It’s no secret that medical care is hugely expensive in our country. Americans spent $4.1 trillion on healthcare in 2020 according to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That’s an average of $12,530 per person! And that’s only for routine healthcare coverage. What if there’s an emergency or someone needs a certain type of medication? Harvard Magazine writes, “nearly half of Americans have skipped or delayed medical care because of the cost”. The report also notes that 10% of Americans have no medical coverage at all.
Clearly, medical care and treatments are a major financial stressor for Americans. If you or a friend need to find a way to pay mounting medical bills, online fundraising is always a good option. But at AngeLink we can help to ease the process for you. Here are six tried and true fundraising ideas for medical expenses.
In the United States, there are over 102,000 health-related nonprofits. Find the ones that relate directly to the medical issue you’re fundraising for.
Here are the categories and nonprofits from GuideStar Nonprofit Directory.
Try directly reaching out to the most relevant nonprofits on lists above. See what resources they have available for you.
Crowdfunding began in 1997 and has skyrocketed in popularity since then. Last year, over 6 million crowdfunding campaigns were started in the US alone! And in 2020, North Americans donated over $17 billion through crowdfunding platforms. Needless to say, it’s a genius way to fundraise for medical expenses.
If you want to get started, here are the top three crowdfunding platforms. These have fundraising categories specifically for medical expenses: AngeLink, GoFundMe and SpotFund.
When you launch a crowdfunding campaign, be sure to…
It may seem like a long shot, but we’ve seen it work very effectively before. Find celebrities and influencers who have a specific connection to your cause. Then, create a small list of 3-5 who you think may share a specific and genuine connection to your fundraiser.
For example, let’s say you’re fundraising for someone undergoing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Find several Instagram influencers who speak on this issue. Also, look for a celebrity or two who’ve also been public about their IVF journey.
Write out a short but heartfelt note introducing yourself and describing your fundraiser. Then try to find the influencers’ and celebrities’ personal contact information. If you can’t, direct message them on social media. If you chose to set up a crowdfunding campaign, include the link in your message.
Then wait patiently and hope for their response!
Neighborhood fundraising events get great traction (especially if they’re hosted in the beneficiary’s town). Here’s some ideas for how to host a fun Walk or Run event:
Does your medical fundraiser have a beneficiary that attends school or works in an office? You may have a special fundraising opportunity for him or her! Once you have the beneficiary’s permission, try meeting with their school’s principal or boss at work.
Explain to the person in charge what’s going on and why you’re fundraising for this person. Then ask if they’d be willing to work with you to create an in-school or in-office fundraising event.
School fundraising ideas include: Free dress day, bake sale, pie the teacher day, petting zoo in the parking lot, or a dance-a-thon.
Office fundraising ideas include: Casual dress day, special seminar, work from home day, office-wide raffle, or a formal gala.
Most people will naturally donate to a fundraiser that catches their heart. But sometimes, a little extra incentive can go a long way.
Try creating one or more fundraiser giveaways that reward donors. For example, you can make custom T-Shirts that say “I Support Ryan’s Fight Against Cancer!” and give them to anyone who donates $30 or more.
Be sure to do the math, so that the cost of the giveaway doesn’t eat away at your donations! (You may even explain what you’re doing to different merchants to see if they’ll give you a discount.)
Medical bills and expenses are very expensive across the board. And when an unexpected medical need arises, it can be overwhelming. Not only are there bills piling up, but the circumstances can also be very tense, sad and stressful.
We hope that these six medical fundraising ideas will ease this process for you. If you’re struggling with medical expenses, we’re here to help. Consider starting a medical fundraiser today.
