Thank you for starting a fundraiser for Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)! We are so grateful for your commitment to KIND’s work and your generous support as a volunteer fundraiser. 

Our peer-to-peer platform offers you the flexibility to design your fundraiser however you like: You can ask for donations instead of birthday or wedding gifts, help fund a marathon or bicycling event, or come up with your own idea.

Whether you’re starting your first peer-to-peer fundraiser or a seasoned veteran, the ideas, tips, templates, and resources below will help your campaign become a big success! 

If you don’t find what you’re looking for, please reach out to KIND’s Individual Giving Coordinator Alix McAtee at [email protected] for additional support.

Tips for Getting Started

10. Create your fundraising page.
    Choose a headline for your page, set a fundraising goal and deadline, add a title, and share your story about why KIND's matters to you! We've provided you with sample messaging for each of these fields, but we encourage you to get creative and customize your page to make it relevant and compelling for your community.
11. Share your passion.
    People are more likely to donate if your page reflects why KIND is important to you. Why are you fundraising for KIND? What inspired you to become an advocate for unaccompanied refugee children and families? Feel free to use any of the messaging points below to add detail and emotional resonance to your fundraising page.
12. Set a fundraising goal.
    We recommend setting a stretch goal – one that is challenging but not impossible to reach. If you’ve already run a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, how much did you raise? If you need some inspiration, you can choose from the three amounts we have listed on our homepage.
13. Build a timeline.
    To give you some time to reach your goal, we recommend running your campaign for at least three weeks, but you should customize your timeline to best suit your needs and schedule. Regardless of how long your fundraiser runs, you’ll want to maintain a steady cadence between the launch and the deadline – send at least 1 email a week, and post 2-3 times a week on social media to help keep your fundraiser top of mind.
14. Make a list of your possible donors.
    Make a list of the people you want to reach. This can include your family, your friends, coworkers, neighbors, classmates, teammates, and other people in your community. Your list will be helpful as you begin your email outreach!
15. Gain some momentum before sharing widely.
    If you’re able, make the first donation yourself to kick off your campaign. That will often inspires others to donate as well! From there, email your page to a few close friends and family members so they have a chance to donate before you share more widely on your social media channels.
16. Amplify your reach.
    By now, you’ll likely have received a few donations – it’s time to share your page far and wide! Share your page by email (referencing the outreach list you’ve already put together), on your social media channels, and via text message to cast a wide net across your community.
17. Ask, ask, and ask again!
    The more you follow up on your request for donations, the more likely you are to reach your goal. We recommend sending one email a week and sharing it on your social media channels twice a week to help your network keep your campaign top of mind.
18. Show your thanks.
    As you receive gifts, let your supporters know how grateful you are for their generosity – and for supporting vulnerable refugee children. You can also ask them to share your fundraising page on their social media channels to extend your reach even more!

1. If you meet your goal, increase it!
   If you start to inch closer toward your fundraising goal, consider raising it to have an even greater impact.

Social Media Tips

• Tag KIND in your posts: We are @supportKIND on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn (Kids in Need of Defense), and Instagram, and use the hashtag #WeAreKIND.
• Thank your donors – and tag them – on social media as you receive donations to your page. You can also encourage them to pay it forward by sharing your page on their own social media, too. You can extend our networks by hundreds of people if everyone who donates also shares their donation on their pages!
• Mix up your social media posts between fundraising asks, milestone posts (for example, ‘I’m halfway to my goal!” or “Last chance to give!”), and recognition and thank you posts.
• Include photos, videos (like this short video), and graphics in your posts to keep your supporters engaged.