Fundraising Tips & Tricks
Fundraising tips and tricks
- Firstly, tell a compelling story: People are more likely to donate when they relate to the cause and understand its impact. Illustrate how a donor’s contribution will make a difference.
- Set a clear goal: This gives your team and donors a specific target to aim towards, and it can motivate them to give more.
- Show progress: people love seeing how much has been achieved, and will want to join in.
- Share: use social media, try short videos as a really powerful tool to spread the word about your cause, share updates, and thank donors. Video doesn’t need to perfect, so enjoy making and sharing these…
- Make it easy: The easier it is for people to donate, the more likely they are to give.
Always follow up and say thank you for contributions, appreciation encourages people to give again in the future especially when they see how funds will be used.
Fundraising Checklist
Here is a fundraising checklist to help you plan and execute a successful fundraising campaign:
- Define your goal: Set a clear fundraising goal that is clear, measurable, and achievable. We find 3 weeks is the ideal timing and set a bold goal to go for.
- Identify your audience: Who is your target audience? It’s ideal to tune messaging and outreach to their interests and motivations.
- Choose your fundraising method: For many, an online store is effective, others like mixing that with in-person ‘sales’ to family, friends, colleagues and neighbours.
- Create a budget: This should include all costs associated with your fundraising, such as any materials, shipping and promotion costs.
- Develop a timeline: Participants, volunteers and donors will all appreciate being clear on timing. People prefer deadlines!
- Develop a messaging strategy: Enjoy sharing your message that effectively communicates the value of your cause and why people should support it. Videos are great, and don’t need to be perfect, so have fun making and sharing them.
- Promote your fundraiser: social media posts, email, posters all work and reach out to local news too as they always need stories to share
- Share progress of your fundraiser and highlight the impact of contributions. People are more likely to donate if they see progress being made towards a goal and deadline.
- Track progress: Monitor your progress regularly and adjust your plans where needed to ensure you reach your fundraising goal.
- Thank your donors: After your campaign is over, make sure to thank all your donors and let them know the impact of their contributions. Showing gratitude can help build a stronger relationship with your donors and encourage them to give again in the future.
Fundraising tips for kids
- Clear and bold goal: This will help kids stay focused and motivated. Encourage them to think about how much they want to raise and how the money be used. Kids love encouragement along the way.
- Share the cause: Kids love a cause they are passionate about. This will make fundraising more meaningful and rewarding for them. For example, they will want to raise money for their team, band or group. A sense of ownership is key.
- Have a plan: kids may not always say so, yet they love a plan and deadline!!
- Use social media: Encourage kids to create a fundraising page and share it on social media. They can also post updates on progress and thank donors. Fundraiser coordinators can provide material for kids to share so the message is consistent and accurate.
- Spread the word: Encourage kids to spread the word about their fundraising efforts to family, friends, and neighbors. They can create flyers or posters to hang up in their community or go door-to-door to explain their cause and ‘sell’ goodies.
- Say thank you: It's important for kids to show their appreciation to donors. Encourage them to write thank-you notes or create a video message to express their gratitude.
- Stay safe: When fundraising, it's important for kids to stay safe. Make sure they are supervised and have permission before going door-to-door or participating in any other fundraising activities. Groups of three kids is often encouraged and shows commitment to a cause
Remember – the more fun fundraising is, the more funds are raised. We love how small and mighty teams raise so much for their community. Be bold, and enjoy!
