Engage Your Network for Amplify Austin Day: Real Tips from Real Austinites
How to Engage Your Network for Amplify Austin Day: Real Tips from Real Austinites
Amplify Austin Day is one of Central Texas’s most powerful traditions—a 24-hour celebration of generosity where every gift, share, and conversation strengthens our community.
Let’s be honest: not everyone can give away $26 BILLION like McKenzie Scott has, although we are all grateful to her! But many of us can give $5, or $500. And, more importantly, we can activate our networks - which is the best way we know to see a huge impact on Amplify Austin Day.
Whether you're an individual, a family, or a business, getting your network involved in giving on Amplify Austin Day doesn’t require perfection—just heart, intention, and a little strategy. Here are the most effective approaches shared by a few amazing community champions and I Live Here I Give Here friends.
1. Drip Early, Hype Late
Realtor and longtime Amplify Austin Day supporter Elsa Decker swears by starting early:
“I’ll announce months ahead of time… and then two weeks before Amplify Austin it’s a series of reminders.” From subtle email signatures to scheduled social posts, small touches build steady awareness in advance of the day. Then on March 4 and 5, you let folks know that NOW IS THE TIME! You warned them and today is the day to take action!
2. Tell Your Story—Authentically
At Charles Schwab, personal storytelling has transformed participation. As Reid Wilson explains, “When you see someone you’ve never met share who they’re giving to—and why—it humanizes people.” Share why a cause matters to you, in email or social media or in person. Maybe you adopted your pup through a rescue, or your elderly neighbor gets meals delivered to them, or you run through the park each week. People respond to sincere stories about issues more than perfection.
3. Don’t Be Afraid to Be Shameless
Community organizer Jennifer Potter Miller puts it bluntly: “Please don’t worry about spamming people… every email you send out brings in donors.” On Amplify Austin Day, frequent updates, photos, and reminders work - and everyone expects them. Now, as professional fundraisers, I would NEVER recommend that you do this all the time; please do NOT send daily fundraising emails 365 days a year! But, during this annual event, sending 2-3 emails reminds folks that the day is happening and that you need them to participate.
4. Offer Easy On-Ramps
From hosting free ice cream socials to creating simple fundraising pages, make participation fun and accessible. If you are writing to your friends, let them know that even $10 to your favorite issues makes a difference. If you are a business, maybe consider offering a giveaway to folks that have contributed to your favorite nonprofit that day. And if you are nonprofit, find fun ways to thank your fundraising champions, through silly contests or giveaway drawings. As Elsa puts it, “I don’t care if it’s $5 or $5,000—whatever I can get from you that day.”
5. Show the Impact
Jennifer's neighborhood has leveraged small gifts into major park improvements: new picnic tables, shade structures, community events, and more. By sharing these visible wins, Jennifer and her friends inspire others to join in. On the Amplifyatx.org website, each nonprofit tells the story of how your network can make a difference. While Ay Chihuahua Rescue uses every $50 gift to pay for a pup’s microchip tracker, SailStrong will use your $100 donation to pay for one day of sailing camp for an underserved youth, and the Lilith Fund will turn your $350 contribution into free healthcare for women.
The impacts of giving are clear on Amplify Austin Day, but you just have let your network know where and how to give!
This Amplify Austin Day, lead with passion, invite boldly, and celebrate every gift. Your voice is powerful and you can use it to engage your network to amplify good.