Fundraising Fundamentals
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      Fundraising Resources & Answers to Recent Questions

      Can I use Facebook or Instagram to collect donations?

      When you joined our team, a fundraising page was automatically set up for you. This is the only vehicle through which you should be collecting online donations. You can share this link on Facebook and LinkedIn, in your Instagram bio, and through any other social media platforms.
      Please do not set up a separate fundraiser on any of these platforms. We have no way of tracking those gifts, properly acknowledging donors, or giving you credit for them. Only the totals shown on your official Mercy Home Heroes fundraising page will count toward your fundraising minimum. Thank you for your understanding. Note, we do manually add all checks and company matches to your page.

      Did you say there was someplace I could find kids stories to share with my prospective donors?

      Our Stories highlight many of the successes of the youth who have passed through our doors. These are on our website, are public, and can be included in emails, text messages and shared on social media.

      The Mercy Home YouTube Channel also has a playlist called Stories of Our Residents which contains some very moving videos to tug at the heart strings of donors and inspire you as well.

      I have a donor who is looking for more statistics. Where can I find that?

      Some donors need to know the numbers. We publish Mercy Home By The Numbers annually which outlines our program statistics and helps donors make an informed decision.

      Can I work with a restaurant or retailer to set up a fundraiser where a portion of sales can go to my marathon fundraiser?

      Similarly to social media fundraisers, we don’t recommend doing anything where the money goes through a third party. We have no way of knowing who gave or how much they gave, nor do we have a way of acknowledging those individuals for their generosity. Additionally, the business can provide the donation at their discretion and there’s no guarantee the check will arrive by the marathon fundraising deadline.