Help NCMEC Fundraise in 3 Simple Steps
Did you know that you can make a real difference in the fight to bring home missing children and prevent child exploitation without even getting off the couch? In the age of social media, you don’t have to host an elaborate event or run a marathon to raise funds for a worthy cause. Today, anyone with a social media account (yes, anyone!) can be a change-maker.
Over the past three years NCMEC has received a monumental amount of support from our followers on social media - and the best part is that the majority of those contributions came from small donations from people just like you. All of those donations went directly toward preventing child abductions, finding missing children and deterring child sexual exploitation. Last year we were able to assist law enforcement with more than 29,000 cases of missing children and our CyberTipline processed millions of reports related to child exploitation thanks in part to the many generous individuals who hosted, and participated in, fundraisers on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
You don’t have to be a social media expert or have tons of friends and followers to make an impact. Consider this: The average Facebook user has over 300 friends and each of those friends has hundreds of more friends … imagine if they all gave just one dollar to your fundraiser—that can add up to hundreds, even thousands, of dollars for missing and exploited children! Generosity is contagious and in an increasingly connected world a small act of kindness can make a big difference in the lives of so many children and families across the country.
Here’s how to get started fundraising for NCMEC on social media:
Step One: Choose an Occasion
Most fundraisers you see on Facebook are in honor of someone’s birthday, but you don’t have to wait for your own birthday to come around to start fundraising. Another option is to choose the birthday of a missing child or the anniversary of the date they went missing. Click here for a list of missing anniversaries happening today and this week, or, follow NCMEC on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to hear their stories and easily share them with your followers.
Step Two: Choose a Platform
You have several options when it comes to fundraising on social media. You can choose the platform you are most comfortable with, the one that connects you with the most friends and family, or you can post on all three!
Facebook: Users can host a fundraiser on Facebook that takes place over a few days or weeks, giving your friends time to notice and contribute to your campaign. Consider making the first donation; your friends are more likely to give if you demonstrate your own investment in the cause. Click here to be guided through the process of creating your own Facebook fundraiser step-by-step.
TIP: Facebook will automatically provide you with a brief summary of who we are and what we do at NCMEC, but it’s always a good idea to add a personal appeal to your post that explains to your friends why NCMEC is important to you specifically
Instagram: Another way to fundraise on social media is to add a clickable donation sticker to your Instagram story that directs your followers to a secure site where they can easily make a donation to NCMEC directly. Instagram gives you the option to create your own story or share one of NCMEC’s stories with your followers.
Add a donation sticker to your Instagram story.
TikTok: You can also add a donation sticker to your TikTok posts that enables your followers to donate to NCMEC quickly and easily with a simple tap.
Use the donation sticker in your TikToks.
Step Three: Post & Re-Post
Once you’ve made your post, share it with as many people as possible. Be sure to also re-post your fundraiser periodically in order to keep your friends and followers updated as you make progress toward your goal. Finally, remember to reach out and thank supporters for their contributions; after all, the important work we do at NCMEC is made possible by the generous support of compassionate people like you!