Social media connects us in a way nothing else does. Today, one can instantly connect with family and friends all over the globe. And it’s now easier than ever to publicly share our ideas, our work, and our passion with the world!

We’ve been so inspired by people all over who have celebrated birthdays by fundraising for Free The Girls and other organizations that they love and support. It’s made a big difference for our programs, and in turn, for the women who were formerly trafficked and are now in the process of reintegrating into their communities through FTG.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

STEP ONE: Create your fundraising page on Facebook. If you don’t have Facebook, you can use this platform and set up your online fundraising page. Need photos? Head over to our resources or use the photos on this page (just right-click or long-tap to save to your device.)

STEP TWO: Set a goal. The average goal is $200 but many people have raised even more than that!! (One supporter, Zan Patel, invited his friends to donate to his Facebook fundraiser for his birthday and he raised $4,211 for Free The Girls! He holds a fundraiser EVERY year!)

STEP THREE: Invite your people - It can make all the difference!! Post, message, & share on Facebook, Instagram, or Email.

STEP FOUR: Watch the support roll in and be sure to thank everyone for making a true difference in the lives of survivors!

WHAT CAN YOUR FUNDRAISING EFFORTS DO?

  • Offer holistic, healing-centered opportunities for survivors.

  • Provide a safe place for survivors to be in a community of support.

  • Equip a survivor with essential self-care and well-being resources.

  • Fund a survivor's career development program and financial literacy courses.

  • Support the launch of survivor's micro-businesses or job placement opportunities.

  • Enable the provision of skill-building workshops and access to educational opportunities.

  • Begin to change the daunting statistic that 80% of trafficking victims will be re-exploited due to lack of sustainable employment.

TIPS TO MAKE YOUR FUNDRAISER A SUCCESS

  • Make it personal – People are giving to YOU. They trust you and want to celebrate you. Own it! There are pre-populated descriptions of fundraisers when you create one, but change it up! Make it pertain to you specifically and to your unique community of friends and family.

  • Keep updating – We all have so many things that capture our attention. Sometimes, we just plain forget. So keep updating! Keep sharing! Remind people to give but also give them real-time updates about the impact they are making! For example, “Joe, your $50 donation offers vocational training to a survivor, equipping her with skills for sustainable employment. That’s amazing!” or “The $100 we’ve raised so far will go toward creating job placement opportunities for survivors in local businesses and shelters in Costa Rica and El Salvador.”

  • Do videos – Best way to update and keep it personal? Video updates. No need for anything fancy. The last time I (Courtney) held a fundraiser for a cause, my video updates were at a splash pad, in the minivan, and at my kitchen table with my kids running around. No one didn’t give because it didn’t look professional. And every time I posted a video, there was an uptick in donations. If you need some help, we’ve created a few scripts for you to use. But don’t read them verbatim – make them your own! (See RESOURCES below)

  • Celebrate! – What you’re doing, what your community has done – it’s amazing! They have taken their time and their money and given to you, to a cause that you believe in. $20 or $200 or $2000 – it’s worth celebrating and being very very grateful!


That’s it! It’s not rocket science. We are just so jazzed that you’re leveraging your place in your online community to partner with us in giving women around the tools to empower themselves.

RESOURCES

Posts you can share to any social media platform!

Stories - don’t forget to use a donate sticker!

Banners for Facebook fundraisers or email headers!

Scripts you can use for your videos or update posts:

Start of Fundraiser

Hi friends! It’s my birthday/retirement/summer fundraiser/whatever coming up, and I can’t wait to tell you about this organization and why we are going to raise some money for them! Free The Girls is a counter-trafficking organization that focuses on giving women the tools to reintegrate after exploitation and start the next chapter of their lives through business and community. They help educate and encourage people to get involved - which is just what I’m doing - holding a fundraiser to support sex trafficking survivors and their families! I may not be able to donate $200 but I bet we as a community can. Every bit helps! Thank you so much!

Update your Followers

Hi! We’ve already raised $x! Thank you all so much! We have $x left to go to reach our goal, and I bet we can do it. And if you can’t donate, you can share this fundraiser! I love seeing what a group of passionate people can do to change the world!

Closing out your Fundraiser

Last push! We’re so close! (or alternatively: We still have time to hit our goal!). If you’ve been thinking of donating, now’s the time! For reference, $200 is enough to fund two women’s micro-businesses for an entire month! Thank you all so much for coming alongside and donating with me!

We are beyond grateful for all those who’ve supported Free The Girls in this way.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Please feel free to reach out to us with any thoughts, ideas, questions you may have. And as always, be sure to connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. Share your stories with us - we’d love to share about you with our followers!