Falling sick can get expensive. A report from Healthcare Finance News revealed that the average yearly unsubsidized medical cost for a family of four is a whopping $25,000. This burden is a lot higher if a member of the family has a fallen on difficult times with expensive treatment regimens and hospital stays.
If you’re drowning in medical debt, know that there are ways to get the funds you need to pay off your bills. A quick way to raise cash is to draw people to your story and introduce a sense of urgency in your situation.
Here are a few fundraising ideas to help you cover the cost of co-pays, physician visits, treatments and other medical expenses.
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Seek Help with Patient Foundations
Work with a foundation for patient advocacy. A couple of patient advocacy groups are the National Organization for Rare Disorders and the American Heart Association.
The role of these groups is to educate people about specific illnesses, as well as advocate with the government concerning the welfare of patients. If you’ve been newly diagnosed with a disease, these patient advocacy organizations could give you access to the financial assistance you need (or provide resources to help you raise money).
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Reach out to Your Inner Circle
If you’re running any kind of fundraiser, try sharing this with your family and close friends before broadcasting it out to the world. Strangers are less likely to donate if they find a fundraiser page that doesn’t have a lot of donations. By sharing your fundraiser with people you know and trust, you could help build up the donations before sharing it more widely to the public.
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Conduct a Livestream Event
Get someone to host a livestream event with performers and special guest speakers. During breaks or in between speakers, talk about your online fundraising campaign and continually provide updates toward your goal throughout the duration of the event.
When doing a livestream for your fundraiser, simulcast on well-known platforms, such as Zoom, Facebook Live and YouTube Live. Make sure that you have a donor campaign page set up and linked to your Livestream chatbox to get users to donate to your cause.
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Host a Concert
You don’t have to be a large non-profit organization or a big charity group to host a benefit concert. Just search for a talented performer that fits well with your audience, and begin the event planning process.
When hosting this type of event, remember to take care of the insurance, security, venue and logistics weeks or months in advance. Then, get help promoting the event through various channels, such as social media and e-mail.
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Organize a Movie Night
Invite potential supporters and donors to a movie night. You could host a film screening related to your cause or choose a classic movie people would want to watch again. Consider hosting this event at an outdoor space, such as a park or a large garden. When organizing a movie night, ask a movie equipment rental provider in your area to sponsor the event and cover the cost of rentals.
Consider these five ideas to raise money for your medical expenses. When conducting the fundraiser, remember to post updates to make your donors feel valued and show people how the donations are helping you improve your life.
