Fundraise for UH
Create an Online Fundraiser
Whether you’re raising money in honor or memory of a loved one, or to celebrate a birthday or wedding, an online fundraising page allows you to tell your personal story and easily share it with family and friends. In a matter of minutes you can create a personalized DIY (Do-It-Yourself) page and begin raising money for University Hospitals.
Fundraising Ideas
If you are interested but unsure what you would like to fundraise for, here are some examples:
- Birthday – raise funds for an area of interest in honor of a birthday
- Athletic event – ask family and friends to support UH by making an honorary donation to your marathon, swimming competition, walking event, etc.
- Wedding – in lieu of gifts, donate to a couples’ fundraising page in support of a fund/area of their choosing
- In honor or memorial – celebrate the life of a loved one
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a DIY Fundraiser?
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DIY or Do-It Yourself fundraising is a type of peer-to-peer fundraising, where individuals can create personal fundraising pages to support specific campaigns/causes. Individuals then share their page within their own networks such as friends, family and community members to garner donations.
University Hospitals has partnered with Classy, a giving platform that enables nonprofits to connect supporters with the causes they care about. This partnership allows users to fundraise for University Hospitals and donors will receive 100% tax-deduction for their donation.
- I am considering creating a fundraising page. How soon should I get started?
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As you plan for your fundraising campaign, you will want to think about a donation deadline to provide urgency to support your cause. Ideally this deadline would be 8-10 weeks away from now. This will allow time for you to submit the fundraising form to UH and provide you with plenty of time to customize your page before you begin sharing it with your network.
- Why do I need to complete a form before I get started?
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We ask you to share your fundraising plans with the Digital Fundraising team at UH ahead of time to allow for ample support. The team is here to be a resource for you as you set up your page and share with your network. This planning period also allows UH to make sure your support is directed to the correct fund.
- I am confused on how to setup my fundraising page
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If you are struggling to setup your fundraising page, download a step-by-step guide. This guide walks you through:
- Registering for an account;
- Setting up your fundraising page;
- Adding images to your fundraising page;
- Sharing it by email and social media with your friends and family.
- Are the donations tax-deductible?
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All donations to your fundraising page are 100% tax-deductible. After making a gift online, donors will instantly receive an email thank you reply, which includes a summary of their gift. They will also receive a printed tax receipt by mail within 48-72 business hours.
- Best Practices and Tips for Success
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Best Practices for Creating Your Fundraising Page
The best thing you can do on your fundraising page is to make it your own. Your friends and family want to hear from you and understand why fundraising for University Hospitals means so much to you. Adjust the default content and share your personal story. Add images to the body of the page and change the profile picture to make it uniquely your own.
Best Practices on Communicating with Your Network
Once your fundraising page is complete and you are ready to share with your network, think about who you will content and when. Below is a sample communication timeline.
- 6-8 Weeks Before Campaign Deadline
- Email your network to introduce your fundraising page. Share why this is important to both you and University Hospitals. Repost a summary of your message on your social media channels.
- 3-5 Weeks Before Campaign Deadline
- Send a reminder message to your network and reinforce the why support is needed. Repost a summary of your message on your social media channels.
- 1-2 Weeks Before Campaign Deadline
- Send a reminder message to your network and include the deadline to make a gift. Repost a summary of your message on your social media channels.
- Day of Campaign Deadline
- This is the final push before your deadline. Email your network, share on social media, text friends and family - have one final rally to encourage donations to your fundraising page.
- Follow Up
- Email your network thanking donors for gifts. Share how much you raised and encourage final donations to the cause. Repost a summary of your message on your social media channels.
Also throughout your campaign, interact with donors by commenting on gifts that you received and sharing status updates on how the page.
Ideas on How to Raise Your First $100
One of the most important factors in fundraising is momentum. People are far more likely to donate to a cause when they see that others have done the same.
- Make a $5 donation to your fundraising page. It is a quick way to build momentum.
- Text your fundraising link to five friends and family, asking each person for a $5 donation.
- Email four coworkers about your personal story and ask them to make $10 donation.
If you reach your goal as your momentum continues to build, log into your account to increase your goal so that you can continue to encourage others to support your cause.
- 6-8 Weeks Before Campaign Deadline
- Questions? Contact Us
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If you have any questions, please contact us at fundraising@uhhospitals.org.