Give to the Max, Minnesota’s annual giving holiday, is coming up! Can you help us make it the best one ever? Each night in Minnesota, approximately 5,000 youth experience homelessness. There are only enough youth shelter beds in Minnesota for about 15% of these young people. Currently, Avenues for Youth’s programs are at capacity and we’re growing to meet the need. During Give to the Max, we generate the resources that allow us to support hundreds of youth each year as they find their path out of homelessness.
The need for safe, supportive housing for young people in Minnesota is great, but together, we can make a difference! Here are some ways you can be an Ambassador for Avenues during Give to the Max Day!
➡️CREATE your own peer-to-peer fundraiser for Avenues. START HERE!
➡️SHARE our Give to the Max Day posts from November 1-16!
Help raise valuable resources for Avenues and spread awareness about youth homelessness in our community!
CREATE YOUR PEER-TO-PEER FUNDRAISER:
- Go to this page on Give MN. You will be prompted to login in or sign up before you can create your fundraiser.
- The above link will lead you to a pre-filled fundraiser template that you can customize. (Make sure “use template provided by organization” is checked.)
- Customize your page!
- Fundraiser Title: You can use one of these suggested titles or create your own.
- [INSERT YOUR NAME]’s fundraiser for Avenues
- Help [INSERT YOUR NAME] support MN youth experiencing homelessness
- Summary Options:
- Avenues partners with youth experiencing homelessness to achieve their dreams.
- Help me raise $XXX for Minnesota youth experiencing homelessness.
- Goal: Set a fundraising goal that feels realistic for your network. You can edit the goal later on. If you’re getting close to the goal and have more capacity, you can raise the goal amount!
- Duration: You don’t have to set an end date. If you do want to, please set the end date as Thursday, November 16 (Give to the Max Day). Start sharing your fundraiser on November 1st!
- Story Section: This section is prefilled with information about Avenues. However, we encourage you to add to this section to share about your connection to Avenues and why you think Avenues’ work is important.
- Fundraiser Title: You can use one of these suggested titles or create your own.
- Video tutorial: you can also find a video showing how to create your fundraiser HERE.
SHARE YOUR FUNDAISER:
- Start sharing your fundraiser on November 1st! Early giving is super important because it helps us create the momentum needed to reach our goal! You can see our overall goal and current progress towards it on Avenues’ organization page.
- Templates for sharing with your network are provided below. We encourage you to customize these to fit your personal communication style.
- Graphics for social posts, logos, and additional photos can be found in THIS FOLDER.
SAMPLE EMAIL LANGUAGE:
Hi [NAME]!
November 16 is Give to the Max, Minnesota’s annual giving holiday, and I’m helping to raise funds for Avenues for Youth! I thought you’d be interested in the good work Avenues is doing.
Each night in Minnesota, approximately 5,000 youth experience homelessness. For 28 years, Avenues has provided shelter and supports to youth experiencing homelessness in the local community. Whether youth need a place to stay for one night or a year and a half, Avenues shows up for youth in that part of their journey. I really care about Avenues because [INSERT WHAT YOU LOVE ABOUT AVENUES HERE!].
I’m hoping to raise [INSERT AMOUNT] for Avenues between now and November 16! I hope you’ll consider making a gift as you’re able. No need to wait! You can make your gift now on my fundraising page at [INSERT UNIQUE LINK TO YOUR FUNDRAISING PAGE].
Thanks so much for your generous support!
SAMPLE SOCIAL POST LANGUAGE:
Give to the Max, Minnesota’s annual giving holiday, is coming up! Can you help me raise [INSERT AMOUNT] for Avenues for Youth between now and November 16?
Each night in Minnesota, approximately 5,000 youth experience homelessness. For 28 years, Avenues has provided shelter and supports to youth experiencing homelessness in the local community. Whether youth need a place to stay for one night or a year and a half, Avenues shows up for youth in that part of their journey. I really care about Avenues because [INSERT WHAT YOU LOVE ABOUT AVENUES HERE!].
No need to wait! You can make your gift now on my fundraising page at [INSERT UNIQUE LINK TO YOUR FUNDRAISING PAGE]. Thanks so much for your generous support!
QUESTIONS?
If you have a question or need anything else to create or share your fundraiser, please reach out to Avenues’ Communications Manager, Sarah Williams, at swilliams@avenuesforyouth.org