6 Tips To Help You Crush Your Fundraising Goals

When it comes to fundraising, you have almost unlimited options. You can do digital fundraisers, or in-person fundraisers. You can sell a product, or provide a service like washing cars. You can go with the a new and unique fundraising idea, or you can do a fundraiser that is tried and true for your group.

No matter what fundraiser your group chooses to do, following the 6 steps below will help to ensure your fundraiser is successful!

1. Set The Right Goal

The first step to crushing your goal is to set the right one. Your group will be much easier to motivate if they know exactly how much money they need to raise, and what will happen if they are successful.

Your goal should be something that excites your group! "We want to raise $1,000 so we can get all new doorknobs!" is not very motivating. "We want to raise $1,000 so we can attend the national convention in Texas" would be a much better goal!

We suggest using $100/per participant as a baseline, but you should adjust it to fit your group's needs.

A good goal is both difficult and achievable, and the end result of hitting that goal should be exciting to your group.

2. Brainstorm Your Outreach List

The key to executing a successful fundraiser is to let as many relevant people know about your fundraiser as possible. Family, friends, and neighbors are going to be the most likely to support your fundraiser, so start with them first!

Each participant should be able to come up with at least 10-20 people to reach out to, but the more the merrier. Make sure that the people you are reaching out to live close enough to pick the product up, or you will be able to deliver it to them in some way! If the participants in your group are younger, you may want to lean on the parents to help with brainstorming.

We have created a quick and easy brainstorm guide to help you with this section! For best results, print this out and give it to the participants of your fundraiser. This will allow them to cross names off when they are done reaching out, ensuring that nobody gets missed!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YS5ZhNfJjIkPa8L2j-skesk79B2GUpm0v-Xkbaiujfk/edit?usp=sharing

3. Craft The Right Message

Back in my day we had to walk up hill in the snow both ways to grandma's house to tell her about our fundraisers. Luckily enough though, all you need to do is text her a link.

When you reach out to someone about your fundraiser, there are 2 main things you need to tell them. What the fundraiser is and why you are doing it. People who know what their money is going towards are going to be much more likely to support you.

We have a sample text message listed for you right here! You can copy this message and just change the name and reason for fundraising. Or, use this as an example to craft your own personal message.

4. Reach Out

This is the most important step for fundraising success. The more times you do this step, the more money your group will raise. Don't feel like you need to stop at 20 messages here!

You can reach out any way you see fit, but we find texting to be the most efficient. Our fundraising websites are highly optimized for mobile use, so your supporters will be able to click the link in your text and complete the check out process on their phones without needing a laptop or tablet.

Text messages are free to send, so take advantage of this if you have large fundraising aspirations!

5. Follow Up

Have you ever went to order something on your phone, but gotten distracted before the check out? You are not alone. In fact, there is a good chance that happened to Uncle George the first time you texted him about your fundraiser.

If you want to raise a lot of money, you need to text your entire brainstorm list 24-48 hours before the end of your fundraiser, and let them know your fundraiser is ending soon. Following up is a necessary part of any great fundraiser.

6. Say Thank You!

After your fundraiser is over, don't forget to thank everybody who supported you by purchasing or sharing the fundraiser with a friend. It is this the polite thing to do, and it will also help you to build a recurring customer base.

Fundraising is not something that you can do once and be done with forever. In fact, you'll likely need to do some sort of fundraising on a yearly basis. Letting your supporters know that you appreciate them is the easiest way to turn one time contributors into lifetime donors.

Ready to start fundraising? Fill out the form below to get started!