a comprehensive guide to fundraising on social media with a preamble for alliesÂ
grounded in the current BLM context, with info and links to detailed resources
Version 2: 06/02/2020
A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO FUNDRAISING ON SOCIAL MEDIA -----
contents 1.before you jump into publicly fundraising 2.performative social media activism/fundraising 3.impactful social media activism/fundraising 4.bail funds/organizations to raise donations for right now 5.instagram story fundraising templates to use right now 6.extended info on social media fundraising -designing instagram stories for maximum impact -how to choose a cause to fundraise for -more methods to fundraise on social media -how to encourage others to start fundraising
before you jump into publicly fundraising if your goal is to raise awareness, collect donations, and help people take measurable action, it does not do much if you are not educated yourself.
you need to: 1) start educating yourself on the issue at hand and your role in it 2) research the effort you're fundraising for 3) be active in steps you and your community can take beyond just raising awareness and donating
example: if you are a non-black person fundraising for bail funds during the current protests, this is what those 3 items would look like: 1) understanding the cause behind these protests is to fight the oppressive system that America was built upon; educating yourself on your privilege as a non-black person; using your privilege to create a space for the cause. (article one, article two, article three)
2) knowing what bail funds are, and why it's important to donate to them. (article)
3) advocating for change in yourself and others in your everyday life, for the rest of your life. the cause is not a temporary trend. (article one, article two)
performative social media activism/fundraising social media activism is contentious. it is often performative (to check a "look! i'm not racist" box, to be a part of the masses reposting a graphic on their stories, etc.) common examples of performative activism include: reposting graphics on your instagram story & doing nothing else to take initiative; using social justice buzzwords without understanding them yourself.
donating, and encouraging your community & network to donate is a kind of measurable action. it is less performative. but donating is still performative when no further action is taken to support, understand, and work towards a larger movement. performative activism: (article one, article two, article three)
impactful social media activism/fundraising you are the only one who knows and can control whether your activism is performative or not.
take tangible steps to educate yourself. again, if you're raising money for a bail fund, understand why it's useful. if you're raising money for Black Lives Matter, learn the history of the movement.
we need to commit to educating ourselves on the cause and to dismantling inequitable and unjust structures within ourselves and our communities for the rest of our lives. this isn't a two-day social media trend. this is just one part of a lifelong initiative.
who to fundraise for right now bail funds:
helping arrested protesters in various cities via @ualbanyaseas on instagramÂ
atlanta: atlanta solidarity fund actionnetwork.org boston: massbailfund.org brooklyn: brooklynbailfund.org charlotte: charlotteuprising.com columbus: columbus freedom fund denver: colorado freedom fund
los angeles: people's city council
richmond: rvabailfund.org
louisville: louisville community bail fund
new orleans: nola freedom fund
portland: PDX protest bail fund seattle: northwest community bail fund black lives seattle vegas: pla nevada vegas freedom fund
detroit: detroitjusticecenter.org
nashville: nashvillebailfund.org
houston: restoring justice- houston
chicago: chicagobond.org
tucson: tucson second chance community bail fund memphis: memphis community bail fund dallas: faithintx.org des moines: communitybondproject .networkforgood.com salt lake city: slcpd@ gofundme, david newlin
who to fundraise for right now bail funds continued:
helping arrested protesters in various cities via @ualbanyaseas on instagramÂ
raleigh: nccbailfund.org pittsburgh: bukitbailfund.org cincinnati: cincinnati bail fund charlotte: charlotteuprising.com austin: mutual aid atx austin justice coalition black mamas atx
oklahoma city: black lives matter oklahoma
kansas city: kc community bail project/fund
phoenix: arizona justice bail out fund arizona coalition for change
miami: fempowermia
minneapolis: northstar health collective reclaim the block new york city: libertyfund.nyc free them all 2020
tampa: tampa bay community support fund @ gofundme jacksonville: duvail bail out @ gofundme jax community action
fort worth: faith in texas bail fund community bail fund of north texas
philadelphia: philadelphia community bail fund
wilmington, de: gofundme.com/f/fnbba ilfundwilm
roanoke: roanoke community fund
milwaukee: milwaukee freedom fund
national bail out: https://rb.gy/twbuik
who to fundraise for right now organizations/justice funds: black visions collective: https://rb.gy/5wdnuj
local black-owned businesses
justice for amaud arbery: gofundme.com/f/i-run-withmaud justice for breonna taylor: change.org/p/andy-beshearjustice-for-breonna-taylor
mental health support for black people right now: dive in well sista afya healhaus venmo, paypal nat'l queer/trans therapists of color network black emotional & mental health collective black mental health alliance
george floyd memorial fund: gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
MASTERLIST OF MUTUAL AID FUNDS: made by @fridahalo
https://rb.gy/94vxyc
DO NOT DONATE YOUR MONEY TO SHAUN KING
bingo/venmo request templates below are 4 sets of fundraising templates. they come with a bingo board/venmo request instagram story and a second instagram story graphic to inform your audience on how to take action past just a donation. first graphic: there is space for you to tag the instagram handle or website of the organization. there is also room for a brief description of the cause. descriptions help establish your credibility. people want to know and should understand what they're donating to. "more steps to take" graphic: although resources are provided on the second graphic, prepare to reshare them. people often don't read everything. yes, this is frustrating. but take the time to resend it. don't leave the work to other people, because oftentimes the burden unfairly falls upon the black community to keep educating us when it is not their responsibility to do so.
HELP ME RAISE $100 FOR
VENMO: YOUR DONATION IS IMPORTANT, BUT YOU OUGHT TO DO MORE. MY NEXT STORY CONTAINS INFO ON OTHER STEPS TO TAKE.
$3
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MORE STEPS TO TAKE: 1
UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM this isn't a social media trend. this isn't an issue to last in the media for a couple weeks. police brutality is only part of the broader problem.
Black people have faced injustices in their everyday lives for centuries, based on the construct America was built upon— white supremacy. Our society is a system designed to oppress African Americans. Play a part in changing that, because you ought to.
take immediate action 2 sign petitions // protest if you are prepared & able // text & call // donate to bail funds, grassroots work, and ngos links @ bottom contain specific info
educate yourself & others 3 anti racist reading lists // nyt 1619 project // james baldwin // understanding privilege // dear white people // when they see us // pod save the people
DO NOT JUST EDUCATE YOURSELF AND THINK IT'S ENOUGH. EDUCATE YOUR COMMUNITY, YOUR FAMILY, YOUR FRIENDS. BE A PART IN ENDING ANTI-BLACKNESS, FROM MICRO-AGGRESSIONS TO POLICE BRUTALITY TO INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM. THIS IS A SYSTEM THAT FEEDS INTO ITSELF, AND YOU MUST PLAY A ROLE IN CONSCIOUSLY DISMANTLING IT.
SPECIFIC RESOURCES COMPILED AT THESE 2 LINKS: https://linktr.ee/aarushimac https://linktr.ee/kmorganfield
THE RESOURCES HAVE BEEN PROVIDED.
THERE IS NO EXCUSE.
& &
@
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HELP ME FUNDRAISE FOR
HOW MUCH CAN I VENMO REQUEST YOU?
your donation is impactful, but remember that just your money is not enough. read my next story for further action you can take.
MORE STEPS TO TAKE understand the problem
this isn't a social media trend. this isn't an issue to last in the media for a couple weeks. police brutality is only part of the broader problem.
Black people have faced injustices in their everyday lives for centuries, based on the construct America was built upon— white supremacy. our society is a system designed to oppress African Americans. play a part in changing that, because you ought to.
take immediate action
sign petitions // protest if you are prepared & able // text & call // donate to bail funds, grassroots work, and ngos links @ bottom contain specific info
educate yourself & others anti racist reading lists // nyt 1619 project // james baldwin // understanding privilege // dear white people // when they see us // pod save the people
DO NOT JUST EDUCATE YOURSELF AND THINK IT'S ENOUGH. EDUCATE YOUR COMMUNITY, YOUR FAMILY, YOUR FRIENDS. BE A PART IN ENDING ANTIBLACKNESS, FROM MICRO-AGGRESSIONS TO POLICE BRUTALITY TO INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM. THIS IS A SYSTEM THAT FEEDS INTO ITSELF, AND YOU MUST PLAY A ROLE IN CONSCIOUSLY DISMANTLING IT.
SPECIFIC RESOURCES COMPILED AT THESE 2 LINKS: https://linktr.ee/aarushimac https://linktr.ee/kmorganfield the resources have been provided
there is no excuse
A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO FUNDRAISING ON SOCIAL MEDIA -----
extended info the extended information section aims to provide more general resources on social media fundraising for social impact initiatives. by providing more general tools for long term usage, the hope is for social media activism to evolve and become more sustainable/permanent. that being said, this guide was compiled in 2 days. it is a work in progress! any input, feedback, and criticism is much appreciated and can be directed to @aarushimac on instagram (DM me to help me improve it!)
contents 1.designing instagram stories for maximum impact -breaking down the bingo board
2.how to choose a cause to fundraise for 3.more methods to fundraise on social media 4.how to encourage others to start fundraising
designing instagram stories for impact this section is designed to help anyone effectively create instagram story bingo boards that go beyond just raising money, in order to achieve long term impact. below, i have broken down the design of the templates i provided earlier in this guide in effort to help others create impactful and concise graphics for any future cause they fundraise for. some resources to create an effective design: color scheme generator: coolors.co canva (graphic design program for those without Adobe experience. also happens to be the platform this guide was made on): canva.com
designing instagram stories for impact breaking down the bingo board pt 1
designing instagram stories for impact breaking down the bingo board pt 2
how to choose a cause to fundraise for social media fundraising is unique due to its ability to fundraise and make an impact in a very short amount of time (usually around 2 days!) aside from raising the money in a short amount of time, it is important to fundraise for a cause that will use those funds immediately. for example, in my list of "who to fundraise for right now," i specifically advocated for donations to go towards bail funds, grassroots organizations, black owned businesses, and NGOs. this is because these causes are making direct impact every single day during a very current crisis, so they need funding ASAP. this does not mean other social justice organizations (such as policy oriented orgs) working towards long term impact do not matter and do not need funding!
i just ask you to consider which issues and crises are occurring at this very moment.
more methods to fundraise on social media pt 1 "match my donation" chains: donate to a cause post a screenshot on your story, asking people to "match" your donation ask people to post their donation on their story and to tag you. this starts a chain of donations. repost the stories of those who matched your donation. the more reposted stories (i.e. the more people who match your donation), the more likely that other members of your audience mobilize to match your donation and start their own chain!
donate to a cause or match someone else's donation and post it on your story. encourage others to match your donation and post it on their story.
when people match your donation, repost it to your story so your audience sees that people are actually matching you. this persuades more people to match your donation and start their own chains.
more methods to fundraise on social media pt 2 using your talent to incentivize donations if you like art, singing, design, or making things! incentivize people to donate or venmo you a donation by offering something in return you can create "tiers" example: $10 donation: drawing $15 donation: small painting $20 donation: large painting a few ideas on what you can make people for donating: digital art sing them a lil song, or write them a short one poetry collages (digital or mail them a physical one) paintings/drawings via @emgao.doodles
make a post/story like this
post progress updates with examples of your work so more people participate
encouraging others to start fundraising start a dialogue with your friends about the cause help them understand the steps of this guide: educating themselves before publicly fundraising share articles, films, podcasts, books, etc understanding what performative activism is and why it is not meaningful or effective discussing different methods to fundraise share this guide with them :)
groups that you can help mobilize: your close friend group family members and family friends your sorority/fraternity clubs or campus organizations friends from summer camps/summer programs any social media groups/communities you are a part of
encourage others to not just fundraise and be active on their instagram, this is often an echo chamber where many of your followers will agree with you. work on starting dialogue with older family members and relatives as well. (you should do this too!) if your network does not fundraise themselves, encourage them to share other fundraisers to their social media. (you should do this too!)
some final words this guide by no means encompasses everything that social media activism/fundraising is about and should be about. it's merely a beginning in aim to provide tangible steps, ideas, and tools that can be used to educate others on evolving beyond "raising awareness" through performative activism. again, this guide was made in two days. it needs improvement! please direct any input towards @aarushimac on instagram. i am more than willing to work on releasing updated versions as necessary. some other ideas considered in the making of this guide: virtual workshops/programs on social media activism and fundraising making "a comprehensive guide to social media activism" if any of these ideas interest you or if you have anything else that you would like to see, DM me on instagram @aarushimac some important resource link compilations so you and your community can do more: https://linktr.ee/kmorganfield https://linktr.ee/aarushimac