#AmplifyAVANCE to make Futures So Bright!

January 24, 2018

 

Thank you for joining our campaign to #AmplifyAVANCE! In celebration of our 20th year in the Austin area, we’ll raise $20,000 to make Futures So Bright for very young, low-income children and their parents. Spread the word with your friends, family, and community about AVANCE-Austin’s work and make 2018 the best Amplify year ever!

Setting your goal –
Here are some ways your personal fundraising goal can directly impact our program: 

  • $250 – Provides professional development scholarships for our early childhood and parenting educators so they can learn state of the art teaching strategies.
  • $500 – Ensures age-appropriate school supplies for 20 children during our 9 month Parent-Child Education Program.
  • $1,000 – Provides the supplies and instruction to create 51 educational toys. These toys will instill a love of learning through play, while teaching concepts such as shapes, colors, emotions, and gross motor skills. 
  • $1,500 – Sponsors a child to participate in the Parent-Child Education Program for a full year, making a long term impact on that child’s quality of life.
  • $3,500- Gifts a scholarship for an entire family to participate in the Parent-Child Education Program so that they can break the cycle of trans-generational poverty.
  • $5,000 – Provides 9 months of monthly home visits to 6 families

Creating your Fundraising Profile – 
Step 1:

  • Visit our Amplify Austin page: https://amplifyatx.org/AVANCEAustin
  • Click on the lime green “Create Campaign Page” button on the right side.
  • Create a log-in with your email address and a password.
    • NOTE: If you Amplified AVANCE last year, you can re-use your fundraising page! Simply log-in with the email address and password you used last Amplify season, click the “My Fundraisers” tab, and select “Copy Fundraiser.” Don’t forget to tweak your profile to match the 2018 information!

Step 2: Create your profile

  • Organization: This should say “AVANCE-Austin.” If not, you can enter that to let your viewers know whom you are supporting.
  • Fundraiser title: This can be something like “Unlock America’s Potential”—whatever is meaningful and compelling to you. This year, AVANCE’s theme is “Making Futures So Bright,” so feel free to add that to your page!
  • Your fundraiser summary: This is your opportunity to share YOUR story as a supporter of AVANCE-Austin. What makes this organization special to you? Make this your own — it can be as serious or fun as you want!
  • URL link: this can be your fundraiser title, but you can also just use your name. An example: http://amplifyatx.ilivehereigivehere.org/JohnDoe
  • Add a photo: It can be an AVANCE photo (there are plenty on our Facebook page or website) or a picture of you. To follow our “Futures So Bright” theme, upload a picture wearing sunglasses!
    • Bonus Points! Upload a video to your profile. You can record your own, or use our latest feature from Oliveira Public Communications: https://youtu.be/L8zxlBYm9YA.
  • Your personal appeal: Short summary sentence that will go with your photo. For example, “5 donations of $20 will meet my goal! Will you help?”
  • Fundraiser goal: Set a realistic goal, make a plan and do your best! We suggest a minimum of $100 for your personal goal. (If you asked 10 friends to donate just $10 each, or 5 friends to donate $20 each, you would meet your goal in no time!)
  • Start date: Select today’s date and get ready to Amplify AVANCE!

Step 3: Submit for Approval

  • Click “Submit Fundraiser for Approval”
  • The AVANCE team will approve your profile as soon as possible so that you can start sharing your page!

Deadline to submit your individual fundraising profile for approval is February 28 at 5:00 pm.

Donors may begin prescheduling gifts through your page as soon as your profile is submitted and approved. Scheduled donations count towards 2018 Amplify Austin Day goals and will not be charged until Amplify Austin Day (March 1).

Promoting your Fundraising Campaign

  • The first step towards your goal is to share it with your network. Use the tools you already have to communicate with your friends and family. Social media, emails and phone calls or text messages are all great ways to raise awareness and funds.
  • Before posting on social media, give your fundraiser a little momentum by reaching out to friends and family directly via email, text message, or phone call. A personal message asking for their support will go a long way. Make sure to:
    • Include a link to your personal fundraiser page.
    • Offer a quick explanation of AVANCE-Austin does:
      • AVANCE-Austin’s innovative dual generation approach is closing the gap and unlocking potential for children from low-income, Spanish-speaking families. Each year, AVANCE provides 25,000 hours of instruction and over 1,000 home visits to 300 parents and children.

Here’s a sample message:

Hey John, 

Tomorrow is Amplify Austin day. In case you aren’t familiar, Amplify Austin is a city-wide 24-hour online giving campaign for local non-profits. I’m excited to support AVANCE-Austin this year and hope you’ll join me. The money raised will directly benefit very young, low-income children and their parents by providing FREE dual-generation parent and early childhood education and family support services.

I’m trying to raise $100 in 24 hours from 6pm Thursday, March 1 to 6pm, Friday, March 2. If I can get 5 people to each donate $20 or more, I’ve reached my goal. It’s important for me to help make Futures So Bright for young Hispanic children and their families. I hope you’ll support me and these children by making a gift to my fundraising page below. If you know you’ll be unavailable on Amplify Austin Day, you can also pre-schedule your gift and it will count towards my goal. Thanks in advance! Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions, and thanks for reading!

  • Once you’ve done your first round of personal outreach, social media is a great next step to keep everyone updated on your progress and impact. Promote on your own social media channels, with a link to your personal fundraising page to make it easy for your friends to donate. 
  • Want to go the extra mile? Make a donation to your own fundraiser to set the example and kick off your fundraising efforts!

Social Media

Follow #AmplifyAVANCE and let’s get trending across all platforms!

Facebook: @AvanceAustin 

“Like” us and share our Amplify posts. Or create your own content using hashtags: #AmpilfyATX #AmplifyAVANCE and #FuturesSoBright.

Sample Post:
I’m proud to support @AvanceAustin this year through #AmplifyATX. Visit www.amplifyatx.org/AVANCEAustin to learn more and help support young Hispanic children and families in Austin. I hope you’ll join me in making Futures So Bright for more children and families in our community! #AmplifyAVANCE #FuturesSoBright

Twitter: @AVANCEAustin

Again, save yourself time and retweet us. Consider adding a personal message to encourage your friends to give.  Make sure to use the #AmplifyATX or #AmplifyAVANCE #FuturesSoBright in all your tweets!

Sample post:
Excited to support @AVANCEAustin this year during #AmplifyATX! Preschedule your gift to give back to Austin TODAY [include your campaign link]

Just a few hours left to #AmplifyAVANCE! Help @AVANCEAustin reach their goal of $20K before 6pm [include your campaign link]

24 hours to give back to @AVANCEAustin during #AmplifyATX! Your gift will make #FuturesSoBright for Hispanic families [include your campaign link]

Help me reach my goal to #AmplifyAVANCE! I need just 5 friends to give $20 each before 6pm today. Can you help? [include your campaign link]

Tip: Use a URL shortener like bitly.com or goo.gl for your campaign link if you need more character space.

Instagram: AVANCE-Austin has joined Instagram! Visit us at @AvanceATX.

Share photos of your experiences with AVANCE (i.e. volunteering, attending our luncheon, meeting with fellow supporters, etc.). If you don’t have photos of your own, feel free to snag your favorites from our Facebook page or website!

Don’t forget to add the hashtags #AmplifyATX, #AmplifyAVANCE, and #FuturesSoBright.

Sample post:
#ThrowbackThursday to @AvanceATX’s empowering Valor y Sueños Luncheon 2017! Join me as I continue to support AVANCE during #AmplifyATX! Help me reach my goal of $100 by donating here [insert campaign link]. #AmplifyAVANCE #FuturesSoBright

#FuturesSoBright, I have to keep my shades on! Join me as I help AVANCE make Futures So Bright for more children and families in our community. Help me reach my #AmplifyATX goal of $100 by donating here [insert campaign link]. #AmplifyAVANCE

For questions, contact Catherine Frost.

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