Crowdsourced fundraising (e.g. Facebook fundraisers) can be a powerful way to share information about issues you are passionate about while inviting your network of friends and family to donate to Headwaters. HFJ community members have fundraised this way to celebrate birthdays, participate in national giving days, and in response to urgent local & national crises. 

If you are thinking about setting up a crowdsourced fundraiser for Headwaters, we have a few recommendations that will keep you values-aligned and connected to our vision of radical, relational philanthropy: 

• Donor organize! It's what Headwaters is all about. At Headwaters, our values are rooted in the power of relationships. Social media fundraisers are easy to create, but they often lack deeper relationship building opportunities between you, your donors, and Headwaters. Instead of social media fundraising, consider having conversations to personally invite friends & family to give to Headwaters, connect with Headwaters values, and tell them why you think we rock! While you think you might reach more donors through an online appeal, the likelihood of someone giving increases significantly when you ask them directly. It’s more effort, but the results are worth it.
   
• Skip third parties - give directly to HFJ. Use social media to share the link directly to Headwaters’ donation page instead of using a third-party platform provided by the social media site. Corporations like Meta (Facebook and Instagram) share very little donor information which prevents us from personally thanking donors and continuing to build connections with them. It also can take several months for crowdsourced funds to be transferred from the corporation to Headwaters. Giving directly via the Headwaters’ donation link helps us put the money to use in community right away.
   
• Tell us if you set up a crowdsourced fundraiser. We’d love to know that you’re taking the time to support us! This helps us keep an eye out for the funds when they arrive several weeks later and allows us to connect the gifts to you. 

Reach out directly to the HFJ development team at development@headwatersfoundation.org for more advice or ideas on how to organize your donors creatively and thoughtfully.