The Big Share® Fundraising Guide

How to become a Fundraiser

If you received an email invite, follow the instructions in the email.

If you did not receive an email invite, you can sign up to be a fundraiser by following this link and clicking the Sign Up button.

In the form that pops up enter your first name, last name, and campaign name (optional). You will enter this information even if you have registered in past years. Then search for the organization you want to support and choose that organization.

If you have registered in past years, enter the email address and password for your account. If you need to create an account, enter your email address and a secure password.

Quick Links

About the Fundraising Guide

Thank you for being a fundraiser during The Big Share® 2026. Your enthusiasm and support are greatly appreciated.

Community Shares of Wisconsin prepared this fundraising guide so you can ask friends, family, and co-workers to support your fundraising efforts by donating on or before March 3, 2026.

You can use these materials from now through March 3, which is when people can donate on the Big Share website. The earlier you start fundraising the more people you can reach. These materials can be copied to use as-is or you can adapt them for your own needs.

Included in this guide are instructions about how to customize your fundraising page, plus social media posts, email messages, talking points, and links to graphics that will help you in your fundraising efforts.

Customize Your Fundraiser Page and Dashboard

As a fundraiser, you will have your very own fundraising page on thebigshare.org. You can find your personal fundraising link in the email that was sent to you by GiveGab (the online platform for The Big Share) or in your dashboard.

You will send your personal fundraising link to your friends, family, and co-workers to request that they donate through your fundraiser. Please make sure that you use this link to collect donations, so that the donations can be attributed to your fundraiser.

Visit this page to learn how to customize your fundraising page, including how to:

Customize your page
Add a photo to your page
Add a story about why you are fundraising
Email your contacts (see the suggested email message below)
Send a thank you email to those who donate through your fundraiser (see the suggested thank you email message below)
Please note: We recommend that you skip step 6 (Share Socially) and instead post to social media directly using the suggested posts below.

Suggested talking points:

When discussing The Big Share with others, whether in person or online, please keep these important messages in mind.

The Big Share® is Tuesday, March 3.
The Big Share® is an online day of giving hosted by Community Shares of Wisconsin to support the organization’s 82 member nonprofits.
The event has raised over $5 million since 2015.
This year’s theme is “Give Today to Build Tomorrow”.
With a minimum donation of $5, it is easy for individuals to get involved. It only takes a few minutes to donate.

Social Media Graphics

Accompany your posts with any of these graphics. The graphics shown below are low-resolution examples. Download the actual graphics at this link.

Social media tags:

Please remember to tag Community Shares of Wisconsin so we can engage with your posts and amplify your message. Tag us at @CommunityShares on Facebook, @CommunitySharesWI on LinkedIn, @CommSharesWI on Instagram, and @commshareswi.bsky.social on Bluesky.

Alt Text

In order to make social media posts more accessible for people using screen readers, remember to include alt text for images. Alt text is a description of what is happening in photos or graphics. Alt text should provide context while being concise, detailed, and specific.

Here are suggestions for alt text for the social media graphics, along with instructions on how to add alt text on social media.

Image 1: “Large group of smiling women pose in the Capitol Rotunda. The Big Share logo is in the upper left corner. The Community Shares of Wisconsin logo is in the upper right corner. Graphic reads: Give to local nonprofits Tuesday, March 3. Principal partner Madison Community Foundation. TheBigShare.org. Photo provided by Wisconsin Women’s Network.”

Image 2: “Five volunteers wearing green The Big Share t-shirts at an event. The Big Share logo is overlaid on the photo. The Graphic reads: Give to local nonprofits Tuesday, March 3. Principal partner Madison Community Foundation. TheBigShare.org.”

Image 3: “A group of five people are smiling and gathered around a bicycle on a repair stand in a workshop. The Big Share logo is in the upper left corner. The Community Shares of Wisconsin logo is in the upper right corner. Graphic reads: Give to local nonprofits Tuesday, March 3. Principal partner Madison Community Foundation. TheBigShare.org. Photo provided by Wheels for Winners.”

Image 4: “The Big Share logo is overlaid on icons representing social and environmental justice causes. Graphic reads: Give to local nonprofits Tuesday, March 3. Principal partner Madison Community Foundation. TheBigShare.org.”

Suggested email text:

Subject line: Help me support [organization]

I’m raising funds for [organization] as part of The Big Share® on Tuesday, March 3. [Explain why you are raising money for this organization and/or why this organization’s work is important]

The Big Share is hosted by Community Shares of Wisconsin to support the organization’s 82 member nonprofits who are advancing social and environmental justice in Wisconsin.

Give today to build tomorrow. Donate any time between now and March 3 using my fundraising link: [YOUR Big Share link]

Thank you for your support,

[Your name]

Suggested thank you email text:

Subject line: Thank you for supporting [organization’s name]

Thank you for donating to my fundraiser in support of [organization’s name]. Through the generosity of people like you, the 82 member nonprofits of Community Shares of Wisconsin can continue to advance social justice and protect the environment.

Please consider following Community Shares of Wisconsin on social media for the latest on their efforts to build tomorrow.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/communityshares
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/commshareswi.bsky.social
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/commshareswi/

Thank you again for your support,
[Your name]

Feel free to post stories on Instagram and Facebook too. You can use the blank space on these graphics to customize the message.

Please do not right click the graphics on this page to save them, they will be low resolution. Instead, download the social media story graphics here.