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Raising money to build a playground, school auditorium, or hospital cardiac wing always sounds so much easier when it’s just an idea. However, once the plans are announced, it becomes very real, very fast – you and your committee just promised the world that you would raise a large sum of money, but how can you ensure your efforts will be successful? The key to a successful fundraiser lies within a well-thought out fundraising strategy.
Below are five tips you’ll want to include in your plans for a successful fundraiser.
Your Purpose: Your group maybe well-respected, but you still need to provide a reason for your donation requests. To do this you can:
- Remind them of your organization’s Mission Statement.
- Give examples of past successful fundraising projects which led to program improvements tied to the Mission Statement.
Goal and Timeline: Your fundraising project should have a projected goal (gross), budget and a projected timeline of steps from start to finish. Included in these figures should be planned expenses, like printing, prizes, postage, food, etc. Keep track of donated items separately to maintain a proper baseline of expenses, as well as for Gift in Kind thank you letters to item donors.
Your Website: Expect new potential donors to research your organization thoroughly on the Internet. Complete transparency is the best way to prepare. On your organization’s website check the following:
- Is your website up to date?
- Is the mission statement easy to find?
- Do you have staff and board members listed (for a nonprofit) or local officials listed for a civic project?
- Is staff contact information easy to find, including a way to ask questions about the fundraising project?
Get Social: Utilize social media to find, attract, interest, or re-engage your donors. A couple of the more popular choices include:
- Facebook, as it’s much easier to update than a webpage and users represent a large range of ages.
- Pinterest is very popular among women (who tend to make the most donations in America), especially mothers. It’s good for sharing pictures of completed projects, infographics of projects-to-be or just funny text that supports your cause!
Saying Thank You: Whether your donors purchased event tickets, made a cash donation or bought 20 pounds of popcorn from the Scouts, make sure they know you’re grateful. Get thank you letters in the mail as quickly as (reasonably) possible. For high level gifts, ask a board member to also make a personal phone call or send a handwritten thank you note.
Here at Bricks R Us, it’s about so much more than just engraving bricks. We offer free fundraising consulting services, marketing assistance, customized donor websites, secure online ordering, smartphone apps for fundraising-on-the-go and more. The Bricks R Us team is ready to help you with fundraising, consulting and anything else to make your fundraiser a success. Contact us today!
