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GET INVOLVED
Fundraise
Fundraise for African Services
African Services is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that relies on support from individual donations, foundations, and our community. By organizing your own fundraiser, you can help us reach more individuals and families in New York City. Your support can help us grow our organizational capacity, including stocking our pantry with staple items, hosting educational workshops teaching English, wellness, and other skills, and expanding our client services. Here are a few ways you could start your own fundraiser.
Fundraiser Ideas:
Host a Ticketed Event
A benefit event like a dinner, gala, or cocktail reception is an effective way to gather motivated donors and raise funds. Donations can be collected through ticket sales, raffles, a live and/or silent auction, live pledges, and sponsorships. You can also collect in-kind contributions to make the event more enticing to attend, such as auction items or performances. Some donors or sponsors may offer one-to-one matching gifts, doubling donations from your community.
Organize a Community Gathering
A local fun run, walk, or bike ride can attract a larger audience than a ticketed event, and is usually more affordable. You can collect donations as part of your registration fees. Offer sponsor benefits for individual and corporate donations, such as logo placement, a table or booth, and social media shoutouts. Encourage participating individuals and teams to fundraise through their own online pages or by collecting pledges: raising money with every mile they walk, run, or bike.
Set Up an Online
Fundraising Page
Online peer-to-peer giving campaigns are an effective way to reach a broad audience of potential donors. Supporters can create personal fundraising pages and ask friends and family to donate. This works best with a defined time window, such as a 2-week fundraising period. You can also host your own livestream fundraiser to gather donors virtually. Guest speakers can help draw an audience to your livestream.
Set Up a Corporate Partnership or
Collaborate with a Small Business
Many corporations offer Community Fundraiser days. You can apply to host a fundraiser and receive donations as a percentage of all sales. Guests may need to mention your fundraiser for their donation to count, so make sure your audience is fully informed about what they’ll need to do. Local restaurants and coffee shops may also be interested in a fundraiser where a percentage of daily profits is donated.
Contact African Services with your Fundraiser Ideas
If you’d like to host one of these events or have an original idea to share, reach out through our contact form with the details (event type, date, goal, and how you want to fundraise), and our team will follow up.