DIRECTION OF CONTENT
When creating fundraising and/or promotional content for your fundraiser, use these best practices for visuals and messaging:
- Tell a clear story: the challenge of pediatric illness, the trusted care CHOC provides in response, and how your supporters can actively enhance that care.
- Choose images that illustrate your personal story and complements CHOC’s qualities of innocence, joy, diversity, and hope—featuring family, friends, caregivers and those who inspired you along the way.
- Do not refer to CHOC as “partner,” as this suggests a shared professional, legal agreement.
- Only use the approved “In Support of CHOC Foundation” logo provided here when promoting your fundraiser and the Choco Bear GIF sticker on Instagram/Facebook Stories.
- Do not use stock photography or images under copyright unless properly purchased or licensed.
- Do not use images depicting children in pain, distress, or visible injury.
LANGUAGE TO USE
Do Use Do Not use
- CHOC
- Children’s Health Orange County
- Pediatric health system
- Help, treat, care
- “A child with [illness]”
- Child, adolescent, teen, young adult
- CHOC Children’s
- Children’s Hospital Orange County
- Heal, cure
- Using illness as a descriptor for patient (e.g., “the diabetic”)
- Young patient
Background: Since CHOC has become a pediatric health system—including two campuses and an extensive primary care network—the proper naming is “Children’s Health Orange County” or simply “CHOC.” Additionally, CHOC treats a wide range of illnesses and injuries in youth of various ages, and we choose to define our patients by who they are rather than what they are being treated for. Lastly, since not every condition can be “healed” or cured”, using such terms as a promised outcome of your fundraiser may create a false expectation that a full recovery is always possible. If recovery is part of your story, share it! In all other instances, emphasize how community fundraisers provide resources that help ensure the highest quality of care, regardless of a child’s diagnosis or outcome.
CHOC FOUNDATION CAN:
- Offer creative fundraising ideas for your fundraising activity or event.
- Help direct your contributions toward areas of special interest or greatest need.
- Provide the “In support of CHOC Foundation” logo approved for community fundraisers.
- Assist with questions or troubleshooting regarding your online fundraising page to share with supporters and accept donations.
- Provide coaching tools and techniques to help your campaign succeed.
- Arrange a check presentation at the CHOC Foundation when the gift is delivered.
- Acknowledge and provide tax receipts for donations that are made directly to the CHOC Foundation.
CHOC FOUNDATION IS UNABLE TO:
- Extend our tax exemption status to your organization or event.
- Provide event insurance or liability coverage.
- Sign vendor contracts.
- Provide funding or reimbursement for expenses related to the fundraiser.
- Market, promote, publicize and/or sell tickets for your fundraiser.
- Solicit sponsorship revenue for your fundraising event.
- Assist with live auctions, silent auctions or raffles.
- Permit use of the CHOC logo, or CHOC Institute logos, or provide letterhead or envelopes.
- Share mailing lists of CHOC donors, sponsors, vendors, board members or staff.
- Design promotional materials or issue press releases for your fundraiser.
- Guarantee staff attendance, volunteers or media coverage at your event.
- Endorse individuals, campaigns, organizations, programs, products or services.
KEEPING SAFE | OUTSIDE FUNDRAISER SAFETY GUIDELINES
Thank you for fundraising on behalf of CHOC! We are deeply grateful for your efforts in supporting the children and families we are privileged to serve. We appreciate your understanding as we adjust our policies and practices to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our community.
To ensure the safest in-person fundraiser possible, please continue to reference the latest national, state and local recommendations and guidelines.
DISCLAIMER
If you choose to host or attend an event in support of CHOC or the CHOC Foundation, you and your guests acknowledge that COVID-19 exposure in any location where people are present is an inherent risk and you will abide by the CDC’s recommended safety precautions. You also voluntarily assume any and all risks related to COVID-19 and agree to not hold CHOC, the CHOC Foundation or any of its affiliates, employees, contractors, volunteers or agents, liable for any illness, injury and/or death that may occur.
For any further questions, please email raiseup@choc.org.
