Looking to spread the word about charity care and Dollar For? Use these resources to educate people in your community and social circles. Community outreach is how we reach people who need help with medical bills.
Text or email your community
Use our sample evergreen website posts, emails, and texts to share the word about our services. These proactive messages can educate many within your community about what we do and how we can help them.
Hang a poster
Print these out and make copies to hang around high-traffic areas such as parks, libraries, and places of worship. You can also email these to your favorite local organizations to share with their members.
Bilingual
English Only
Spanish Only
Post on social media
Download and share these posts on your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or other social media! Be sure to tag @DollarFor (or @DollarFor_ on Twitter) and link to dollarfor.org/help.
Talk to people
Do you know a friend or a family member with a medical bill they can’t afford? Have 3 minutes to talk about Dollar For at your next community meeting, religious service, or book club? Use these talking points to educate others:
- Dollar For is a national nonprofit that eliminates hospital bills by making charity care known, easy, and fair.
- Most hospitals offer discounts or bill forgiveness to lower-income patients. On average, a family of 4 earning less than $100,000 a year will qualify.
- Every hospital has its own unique policy and process for deciding who qualifies for hospital bill forgiveness and how to apply.
- Millions of Americans are trying to negotiate medical bills, set up payment plans, or declare medical bankruptcy for bills they shouldn’t have to pay.
- Dollar For helps patients check if they are eligible for medical debt forgiveness, prepare and submit hospital financial assistance applications, and eliminate medical bills.
- Since 2019, Dollar For has worked with patients to submit thousands of financial assistance applications.
- Dollar For’s services are completely free — no strings attached. Patients can see if they qualify and get help anytime at dollarfor.org/help.
- Dollar For has already crushed $29 million in medical debt. (Tip: Check our current impact numbers here. They are always growing.)
Reach those in need
An estimated 1 in 3 Americans have experienced medical debt, and research shows that medical debt disproportionately impacts communities of color, as well as lower-wage workers. Medical debt is higher, on average, in Southern states and states that did not expand Medicaid.
Dollar For works to address these disparities by reaching out to low-income communities and communities of color to provide help with medical bills.
Use these tips to reach communities most in need of debt relief:
- Make an additional effort to identify and connect with existing community organizations and hubs in low-income neighborhoods. This could include places of worship, libraries, and community centers in lower-income neighborhoods.
- People will listen and pay more attention when the information comes from people and businesses they trust. Spread the word about Dollar For at trusted community organizations, such as schools and recreational centers , community clinics, food pantries and food banks. Also target other local and community-owned businesses: grocery stores, hair salons, barber shops, laundromats, local restaurants, and bars. Make sure you get permission before posting or doing outreach.
- Meet with community leaders who are good at connecting people – such as pastors, elected officials, and community club leaders – to tell them about Dollar For and charity care. Encourage them to pass on our info to anyone who needs help.
- Ask if you can have the floor for 5 minutes at the next service at the local church or Rotary Club meeting, or community town hall.
- Dollar For seeks to empower patients. Remember, not everyone is comfortable talking about their debt and finances. Some individuals may not feel safe giving out sensitive information to a stranger. Assure them that they can always access our services on their own time.
- Don’t make assumptions about a person’s financial situation or ability to navigate a complicated system. Not everyone has a permanent address, a phone number, an email address, or proof of income. Let them know Dollar For will do our best to help anyways. Encourage them to reach out!
- Do you speak another language? Use this skill to reach out to other communities we aren’t reaching now. Dollar For’s services are entirely bilingual (English and Spanish), but we try to help patients who speak other languages as well