Fundraising is about more than just raising money. It’s an opportunity to create a community that is smart about mental health.

The money you raise are critical to preventing suicide, and in the process of fundraising you will bring mental health and suicide out of the darkness in your community.

The key to fundraising: asking for donations.

That's it. Some people shy away from asking for money, but once you start, you’ll be surprised by how many people want to support a good cause. But it doesn’t happen right away: it can take as many as six reminders before someone donates. People are busy, they may not get your request at the right time, they may forget. People like being a part of a good cause, but to reach your goal you’ll need to be persistent.

Here's an example of how you can raise $150 in just 10 days:

DAY # WHO TO ASK TOTAL
1 Put in your own $20 donation $20
2 Ask your significant other for $20 $40
3 Ask a parent for $20 $60
4 Ask a friend for $20 $80
5 Ask your supervisor for $20 $100
6 Ask a co-worker for $20 $120
7 Ask a neighbor for $20 $140
8 Ask another family member for $20 $160
9 Ask another friend for $20 $180
10 Ask a business owner for $20 $200

 

If each of these individuals give you $20 (not unusual), you've just raised $200! High five!

Facebook Fundraisers

You can now fundraise for your event through Facebook, but your Facebook fundraiser must be started through your personal fundraiser portal in DonorDrive for donations to appear on your page. Simply visit your dashboard in the fundraiser portal, then click "Start a Facebook Fundraiser" from the Your Fundraising menu on the right side of the page.

Important: If you start the Fundraiser on Facebook using the "add a donate button feature" or by launching a fundraising campaign such as a birthday fundraiser, donations will be sent to AFSP as general donations from Facebook and will not appear on your page. If you started your fundraiser through Facebook and would like your donations to appear on your event fundraising page, please contact development@afsp.org as soon as possible for further instructions.

Matching Gifts
You could potentially double your donations with matching gifts. Many corporations will match any charitable donations their employees either raise or give. Ask your your donors if their employers offer matching gifts. For more information on matching gifts, please click here

Donation Forms
Offline Donation Forms are available to download HERE.

All checks should be made payable to AFSP and sent to the address below.

AFSP
Attn: Data Entry
199 Water St., Floor 11, New York, NY 10038