Neighborhood Fundraising Initiatives

Feeling grateful for an incredible weekend on Cycle for the Cause - and reflecting on a few Peer-to-Peer fundraising lessons learned while hitting my $15k fundraising goal! 🙌🏼 Cycle for the Cause: The Northeast AIDS Ride has been taking place for nearly 30 years. I joined in 2016 in honor of my Uncle Marlin ❤️ Hundreds of us ride 275 miles from Boston to NYC in 3 days, & raised over $2 million for The NYC LGBT Center’s life-saving HIV / AIDS services 🚴🏼♂️ 1️⃣ P2P fundraising works because people in your network want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. So invite them in & make it exciting! ⚡ The best ways to dial up the excitement are: 👉🏼 Share specifics about the mission that give them something concrete to connect their gift to (I heard that knowing their gift could provide an at-risk person with a year of HIV prevention meds was incredibly eye opening for my donors). 👉🏼 Set a goal! Several people upsized their gift to be “the one” that got me over a certain total fundraising threshold. People like playing a role in your achievement! 2️⃣ Email remains my most valuable channel. It takes time to keep an email list up to date, but it has the highest payoff! 📈 Pro tip: if you have some likely large donors in there, send them a direct personal email if they haven’t given in response to your broader one yet. It’s super effective, but time consuming 😁 3️⃣  I never post on Instagram, but I have to come back to it for fundraising because it’s SO engaging. The ability to tag & thank your donors in stories + include a direct link to your fundraising page… works magic. Was doing this all weekend and led to an extra 50+ gifts 🥳 4️⃣ LinkedIn was actually a great source of donations! I could directly attribute at least a dozen gifts to people that encountered a post of mine - several were folks I didn’t even know! Don’t be afraid to give it a shot 😉 5️⃣ I got 12+ DAFpay gifts thanks to the integration with DonorDrive! I can see a roughly 2x impact on those donor’s gift size vs. their standard credit card gift. There were a few other DAF gifts not made through DAFpay that I’m still waiting on so weren’t in my total at the finish line 😢 6️⃣ Start early! I remember hearing at one point that the average person requires 7 reminders to donate… So the earlier you can start asking, the better. Plus many people will end up giving again towards the end! ⏰ 7️⃣ P2P is about much more than fundraising - it binds participants to the organization & mission in a way that nothing else can 🫂 Especially in the challenging fundraising environment we’re in, I’d encourage folks to measure success as you would a program or service your organization offers, in addition to your revenue total & return on spend like other kinds of fundraising ✅ Thank you to all of the riders, crew, staff and donors that make this an unforgettable experience each year 🫶🏼 #nonprofit #fundraising #philanthropy

For nonprofits, community fundraising challenges can help turn one-time supporters into champions. When someone fundraises on behalf of an organization, they bring their own story, network, credibility, and energy. They help people understand why the mission matters, turn passive support into active participation, and often reach people the organization could never reach on its own. When a supporter decides to run, walk, bike, swim, or climb for a cause, they’re also “brandraising”  by sharing what the nonprofit means to them, helping friends, family and neighbors build - through their advocacy -an emotional connection to the nonprofit they care about and bringing in new advocates for the organization. This is one of the things GoFundMe does best: providing a platform where supporters become advocates, organizers, storytellers, and fundraisers for the causes they care about most. A few powerful recent examples that inspired me: The #BurghProud Challenge brought together fans of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Pittsburgh Steelers to fight hunger, inviting people to walk or run 30 miles in 30 days while raising funds for Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. The campaign raised over 1 million for Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. https://lnkd.in/gw_rFSpR Skate Across America rallies supporters around Chad Caruso's amazing journey to raise awareness, inspire action, and create impact. Together, they raise funds and awareness for Natural High, helping provide young people with the tools, inspiration, and support they need to prioritize mental health, avoid substance misuse, and thrive. This is the *second* time Chad has skated across America - he’s an incredible guy.  https://lnkd.in/gmaKdQgK Defenders of Wildlife is empowering supporters to turn their passion for nature into action through community fundraising. Advocates can rally friends, family, and their broader communities to help protect endangered species, defend critical habitats, and ensure future generations can enjoy our natural heritage. https://lnkd.in/gU_S6HTM The best community challenges do even more than raise funds. They spark connections, start conversations, and shine a light on important causes, giving everyone a way to help that feels personal, joyful, and communal. Every day on GoFundMe, we see communities come together through challenges like these to support organizations doing essential work and create meaningful impact.

Accessibility should be a given. But in many villages, with older buildings and tight budgets, it’s still a challenge. When a local café Holmes Sweet Home in Holmes Chapel moved to a bigger venue, they faced a big barrier: stairs at both entrances. Instead of accepting that some people just wouldn’t be able to visit, they rallied the community, raised funds, and built an outdoor lift. Now it’s easier not just for wheelchair users, but also for parents with prams, carers, and anyone with mobility challenges to enjoy the space. As a small business owner (of just me!), I can’t always give as much as I’d like, but when I can, I do, and supporting local businesses who put inclusion at the heart of what they do, seems I good place to invest my support. This was one of those moments I felt privileged to contribute to something that changes lives here in my own village. Image: Me, my daughter, and our poodle Roxy next to the café’s thank-you sign. A reminder that inclusion isn’t just a corporate initiative, it happens on the ground, in communities, when people care enough to make it happen. #Accessibility #Inclusion #Community #SmallBusiness #Neurodiversity

Most nonprofits don’t struggle because their mission isn’t important. They struggle because no one feels it. Take Room to Read: Founded in 2000 by John Wood, a former Microsoft exec who quit his corporate job after seeing the lack of books in rural Nepalese schools. No deep pockets. No institutional backing. Just a story that hit people where it matters. How They Made People Care: Instead of bombarding people with literacy stats, they told stories of individual kids whose lives changed through education. Instead of just fundraising, they built a movement of people who believed in the power of books. The Results? Over 39 million children impacted across 23 countries 40,000+ schools and communities served $850M+ raised to fund education access 3 Storytelling Strategies That Scaled Their Impact 1. Start with One Person – John didn’t tell people about millions of kids needing books. He told them about one school with empty shelves. 2. Make the Audience the Hero – Donors didn’t just fund books; they helped rewrite kids’ futures. 3. Show the Proof – They didn’t just say, education changes lives, they showed data and stories of kids breaking cycles of poverty. Most nonprofits try to convince people to donate. The best ones inspire them to take action. Who’s telling nonprofit stories the right way right now? Drop a name in the comments. With purpose and impact, Mario

I Pulled Off $15,000 Worth Social Impact Projects that impacted Over 10,000, in 2025 - Here’s How I Funded Every One of Them. I Didn’t Have Money. I Had Emails, Pitch Decks & Mad Audacity (with a touch of delusion). Last year, I emerged as a Lagos State Youth Ambassador, leading a team of nine and delivering projects that actually mattered, with almost zero starting funds. Waiting wasn’t a luxury we had. If you’ve ever had an idea but no money, you’ll understand this. Caring deeply about a problem, having a solution in your head, but feeling stuck because funding seems out of reach. I was there too. Until I realized I had to think differently. The shift was simple: I stopped asking, “Who will fund me?” and started asking, “How do I make this impossible to ignore?” Because funding doesn’t come to people who just need money. It comes to people who can clearly communicate value. Strategy 1: Pitch Decks We put everything into a clear, structured pitch deck. Our ideas, vision, problem, and execution plan. It forced clarity and made it easy for people to understand and engage with what we were building, even when we weren’t in the room. Strategy 2: We Pitched Value Over Need We stopped pitching from a place of need and started communicating value. We highlighted what partners would gain, visibility, alignment, impact. That shift changed how people responded to us. Strategy 3: Proof and Credibility We documented impact. Not just what we wanted to do, but what had been done before. It gave us credibility and made our work feel real, not just aspirational. Strategy 4: Systems and Structures We built simple systems to track outreach, follow-ups, and conversations. It helped us stay consistent and organised. Strategy 5: Networking Not every opportunity came from emails. Some came from conversations, rooms, and people. We talked about our work everywhere, events, casual conversations, mutual connections. We reached out to friends, leveraged relationships, and stayed visible. Some doors didn’t open because we asked, they opened because someone knew us or trusted someone who did. Strategy 6: Strategic Outreach and Consistency We researched brands, leveraged our network, and sent over 200 cold emails. Many were ignored. Some were rejected. But a few turned into real opportunities, and that was enough. Through this, we secured partnerships with brands like MTN Nigeria, LagRide, FunZ, Peak Milk, Coca-Cola, Momo PSB, Pocari Sweat, Alison, and many more through funding, in-kind support, and resources. If you’re building something meaningful, you don’t need one big yes. You need to keep showing up until the right ones come.

Eugene, Oregon just finished a $48 million youth sports campaign — 10 years in the making. The Eugene Civic Alliance and Emerald Kidsports hit their goal after a final $700,000 gift from the Sierra Pacific Foundation. What they built on the site of a historic stadium that burned down in 2015: the Kidsports Fieldhouse, turf fields, grandstands, and a 2,500-seat stadium. Over 500,000 visitors since opening. Thousands of young athletes every year. The "all kids play" mission, fully funded. On the surface, it's a fundraising milestone. But zoom out. This facility was built entirely on private and philanthropic capital — not a tax increment district, not a government subsidy, not a developer. Checks from $25 to $2 million. Hundreds of donors. A decade of persistence. And now it's also home to a USL League One professional soccer team launching in 2026. The same facility serving 7-year-olds on a Tuesday afternoon hosts professional soccer on a Saturday night. That's the model every city should be studying. Community-funded infrastructure that serves every level of the game. Not every city needs a $200M complex. Some need a community that believes in something before it exists. #YouthSports #SportsFacilities #SportsBusiness #CommunityDevelopment #Soccer

"We can't possibly raise that much." That's what our client said when we suggested a $2M campaign goal for their small nonprofit with only 3 staff members. 18 months later, they hit $2.3M. The turning point wasn't a massive donor database or a large team. It was: 1. A compelling case that connected emotional impact with clear outcomes 2. Board members who were trained and empowered to make peer asks 3. A stewardship plan that treated every donor like a major donor The biggest fundraising breakthroughs often come from small organizations that refuse to be limited by their size. What fundraising success have you witnessed that exceeded expectations?

Five strangers walked into a coffee shop yesterday and we all left as die-hard ambassadors for a cause: What Made It Work So Well? Today, I attended a fundraising meeting I hadn’t planned on for United Hatzalah. I was invited by a friend, and when I arrived, there were four other guests along with the organization’s founder Eli Beer and their local representative Brad Yellen. By the time I left, I wanted to help this organization succeed. I felt personally invested. I walked away asking: What went right? Here’s the breakdown: 1. Friends Bring Friends Everyone at the table had some loose connection to the organization, but no one was fully informed. That meant we came in curious and open. 2. The Founder Told His Story His story was personal and compelling—but also relatable. He wasn’t just sharing his journey; he was inviting us into it. 3. Stories That Were Both Specific and Universal He didn’t just talk about his experience—he shared real stories of the organization’s impact. He painted a picture so vivid that we could see the lives being changed. 4. A Clear, Contextualized Ask Instead of asking for a specific dollar amount, he showed different ways to make an impact: • $X trains one person • $X funds a crucial piece of equipment • $X covers full operations This let each of us find our own entry point into supporting the mission. And even those who may not be able to donate financially saw ways to help. 5. Seamless Connection and Follow-Up At the end, he pulled out his phone and had a QR code for all of us to scan with his phone number, making it easy to stay connected. But here’s the real magic: • We all wanted to hear more stories. • We saw ourselves in the mission. • We left not just inspired, but compelled to share it with others. By the time we walked away, we weren’t just attendees—we were already fundraising ambassadors. I’ve seen (and run) a lot of fundraising meetings, but this one was exceptional. And here’s the best part: • This level of engagement isn’t luck. • It’s a learnable skill. Want to make your fundraising meetings this effective? Drop a comment or send me a message—I’d love to help.

Nonprofits facing funding gaps: you are not alone. The Chronicle of Philanthropy just published a powerful story about how Aspire Afterschool Learning turned a $400k funding loss into a masterclass on community-driven resilience. After receiving the news of the funding loss, CEO Paula Fynboh rallied her board along with Maggie McCoy. They quickly decided to "go all-in on fundraising." Just a few months later, Aspire raised $317,000 across everything from bake sales and lemonade stands to a $100K match campaign. But more importantly, they used this moment to reimagine what sustainability could look like: monthly giving, multiyear commitments, and deeper donor relationships. I was honored to share a few thoughts with Rasheeda Childress: “More nonprofits are doing a better job of thinking long term and looking forward. Having that ability to invite donors to give in a more sustainable way is something that we’re seeing a big growth in.” At Givebutter, we saw this in a big way recently on Giving Tuesday: - Recurring gifts grew 90.1% year-over-year - Recurring gifts made up 2.6% of total donation volume, up from 2.1% in 2024 These trends point to the same conclusion: more nonprofits are diversifying away from major one-time funding sources to more sustainable recurring giving, which can help weather the tides when unexpected shifts occur. Events can also be a key part of the strategy. Aspire's fall fundraising event netted more than $220,000(!), and they are hoping to continue this momentum into 2026. Ultimately, this all came down to Aspire's resilient community, team, and board. They were the heroes navigating through the darkness and finding light at the end of the tunnel. When your roots are strong, pivoting becomes possible, and stories like this show us how. 📖 Dive into the full story by The Chronicle of Philanthropy: https://lnkd.in/ga_QjRb9