Meredith and Lillian, a mother and daughter duo, celebrated their birthdays this year by raising money for LymeDisease.org. They did this by using a new fundraising feature on Facebook.

Here’s a sampling of people who have raised money for us since Facebook started this program a few months ago. (You can see more by going to our Facebook page and clicking on “Fundraisers.”)

It’s easy to do:

On your birthday, the fundraiser tab will automatically show up in your news feed. You can also create a fundraiser anytime, not just on your birthday. Either way, just follow these simple steps:

1. Click “Fundraisers” in the menu of your News Feed (or on the LymeDisease.org page)
2. Click “Raise Money”
3. Select LymeDisease.org
4. Set a dollar amount for your fundraising goal
5. Set a date for your fundraiser to end
6. Select a cover photo (or use the one provided)
7. Enter a description of the organization and your reasons for the fundraiser (or use the one provided)
8. Hit “Create.”

Note: This feature is not available in all areas.

Facebook does not take any percentage of the money you raise. If 10 of your friends donate $10 each, LymeDisease.org will receive the full $100.

Forming your own fundraiser on Facebook is an easy way to support our advocacy work, as well as let your friends know how dear to your heart this cause is.

Here are some reasons why you might choose to raise money for LymeDisease.org:

LymeDisease.org is the go-to source for news, information and healthcare policy analysis in the Lyme community. We keep you up-to-date via our website, blogs, email newsletters, social media, as well as our quarterly journal The Lyme Times. We are currently conducting the first national large-scale study of Lyme disease patients, called MyLymeData, a patient-powered Big Data project.

LymeDisease.org is grounded in the principles of patient empowerment, participation, and self-determination. We fight to make the patient voice stronger to support science-based advocacy, bring about legislative change, and create a future where Lyme patients can receive the treatments they need to get well.

LymeDisease.org empowers individual patients by educating them, amplifying their collective voice, and providing research tools like our published big data surveys and the MyLymeData patient registry. We believe that there is strength in numbers.

Your donation makes it possible for LymeDisease.org to advocate for change, raise awareness and fund research that can improve patients’ lives.

To start your own fundraiser for LymeDisease.org, go to our Facebook page or yours.