Why Your Commitment to Fundraising With Winter Walk Matters

At a time when homelessness is increasing and many nonprofit budgets are being cut, our organizational partners need your support more than ever.

Fundraisers gather before Winter Walk 2025 Boston.

Winter Walk exists to raise much-needed funds for nonprofit organizations that are working to prevent homelessness and provide services to the people experiencing it. 

Why does fundraising for nonprofits serving homeless communities matter more in 2026 than ever before? 

Each year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) releases a national report on homelessness, drawing on data submitted by local Continuums of Care (CoCs) in every state. This data is collected during the annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, when CoCs across the country count sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January.

The most recent report, based on PIT counts conducted in January 2024, revealed a staggering 18% single-year increase in homelessness nationwide, with more than 770,000 people experiencing homelessness on one night. When HUD released the report in December 2024, it cautioned: “This report reflects data collected a year ago and likely does not represent current circumstances, given changed policies and conditions.” 

As we await this year’s report from PIT counts taken in January 2025, and with the knowledge that SSN benefits are being paused, reduced or eliminated, our organizational partners are reporting unprecedented and growing need. The demand for shelter, housing, food, warm clothing, mental health care, and services that support dignity and quality of life continues to rise.

Our path forward is clear.

This human crisis will be solved when individuals step forward to do something about it. At Winter Walk, we believe that building awareness and mobilizing everyday people is essential to ending homelessness.

Each year, Winter Walk brings together people who have experienced homelessness and thousands of committed supporters who walk shoulder to shoulder to raise funds and awareness for local nonprofits. Together, we challenge stigma, build community, and create real change.

Your fundraising makes an immediate impact.

One hundred percent of the funds raised through Winter Walk events are distributed directly to our organizational partners as unrestricted grants — allowing them to respond to urgent needs and allocate resources where they are needed most. To date, Winter Walk has granted more than $5.5 million to nonprofit partners across the communities we serve.

As funding sources shrink and demand grows, Winter Walk provides a vital, flexible revenue stream that strengthens our partners’ ability to deliver services and sustain their work in the cities where we walk.

Why registration and fundraising matter

When you register for Winter Walk, your registration fee becomes your first donation to the nonprofit organizations benefiting from the Walk. This initial contribution is a powerful tool for your fundraising success.

Research shows that people are significantly more likely to donate to a fundraiser that already has contributions. Early donations create social proof, signal momentum, reduce hesitation, and inspire others to join in. Even a small initial gift can lead to significantly more support.

After registering, we ask each walker to commit to fundraising within their personal network, with a goal of raising at least $500. Every ask matters — and every dollar helps our partners serve more people.

To support you, we provide a comprehensive Fundraising Guide filled with tips, ideas, and ready-to-use templates. You’ll also receive a series of fundraising emails designed to help you reach your goal.

Why it truly matters

We believe homelessness will be solved when people come together to support one another — human to human. That connection is powerful, transformative, and necessary.

By creating a reliable funding source for our organizational partners, Winter Walk helps address both immediate needs and the root causes of homelessness, including housing instability, addiction and substance abuse disorders, healthcare access, mental health support, domestic violence, incarceration, aging out of foster care and workforce development. You can learn more about how our partners use these funds in our 2025 Impact Report.

When you register for Winter Walk, you are taking meaningful action. You are helping ensure that vital organizations can continue their work, provide care, and offer hope to people experiencing homelessness in our communities.

It is our honor to create the Walk events that serve as the vehicle for these critical funds. We are deeply humbled by the dedication of our nonprofit partners and profoundly grateful to our walkers and sponsors for making this work possible.

Thank you for walking with us.  

Winter Walk (EIN 92-0734185) hosts Walk Events across the country that raise much-needed funds for nonprofit organizations that are working to prevent homelessness and provide services to the people experiencing it. Every year, Winter Walk unites unhoused people with thousands of donors  who walk shoulder-to-shoulder to raise funds and awareness for local nonprofits in an inspiring initiative to help end stigmas and change lives. At Winter Walk, we believe that homelessness  will be solved when individuals come together to provide support for people experiencing homelessness – human to human – it’s the most powerful connection on earth.