THANK YOU for your willingness to participate in fundraise with us! Every dollar supports CRIS’ work and mission--from housing to employment, English language support to immigration legal assistance--critical services to ensure families can find stability and hope in a new home. Your support creates a community where refugees and immigrants feel valued and empowered.

First Things First

The first thing you need to do is create your fundraising page. We're using GiveSignUp as the platform for our 100-day campaign to kickstart the Enduring Welcome fund. This site makes it easy to create fundraisers, donate directly, and track our progress together. For those who have participated in a CRIS 5K in recent years, this platform will look very familiar!

Set Up Your GiveSignUp Fundraising Page

Once you create and personalize your fundraising page, here are three easy ways to invite your family/friends to join in the FUNdraising:

One of the most powerful ways of engaging others in the beautiful work CRIS does is to share your own story of involvement. As a way of structuring your CRIS story, consider including some or all of the following:
- How long have you been involved with CRIS and in what capacities?
- What initially drew you to become involved with CRIS?
- Why is the work of CRIS meaningful to you personally?
- What is your personal favorite CRIS moment?
Only you can tell your story with authenticity and sincerity; the following is simply an example. Underlined portions are responses to the above questions.
I have known about CRIS since I first moved to the Columbus area in 2011. As a K-12 ESL teacher with experience supporting immigrant children, I was initially drawn to the work of CRIS because of their work in resettling refugees from around the world. Since then, I have learned how comprehensive their services and programs are, not only in welcoming refugees but also in supporting immigrants, and asylum-seekers. The work of CRIS is meaningful to me personally because of my conviction that safety, security, and self-sufficiency are human rights, not privileges.
I once had the opportunity to deliver donated backpacks to a Congolese family with five children on the day they moved into their first permanent home, right here in the heart of Columbus. I'll never forget the excitement and pride that radiated on their faces as they donned their new bags.
Pro Tip: Veteran CRIS (5K) fundraiser Carol Bitzinger shares, “Share the cause with people who you know have the same convictions you do!”
When you set up a fundraiser through Run Sign Up, it is super easy to create a Facebook fundraiser. Follow the steps/prompts to do so, and feel free to use the following words for the “About” section of your Facebook fundraiser:
I’m fundraising for Community Refugee & Immigration Services’ Enduring Welcome fund. Money raised helps refugees and immigrants in Central Ohio reach safety and stability, establish self-sufficiency, and achieve successful integration into the community. Thank you for joining me in this endeavor! See more details at: (insert your unique fundraising page URL).
Pro Tip: Once you set up the fundraiser on Facebook, it is super easy to share with all of your Facebook friends/contacts.
Instagram Post/Story
I am fundraising for Community Refugee & Immigration Services’ Enduring Welcome fund. Money raised helps refugees and immigrants in Central Ohio reach safety and stability, establish self-sufficiency, and achieve successful integration into the community. Thank you for joining me in this endeavor!
Pro tip: You can add the unique URL of your fundraising page to your Instagram profile for easy access to the link!

Social Media Image Bank

You can download any of the following images that may be helpful to you. Here’s how:

Mobile Devices: Tap an image > When the image appears full-screen on your device, press and hold your finger down > On your device, select “Save to images” > Now it should be on your camera roll!

Desktop: Right-click on an image > “Save image as”.