For Students

Are you one of the thousands of students who read Mountains Beyond Mountains this year? Do you want to become more involved with Partners In Health, but don't know where to begin? The resources below should help you get started!!

Directly Support the Work of Partners In Health

Students across the country have collectively fundraised close to one million dollars for Partners In Health through events ranging from dodgeball tournaments to red ribbons campaigns, to concerts, to dance marathons. If you wish to hold a fundraiser to support the work of PIH, please follow the steps below.

When asking students to donate, please keep in mind that it is easiest for PIH to operate with unrestricted funds as it allows us to use our resources wherever they are needed most. PIH needs funds to buy medicines, build infrastructure like hospitals and clinics, provide food, pay the salaries of our community health workers, support education programs, build clean water systems, and do whatever else is needed to serve the communities in which we work.

1. Decide what kind of event you wish to hold. You can host a panel discussion with professors and local professionals in the public health and international development field focusing on topics such as global health, international trade, poverty, etc. Alternatively you could host a movie night featuring a film such as A Closer Walk, followed by a short 10-minute DVD about PIH. Book clubs, athletic competitions, concerts, walks, and other creative events are excellent ways to raise funds.

2. Ask your school if they will act as a financial administrator for student donations. Students can then donate cash at your event and your school will send one check to PIH for the entire amount raised. It is preferable for PIH to receive one large donation rather than hundreds of smaller gifts. Alternatively, participating students can donate online using laptops provided at the event. Our online donations page allows them to reference the event they are attending.

3. Register a space, time, and date to hold your event on campus.

4. Contact Christine Hamann at chamann@pih.org with the details of your event, such as date, location, and fundraising goal.

5. Invite speakers, musicians and other performing groups to take part in the event.

6. Advertise your event on campus by inviting school departments, groups, teams and social organizations to participate. If you would like materials such as DVDs, photos, PIH brochures and annual reports, please email info@pih.org with the subject line: “Student Fundraising Materials Request.”

7. Contact local businesses to see if they will match the amount you raise. Make it a community-wide challenge!

8. Prepare what you want to say regarding PIH to those taking part in your fundraiser. You can find our mission, model, and quick facts about PIH on our website. If you wish to highlight a certain facet of our work and require more information that you cannot find on our website, please write to info@pih.org with your requests.

9. When the event has concluded, please email Christine to let her know how your event went, as well as recommendations for other student groups looking to fundraise for Partners In Health.

All checks should be made payable to “Partners In Health” and mailed to:

Partners In Health
P.O. Box 845578
Boston, MA 02284-5578

Examples of some successes:

• Urban Walk for Haiti - This walk-a-thon is led by a Massachusetts high school. Students recruit walkers and sponsors donate for their participation. They raised over $60,000 in 2006, and are now planning their sixth annual walk, which will be held on April 4, 2009 in Cambridge, MA.
• The Stanford Dance Marathon – This annual event at Stanford University asks leaders to recruit dancers in the first weeks of the semester and fundraise throughout the year. Sponsors pledge money for each hour that a student dances. This campus-wide event is advertised year-round and raised over $150,000 in early 2007.
• Red Ribbon Campaign - Another Massachusetts high school led a campaign to sell ribbons and run donation drives in their community. They hosted a concert with a speaker from PIH and raised about $20,000.

Some of the most successful events are those that are creative and appeal to a broad base of students who are not yet familiar with Partners In Health. Tournaments (kickball, softball, dodgeball) between different student organizations, Greek chapters, dorm floors, or classes (freshman vs. seniors) can get the whole campus motivated for a cuase they are unfamiliar with, which is an excellent opportunity to engage new support.

Join the Students for PIH Listserv

Speak with other students (and former students) who are interested in Partners In Health and global health and social justice in general. Discuss your studies, advertise events, ask questions about career choices, and gain valuable feedback from those who share your interests. Click here to join the Students for PIH

Join a FACE AIDS chapter

FACE AIDS is a student organization that directly supports the work of Partners In Health. Please visit www.faceaids.org for more information about starting a FACE AIDS chapter at your school.