frequently asked questions

Mary’s Place has set a one million dollar goal to raise critical funds that will keep more than 2,000 moms, dads, and kids in their hard-won homes or help them move back into housing quickly - and to operate our emergency family shelters. Amazon has generously provided a one million match, allowing us to double the impact of your donation.

Your impact at any level will be felt by the hundreds of families we serve. Below you can see examples of our direct costs that your donation will support. Your donation today will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to one million dollars!

• $50 becomes $100; the cost for 4 birth certificates required for a family to move to stable housing
• $100 becomes $200; the cost to provide 3 families with medically fragile children with care coordination for one week in shelter
• $250 becomes $500; the cost to provide transportation for 6 unsheltered families to come inside to safety
• $500 becomes $1,000; the cost to shelter 8 families for one night
• $1,500 becomes $3,000; average cost to support two families with rental fees and deposits to move out of shelter and into stable housing
• $5,000 becomes $10,000; average cost to help a family catch up with back rent and utilities and provide additional rental support to help with long-term stability

You may be able to increase your impact by having your gift matched by your employer! Check with your employer for eligibility and how to request matching funds for your gift.

1. Create your dream BIG fundraising page. Set a goal of what you’d like to raise to support Mary’s Place. Visit www.marysplacedreambig.org and click on Start Fundraising to get started. Here are step-by-step instructions to help you set up your fundraising page. If you need help in creating your page, please contact laurie@marysplaceseattle.org.
   

2. If you work for a company that has their own crowdfunding platform - you can fundraise for Mary’s Place there as well! Just remember to designate gifts to Mary’s Place’s dream BIG campaign.
   

3. Share your page with your family, friends, and colleagues who care about our community crisis of family homelessness and want to ensure that no child sleeps outside. This is a perfect opportunity to introduce new friends to Mary’s Place.
   
   Here is a template email to send that you can customize:
   Subject: Join me in support of Mary’s Place and help our families dream BIG!
   
   Hello!  
   
   I'm reaching out to invite you to join me in supporting Mary's Place, an organization that's very special to me. I'm participating in the dream BIG campaign to raise money to help make it possible for Mary’s Place to keep more than 2,000 moms, dads, and kids in their hard-won homes or help them move back into housing quickly, and to operate our emergency family shelters. 
   
   Mary's Place provides safe, inclusive shelter and services that support women, children and families on their journey out of homelessness. Can I count on you to join me in support of Mary’s Place? Your generosity – at any level – will support our Rapid Response Fund to ensure that No Child Sleeps Outside.
   
   Help us reach our one million fundraising goal before May 12! Amazon has committed to match all donations up to one million so our impact will be doubled. To make a secure, online donation, please click the link below: 
   [PAGE LINK]
   
   Together, we can help Mary’s Place continue to bring women, children and families inside to warmth, safety, and hope!   
   Thank you!
   

4. Post the link to your page on your social media and share Mary’s Place content with your network. This broadens the reach of who will see the message. Visit our Take Action page to learn more on how you can tap in and amplify our work on social media.
   

5. Follow us on social media and encourage your networks to do the same:  

• Subscribe to the Mary's Place newsletter
• Like us on Facebook (and send like requests to your friends!)  
• Follow us on Instagram— @marysplacewa    
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel  
• Follow us on Twitter— @MarysPlaceWA   
• Follow us on LinkedIn - @MarysPlaceWA
• Share information about Mary’s Place with your network, like our Lunch & Learn series which discuss our various programs and work with community partners.
• Use the hashtag #dreamBIG2022  

Remember, we value gifts at every level! Please encourage your network to give at a level that is meaningful for them. And, if you get five people to give via your page, we will provide you with a t-shirt so that you can proudly wear your support of Mary’s Place out in the community.

Mary’s Place is standing in the gap from the moment a family loses their housing until they find their forever home, providing safety, stability, and resources for employment and housing. Funds raised during the dream BIG campaign will support our Rapid Response Fund that keeps families in their hard-won homes, helps them move back into housing quickly, and provides critical funding to operate our family shelters and women's day center year-round. 

With the help of our community, in 2021 Mary’s Place:  

• Provided 138,644 overnight stays
• Served 415,932 meals
• Welcomed 1,204 children, reducing trauma, providing a safe place with age-appropriate programming, and lots of love
• Helped 549 families move into stable housing  

On May 12 at 11:30 am, supporters of Mary’s Place will gather in-person (and virtually) at Fisher Pavilion at the Seattle Center for a celebration and day of action. Doors will open at 11:00 am. There will be a 30-minute program starting at 11:30 am to learn more about the work that Mary’s Place is doing and see how you can get involved. There will be lunch available for purchase from our food truck partners, Dick’s Drive-In Restaurants and Sam Choy’s Poke to the Max, but quantities will be limited. Then you’ll have the opportunity to mix and mingle with other Mary’s Place supporters and staff and learn more about opportunities to engage in other ways. Activities will wrap up by 1 pm with the option to stay until 2 pm.

11:00 am   |   doors open
11:30 am   |   program begins (theater-style seating inside Fisher Pavilion)
12:00 pm   |   take action and food available for purchase
 1:00 pm   |   event ends; however, we invite attendees to stay until 2 pm to continue to learn more about volunteering at Mary’s Place and take action with hands-on activities.

• We encourage guests to take advantage of ride share and public transportation.  
• Fisher Pavilion is conveniently located near bus stop #2369  
  o   Routes 1, 2, 8, 13, 32, D Line   
• Street parking is available near Fisher Pavilion, the closest garages are:  
  o   1st Avenue North Garage: 220 1st Ave N, Seattle WA 98119 
  o   Expo Garage: 507 Warren Ave N, Seattle WA 98109 
  o   Additional parking details via Seattle Center's parking information 

There are no assigned seats or tables at the event. We encourage our dream BIG ambassadors to connect with their network – especially those who contributed to the campaign – to encourage them to attend the event and plan to meet up when doors open or after the program to connect and mingle!           

Dress accordingly as a portion of our event will take place outdoors (tented) on South Fountain Lawn — rain or shine. Masks are required during our 30-minute program as an added precaution and in solidarity with our frontline staff and guests who still need masks to stay safe in shelter settings. See the COVID-19 safety plan section below for more information.

The health and safety of our supporters, volunteers, staff, and community is our top priority. We will be requiring all individuals attending the dream BIG celebration and day of action to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative PCR COVID test taken within 72 hours of the event upon entry. You will show our staff and volunteers at the door a photo of your vaccination card and here are instructions to add your vaccination records to apple wallet for iPhones.

Fisher Pavilion will have its doors rolled up and we will also use the adjacent South Fountain Lawn, allowing for an indoor-outdoor open-air experience. This ensures we are gathering safely. Please dress accordingly as this will be our set-up to enjoy the Seattle spring weather— rain or shine.

Masks are required for all during the indoor portion of the event and program. During the program guests will be seated “theater-style” and in close quarters. Masks are required as an added precaution and in solidarity with our frontline staff and guests who still need masks to stay safe in shelter settings.

After the program (at noon) guests will be invited to continue their afternoon outside on South Fountain Lawn with dining, mingling, and opportunities to take action. The lunch portion of our event will happen outdoors and under a tent to allow for better safety and mingling after our program. While outside for this portion of the event, guests have the option of staying masked, but will not be required to.

Guests who don’t want to attend in-person will have the option to watch the program virtually and take action online. 

Attendees will have the opportunities to take their love for Mary’s Place a step further and join the volunteer team or participate in an activity that day. Visit our Take Action page to learn more.

We will livestream the 30 minute program on YouTube and Facebook starting at 11:20 am on May 12. Please register here, and we will send you a link to join the livestream program. Visit our Take Action tab to learn more and start taking action today!

Yes, you will need to register for the event by May 11. Click here to register.

The event is free to attend; however, there will be food trucks on site where you can purchase lunch if you choose. We just ask that you register for the event by May 2 and pre-purchase lunch if you choose.

Check out our sponsorship opportunities and contact Lea Tiernan at lea@marysplaceseattle.org for information about sponsoring dream BIG and other Mary’s Place programs and events.