Set Your Goal

As you begin to think about fundraising, the first step is to do some research to set your goal amount. Your goal could include:

• An estimate of round trip flights
• The $51 fee for the Kenyan Visa
• Costs associated with vaccinations
• 15% of total estimated costs to cover fundraising & administration costs

Next Steps & Important Dates

• Monday, May 1st – Target date to launch campaign
• Monday, July 22nd – Target date to wrap up campaign
• July + August – Book flights, apply for visa, and finalize vaccinations
• Submit for reimbursement by November 30, 2024.

What Platform Do You Want To Use?

FundraiseUp is a fundraising platform specifically for charitable causes. A Fresh Chapter has recently begun using this user-friendly platform and you have access to create a campaign through AFC’s FundraiseUp platform. Funds raised through this page will flow directly through A Fresh Chapter’s umbrella organization: Social & Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE).

If you use this platform, you need to include 15% of the total cost in your goal. This will cover fundraising & administration costs. If you’d rather create your own online fundraiser outside of AFC’s platform, you are more than welcome to.

Get Your Community Involved

It’s not enough to only share your fundraiser on social media. We live in a busy, information saturated world. If you truly want to have your community support you, it’s important to take the time to email them with the link to your campaign and a request for them to either make an online contribution, send in a check, or help you spread the word. Often people have more success if they do NOT send a mass email – this is your chance to personalize your message to each friend and family member that you email. Think about your connection to each person you choose to personally contact. You can also ask for their ideas on how to reach more people and/or raise more funds. Even if people can’t donate money, they can offer advice.

If you are doing an event, reach out to your friends and family via a personalized email to ask for specific help. For example, ask your neighbors to bake cupcakes for a bake sale or donate items for a yard sale. Write to your friends who own businesses and ask them to donate a raffle item. Most people find that just sharing a request for something via social media isn’t always enough – if you ask personally, you are more likely to get a “yes!”

Use Social Media To Spread The Word

Once your family and friends have started to contribute, it’s important to also take your campaign to social media. You can make repeat sharing fun with pictures, 1-2 sentence statements about what this program is/what it means to you/how people will join you vicariously (Check out the template language for some ideas!). Focus on how far you’ve come and publicly thank people for their support. You can “tag” your friends that donate to publicly say thank you, share pictures, and make your status “public” in the privacy settings – all these are tips to get your posts more widely seen and shared by your friends. If you have an event, create a Facebook “event” that you can invite friends to and spread the word. Share pictures of raffle items or prizes to get people excited. Whatever you do, do it often! Social media feeds fill up fast, so reminders and reposts are very helpful!

Follow Up

Don’t be shy to do check-ins sporadically with people you have emailed. Make sure the people in your life have received the link, answer any questions they might have, and reiterate how much their support matters to you. Also, continue to share the link on social media with a focus on gratitude for the progress you’ve made so far. People love to see how they are contributing to your success.

Say Thank You

Make an effort to individually thank those who donate to your campaign. Perhaps you can send a hand-written note to people who make larger contributions? “Tag” your friends that donate to publicly say thank you.

“Your Message” In FundraiseUp

You will be asked to fill out a short message (120 characters or less) when you create your campaign, here are few options. Feel free to make your own!

• Help me reach my fundraising goal to support A Fresh Chapter in empowering people impacted by cancer in Kenya.
• Your contribution matters. Join me in supporting A Fresh Chapter and empowering people who’ve been impacted by cancer.
• Join me in supporting A Fresh Chapter’s innovative programs which empower cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers.
• Join me in supporting A Fresh Chapter and help to empower cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers across the globe.
• Please join me in supporting A Fresh Chapter, and help to empower people impacted by cancer to heal emotionally.

Kicking Off Your Campaign

Need some help figuring out what to say when you share in an email or on social media?

Option #1: I’m honored to share that I’ve been selected as one of A Fresh Chapter’s 2024 Kenya Elevate Fellows. A Fresh Chapter (AFC) is an organization that means a lot to me [and that I have been involved with since ______ in x way (option to personalize)]. AFC’s mission is to empower people impacted by cancer across the globe to heal the emotional scars of the disease. The Elevate program is part of a broader mission to build a scalable, sustainable model of support. I am thrilled to be joining Elevate Fellows from Kenya, the US, and beyond in Nairobi, Kenya this September. To support our work, I’ve committed to fundraising $______. The funds I raise will cover my travel costs, but any funds raised additionally will support our continuing work in Kenya, for instance funding workshops for Kenyans impacted by cancer on the ground in local communities. For two weeks this fall, I’ll have an opportunity to be a part of this multi-year initiative, a broader vision of empowering thousands of people to become better leaders and to cultivate resilience in their lives.

Option #2: I’ve been selected as one of A Fresh Chapter’s 2024 Kenya Elevate Fellows. A Fresh Chapter (AFC) is an organization dear to my heart whose mission is to empower people impacted by cancer across the globe to heal the emotional scars of the disease. The Elevate program is part of a broader mission to build a scalable, sustainable model of support. I am thrilled to be joining Elevate Fellows from Kenya, the US, and beyond in Nairobi, Kenya this September. To support our work, I’ve committed to fundraising $______. The funds I raise will cover my travel costs, but any funds raised additionally will support AFC’s continuing work in Kenya, for instance funding workshops for Kenyans impacted by cancer on the ground in local communities. The fellowship program this September is part of a multi-year initiative that aims to empower thousands of people to become better leaders and to cultivate resilience in their lives, whether living with or beyond cancer. Please help me to meet (or exceed!) my fundraising goal to support this cause that is very close to my heart.

Option #3: I’ve been selected as one of A Fresh Chapter’s 2024 Kenya Elevate Fellows. A Fresh Chapter (AFC) is a nonprofit whose mission is to empower people impacted by cancer across the globe to heal the emotional scars of the disease. The Elevate program, which takes place in Nairobi, Kenya, this September, is part of a broader mission to build a scalable, sustainable model of support. To support our work, I’ve committed to fundraising $______. The funds I raise will cover my travel costs, but any funds raised additionally will support AFC’s continuing work on the ground in Kenya. The Kenya Elevate program is part of a multi-year initiative that aims to empower thousands of people to become better leaders and to cultivate resilience in their lives, whether living with or beyond cancer. Please help me to meet (or exceed!) my fundraising goal to support this cause that is very close to my heart.

Option #4: I’ve been selected as one of A Fresh Chapter’s 2024 Kenya Elevate Fellows. A Fresh Chapter (AFC) is a nonprofit whose mission is to empower people impacted by cancer across the globe to heal the emotional scars of the disease. The Elevate program, which takes place in Nairobi, Kenya, this September, is part of a broader mission to build a scalable, sustainable model of support. To support our work, I’ve committed to fundraising $______. The funds I raise will cover my travel costs, allowing me to participate in this transformative work in Kenya for two weeks this September. The Kenya Elevate program is part of a multi-year initiative that aims to empower thousands of people to become better leaders and to cultivate resilience in their lives, whether living with or beyond cancer. Please help me to meet my fundraising goal to support this cause that is very close to my heart.

Set Small Goals And Celebrate Successes Along The Way

People love to help you hit a goal. Send updates!

I’m halfway to my $_____ fundraising goal! Help me to meet — or even exceed — my goal as one of A Fresh Chapter’s 2024 Kenya Elevate Fellows. AFC’s mission is to empower people impacted by cancer across the globe to heal the emotional scars of the disease. The Elevate program, taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, this fall, is part of a broader mission to build a scalable, sustainable model of support. The funds I’m raising will cover my travel costs, but all funds raised additionally will support AFC’s continuing work on the ground in Kenya. Elevate is part of a multi-year initiative that aims to empower thousands of people to become better leaders and to cultivate resilience in their lives, whether living with or beyond cancer. Please help me to meet (or exceed!) my fundraising goal to support this cause that is very close to my heart.

Only $___ to reach my goal of $_______. Or, wow – I’m at ____% of my total goal. Will you help me get to ___%?

You Hit Your Goal

Let your community celebrate with you!

I’ve met my $_____ fundraising goal! Thank you so much! As one of A Fresh Chapter’s 2024 Kenya Elevate Fellows, I’ll be participating in a transformative two-week program this September in Nairobi, Kenya. Your donations have covered my travel costs and enabled me to be in Kenya this fall to contribute to AFC’s mission. I’m so grateful. Any funds I raise from here will go directly to supporting AFC’s efforts to build a scalable, sustainable model of support. How much can we contribute together?! Please help me to exceed my fundraising goal to support this cause that is changing lives across the globe.

Corporate Matching

If a company is matching donations, please ask the corporate donor to add a note with your name when they submit the company match to a “Fresh Chapter Alliance Foundation via SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENTREPRENEURS SEE INC”. Please let Anna know to expect this donation so that she can be sure to add it to your FundraiseUp campaign.

Airline Miles

For airline mile donations, the easiest way is to have the person donating the miles make the booking for you. The booking would need to be for either a leg of the trip or the full trip. We have had people book full trips, legs of trips, and connecting flights for participants in the past.

IDEAS FROM OUR AFC ALUM

In addition to their online campaigns, many AFC participants have held successful events to raise money in person, as they have found that it compliments their online campaign nicely. As Peru 2016 Alum Stefani says:

“I am constantly fundraising for one thing or another, and I’ve found the best way to fundraise is to do an event where as much proceeds as possible go towards the cause, giving away donated items for certain donation amounts, bake sales, and the like. People genuinely have a desire to help others, but are even more encouraged to do so when they receive something in return.”

FUNdraising Ideas

Here are a few of the ways past AFC participants were able to fundraise. We encourage you to adapt one of these into your own fundraiser, keeping in mind the people in your network who you could ask for help, and what types of things the people in your network and community would be interested in.

• Contact friends, acquaintances, old teachers or co-workers, current co-workers, professors, classmates, etc. Ask your top 5 contacts (or more) privately to contact all their contacts.
• Hold a yard sale. Ask all your friends and neighbors to donate their yard sale items to you for your cause. You hold the sale and keep the profits. Display a sign showing what you are raising money for.
• Hold a bake sale. Ask your friends and neighbors to bake items that you will sell. Ask to set up your bake sale at a local swim meet, in front of the grocery store, etc. Display a sign showing what you are raising money for.
• Make a t-shirt design on Booster.com and you will receive part of the profit from every shirt sold. Create a unique design that you think your network of friends, family, and community would be interested in wearing on a shirt.
• Hold a silent auction. Ask everyone you know who owns a business to donate prizes. Send letters to local businesses asking for prize donations. Use Facebook to advertise and showcase all your prizes. Sell tickets beforehand as well as during the event. Combine the silent auction with one of these other events listed.
• Know a lot of supporters with children? Include them! Hold a Family Day at a play area (local park, indoor play area, bounce house, restaurant, etc). Have a prize raffle, silent auction, or 50/50 raffle at the event.
• Offer something custom or handmade in exchange for a donation. For example, an amateur artist offered a 5 x 5″ piece of art for a $150 donation and a 10 x 10″ piece of art for a $300 donation. Her friends and family were so excited to receive a personal, unique gift.
• Ask a local business or coffee shop for sponsorship. If they are not able to, then ask if they would put a can or jar for donations? Suggest that they give a % of an item sold for a day. Ask if they will let you bus tables for a day for tips?
• Host at a restaurant. Ask the restaurant to donate a percentage of the profits to your fundraiser. Have drink specials where $1 from each drink sold goes to your fundraiser.
• Host a pub crawl and scavenger hunt with games. Encourage people to donate at each stop. Include a raffle with prizes.
• Have a friend host a dinner in your honor. Have people commit to a minimum donation of $50 to attend.
• Hold a cooking/baking contest. Pick a theme – BBQ, soup, cakes, pies… Recruit people/teams to enter the contest (have an entry fee) and then sell tickets for people to come taste all of the entries and vote for their favorite. Give out prizes to the winners and hold a raffle for visitors.
• Contact a local TV station, radio station, or newspaper for a feature idea and/or sponsorship. Try other hometown resources such as the chamber of commerce, Rotary, Lions, etc. You can do a before/after story.

What Happens If I Go Over My Fundraising Goal?

What a great problem to have, right?!? If you reach your fundraising goal, any additional money you raise will go directly to our work in Africa. 

Our 501(c)3 Number:

95-4116679

Social & Environmental Entrepreneurs

23564 Calabasas Road, Suite 201, Calabasas, CA 91302

Please remember that any donations made that are earmarked for a specific individual are not eligible for a tax receipt.

Cash Donations

If you have someone who wants to donate in cash and you would like this reflected in your FundraiseUp campaign, the best option is to use your personal credit card to donate the amount to your FundraiseUp account.

Offline Donations

If you have someone wanting to make an offline donation, here are the steps:

1) Let your donors know that checks can be made out to Social & Environmental Entrepreneurs. In the memo line, the donor should write: “A Fresh Chapter Africa Elevate – your name.” Mailing address for SEE: Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs, 23564 Calabasas Road, Suite 201, Calabasas, CA 91302

2) Send Anna an email to let her know the names of the offline donors and the amount they donated. She can then coordinate with SEE to confirm that the funds have been deposited, and we can add the donation(s) to your online campaign. This will show you getting closer to reaching your total goal.