Non-profits and charities rely on the generosity of others to keep supporting their cause. Some people decide to volunteer their time to help out, others are able to provide financial support, but both are equally as important for the organizations. Without funding, these organizations aren’t able to fulfil their mission or effectively provide assistance to the cause that they support. Also read, 12 College Fundraising Ideas That are Easy and Fun
These fundraising tips and tricks will help you get more people behind you, backing the work that you do and making donations so you can continue to do it.
1. Clear Goals
Having something to work towards is motivating and enhances productivity. Knowing how much you are aiming to raise allows you to effectively plan to be able to achieve this. Not only is having a clear goal helpful for the organization, but it can also help boost donations. If donors see that you are close to meeting your target, they may just add a little bit more to help you get there. Don’t just have a clear goal for the amount you want to raise, but also for how the money will be used. If people know the goal is to raise enough money to build a homeless shelter, provide a specific number of children in poverty with free meals, or pay for the vets bills of an injured dog, then the emotion behind the cause can be a push to donate.
2. Budget Effectively
Once you know what your goals and aims are, both physically and financially, you need to know how much you are able or willing to spend to make it there. There are ways of fundraising for free – social media being the first port of call there – but sometimes it can be worth putting down some cash in the first place to create larger returns. Budgeting a certain percentage towards fundraising can go a long way in campaigns. Paid adverts can have a large impact, in the newspaper, on the radio or even on television. It gives you chance to tell your story and reach out to a larger audience of potential supporters.
3. Use Analytics
Knowing your audience is essential when it comes to marketing and fundraising strategies. Being aware of who your target audience is and how you connect with them has great fundraising advantages. Keeping track of audience information and the demographics of the people that are supporting and donating so you can tailor messages and campaigns towards them. Most importantly, listen to your audience. Understand their motivations behind attending events, volunteering their time, and giving donations so you can use it to your advantage.
4. Get Digitalized
In this day and age, if you are not using the digital world to fundraise and market, you are missing out big time. We live in a digital world, and you have to use this to your advantage. There must be a Donor Portal for the ease of donors and for you to keep the records efficiently. Social media is one of the most effective channels of getting your organization’s name and cause out there and raising money. Social media fundraising doesn’t just mean posting a JustGiving page on your own profile and leaving it at that. There are a variety of different ways to use social media to raise funds. If you want to learn how to use social media fundraising successfully, the linked guide will show you simple fundraising tools, as well as methods to connect with your supporters and effectively track your progress.
5. Variety is Key
Generally, audiences are diverse and varied, which means your fundraising strategies have to match this. You can’t expect to get a response from everyone through one channel, so it is important to know how to engage all your potential donors. You already know how effective social media platforms can be, but for other people, email correspondence can be more effective. Reaching across newspaper, television and radio platforms increases variety and widens your audience. But hosting events and galas as well can make a huge difference. Spread your seeds far and wide to generate the most interest and bring in more supporters.
6. Consistent Presentation
Promoting your cause and organization through multiple channels is absolutely key to successful fundraising. But while you need variety, you also need to be consistent through all your advertisements and marketing. Use the same phrases, colors, fonts and voices to create an image for your brand, fundraising event or campaign that people will remember. If people are noticing you regularly and across all the different channels of communication, they are more likely to remember you and eventually show their support through donating.
7. Host an Event
Events bring your supporters closer to home and get them feeling really connected with the cause, which makes them more likely to donate their time and money to support you. Plus, events are a good excuse to have a bit of fun. Use your imagination but be strategic. You can play to your current donors, or you can go out of the box to bring in a new branch of supporters. Hosting galas, dances and bingo nights are always safe bets, but you could be adventurous and plan a boxing event, football tournament or other sporting competition where people can either get involved, come to spectate or bet on their friends and teams.
8. Make it Easy
People don’t want hassle. If they have to go out of their way to support you and donate, they just are not going to do it. You have to make donating easy and simple. If the donation process involves multiple steps and website redirects, people are less likely to commit to donating. Give people multiple payment channels to choose from when making their donation. Remember that a lot of people use their mobile phone for everything and have their bank card connected. Making sure people are able to donate using Apple or Google Pay means the process is basically hassle free.
Fundraising is an essential component of charities and non-profit organizations, so being able to do it effectively and successfully is vital. With these eight tips, you will have people of all walks of life supporting your cause and you will be able to continue providing your crucial service for years to come.
