Fundraising

Fundraising has been used over the decades for many different types of non-profit organizations. Political parties, charitable organizations and crumbling church roofs have all been helped out by a few volunteers doing a spot of tin rattling or running cookie stalls. These days, however, fundraising has taken a more “wired” approach, after all, the new generations are being brought up online, so it stands to reason that the internet is the fastest growing method of fundraising today.

Benefits of Online Fundraising

Online Fundraising does have many benefits, as you are about to find out:

• Immediacy – a potential donor can learn about a worthy cause and make a contribution right there and then, without having time to think about it, or more importantly, forget about it
• Efficiency – the organization will receive the money right there and then, as well as the contact information of the donor (if appropriate)
• Thanks – the donor will be sent an instant message of thanks – makes you feel good doesn’t it?
• Analysis – in order to be a successful fundraiser you need to know a little about your potential donors and their habits. By collecting online donations you’ll be able to track the way that they navigate around your website, see which bits are of particular interest, which are by-passed and which need “tweaking”.

If you are planning to start an online fundraising campaign, here are a few tips to help you to get started:

• Social media – get the word out on Facebook, Twitter and all other social media sites. It’s a really cheap and effective method of spreading the word.
• Website – make sure that your website (once you’ve directed people to it) has all relevant information easily available – mission statement, goals, objectives, accomplishments to date etc. Use testimonials, photos and anything else which will help to get your message across.
• Donations – give your potential donors plenty of ways to donate. Include a big “Donate Now” button in plenty of strategic places.
• Incentives – offer incentives in return for donations. Maybe just a subscription to the monthly newsletter so that they can see what their money will be used for, an invitation to some event or gala for any donation over a minimum amount. Maybe even a prize draw fund. You might have to give a little back to encourage more donations in the first place.