Expand Your Reach and Get Help from Your Friends
Excited about participating
in this year’s Overnight Walk, but don’t know where to start with your
fundraising campaign? Don’t worry, you aren’t alone.
In addition to fundraising
events and creative fundraising ideas, utilizing the people and organizations
you already know is a great way to raise funds while spreading the word about
the Overnight and the cause.
Enlist the People You Already Know
One of the simplest (and sometimes
overlooked) tools that all of our Walkers have at their disposal is their own
network of friends, family members, business associates, and others close to
them that can actually help them succeed in their fundraising campaigns.
Asking for help from your
personal network in spreading your fundraising page link and your participation
in the Overnight Walk is a great way to start and often starts a chain reaction
that will help you get to your goal. Many Walkers have told us that simply
asking their personal and business contacts for help in spreading the word has
resulted in major portions of their fundraising goals.
We All Know Different People
Think of it in these terms:
the people that you know, know other people still.
Simply put, if one of your
friends or family members puts out the word to their network or circle of
friends, your journey and fundraising goals are now brought to an entirely new
audience that may not even know you. These “strangers” to you actually
represent a large group of people – and many of them have some attachment to
the cause and will gladly help you to achieve your goal.
Each and every year, the
Coaches talk to Walkers that are amazed and moved at the number of donations
that they have received from friends-of-friends and people who are strangers to
them – people who have an attachment to the cause, who may have lost a loved
one or struggled themselves, and who want to help support Walkers and
participants in the Overnight Walk.
One of the core missions of
AFSP and of the Overnight Walk is to spread the word and raise awareness about
suicide and mental illness, and one of the simplest ways that we all
participate in this goal is by spreading the word of your participation.
If you have any questions about
fundraising, training, or about the Overnight Walk in general, please contact
us at 888-THE-OVERNIGHT (888-843-6837) or coaches@theovernight.org and we will
be glad to help.
