Fundraising can be a very challenging task, but it’s also a very rewarding one. All the effort and hard work you put into raising money for a cause or an awareness will definitely pay off. Whether you’re planning to work with an organization for one or do it all by yourself, fundraising activity is doable with the right amount of effort.
There are many different ways to raise money. There are also various ways to organize these fundraisers. If you have passion for your work or for raising funds and don’t mind doing things the old-fashioned way, then you can just learn the art of fundraising through the books.
If you’re wondering how to raise money for any intended purpose, here are some tips for you to follow:
1. Start With a Goal
Every person or organization has different reasons why they want to come up with a fundraiser. So, before heading on full-blast with this effort, you’ve got to start with a clear definition of your goals.
What are you trying to achieve through this fundraiser? How much do you intend to raise? How long will your fundraiser last?
Remember that at the root of every fundraiser, there’s money involved. So, you need to make your donors feel like it’s a good idea for them to give money and support your cause. Most importantly, people are also going to be more willing to give more, when the purpose is clearly defined.
For example, you’re trying to raise money to help pay for the medical expenses of a poverty-stricken patient. Don’t just post the entire big amount or totality of the expenses. Be more defined, and go into details as to what it entails. Checkups, medical consultations, purchase of medication, treatment, therapy, rehabilitation plans. All these should be well-defined.
2. Browse Through Different Fundraising Ideas
The Internet is on your side in your pursuit of acquiring fundraising ideas you can copy and be inspired by. Especially when you’re trying to raise quite a substantial amount, the best way to go about it is to have many different fundraising campaigns. That way, people can choose what their preference is.
To help you get started, here are some of the best fundraising ideas that you can adopt:
- T-Shirt Fundraisers
T-shirt fundraisers are well-loved because t-shirts are useful items that can be worn daily. These are most likely to get sold fast, as people need shirts. More so, as the organizers of the fundraiser, custom t-shirts are very easy and cheap to reproduce in bulk. So, it’s easier for you to have a high-profit margin for every custom t-shirt sold, to be placed in your fundraising account.
- Marathons/Walks
As so many have now started to live a healthy lifestyle, marathons and walks are also becoming popular. This makes it a very good idea for a fundraiser as well. People will be very interested to sign up for it because not only do they get to help out, but they’re also giving themselves a good workout/exercise. The money an individual uses to sign up goes to your cause.
- Peer-To-Peer Fundraising
This mode of fundraising can also be considered word-of-mouth. In this kind of campaign, you spread awareness about the cause you’re trying to raise funds for. The goal is to have each of these individuals you’ve shared the word with also do their own part in donating or working as volunteers to raise funds.
It’s like working from one peer to another. Here, the peers you’re reaching out to do their own part to help raise funds as well. This effort can be anywhere from promoting the fundraising activity or donation drive to their friends and family, setting their own crowdfunding campaigns, or posting on their social media accounts.
This is also very effective, as you’re increasing the range of possibilities for you to succeed in your fundraiser. Rather than do all the effort by yourself in just one geographical area, now this is wider.
- Host A Gala/Dinner
Galas or dinners is also another effective fundraising activity. For people who love to dress up and attend socials gatherings, this is a great way for them to mingle and interact with others, for a good cause. Here, you sell tickets as a form of an invitation to the event. Gather as many sponsors as you can, such as caterers, set designers, volunteers, etc. That way, you can make the most out of every ticket sold, going towards the fundraiser and not merely to shoulder all the costs of the event.
When these suppliers find out that it’s for a good cause, they’ll surely be more than willing to sponsor the event for free, or at a discounted rate.
- Hold A Raffle
Raffles are another way to earn money for your event because everyone always gets thrilled about the possibility of earning something. For this one, you’ll also have to work hard to get sponsors for the different prices you have at stake. In doing so, you can categorize ticket prices or the number of tickets bought to a consolation price, minor and major prize.
- Have A Sports Tournament For A Cause
Hosting a sports tournament for your fund-raising drive is a great way to attract athletes. The most common of these are golf, basketball, and volleyball. Football and horse betting are also a good choice. You can raise money in these events through the entrance tickets and sponsorships.
3. Register Your Fundraising Campaign In An Online Platform
Another failproof way of running your fundraising campaign is through registering it in an online platform like Adrenaline Fundraising. Through this, you can do anything such as post-athletic products for sale as proceeds go directly to the causes that instigated them. There are so many crowdfunding platforms now present online, with no registration fee. Plus, there’s also no minimum requirement for withdrawals. Hence, anytime that the recipients of the fund will need it ASAP, you can start withdrawing the donations, to give to the subject of the fundraising drive.
Because there are many online crowdfunding platforms to look for, it’s helpful for you also to know what are some of the factors of the best online crowdfunding platforms. These would include:
- How and when you can have access to the funds deposited on your account;
- Fees, including processing and platform fees;
- Availability of customer service.
4. Be Very Transparent About The Whole Story
Apart from a detailed explanation of the purpose behind your fundraiser, you also need to be very honest about all other details like the who, what, why, where, and how. The more details you put in, the higher the chances that people will actually be very willing to contribute to your cause. This is because they have a full grasp or understanding of all the events leading up to the purpose of why the fundraiser is even existing in the first place.
The bottom line is that people will need to fully understand why the recipient deserves to receive their money as a donation. Also, as you continually inform them how the fundraiser goes, they would be happy to know that their donations really reached those who are in need.
5. Spread The News
To get more donations coming in, you need to spread the word as far as you can. The aim here is not really to increase how much one person can give but to let more people know about the fundraiser so that so many more can contribute and take part. Hence, it’s very important that you promote and spread the word about it.
Fortunately, technology is on your side today. There are so many means for you to spread the news about the event, apart from mere word of mouth. Here are other ways:
- Posters, flyers, and ads via mail, radio, and television;
- By sharing on social media accounts;
- By creating a website;
- Through email and text messages.
6. Take Tips From Those Who’ve Done It Before
Fundraisers are quite common nowadays, so you pretty much know people within your circle who have been successful with this kind of campaign. In order to learn all the tricks of the trade, you may want to get in touch with these friends, individuals, or colleagues and ask for insights and tips.
Through their practical advice, you’ll know the important details of running a fundraiser. Plus, you may even be able to get a hold of suppliers or local businesses that have long had the reputation of being very supportive with fundraisers. This can help you have a great start as to the people you’re going to have to contact for the event.
7. Always Show Appreciation To All Donors
While your fundraiser is still ongoing, make it a habit also to show appreciation to all of the donors. Also, always let them know how the fundraiser progresses and how their donations reached the recipients. Don’t wait until later to do so, when you’ve reached your goal or when, periodically, the fundraiser has ended.
Remember that every donation counts, whether big or small, and whether or not you’ve reached your goal. Plus, it can even motivate others to donate again in your next fundraising project when they see how appreciative you are and how organized your campaign is.
Final Words
With this guide, now you don’t have to feel as if starting a fundraiser is going to be utterly difficult. The key is to have a goal and a plan for when you would start. Don’t just jump right into it, without even putting a lot of thought and effort. At the very least, you’ll want to do everything you can to make it successful. Then, when the days start to get a little bit difficult, be reminded about why you started. This should be more than enough to motivate you to keep going and pushing harder.