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6 Tips for Your Birthday Fundraiser

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Happy birthday, and thank you so much for signing up to dedicate a Facebook birthday fundraiser to Sandy Hook Promise! We’re truly honored you’ve chosen to ask your friends and family to channel their birthday love into helping protect children from gun violence.

If you haven’t already created your birthday fundraiser on Facebook, get started now.

With your big day coming up, we want to make sure your fundraiser is set up for success. Below are a few tips for creating your fundraising page and motivating your friends and family to take part. You can say as much or as little as you’d like – after all, it’s your birthday! But to make the most of this fundraiser, here are a few tips.

1. Set a goal and deadline

You’ll likely want to use your birth date or a few days after as the deadline, and be sure to set a specific goal amount you want to achieve to motivate your friends and family to help you reach it. If you hit your goal early, set a stretch goal to expand your impact even further!

2. Tell a story

Telling a story about your connection to gun violence or Sandy Hook Promise will encourage your friends and family to help you reach your goal.

Have you or someone you know been personally impacted by gun violence? How did you feel when you heard about the Sandy Hook tragedy? Let people see why you chose this fundraiser – though, of course, if you’ve been personally affected, only share as much as is comfortable and safe for you.

3. Set a fundraiser photo

You can pick a photo for your birthday fundraiser that helps tell your own story. Or use this one of Mark Barden and Nicole Hockley that tells the story of Sandy Hook Promise and how we’re turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation.

4. Invite friends and share your fundraiser

After creating your birthday fundraiser page, you’ll need to invite your friends to take part in your fundraiser and share it with your loved ones on Facebook (and through email or however else you’d like). If you’re not sure exactly what you’d like to say or don’t have a story to share, here is an example to help you get started:

I’m dedicating my birthday to raising [your goal] for Sandy Hook Promise, but I need your help to get there! I’m tired of seeing tragedy after tragedy on the news, hearing about more mass shootings and more innocent lives taken from loved ones. Sandy Hook Promise is working every single day to prevent the next tragedy and make sure no other families have to go through what they did when their loved ones were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary. Please consider making a donation of any amount to help me support this organization and give back for my birthday.

5. Give updates

Update your friends and family as the deadline gets closer! Let everyone know when you’ve reached exciting milestones: 25% of your goal, half of your goal – anything you can share to let them know people are making a difference and encourage them to join in!

6. Match donations 

By pledging to match a portion of donations, only if you are able and up to however much you’re comfortable with, you’ll help motivate more of your family and friends to give.

We cannot express how grateful we are that you’re dedicating your birthday fundraiser to Sandy Hook Promise. We truly could not honor our loved ones by protecting children from gun violence without the support of generous people like you. It means so much for you to share a little bit of your birthday, so thank you!