Do you care about a cause and want to support it with funds? You can raise money and make a big difference! When you raise funds for a cause, you’re also helping to raise awareness for that cause and create a movement for change. So remember, no matter how much your raise, you’re doing great work! You’re making an impact! You are making our world a better place!

Let's get started! Here are some fundraising essentials:

First: Know Your Cause

Do your homework. Research the nonprofit you want to help. Check out the nonprofit’s website and find out how your funds are going to be used. Call the nonprofit and introduce yourself. Tell them you want to help them raise funds. They should be willing to connect you with someone on their team to help you or give you guidance on how best to host an event or create a fundraiser.

An important part of fundraising is knowing WHY you want to help. Consider these questions: Why do you care about this cause? What problem are you trying to solve? What issues are you trying to address? What kind of impact can you make?

As you talk to people and communicate your passion to help a cause, your potential donors/supporters will want to know the answers to these types of questions. Be ready to answer them. Tell your story. Explain why others should follow your lead.

Second: Create a Plan

Write a fundraising plan. It’s simple - you need to think about how much it will cost to host a fundraiser and how much your want to raise. Map out a budget and try to stick to it!

Formally state your fundraising goals. We recommend setting stretch goals – targets you believe are realistic, but will take a lot of hard work to achieve. You can do this! Be sure to communicate your goals to others and keep your family, friends and donors/supporters updated on your progress.

Write down your timeline. How long will it take to raise the funds? Is there an event with a specific date as your deadline? Your donors and supporters will want to know what deadlines you are under to raise your funds. Even if you are not raising money for a particular event, you should still set a deadline for your fundraiser.

Third: Begin to Friend-raise and Build Your Tribe

Put a list together of all the friends you have that you want to solicit for funds. Remember - you are doing a great thing when you ask your friends to support a cause because you are raising awareness for a need in the community. Don’t be shy! Ask everyone you know to help you! It’s important to remember that in fundraising, you are actually "friend-raising"! Think of your fundraiser as a fun way to get friends to rally around a cause to help others in need. You are building stronger ties to the community. Fundraising is all about RELATIONSHIPS. It’s important that you build trusting relationships with people for them to donate money to your cause.

You can create change and motivate people to help your cause if you build what author Seth Godin calls a "tribe". He argues that, "lasting and substantive change can be best effected by a group of people connected to each other, to a leader and to an idea." You have the power to find a large number of people without a lot of resources and connecting "like-minded" people with your passion and leadership. You can show them the way! But first, you need to think about who you want to join your tribe. So, sit down and put your list of friends and potential tribe members together.

Fourth: Begin to Raise Funds

Reach out to your family, friends and tribe members to ask for help. Here are some ideas:

• Write a formal letter (hyper link to tips and sample fundraising letter)
• Write an e-mail
• Post a fundraising project on GivingPoint. It’s FREE and it’s a great way to raise awareness for your cause among a group of people who care about serving and helping others! Visit the Projects page to see samples of some great fundraising projects on GivingPoint!
• Email your contacts through your Project page on GivingPoint
• Ask your parents to send a letter or email to their friends and co-workers
• Post a "cause" page on Facebook or Myspace

For tips on how to write a good fundraising letter or put together a fundraising plan, please visit. http://www.fundraiserhelp.com.

Some fun fundraising events you may want to consider include:

• bake sales
• host a dance-a-thon
• carwashes
• auctions/raffles for locally donated items
• personal challenges like running 10 miles and having friends sponsor you.
• donations instead of a birthday/holiday gift

Fifth: Thank Your Donors/Supporters

Remember to thank your donors/supporters and recognize them for supporting your cause. We recommend that you write a personal hand-written note to each donor/supporter. Through GivingPoint, you can personalize an email to your donors/supporters. Try to reach out and call them as well.

Remember, donor/supporter relations and stewardship are an essential element to successful fundraising. Try to build strong relationships with your donors/supporters. Keep them updated on your progress and let them know the impact you are trying to make with their donations. Send them a picture of you volunteering and helping the community, or send them a link to your GivingPoint site so they can see your uploaded photos.

Sixth: Share Your Stories

Our mission at GivingPoint is to help teens become life-long givers in society. We want to help you create your legacy as a compassionate, giving contributor to this world. To capture your accomplishments and document your success, we recommend that you share your stories with others. GivingPoint provides you with an easy way to share your stories on our blog page (http://www.mygivingpoint.org/stories). You can join a community of teens who are changing the world. Read their stories and get inspired. Post your own stories to keep your donors/supporters informed of your progress. Your stories will likely motivate and inspire others to start their giving legacies.