NYSA can’t solve youth homelessness alone. We need champions, messengers, and storytellers to help us move our mission forward. Peer-to-peer fundraising is a great way to reach new networks of people and gain new donors. You are now a part of our organization’s narrative and your outreach on our behalf will bring new attention to our cause.

Be brave with your fundraising goal – try raising $500 towards your goal in less than a week!

• Day 1: Sponsor yourself for $50
• Day 2: Ask three family members for $25
• Day 3: Ask three friends to donate $15
• Day 4: Ask three co-workers to sponsor you for $10 (don’t forget to also ask your company if they have a matching gifts program). “Co-workers” can be interchanged with volunteers or other leaders if you are involved in an association.
• Day 5: E-mail 10 personal contacts and ask for a $20 donation.
• Day 6: Ask 10 people in your social network for a $10 donation. Social networks include Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. If social media isn’t your thing, try texting your contacts and asking them to help you.

• Group 1: The circle of people closest to you
• Group 2: Friends, family, and colleagues whom you see often and with whom you share common values
• Group 3: Everyone else on your contact lists

Making your “asks” is the most time-consuming part of fundraising, so we recommend starting with your Group 1 contacts. You can practice on them since they are your most captive audience and they’ll give you some starting gifts to get you going. Then move to Group 2 (after some donations have come in from Group 1) and use your best message that generated a response from Group 1. Lastly, your messaging to Group 3 can build on what you sent to Group 2, and what seemed to resonate with most people.

You can call people, or ask them in person. You can write a letter by hand, send an email, or post on social media, or you can try all of these approaches depending on how you usually communicate with your contacts.

We have included information on this website about how the event will help address youth homelessness.

You can also view the pages on the NYSA website for additional information. We encourage you to copy and paste any text that resonates with you. A personalized message from you will open people’s eyes. By participating in this event, you are showing your friends that you care enough to do something out of your comfort zone for homeless youth.

The funds raised by your event help run the programs and services provided to youth-at-risk in the Nanaimo area. NYSA depends on private funding for many of its homeless initiatives so support from the community is crucial to youth who are seeking our help.

Always be sure to take time to thank people for their gifts and for their investment in homeless young people. We would suggest that a two-step thank you plan is the most effective. First, thank your donors immediately after you receive a donation. And then, you can also periodically send updated thank-you’s to your supporters throughout the fundraising campaign to keep them engaged in the event and share your success.

Ask again! If someone doesn’t respond the first time, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are not interested in helping. Life moves quickly and sometimes a reminder email is all it takes to prompt them into action.

Share specific information to help supporters understand their impact

People respond better to specific requests and they feel more connected when they know what they are helping to fund. Offer amounts and what they represent, but make sure your supporters know that gifts of all sizes are valued.

Here are some ways your donation can help the youth through Push for Change:

• $20: Provides a youth with three nutritious meals for one day.
• $50: Provides drop-in access for one homeless youth to all services in the Drop-In Centre.
• $70: Provides three nutritious meals for one youth in the Shelter Program every day for one week.
• $100: Allows Outreach Workers to connect with one youth and introduce them to NYSA programs and services.
• $250: Offers one youth 24-hour Crisis Care in the Shelter Program for one day.
• $500: Provides drop-in access for 10 homeless youth to all services in the Drop-In Centre.
• $1,000: Allows Outreach Workers to connect with 10 youth.

Use photos to tell stories
Photos are powerful storytelling tools. Think about the kinds of photos you already take, and figure out how to use them for posts about your event.

• Do you love food, and snap photos of your dinner? Share a photo that your foodie friends will enjoy and post that $20 can provide a youth with three nutritious meals for one day
• Are you interested in clothes and style trends? Share that the most-requested item of clothing for homeless youth is new socks.
• Do you share photos of your neighbourhood and where you live? Ask your friends to imagine not having a safe and warm place to live, and the thought of carrying all of their possessions with them as they search for somewhere to sleep at night.
• NYSA shares many stories on our social media channels. Feel free to share our posts with a few thoughts of your own. Example If you share a youth story we have posted you can say “this story shows the great work NYSA is doing and why I am supporting them through my event”.

Share personal stories
Personal stories can be effective and inspiring. Do you have a specific reason for wanting to help homeless youth? If so, share your story in a status update, or shoot a quick video of you telling the story, and then post it to your feed. Help your audience connect with the reason why you are participating in the event.

Say thank you to a donor (who is also on Facebook)
Post a quick thank you note on a donor’s Facebook wall and add an image to get extra attention.

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LinkedIn offers you the opportunity to send InMail messages to your contacts, which can be an effective way to reach people in your business network. We also suggest publishing a post with a catchy title.

Example:

[Insert a personalized title]

For homeless young people in the mid-Island, there is support at Nanaimo Youth Services Association. Since 1969, NYSA has been providing housing for young people who need it. NYSA helps youth develop job readiness skills, improve their resume and get jobs, find permanent housing, and develop the skills they need to live a healthy, independent life. I believe NYSA helps these kids step into a brighter future.

By creating a fundraising page on nysapushforchange.ca in support of Push for Change, I am doing my small part to make sure the doors stay open for all who need them. Please help me help youth by making a donation in support of my efforts.

[include link to your personal fundraising page].”