Birthday Fundraiser Toolkit

Thank you so much for setting up a birthday fundraiser for Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter.

Your Impact

The donations you raise through your birthday fundraiser will help provide:

  • stable housing for New Yorkers facing homelessness

  • resources, trainings, and educational supplies for New Yorkers pursuing an education or career

  • meals for hungry New Yorkers

Tips to make your fundraiser more successful:

We know that fundraising can be overwhelming, so we want to make it as easy as possible for you (so that you can focus more on your celebrations)!

Use some (or all) of these tips for best results!

1. Invite your friends and family! Make sure your friends and family know that you would like them to support NCS for your birthday. By inviting loved ones to your fundraiser, you’re making it much more likely they know this is how they can celebrate your big day.

2. Share your fundraiser to your wall. More of your contacts will see the fundraiser if you share it to your wall because it will show up in their newsfeed. This also works as a great way to remind them as your big day approaches and before the final day of the fundraiser.

3. Ask your friends to JOIN YOU in supporting your neighbors. Facebook fundraisers are more successful when the person running it (you) shows they are committed to the cause. Consider making a gift of any size to demonstrate that you care about your neighbors.

4. Post about NCS and the work we’re doing in your fundraiser. Posting in your fundraiser reminds your friends and family that they can easily support New Yorkers in need and helps them learn more about the work we do.

Consider posting graphics in your fundraiser a few times leading up to your birthday. This will only take you a moment but will make a huge difference to the fundraiser’s success.

Here’s an example of one graphic and caption. Scroll down for more:

NCS provides New Yorkers facing homelessness with a home, a community, and access to the services they need to thrive.

Your donation of any amount in honor of my birthday will create second chances for New Yorkers who need it most.

Thank you so much!

5. Email your friends and family. Not everyone checks Facebook and so sending your contacts an email letting them know that you are running a fundraiser in honor of your big day, makes it more likely they’ll see it. Remember to include a link to your fundraising page!

Scroll down or click here for an email template you can copy and paste (just add the link to your fundraising page to make it easy for your loved ones to donate.

Thank you so much for sharing your birthday with NCS’s clients! You and your network are making a huge difference for NYers in need.

If you have any additional questions, please contact Rebecca (she/her) at rkabat@ncsinc.org.

Graphics and Captions

Graphics:

 
 

Captions:

All donations to my birthday fundraiser for NCS will have a direct impact on the clients they serve.

Here’s how your gift can make a difference for New Yorkers facing homelessness.

Thank you so much!

M is one of the thousands of college students who was pursuing a degree while facing homelessness.

Today he is stably housed at NCS Scholars, a pilot program opened in the Fall of 2022 to provide housing for students facing homelessness.

He is now able to focus on his studies and not where he’ll sleep each night.

Please support students like M with a donation to my birthday fundraiser for NCS, the organization behind this innovative pilot program.

When TJ moved into NCS’s young adult housing she was struggling to earn her college degree while living in a shelter. After she moved in, she earned 3 degrees and became a Special Ed teacher, her dream job. Today she lives independently, showing that by helping New Yorkers when they’re young, we can help them reach their goals and not need help later on.

Your donation to my birthday fundraiser will help more New Yorkers like TJ!

This year for my birthday, please consider making a donation to NCS to help New Yorkers like Donna.

Here is what Donna shared about her experience since moving into The NCS Residence in 2019:

“I used to live in a shelter, and I know that my life wouldn’t be improving the way it is if I hadn’t received much needed support from Chance for Change and moved into the NCS Residence. I wouldn’t be where I am now. They helped me to become employable and helped me to gain the confidence I need to move forward in my life. My next goal is to move into my own apartment in Queens to be closer to my son and grandkids and make space at the NCS Residence for someone else who needs it. I am very blessed that life brought me here”

Thank you for helping New Yorkers like Donna.

Email Template

Subject: It's My Birthday! Let’s Make a Difference Together 🎉

Hello!

This year for my birthday, I’m asking loved ones to join me in supporting Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter (NCS). NCS does incredible work supporting people in NYC who are facing homelessness, giving them a stable home and the tools they need to build brighter futures.

I’d love it if you could help me celebrate by donating to my Facebook fundraiser! Every bit helps make a real difference, and it would mean so much to me.

Join the party and donate here: [Link to Fundraiser]

Thanks for making this birthday extra special!

Best,
[Your Name] 🎂

P.S. Learn more about NCS at my fundraiser [Link to Fundraiser] or on their website: www.ncsinc.org