Pledge Your Birthday and turn “Getting” into “Giving”

We cherish individuals that take it upon themselves to make a positive impact toward stopping abuse. It takes many, many hands to uncover the secrets that hold so many children captive and to offer a chance at healing and hope.

Birthdays come around every year and with them, so do beautifully wrapped and tagged gifts. And while receiving gifts on your birthday is an honor, so isn’t giving one. Did you know many people chose to celebrate their milestones by supporting abused and neglected children? A Birthday fundraiser is a celebration that everyone involved can feel great about!

All you do is ask your friends and family to donate to Childhelp and dedicate your big day to a good cause. It’s that simple.

Take a look at our helpful tips and materials and see just how simple it is to pledge your birthday to an abused child in need. Start planning your next birthday now!

Getting Started

How will you want to spread the word about your fundraiser? Will you be having an actual birthday party? If you are planning to have an in-person get together, set up a donation station or other creative way for guests to donate to Childhelp. Once all donations have been collected, convert the gifts into one single check and mail to our Headquarters in Phoenix, AZ.

If you’re having a “virtual” party, you can set-up an online fundraiser. We suggest two user friendly platforms that can help spread the word about your fundraiser and begin collecting donations. They collect a nominal fee.

Facebook:

Facebook has created an easy-to-use fundraising campaign creator in order for you to collect donations on behalf of an organization. They’ll even send the funds you raise to Childhelp for you!

CrowdRise:

CrowdRise provides an easy-to-setup online fundraising website which you can link directly to your social media accounts, like Facebook and Twitter, to spread the word. They’ll also collect and disperse all funds raised to Childhelp.

Set Your Goal

Over 92 cents of every dollar raised from your birthday fundraiser will go directly toward Childhelp’s programs and services. Here are some general program costs to help you set your fundraising goal and provide context behind your ask from your friends and family:

• $10 will provide a toy for a child after a forensic interview or medical exam to reduce trauma; it can also fund one call to our national hotline
• $50 will provide a backpack of clothing, toiletries and necessities for children removed from their home
• $100 sponsors a therapy pet team
• $500 covers the cost for one child for one day at one of Childhelp Children’s Advocacy Centers; this includes therapy and forensic services
• $1,000 provides a year’s worth of training for our child advocate staff

Communicating Your Cause

Launch your social media page with a personalized message as to why you’ve chosen to donate your birthday to Childhelp.

Start spreading your message to close friends and family first. They are the most likely to support your goals and should be the first to hear about the exciting and selfless fundraiser you’re holding! The more personal your outreach, the more likely they’ll be to donate.

Example:

Dear friend, every day, nearly 5 children die as a result of child abuse and neglect and a new report of abuse is made every 10 seconds. I’ve recently become involved with the leading and largest national non-profit, Childhelp. This organization focuses its efforts on the prevention, intervention, and treatment of child abuse and neglect.  I was so inspired that I’ve decided to use my one birthday wish to raise funds for this organization.

Help me raise money for Childhelp by donating to my Birthday Fundraiser! Every donation makes a difference and I’m so hopeful that you’ll find it in your heart to support the children who need it most.

Signed,

(Your Name)

Social Support

Once you’ve demonstrated your personal commitment and gotten your closest contacts involved, officially launch your campaign!

For the birthday boy or girl hosting an event, make it clear to guests via verbiage that if they’d like to participate in the fundraiser to come prepared to give. Whether that means showing up with a check or cash in hand, it’s best that you give them a heads up so they don’t feel left out if they’ve left their checkbook at home!

If you’ve decided to host an online campaign, don’t forget to spread the word about your birthday fundraiser via social media with links to your fundraising page.

“Help me celebrate my birthday by supporting my @Childhelp campaign!”

Keep your network updated by posting once a week. Switch it up by giving a progress report “Half way to my goal!” or thanking donors “Thank you, Sharon Smith, for donating to my birthday fundraiser!”

It’s also important that every message you send about your campaign is not related to asking for dollars. You can tell a story why Childhelp is so close to your heart, tell the story of our unique beginnings, or provide more information on the Childhelp mission.