Our expert recommendations for who to support and how to give.
How to Get Involved in Mental Health Awareness Month 2024
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time for education and advocacy around mental health and wellness. Each year in May is an opportunity to end the stigma around mental health and to raise awareness for the struggles that those living with mental illness face every day.
10.2 million people between the ages of 18 and 25 experience a mental, behavioral, or emotional health issue. This amounts to 1 in 3 (30.6%) young adults, and this rate has increased significantly over the past five years. As a result, suicide is the second-leading cause of death for teens and young adults, ages 10-34.
Furthermore, not enough young people are getting support for their mental health: 47.1% of young adults aged 18 to 25 perceived an unmet need for mental health services. And while 72% of LGBTQ+ teens and young adults desired professional counseling, only 32% actually received these services.
With mental and behavioral health issues on the rise, it’s more crucial than ever to support and fund resources to help affected individuals, families, and communities. Education and advocacy is just one part of making an impact towards mental health—funding programs and resources that can help those affected by mental and behavioral health is critical for making an impact.
By investing in programs that make mental and behavioral health resources more accessible, we can help reduce the number of individuals feeling helpless or alone as they navigate their mental health.
For retailers and brands looking to get involved in Mental Health Awareness Month, it's not just an opportunity to join the conversation—it's a responsibility to support this cause and give back to mental health-related nonprofit organizations. Here are some tactics and actionable campaigns that your business can enable to get involved and give back for Mental Health Awareness Month 2024 and beyond.
Join Our Fundraiser
New Fundraisers | ShoppingGives Partners
Our Recommended Nonprofit that is Making an Impact Towards Mental Health Awareness
The Jed Foundation
The Jed Foundation (EIN: 13-4131139) is a nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for our nation’s teens and young adults, giving them the skills and support they need to thrive today and tomorrow. They mobilize communities by providing education, training, and tools to families, friends, media, and others, and empower teens and young adults by building resiliency and life skills through their nationally recognized programs, digital channels, partnerships, and media.
How Businesses Can Support Mental Health Initiatives
1 in 5 Americans suffers from a mental illness, and mental health crises account for 60 million visits to primary care and 6 million ER visits annually.
Mental health affects people of all ages and backgrounds, and investing in resources and programs can help alleviate the burden that many feel when experiencing mental health issues. For retailers and eCommerce merchants, supporting organizations like The Jed Foundation can make an impactful difference for mental and behavioral health.
Actionable Tactics for Enabling Charitable Initiatives around Mental Health Research and Support
Use Your Platform to Advocate for the Cause
While education around mental health is becoming more widely available, there is still a stigma around mental health, and many who are affected do not or are unable to seek treatment. In fact, almost 6 in 10 people with mental illness do not receive treatment or medication to help their symptoms.
As a brand, you can use your platform to raise awareness for the importance of advocating for mental health, and educating others on the topic. Your marketing channels are a great way to share information and resources on how and where to seek help, as well as information on how to help those experiencing mental health issues.
Sponsor Internal Events
Just as it’s important to share mental health resources externally with your audience, your brand should also be providing resources for your internal team. You could host an internal event that involves interactive sessions led by mental health professionals, where employees can learn about common mental health disorders, their symptoms, and effective coping strategies.
Workshops could also include activities such as mindfulness exercises or stress management techniques, allowing employees to experience firsthand the benefits of prioritizing mental well-being. Additionally, the event could feature guest speakers who share their personal experiences with mental health challenges, emphasizing the importance of open dialogue and seeking support.
Providing resources such as contact information for mental health hotlines, local support groups, and employee assistance programs would ensure that individuals have access to the help they may need.
Create Donations on Purchases
To give back during Mental Health Awareness Month 2024, we encourage you to give back to The Jed Foundation through ShoppingGives.
Your business can spotlight this cause by running a flash giving event, where you donate 10, 15, or even 20% towards The Jed Foundation for a 24-hour timeframe. If you want to run a month-long campaign, you can choose to donate $2, for example, on every purchase towards The Jed Foundation during the month of May.
These tactics are an easy way to capture the attention of your customers and motivate them to make a purchase with your brand, knowing that they’re helping to support a crucial cause.
Customer Add-On Donations
If you want to enable your customers to maximize the impact made on their purchase, you can empower your customers to add-on a donation amount of their choice at the checkout. Enabling Customer Add-On Donations is a powerful way to invite your customers to join you in the giving. You could even choose to match your customer’s donations, dollar for dollar.
Capsule Collection Impact
You could also create a specific product collection where the purchase of every product from that collection creates a donation for The Jed Foundation. This will encourage your customers to shop from that specific collection and make an impact with their purchase.
To streamline your giving initiatives, leverage the ShoppingGives’ donation technology to give back to mental health-focused nonprofit organizations. If your business uses the Shopify platform, you can download the ShoppingGives Donation App and begin giving within minutes. For businesses on other eCommerce platforms, you can connect with our team and learn more about getting involved.
Marketing Tactics for Mental Health Awareness Month 2024
To maximize your impact around Mental Health Awareness Month, include messaging around your efforts throughout your marketing funnel. Social media, email, and onsite marketing are great ways to highlight your giving initiatives and raise awareness around the cause.
We recommend announcing your campaign through social media and email. This gives you an opportunity to tell a story around why this cause is important to your business, explain the actions that you are taking in support of the cause, and highlight any charitable organizations, like The Jed Foundation, that you are planning to support during this time.
This is a great way to show your genuine commitment to the cause to your customers, employees, and stakeholders.
Learn more about how ShoppingGives can help your business get involved in this timely cause below.
