JOIN the MOVEMENT:
Fundraise for Mental Health

Q: Are there certain things Active Minds cannot provide me while I fundraise?

There are some services we are unable to provide our fundraisers, including: Our sales tax exemption number Insurance or liability coverage Mailing list of donors and/or vendors Funding or reimbursement of your expenses Solicit sponsorship revenue for your fundraiser Guaranteed Publicity (e.g. newspaper, radio, television) Guaranteed attendance of staff or members of an Active Minds Chapter at your Event

Fundraising is an essential part of mental health advocacy

At Active Minds, we see the importance of community and connecting with peers to champion a new era of mental health. By signing up to fundraise for Active Minds, you are joining us as a committed mental health advocate and spreading this message of hope with your community. Our fundraisers make a difference in the way we talk about, care for, and respond to mental health.

Help us create a society that forever values and prioritizes mental health. Show up & support our mission to champion a new era of mental health for youth and young adults nationwide and start a fundraiser today:

Design Your Own Fundraiser

Show your community that mental health matters with your own unique event. From charity dinners to livestreams to social media efforts and special moments - get creative and make a difference

Honor a Loved One

Create a Legacy of Hope fundraiser in honor of a loved one, to celebrate a friend or family member in their mental health journey, or to remember their life and carry on their legacy by creating a personalized tribute fundraiser page

Team Active Minds

Get active for Active Minds and fundraise as part of your next 5K, marathon, dance class, exercise challenge – or any active moment to support young adult mental health nationwide

Pledge Your Birthday

Create a fundraiser to celebrate your special day, and give the gift of hope as you highlight the importance of mental health resources and support in your community

Setting up your fundraising page

Choose the type of fundraising campaign from the options above or design your own event.
Create an account login to make changes and track your progress. You will then be guided through the setup process to create your custom page, including a personalized fundraising link and a goal. All of these items can also be edited from your account afterwards.
Upload a personal photograph and share your “why” in the about section as you join the mental health movement!

Not seeing your style of event or want to talk through opportunities before setting up your page?
See our FAQs below or use the contact information at the bottom of this page to reach out to our team directly for more help!

Facebook Fundraisers

We encourage you to create a personal fundraising page FIRST.

Once you have created a page from the options above, you can duplicate it to Facebook from your account to boost your reach and help provide an even bigger impact. By following this process, you can automatically bring the information from your personal page into your fundraiser. You also will keep your donation totals synced – any donations made on Facebook will show on your personal page!

If you are only interested in creating a Facebook Fundraiser natively on Facebook, without creating a personal fundraising page,
you can do so here!

Get creative with your efforts

However you choose to fundraise, you’re spreading awareness and a message of hope to your community. Once you’ve registered, you’ll have a custom fundraising link to share with your network and online. Our team will also share tools and templates to help you get started, sample messages and social media tools to reach out to your network, as well as more mental health facts and support throughout your fundraising efforts. We are here to help you reach and exceed your goals AND bring the conversation of mental health to your entire community.

To help give you some ideas of how others are making a difference, below are some of our favorite fundraisers from supporters prioritizing mental health in their community. Their commitment provides inspiration for rallying your friends and family. We cannot wait to see how you join the mental health movement!

29029 Everesting

For her 18th birthday, Tailor has 36 hours to hike the elevation gain of 29,029 ft (the same as Mount Everest). She decided to combine her physical feat with a purpose greater than just hiking. That's when Tailor found Active Minds and decided it was important for her to raise money while climbing.

Trevor K Golf

Through hosting an Annual Memorial Golf Tournament, Trevor’s friends & family hope to keep his spirit alive and raise money to benefit mental health charities in his name. Now in its 4th year, organizers hope to help others open up and talk about their mental health on behalf of Trevor.

sufferwithfriends

sufferwithfriends was created in October 2018 to openly and honestly discuss mental health, show how exercise could be used as a coping mechanism, and convey how social support and community play important roles in prevention. Collectively, we have raised almost $14,000 for Active Minds since 2021.

Run For Jeev

Throughout the pain of grieving Sanjeev, we quickly realized that if this tragedy can happen to our family, it can happen to any other family. This realization is when we decided that we had to turn our pain into purpose, so we conducted a 5K run in partnership with Active Minds.

A photo from the second “Taking Steps Toward Open Minds” benefit run from March of 2003 on the University of Pennsylvania Campus.

Growing the mental health movement

When you fundraise, you are amplifying our message of hope and sharing that you want a society that forever values and prioritizes mental health.

Recognizing that youth and young adults are the most impactful catalysts for change among their peers, Active Minds has spent more than 20 years equipping the next generation of mental health advocates.

Pictured here is the second “Taking Steps Toward Open Minds” benefit run from March of 2003 on the University of Pennsylvania Campus – the first-ever chapter of Active Minds!

Help Us Celebrate YOU!

Active Minds wants to recognize and celebrate you! There is no better time to do that than your birthday. If you could share your birthday month with us through this form, we will send you a note and token of our appreciation for you when that special time of year comes around.

Frequently Asked Questions

Fundraise for Active Minds

Will Active Minds support me in my fundraising efforts?

Yes! Once you’ve registered and set up your fundraising page, you’ll have a custom link to share with your network and online. We will also share tools and templates to help you get started, as well as more mental health facts and resources throughout your fundraising efforts. We also have a dedicated community fundraising team that can consult and assist you – someone from Active Minds will reach out once you’ve created your page!

What resources are available?

Once you’ve registered, you will receive our Active Minds Fundraising Kit with templates, social media graphics, sample email messages and text messages, and more!

Can I use the Active Minds logo while fundraising to create promotional materials?

Yes, as long as the logo is used in accordance with our Community Fundraising Terms and Conditions. The logos included on your fundraising page are already approved. Active Minds staff can provide you a color logo or black and white versions. Any additional materials bearing an Active Minds logo must be submitted to fundraise@activeminds.org for review and approval before being made public.

Can a member of the Active Minds team join or attend my event?

While we would love to attend all events, we cannot guarantee that staff members will be available due to additional commitments and the important mental health work we are doing nationwide. If you’d like to request attendance, please do ask, but we like to be upfront that it is unlikely that we can attend.

Are donations to Active Minds tax deductible?

Yes! Since Active Minds is a registered 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization, donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. All donations made through your fundraising page will include an official donation receipt. We’ll send it to the donor directly upon successful completion of their donation.

Can Active Minds help cover expenses related to my event?

Active Minds cannot provide direct funding or reimbursement for expenses related to community fundraising events. Event organizers are responsible for the organization, operation, and control of the event, including all costs incurred. As you plan your event, you may want to develop a budget that accounts for these costs and collect some funds that help pay for these expenses. There are also many ways to limit event-related costs, such as securing in-kind donations or support from local businesses. The Active Minds team would be happy to discuss further.

What if a donor gives money to me directly? Can I donate or write a check to Active Minds on their behalf?

We do not recommend you do this. Whenever possible ask your donors to give online via your fundraising page or to give you a check payable to Active Minds. Otherwise, we cannot issue them a tax receipt.

Are there certain things Active Minds cannot provide me while I fundraise?

There are some services we are unable to provide our fundraisers, including:

Our sales tax exemption number
Insurance or liability coverage
Mailing list of donors and/or vendors
Funding or reimbursement of your expenses
Solicit sponsorship revenue for your fundraiser
Guaranteed Publicity (e.g. newspaper, radio, television)
Guaranteed attendance of staff or members of an Active Minds Chapter at your Event

Are there ways my company can help with my fundraising efforts?

One of the easiest ways to boost your fundraising is through employer matching gifts. Many companies offer employees a matching gift benefit that doubles or sometimes triples your gift. Contact your company’s Human Resources or Finance department to see if they match charitable donations. Your coworkers and colleagues may also be a fabulous resource for supporting your efforts, amplifying your campaign, and sharing with an even wider audience the message that mental health matters!

I still have questions before I get started. Who should I get in touch with?

Please see our contact information below!

Additional ways to get involved

Want to design your own event to support Active Minds? Not seeing how you’d like to fundraise? Looking for workplace giving opportunities, employee engagement events, giveback campaigns, or other ways to support mental health? Email fundraise@activeminds.org to get involved.

Need Assistance? Contact Us!

Click for contact info

Brett Curtis

Director, Community Fundraising