February is Ectodermal Dysplasias Awareness Month. It’s a perfect opportunity to let the world know about ectodermal dysplasias. Be part of the Rise Up for Rare movement, which is our theme this year.
Spread the word about ectodermal dysplasias and join us in rising up. Get involved all month long by sharing our facts, blogs, tweets, videos, and Facebook posts. We rely on you, our family volunteers, to step up to the plate and help us with creating awareness and funding for those affected by ectodermal dysplasias and the National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasias, not only in February during Awareness Month but all year.
We are at a crucial point with advocacy and the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA). Take action by registering as an advocate.
You might also volunteer this month by becoming a social media ambassador, sharing your story, donating and/or fundraising for the NFED. Rise up and volunteer. We can’t do it alone. We need you!
Rise Up and Raise Funds
There are lots of ways you can fundraise in February. You could hold a small fundraiser in your community or school. Or, how about having a blue jean day, Cookies for a Cure (a.k.a. bake sale) Day, a trivia night, bunko night, euchre or pinochle card party? Or, you could have a dinner type of event like a spaghetti dinner, pizza night, a breakfast, soup and salad bar, baked potato bar or a homemade pie sale with all proceeds to be donated to the NFED.
Check with your local restaurants if they offer special nights for non-profits and donate 10% of their sales. Hold a Tupperware, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Avon Cosmetics, Stella & Dots, Pampered Chef, Premier Jewelry and many more and donate a percentage to the NFED. The sky is the limit. Make it fun and have informational sheets or flyers available to create much needed awareness.
Download Dining for Dollars Tool KitThese types of events usually generate about $200-$500 on the average. If we have 20 people of our 8,600 families hold a small event in February for Awareness Month, you can generate $4,000 to $10,000 for the NFED and those affected by ectodermal dysplasias. That should be possible, don’t you think? Let’s achieve this goal together. Let’s Rise Up and raise funds.
Begin to FundraiseUse Facebook to Fundraise
How about setting up a Facebook fundraiser through our NFED Facebook page? Facebook fundraisers are an easy way to raise money for the NFED. It only takes three simple steps and your fundraiser is ready in just minutes. There are no credit card fees charged to the NFED so 100% of the donation goes to the foundation!
To be successful, it is crucial that you share your Facebook fundraiser on your own Facebook page. Keep sharing that same link regularly throughout the month. Also, invite your friends to your fundraising page. It’s a good idea to share NFED posts throughout the month on your Facebook fundraising page to help spread awareness. This is so important.
Ask your friends to share your posts as well. This should be like a snowball effect! Awareness will be growing! but you have to get involved and Rise Up for Rare. Use our toolkit to plan your Facebook fundraiser today. You can grab our Rise Up for Rare graphic to use for your banner here.
Download Our Facebook Fundraiser Tool Kit
The Vora family has held
numerous Facebook fundraisers
for the NFED over the last five years.
Dr. Dennis Claire has held
an awareness month
Facebook fundraiser the last three years in honor of his son, Ronan.
If 20 people would set up a Facebook fundraising page for Ectodermal Dysplasias Awareness Month that generated $200-$500 per fundraising page, you would generate $4,000 to $10,000 for the NFED and those affected by ectodermal dysplasias. It is an easy way to be involved and helping to spread the word about ectodermal dysplasias and the NFED.
Let Us Inspire You
We all need a little inspiration. Planning and executing advocacy and fundraising projects is not always as easy as a small event or a Facebook fundraiser! We have numerous upcoming major family fundraising events like our walks, Keene’s Crawfish Boil, the BBQ & Music Fest, Bites & Brews, Halloween Bash, and so many more. We know how it is when stress and frustration might set in. That’s when we need some words of encouragement to keep us going.
Here is a quote that might encourage you as volunteers to get involved. It encourages me to keep doing what I am doing!
I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. ~ Edward Everett Hale
You can make a huge difference and impact. So get involved. Rise up and volunteer.
For any questions on how you can get involved, please contact me at lea@nfed.org or call me at 618-566-6871.