not designed as an exchange system, but rather a gifting system, I would like to offer a give-back for your help.

I would like to:

Host a potluck and give a report-back on my learning

Or, find a time to share a skill I’ve learned

Or, use this initial act of mutual aid participation to help organize a broader mutual aid network among interested parties)

As we collectively figure out how to extricate ourselves from toxic capitalism, with those who have and those who have not, this act of reaching for support and hopefully receiving support, is one way we can bring equity into our relationships and embody forms of reciprocity based on care and shared interests.

My hope is that you receive this in the spirit in which it is intended, an opportunity to grow interdependence and move away from hyper-individualism and the myth of economic meritocracy.

Sending this letter does feel (challenging/ hard/ scary/ interesting/ ?), yet I want to help create the world I want to live in. A world where needs and disadvantages aren’t stigmatized or considered weakness or failings of character is the one that I hold in my heart.

The amount I am hoping to raise is _____. Please let me know if you are able and willing to support me by helping me to (participate in/ attend/ access) what I know will be a beneficial experience for myself, and ideally for you too. The best way to contact me or donate is _____.

Thank you so very much for considering.

With every blessing,

(Your name here)