Raising money for charity is a tough gig. With so many great organizations out there constantly fighting for much-needed funds, it can be hard to encourage people to keep digging deep into their pockets in the name of charity.
But fear not. If you’re struggling to come up with ideas, here are some classic and modern-day fundraising tips to help get you started.
Get social
Marketing is a key part of fundraising. In order for people to donate to your cause, they need to know about your cause in the first place. And in today’s digital-centric climate, the first thing you should do is create donation website. The next step is to focus on social media as social media is one of the most powerful marketing tools you can have. From Facebook and Instagram to Twitter, Snapchat or even Linked-In, you can use social media to target just about anyone on the planet with videos, articles and other content to encourage them to donate.
One fantastic thing about social media is that it can be a relatively cheap way to spread the word. If you don’t have the time and workforce to do it yourself then you can always hire a digital marketing agency to do it for you. So if you’re working to a strict budget and want to get maximum exposure for minimum cost, you can post videos and content on social media for free or run targeted advertising campaigns for much cheaper than traditional types of marketing.
Host an event
Unfortunately, even with the most engaging social media strategy, there’s only so much money you can get by simply asking people to give it to you. After all, most people are reluctant to give something for nothing. So why not give people an experience in return for their hard-earned cash?
Events can come in all shapes and sizes. You can keep it traditional and classy with black-tie galas or you can mix things up with bingo nights, auctions, quiz nights, cabarets or even a carnival. Don’t be afraid to think big here! Of course, unless you’re already a pro at throwing events, you should consider hiring an event management company to help make sure everything goes to plan and that your event is a roaring success.
Pester some celebrities
Thanks to social media, it’s actually easier than ever to communicate with highly influential people. So whether you go through the agent in the old fashioned way, or tweet at them to get their attention, getting a celebrity or well-known figure in your corner could make a huge difference.
A celebrity endorsement doesn’t have to be an official, on-going partnership either. This is of course still a very viable option, but these days, even just getting a celebrity to tweet about your charity or wear your t-shirt in an Instagram post could help get you in front of millions of people. When it comes to modern-day fundraising, don’t underestimate the power and immediacy of celebrity influence!
Run a competition
We’ve already mentioned that there’s a limit to the amount people will give you for nothing. But why not capitalize on this mentality with a competition? For example, you can create a social media campaign where every person who donates gets to enter a prize draw. There can only be one winner so you’ll only be spending money on one ultimate prize, but the idea of getting something for their donation may be enough to get some people over the line. The bigger the prize of course, the bigger the incentive of course so depending on your budget (or if you happen to know any fancy car manufacturers who want to donate a car) you could really invest a lot in this kind of venture and get fantastic returns for your efforts.
Conclusion
There are many different ways to raise money for charity and whilst sometimes thinking outside the box and keeping up with new social & technological trends is key, it can also be just as valuable to rely on old classics like events and competitions. So when it comes to fundraising for your charity this year, why not try a bit of both?
