FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
This page provides answers to the most common questions about AIDS Walk New York.
General Information
AIDS Walk New York is the world’s largest & most visible HIV and AIDS fundraising event. Thousands of people will converge on the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park on Sunday, May 19, 2024 united by the common cause of sustaining GMHC’s vital programs to serve New Yorkers living with or affected by HIV & AIDS.
The funds raised by AIDS Walk New York participants support much-needed HIV/AIDS services provided by GMHC and other HIV/AIDS service, social justice, and public health organizations in the Tri-state area. These groups provide food, linkages to safe housing, counseling, access to medical care, and much more for thousands of people living with HIV/AIDS in New York’s hardest hit communities, as well as critical prevention work to stop new infections.
With more than 300 that sign up each year, forming or joining a team is one of the most popular and engaging ways to have a memorable AIDS Walk experience! A team is simply any group that registers to raise funds and walk together. They include companies, schools, religious institutions, or other organizations in the Tri-State area. Many friends and family teams also participate, some of whom walk in memory of those they have lost, or to support friends and family living with HIV/AIDS. Teams can range in size from two to more than 1,000 walkers. Each team will be guided in their fundraising by the Teams Department, who will keep in touch with tips, tools, and information about incentives and special events leading up to the Walk.
We do not require walkers to raise a minimum amount of money. However, we encourage everyone to set a fundraising goal and do their best to achieve it. Additionally, fundraising walkers for AIDS Walk New York are eligible for Fundraising Awards. Those who raise $1,000 or more become one of our elite Star Walkers™, receiving additional awards and other special perks!
Virtual Event Information
This year, AIDS Walk New York will be a live, in-person event in Central Park with a streaming element. Check back for more details as May 19 draws near.
Donations
Please make checks payable to “AIDS Walk New York” or “AWNY.”
It is not a good idea to send a cash donation in the mail. You can deposit the cash into your checking account and send a personal check from your account. Be sure to include the name of the walker being sponsored.
AIDS Walk New York
307 West 38th Street, FL 4
New York, NY 10018-9502
You can mail donations to:
AIDS Walk New York
307 West 38th Street, FL 4
New York, NY 10018-9502
Please note: clearly write the name of the person you are sponsoring on the check or on a separate piece of paper; otherwise, your contribution could be credited as a general donation.
If a donation check has been written out to you personally, you may endorse the back of the check and mail it in with a completed donation form to AIDS Walk New York
A Tax ID number identifies GMHC as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Many donors will request this number to validate their donation as tax-deductible. The GMHC ID number is 13-3130146.
Anyone who donates online, regardless of the amount, will receive a receipt via email. If someone donates via cash or check, they can request a receipt by calling the AIDS Walk New York office at 212.807.9255 (WALK). They can also email awnyinfo@gmhc.org (be sure to include donor name, donation amount, and donation date in the message).
No. We strongly discourage our participants from collecting donations in public spaces such as street corners, public transportation, street festivals, and door-to-door from businesses. We advise you not to give donations (cash, checks, or credit card information) to someone you do not know who is soliciting donations in these settings. Please contact the AIDS Walk New York office for more information, or if you feel someone is collecting funds in an unsafe or unendorsed manner.
Registration
Registration for AIDS Walk New York 2024 will open in early January 2024.
All walkers should register using their complete home address. If you must use your office address, make sure you include your company name and any other information needed for mail to be delivered to your place of employment.
The Star Walkers Club is made up of walkers who set a goal of raising $1,000 or more for AIDS New York. Those who achieve this goal will receive additional awards, recognition, and special Star Walker treatment on the day of the Walk.
Fundraising
We offer a few simple suggestions to get started with your fundraising below. Contact the AIDS Walk New York office at 212.807.9255 (WALK) for more assistance.
- Set up your team or individual fundraising web page. Then send out an email to friends, family members, and co-workers with a link to your fundraising page.
- Matching gift programs. Many companies have programs that match the contributions their employees give to a charitable organization. By utilizing the matching gift programs of your employer or your family and friends’ employers, you can quickly double or triple your fundraising dollars.
- Host a fundraising party.
- Awards, premiums, and incentives! Give your Team Members or donors an incentive. Ask a local merchant to contribute to your fundraising by providing an incentive award or two. Reward the person who raises or gives the most!
There are many opportunities to get involved in AIDS Walk New York, such as by becoming a corporate sponsor or making an in-kind donation. If you would like to find out more about any or all these options, please contact the AIDS Walk New York office at 212.807.9255 (WALK).
Website & Online Fundraising
Classy is the fundraising software we use to support and raise funds for AIDS Walk New York and GMHC. If you support other nonprofits that partner with Classy, they’ll appear in Supporter Center along with AIDS Walk New York and GMHC.
Yes, your 2024 username and password is the same as your 2023 username and password.
Your username is always the email address you used to register. If you forgot your password, click on the “Forgot Password?” link on the Classy login page. You’ll be taken to the Lost Password page (classy.org/sso/password-lost). Here you can enter your email address. You will receive an email with a link to reset your password. You will need to follow this link to update your password. Please email awnyinfo@gmhc.org or call 212.807.9255 (WALK) for further assistance.
When you send an email to potential donors, include the link to your individual fundraising web page in your email. Also, friends and family can search for a participant to sponsor when making a donation.
Yes. We have made every effort to protect your information. We use industry-standard SSL encryption techniques to make sure that your credit card information, passwords, and personal information travel securely over the Internet.
Team Questions
With more than 300 that sign up each year, forming or joining a team is one of the most popular and engaging ways to have a memorable AIDS Walk experience! A team is simply any group that registers to raise funds and walk together. They include companies, schools, religious institutions, or other organizations in the Tri-State area. Many friends and family teams also participate, some of whom walk in memory of those they have lost, or to support friends and family living with HIV/AIDS. Teams can range in size from two to more than 1,000 walkers. Each team is assigned an AIDS Walk Fundraising Specialist from our staff to guide its fundraising and keep in touch with tips, tools, and information about incentives and special events leading up to the Walk.
A Team Leader’s role is to recruit, inspire, and motivate people to register as well as raise funds for their team. To promote team participation, a Team Leader’s first task is to get the word out to all potential walkers as quickly as possible. After walkers begin to register, following up on fundraising progress is the key to success.
Gold Teams are the top 20 fundraising teams from the previous year’s AIDS Walk. In recognition of their outstanding efforts, Gold Teams enjoy several exclusive perks.
We suggest:
- Download and print additional tools.
- Set up your team web page and send an email to recruit Team Members. Anyone can join your team.
- Ask family and friends, or invite vendors, clients, and customers to raise money and walk with your team.
- Request promotional materials for your team. Put up our posters (provided by AIDS Walk New York) in break rooms, near elevators, on community bulletin boards, and anywhere else you can with high foot traffic/visibility.
- Form an AIDS Walk New York committee. Encourage a co-worker or two to become Co-Leaders. Ask senior management to write an appeal to all employees urging them to register.
Already registered walkers can still be part of your team. Simply call the AIDS Walk office at 212.807.9255 (WALK) with the walker’s name and ask to have them transferred onto your team.
Privacy Policy
CONFIDENTIALITY. Neither party shall (nor shall it permit or request its employees, agents, or representatives to), at any time or in any manner, either directly or indirectly, use for its own benefit or divulge, disclose, or communicate in any manner, any information that is proprietary to the disclosing party (“Confidential Information”) without the disclosing party’s express prior written permission. The receiving party and its employees, agents, and representatives will protect the Confidential Information of the disclosing party and treat it as strictly confidential. This provision will continue to be effective after the termination of this Agreement. AIDS Walk reserves the right to publicly use (in white papers, seminars, conferences, marketing materials and the like) aggregate data describing supporter populations and behaviors without compromising the identities of either those supporters nor Client (unless Client provides permission to make such disclosure)
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