Cause Awareness Months and How to Fundraise During Them

Awareness months are a great opportunity to shed some light on your nonprofit organization and the work it does. If your mission is related in some way to an existing awareness month, you should fundraise during that time. Why? Because people are often more engaged with causes during their related awareness months. Read on to learn about some of the different awareness months and how you can fundraise during these times. 

January

January has a few designations as an awareness month. For instance, it’s both Blood Donor Month and Human Trafficking Prevention month. Medical nonprofits and nonprofits that work to prevent human trafficking should prepare fundraisers for the month of January. 

Nonprofits that should fundraise in January:

• Hospitals
• Clinics
• Human trafficking prevention nonprofits
• Law enforcement agencies

February

February is Black History Month. Black History Month is a month that celebrates the achievements of African Americans and the struggles they’ve faced throughout U.S. history. Nonprofits that benefit African Americans or were founded by African Americans should consider fundraising during Black History Month. 

Nonprofits that should fundraise in February:

• Civil rights organizations
• Nonprofits that benefit African Americans
• African-American founded nonprofit organizations

March

March is Women’s History Month. This month celebrates the achievements of women and their contributions to society. Nonprofits that serve women or were founded by women can find success fundraising during Women’s History Month. 

Nonprofits that should fundraise in March:

• Women’s health nonprofit organizations
• Organizations that benefit women
• Nonprofits founded by women

April

April has a couple of different awareness causes associated with it. The first is Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Month, and the other is National Poetry Month. Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Month is an opportunity for nonprofits to raise funds to support survivors of sexual assault and work towards eradicating sexual assault. Artistic nonprofits should raise funds for National Poetry Month, especially literary nonprofits. 

Nonprofits that should fundraise in April:

• Sexual assault awareness nonprofits
• Nonprofits that help sexual assault survivors
• Literary nonprofits

May

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Like other heritage months, this one celebrates the achievements of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. If your nonprofit was founded by Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders or your nonprofit helps Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders, May is a good time to host a fundraiser. 

Nonprofits that should fundraise in May:

• Civil rights organizations
• Nonprofits that benefit Asian American and Pacific Islanders
• Nonprofits founded by Asian American and Pacific Islanders

June

June is Pride Month. It’s a month that remembers the struggles for equality faced by the LGBTQIA community and is also a celebration of those who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, or Asexual. If your nonprofit benefits those in the LGBTQIA community, Pride Month is the perfect time to fundraise for your cause.

Nonprofits that should fundraise in June:

• LGBTQIA nonprofit organizations
• Nonprofits that benefit the LGBTQIA community
• Nonprofits founded by members of the LGBTQIA community

July

July is Disability Pride Month, which is a month that celebrates those living with disabilities. If your nonprofit works with people living with disabilities or was founded by someone living with a disability, it can be a great time to launch a fundraiser in support of your cause. 

Nonprofits that should fundraise in July:

• Organizations that benefit those living with disabilities
• Nonprofits founded by someone living with a disability

August

August is Back to School Month and is a time when many parents are preparing for their children to return to school. This is a great time for educational nonprofits to launch fundraisers to help prepare students for the return to school. This can come in the form of teacher supply drives or monetary donations for school-related causes. 

Nonprofits that should fundraise in August:

• Schools
• Educational nonprofits
• Youth development nonprofits

September

September is the start of Latinx Heritage Month. Beginning the fifteenth of September and going until October 15^th, Latinx Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the achievements of Latinx people. If your nonprofit was founded by a Latinx person or you serve the Latinx community, it is a great opportunity to fundraise in support of your cause. 

Nonprofits that should fundraise in September

• Civil rights organizations
• Nonprofits that benefit the Latinx community
• Nonprofits founded by a Latinx person

October

In addition to being half of Latinx Heritage Month, October is LGBTQ+ History Month. Like Pride Month, this is a time to celebrate LGBTQ+ people and their achievements. If your nonprofit serves the LGBTQ+ community or was founded by a member of the LGBTQ+ community, a fundraiser during LGBTQ+ History Month could be beneficial to your nonprofit organization. 

Nonprofits that should fundraise in October:

• Civil rights nonprofits
• Nonprofits that benefit Latinx people
• Nonprofits founded by Latinx people
• LGBTQIA nonprofits
• Nonprofits that benefit the LGBTQIA community
• Nonprofits founded by members of the LGBTQIA community

November

November is Native American Heritage Month. It’s a time to celebrate Native Americans and their achievements. Like other heritage months, if your nonprofit was founded to serve the Native American community or was founded by Native Americans, take the opportunity to host a fundraiser during the month of November in honor of Native American Heritage Month. 

Nonprofits that should fundraise in November:

• Native American nonprofit organizations
• Nonprofits founded by Native Americans
• Nonprofits that benefit the Native American community

December

December is AIDS Awareness Month, a month that seeks to promote awareness of AIDS and HIV infection. Medical nonprofits, especially those that seek to treat AIDS and HIV, should host fundraisers relevant to AIDS and HIV during the month of December. 

Nonprofits that should fundraise in December:

• Healthcare nonprofits with an AIDS specialization
• LGBTQIA nonprofit organizations that offer AIDS testing and prevention services

How to host a successful awareness month fundraiser 

Be relevant

First, your fundraiser needs to be relevant to the awareness month. Figure out how your cause relates to the awareness month and then plan your fundraiser to highlight the connection between your cause and the month’s focus. 

Create a customized donation form

Second, create a customized donation form for the awareness month fundraiser. A custom donation form with your nonprofit’s branding can raise 38% more on average than a generic PayPal page. Your donation form should include more than your branding. It needs to have a connection with the awareness month, and the connection should be clear by looking at the form. 

Use text fundraising

Third, use text fundraising to reach your supporters with outbound text messaging. A quick message to members of your contact lists can be a great way to get donations early in your awareness month fundraiser. Be sure to include a direct link to your custom donation form so supporters can give without searching for the right page on your website. Why use text fundraising messages? They’re designed for fast responses. 97% of text messages are read within fifteen minutes of receipt. That means you can earn awareness month donations within minutes of sending an outbound message to the supporters who’ve opted in to your texts. 

Encourage monthly giving and matching gifts

Fourth, encourage monthly giving and matching gifts to keep donations coming in beyond the awareness month. When donors are preparing to give during your campaign, consider using a recurring nudge or modal to convince them to set up a recurring gift instead. As you know, you need funding all year long, not just during the awareness month for which you’re fundraising. An established monthly donation is a great way to keep donations coming in well beyond the end of your month-long campaign. Similarly, you can raise additional funds by asking donors to seek matching gifts from their employers. This way, donors make double the difference and your nonprofit receives twice the support.   

Be social

Utilize social media as a way to reach your supporters and find new ones. During the awareness month you’re fundraising for, take note of popular hashtags that are used and incorporate them into your social messaging surrounding your campaign. This is a great way to introduce your cause to new audiences who find it through their interest in the awareness month.

Limit your campaign duration

Finally, limit the duration of the fundraiser to match the awareness month. Basically, set a time limit for reaching your fundraising goal. You want to give yourself one month to raise the crucial funds you need during the awareness month. This creates a sense of urgency that can inspire donors to give more and even share your campaign with their friends and family members. It may help to include a thermometer to track your fundraising progress visually during the awareness month.  

Conclusion

Awareness months can be a great opportunity to host fundraisers that will benefit your cause. As long as your nonprofit’s cause is relevant to the awareness month, your nonprofit can gain awareness for your cause and raise crucial funds. There are more awareness months out there than what we’ve shared here. If you haven’t found the perfect reason to fundraise, consider searching for relevant awareness months for your cause. 

Want to create custom donation forms for your awareness month fundraisers? Give ours a try.