Youth Ambassadors Resources
Now that you’re officially a Youth Ambassador for the American Autism Association, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work on fundraising. You’re joining a community of everyday people making a difference for the cause they love. The good news is you don’t need to be a fundraising expert to raise a lot of money. We’ll teach you how to set up your page, ask for donations, and promote your campaign.
Fundraising is a chance to make a big impact on our cause, even if you can’t personally make a big donation. By mobilizing your friends and family, you can help the American Autism Association reach more people, raise more money, and make a bigger impact.
Fundraising Guide
There are a number of ways that you can raise autism awareness and important funds to support the American Autism Association. Think of something you love and how you can incorporate that into your campaign.
Love to run? Pledge to run 10 miles and gather support for every step you take. Love to bake? Host a bake sale. Love to paint? Host a paint party or sell some artwork. You can also see a list of fundraising ideas at this link.
Here are the steps to your fundraising success.
Set up your page!
Make sure you personalize it. This is your chance to tell everyone why our cause is important to you. The personal touch will really help motivate your community to support.
You can also use your page to explain the significance of your fundraising goal and/or ask people to give a specific amount. These personal touches help your potential supporters feel more connected to you and the cause you’re supporting. With these elements in place, your page is ready to start accepting donations.
Ask for support!
The power of fundraising is in mobilizing your own personal network of family and friends. Rather than making one gift by yourself, you can get all the people you love involved. You get to share your passion and your fundraiser will get some much-needed support from a wider community.
Make a list of your nearest and dearest and start there with a personalized message. Include why you’re fundraising and what you want them to do.
Get social!
Your broader social network will be much larger than your inner circle. Nowadays, we’re connected to hundreds of people through social media. Use your platforms as a way to reach more people. You never know which of your friends or acquaintances have a personal connection to our cause, so it’s worth appealing to all of your various networks, on- and offline.
Stay on top of your goal.
Hopefully, sending out emails and posting to social media will get you well on your way to hitting your fundraising goal. To reach your overall fundraising goal, it helps to break up the amount over however many days or weeks you’re fundraising. For example, if your goal was to raise $1,000 in four weeks, you could try to raise $250 each week.
Thank everyone that has supported you.
A way to maintain energy and excitement around your campaign is to publicly thank donors to your page. This shows your gratitude and celebrates the donor while also promoting your campaign and keeping it top of mind.
Your donors will be receiving thank you messages from the nonprofit you fundraised for, but take the time to tell them that you appreciate their help in reaching your goal.
Remember, you got this!
Awareness + Marketing Resources
We’ve got you covered when it comes to spreading the word about what you’re doing. You can find some sample instagram stories and social media posts about being a Youth Ambassador at this link.
Got Questions?
Email our team and we’ll get back to you with the answers.