Birthday Fundraising
Why fundraise for your birthday?
Birthday fundraising has taken off in popularity since 2017 when Facebook launched the ability to host them on their social media platform and there’s no surprise why. In a society where people are realising that consumerism is damaging our planet, they are seeing the benefit in asking their friends to donate to a cause they are passionate about instead of buying them material goods they ultimately do not need.
Since its inception, Facebook reports to have helped its users raise over $5 BILLION dollars for the charities and personal causes they care about. It’s your way of casting your vote for the kind of world you want to live in and to express to your loved ones what you’re passionate about.
How to set it up
Facebook has made it very simple to set up a fundraiser, they will actually send you a notification when your birthday is coming up, prompting you to create one and will walk you through the steps. If you miss this notification however you can find the ‘fundraisers’ page:
- on desktop on the left-hand side of your newsfeed/ home page
- on the app by searching for ‘fundraisers’
Once you’re on the fundraisers page select ‘raise money’ then choose or search for ‘Human Nature Adventure Therapy Ltd.’ You can then set yourself a goal, name the birthday fundraiser and select an end date for donations to be in by. You can then personalise the fundraiser page by adding a cover photo and telling people why our organisation and the work we’re doing is so important to you.
How to reach your fundraising goal
Share
People can’t support your birthday fundraiser if they don’t know about it. So get to sharing it on social media posts, add a link to your story, email it to your family, text it to your mates and share it on your group chats! But don’t just rely on the word getting out online, tell people that you’re raising money for charity in conversations at work, at the gym and with your mates. Even if they don’t donate, spreading the word about our organisation helps us increase awareness and stay in the hearts and minds of our community.
Donate
Start your fundraiser with a bang! Kick off the donations by donating to your own birthday fundraiser, it’ll show people how much you care about the cause you are supporting and help you get closer to reaching your target.
Create an event
Planning a birthday party? Why not include a link to your fundraiser on the invitation to let people know that you’re not asking for gifts this year but donations instead. You could have a spot (perfectly positioned near the bar) where you can collect donations to donate on their behalf. Or pop a sign up letting people know to head to your Facebook page and donate to your cause.
Say ‘thanks!’
Interestingly enough, saying ‘thank you’ to those who donate, encourages others to donate. So be sure to send your donors a ‘thank you’ comment or post a shoutout on your page to all the people who have donated.
Give updates
Which brings us to our next point, people who keep their friends updated on how their fundraiser is going, actually raise more money than those who don’t. For instance if you’re close to your goal and your end date is near, you could update your friends letting them know that even a small donation at this stage could help you reach your goal. You may even get someone donating more than once to help you get there.
Where will your money go?
An excellent question and we’re so glad you asked because it’s important to let your friends know why they should donate to your fundraiser. Human Nature is a not for profit, non-government funded organisation. Over 90% of our funds come from private donations and 70% of our funds go to employing a highly skilled and experienced team. Our mental health professionals support young people facing complex trauma in the Far North Coast of NSW Australia.
The rest of the funds go to helping us provide our services to young people without the same barriers as other mental health services. Our team meet the young people where they are at in terms of location and physical and emotional stage.
We pick up the young people from their homes, schools or workplaces and take them out into nature to have therapy sessions. Many times we take part in therapeutic activities with the young people to facilitate deeper connections and it takes the pressure off talking about their feelings. These activities require equipment to ensure the young people have fun and are staying safe.
So what are you waiting for? Kick off your birthday fundraiser today and help make a positive change in the lives of young people in our community!
