HOW DO I SPONSOR A COMMUNITY IN NEED?
It’s a 5 Step Process that is easy, fun and HIGHLY rewarding!
Step #1- Send IAYS an email at international@iays.org or give them a call at 1-800-688 KIDS . An appointed staff member from IAYS will contact you with 1-2 business days and provide you all necessary information in order to get started!
Step #2- Browse our Sponsor A Community page and notify IAYS in order to inform them of your choice. Select your community! More than one community can be selected and we encourage all those getting involved to continue to stay updated on our website in order to view other communities added throughout the year in need of your support. Currently the communities on the website will remain on the website for a minimum 1 years time. For questions regarding this policy, please contact IAYS at any time.
Step #3- Once you pick a community, begin planning ways to collect equipment and donations to help ship your items to your community. If you can’t host a fundraising activity or would like to only host a fundraiser, that’s okay too! Keep in mind that you can review the specific needs of your community on our website so you can arrange your efforts based on what your community is in most need of. Also, we are here to help YOU! Feel free to contact our headquarters at any time with questions or comments pertaining to your drive and your community’s needs.
Please note: We recommend that all those who wish to sponsor a community to attempt to host your equipment drive for for no longer than 1-2 months. However, we do understand and appreciate those who wish to tie a drive in with a scheduled event such as a birthday party and etc. This is to ensure ALL our communities’ needs are met in ample time and we can rotate our communities in need of assistance once their term is complete.
Step #4- Don’t be shy! Promote your efforts and the great work you are doing for your selected community(s). Some idea’s to explore are utilizing flyers, contacting local and regional newspaper and radio stations, even local TV channels. Also, don’t forget about social media! Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter to inform the world and especially your community about your current efforts! Feel free to post updates and comments in order to encourage others to join in your efforts as well! IAYS again, will help you as best as possible and we will be happy to send you promotional materials and brochures on our programs and services, specifically ONE WORLD. ONE TEAM, as well!
Step #5- Once you have finished your collection, please contact our headquarters to inform us your efforts are complete. If you are unable to coordinate the shipment to our location where your items will be organized and inventoried before being forwarded along to your sponsored community, IAYS will be happy to coordinate that for you. Please understand however that all items shipped must be reimbursed and/or paid for by the volunteer/party responsible for collecting the equipment. All funds raised during your efforts are earmarked solely towards shipping your items to its intended community. To view the great expense it is to ship items internationally, please review our standard SHIPPING RATE SHEET drafted generously by our featured shipping company ExFreight.
Lastly, once your equipment has reached your sponsored community, your community is REQUIRED to provide pictures and letters of thanks back to each those who contributed to that community. This information will be immediately forwarded from our headquarters to each sponsor via email after the feedback is received. Don’t forget to frequently check Facebook and Twitter for regular updates and exciting news throughout this process!
Click here to learn more about our ONE WORLD. ONE TEAM. T-shirt Campaign!
For more details or information, please contact IAYS at any time and on behalf of IAYS and our communities we thank you for your interest and support!