8 tips for successful National Child Awareness Month fundraising

Erin Booker

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August 23, 2024

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3 minutes

Nonprofit Trends

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In an effort led by Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, the founder and Executive Director of Festival of Children Foundation, September 2024 has been designated as National Child Awareness Month (NCAM) by the United States Senate (S.Res.792).

Daniels' desire to refocus extra attention to issues improving the lives of all children in America and shine a light on the charities that serve them soon blossomed into a national initiative. The NCAM resolution, passed yearly since 2008, includes all youth-focused causes, making it a powerful opportunity to shine a spotlight on issues affecting children and raise funds for the incredible work being done by children’s charities.

"National Child Awareness Month serves as a call to action, reminding us all of the importance of nurturing and protecting our children’s future,” said Daniels. “This recognition empowers us to continue the vital work of supporting the interdependent network of organizations devoted to improving the lives of children across the country."

Why National Child Awareness Month is important

National Child Awareness Month promotes awareness of charities that benefit children and youth-serving organizations throughout the United States and recognizes the efforts made by those charities and organizations on behalf of children and youth as critical contributions to the hopeful future of the United States.

Since 2008, National Child Awareness Month has made significant impact:

116,249 youth volunteers have been involved in NCAM service projects
1.8 million people benefited from NCAM service projects
157,890 volunteer service hours have been completed during NCAM
$451,500 in NCAM grants have been distributed to children’s charities

National Child Awareness Month is a big Thank You to all of you nonprofiteers who focus on our youth and act to provide them with a brighter future. Thank You!

The history of National Child Awareness Month

NCAM began in 2002 as a grassroots effort in Orange County, California, by Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, the founder and Executive Director of Festival of Children Foundation (FOCF), which supports nearly 500 children’s charities across the country. In 2008, the U.S. Senate passed its first resolution designating September as National Child Awareness Month.

With the sponsorship of U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-OK) in 2024 and the backing of Shelley Capito (R-WV), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Margaret Hassan (D-NH), the National Child Awareness Month resolution has passed by unanimous consent every year since its initial introduction.

How to observe National Child Awareness Month

You can observe National Child Awareness Month in September by raising money through a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign if you're an individual. Nonprofit organizations seeking to observe NCAM can support by partnering with local community center children's services or running fundraising campaigns dedicated to child-friendly programs or clients.

To help with messaging, social media and website content, and image creation, Festival of Children Foundation has put together a collection of NCAM assets that range from identity guidelines to logos to customizable social media images and even messaging. And to facilitate fundraising, Funraise has all the helpful tools you need to build a campaign designed to showcase children's programs and the young people who benefit from them.

Let Funraise show you how easy it is to build a fundraising campaign site.

8 ways your National Child Awareness Month campaign can support children

All of these things can be easily implemented with Funraise's comprehensive nonprofit fundraising software, specifically, our industry-leading, user-friendly, completely customizable campaign site builder.

1. Make it mobile

These days, half of your donors land on your donation form using a mobile device. Make it easy to read and navigate through the donation process on any device, any time, anywhere.

2. Keep it consistent

When it comes to parting with money, trust is paramount. That's why every campaign site needs to line up with your marketing and branding. When donors see a custom site with your brand, they know it's safe.

3. Tap into Fundraising Intelligence

Do you know how much to ask for from which donors, when, and through which media? Funraise's Fundraising Intelligence with machine learning takes your donor behavior and turns it into insights that help you communicate the children's needs.

4. Automate everything

Your time, like the children, is precious. There are more impactful things you can do besides manually inputting donations or sending email confirmations.

5. Make a great giving experience

Make a great giving experience—For the children. And for your donors. Include popular payment methods like Apple Pay and utilize innovations like multi-step donation forms that are proven to increase conversion rates.

6. Tell your story on the donation page

A campaign page without a story is like a nonprofit without a mission. Show your donors through powerful video and images what their gift is cultivating, namely high-quality education, health and welfare, and happy, smiley children.

7. Simplify with AppealAI

Need a helping hand when it comes to writing appeal copy? Funraise has you covered with personalized appeals and ask amounts that increase conversions. With a hand from ChatGPT, AppealAI helps you generate persuasive, specific appeal text within our platform so that you can focus on bigger things.

8. Show outcomes with impact cards

One of the best ways to motivate donors to follow through with their gift is to allow them to choose their donation's impact. Funraise gives you the ability to add impact cards to your campaign site for a highly-specific donor experience that supporters love.

Mobile phone with donation form and donation charts floating around the phone.

Woman looking at fundraising chart with button to book a call.

Yellow shapes in background with donation form in front with stylized text, build an intelligence giving experience.

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National Child Awareness Month FAQ

What are the dates of National Child Awareness Month?

National Child Awareness Month is observed from September 1 through 30. September was selected as National Child Awareness Month because it marks the beginning of the school year for many children. It is an ideal time to focus on children's needs and well-being as they transition back into their academic and social routines.

When was National Child Awareness Month started?

National Child Awareness Month was started in 2008 by Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, the founder and Executive Director of Festival of Children Foundation in Orange County, California. It passed by unanimous consent in the United States Senate and has been passed every year since, making September National Child Awareness Month.

What is Festival of Children Foundation?

Festival of Children Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children by strengthening charities that serve them. Founded in 2003 by Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, the organization provides resources, funding, and networking opportunities to help children's charities maximize their impact through initiatives like National Child Awareness Month.

Festival of Children Foundation raises awareness and drives support for a wide range of children's causes, including education, health, and arts programs. By fostering collaboration among nonprofit organizations, Festival of Children Foundation aims to create a lasting, positive difference in children's lives.

What children's awareness month is May?

May has lots of children's awareness months, including Children's Mental Health Awareness Month, National Foster Care Month, Heal the Children Month, Homeschool Awareness Month, Leaders of Tomorrow Month, National Teen Self-Esteem Month, National Youth Traffic Safety Month, Teen CEO Month, Family Wellness Month, and Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month.

What children's awareness month is June?

June is Child Vision Awareness Month, National Children's Awareness Month, World Day Against Child Labor, Sports America Kids Month, and while it's tangentially related to children, June is Infertility Awareness Month. These awareness months focus mainly on children's health topics and well-being in the United States. International children's months are often hosted by organizations like UNHCR.

What children's awareness month is July?

July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month, National Make a Difference to Children Month, National Child-Centered Divorce Month, and while it's not specifically a child-centered awareness month, July is also National Ice Cream Month. These awareness months focus mainly on children's well-being in the United States. International children's months are often hosted by organizations like UNHCR.

What children's awareness month is August?

August is Children's Eye Health and Safety Awareness Month, Child Support Awareness Month, Children's Cancer Awareness Month, Back to School Month, and National Breastfeeding Month. These awareness months focus mainly on children's physical health and well-being in the United States. International children's months are often hosted by worldwide organizations like UNHCR.