Fundraising

HEADSUPGUYS IS FUNDED EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH PUBLIC DONATIONS. YOUR SUPPORT IS CRITICAL TO KEEPING OUR RESOURCE GOING.

We love having the support of the HeadsUpGuys community and seeing all the creative ways people use their interests and passions to support our work to fight depression and prevent suicide in men.

Depression and suicide in men can be difficult to talk about, but that is why raising awareness of these issues is so important. Here are some key statistics that help show the need for HeadsUpGuys.

  • Men die by suicide at a much higher rate than women do (3x times the rate in Canada, the US, and the UK)
  • Suicide is a leading cause of death for men under 50 years old
  • Men are much less likely than women to get help for their mental health

For more information and references, see our Stats on Suicide in Men.

Here are a few of the fundraisers our supporters have organized to raise awareness of depression in men and support our mission:

Photo collage from various support fundraisers

How to Set Up a Fundraiser

Supporters can set up a page and collect donations through a crowd-fundraising site like GoFundMe or Facebook Fundraisers, and/or collect donations manually in cash.
  • Please note that HeadsUpGuys will not be listed by Facebook Fundraisers and other sites that pre-populate lists of non-profit and charitable organizations. These lists only recognize The University of British Columbia (UBC) as a whole, and not individual programs within universities. In order to direct funds to HeadsUpGuys, you may have to instead create a personal fundraising event as someone would when helping to fundraise for a friend or other cause.

If using sites like GoFundMe, cash donations can also be collected and added to you total under “Offline donations”.

For those aiming to raise $5,000 or more

If you’re looking to raise over $5,000, we can make use of the UBC Development Office’s Crowdfundraising feature. To use this resource you must contact our team at least 2 weeks prior to the fundraising event.

To start, please contact both [email protected] and the Crowdfundraising Team to set up a page with a description, photos, and a running tally for your fundraiser.

 

Examples of previous fundraisers for HeadsUpGuys:

Tax receipts will be generated automatically for donors regardless of location.

In Memoriam or Honour

For help coping with the loss of a life to suicide, please see our After a Suicide page for help with the grieving process.

 

Asking for donations in lieu of flowers

  • Inform friends and family that you would prefer to have donations made to HeadsUpGuys via options listed here to honour of the passing of your loved one.

To create an In Memoriam page

  • If you or a friend and/or family member would like to honour the memory of a loved one by directing donations to HeadsUpGuys, please reach out to us at [email protected], so we can set up a page through UBC, with images and a description of the person you wish to honour.
  • A week or more notice is required for these pages to be set up.

For Individual Supporters of a Fundraiser Who Want a Tax Receipts

In order to obtain a tax receipt, individual donations need to be made through our UBC HeadsUpGuys donation page (any location) or via phone through the UBC Development Office at 604-827-4111 or 1-877-717-4483 to “UBC HeadsUpGuys Program G1745” (for Canadian residents).

 

Many sites like GoFundMe allow for “offline” donations to be added to your fundraising total.

  • For example, if your friend wants to make a donation to your fundraiser but needs a tax receipt, they can donate directly through our UBC HeadsUpGuys donation page and let you know the amount. You can then go into your GoFundMe Fundraiser page and add this amount as an “offline” donation, so it shows up in your total raised.

Transferring Funds

Before transferring funds to us from a crowdfundraising tool, please contact us at [email protected] to confirm instructions (we will need to know whether or not you wish to receive a tax receipt for your donations, and if so – are you a resident of Canada, the US, the UK, Hong Kong, or another country? 

Funds can then be transferred to us via ETF or mailed via cheque.

Let us know about your fundraiser

  • Please let us know if you host an event, as we are often happy to re-share photos or highlight the event o our social media, and would like to express our appreciation of your support! Please see our Get Involved page for HeadsUpGuys graphics, brochures and posters to share.
  • Questions? Let us know how we can best support your efforts by contacting us at [email protected].