Funding

• Working with other student clubs can increase the amount of funding you receive from the school, if applicable. You’re working with two budgets instead of one.
• Talk with your faculty advisor to see if there are funds within the school budget for student led clubs or ask for policies on fundraising.
• Reach out to your NAMI State Organization(NSO) or NAMI Affiliate(NA) in your area to get involved with one of their events, like a NAMIwalk or a health fair. Use your partnership with them to help your club grow!

 

Donations / Sponsorships / Grants

Getting donations from students and sponsorships from businesses or school departments can help you gather everything you need for the event.

• Get in touch with your NSO/NA contacts to discuss donor relationships and opportunities before you start to fundraise or research grants
• When you collaborate with other clubs and schools departments, and local businesses, discuss what financial support or in-kind supplies they can offer.
• Acknowledge donors and sponsors at the event. Offer their name on a flier, banner, giveaway, t- shirt or offer a table to promote their organization at the event as an incentive.
• Work with your NSO/NA on grant applications available to student led groups with a goal to raise mental health awareness.
• There could also be grant opportunities that your NSO/NA could write your club into. Keep in mind that this will typically require you to reach a certain number of students or offer certain events, educate on certain topics, etc. and require you to report back to the NSO/NA. 

Additional Ideas

• Check to see if there is a community foundation in your area. Community foundations focus on the needs of their local communities and often have grantmaking programs. You may be eligible to apply for a grant for a mental health activity either with your school or your local NAMI as a sponsor.
• Search for local grant opportunities in a funding database. Local libraries often have subscriptions to funding databases such as Foundation Directory Online. You can access the database for free at the library and see if there are any grants that would support your mental health project. Sometimes it can be difficult to know how to search for a grant or what to do with the information you find. Ask the librarian to give you a tour of the database and help you navigate your search.
• Turn to crowdfunding. Work with your club sponsor to see about fundraising for your mental health project on websites like DonorsChoose.org or see if your project qualifies for a Kickstarter project or an Indiegogo campaign. Crowdfunding is an excellent way to get people from different communities to support your project.

 

Helpful Hint: Display a donation box at your club’s events if your school allows it. Label it with a catchy sign – like “Change for Change” – to get people’s attention. Pocket change adds up!