From the image and the text to the way in which you share your fundraising page, every single aspect is key when trying to engage your friends and family in your fundraiser for a charity.
Among all the aspects that you need to take into account, keep in mind:
1. Create relationships
First of all, remember 2 important aspects. One, you are interacting with people; they are not just credit cards. And two, you are raising funds for a charity. The money is not for you and that has to be clear. Let your donors know how important they are for you and how much you appreciate their donations. Thank personally every single donation through Facebook or through a personal email. In that way, you will create relationships with them that will probably turn into new donations in the future.
Ted Hart, chief executive of P2PFundraising, has said that “relationships are the heart and soul of fund raising”. That is why storytelling is a key element for engaging donors. You need to tell your personal story, your motivation to start a fundraiser but remember this is not about you, is about getting donors for your cause. Through your personal story potential donors can be easily related to your cause. A story that they find of personal relevance helps them visualize their participation.
For example, Jane Oldager created a fundraising page on BetterNow to raise money for the Danish Child Cancer Foundation (Børnecancerfonden) after her daughter overcome a cancer. In her fundraising page she tells her personal story and why it is important to help that organization.
2. Explain everything
In your fundraising page you need to explain which cause you are giving support to and why. What motivated you to raise funds for that organization and that cause? Explain it to your supporters so they can better understand what you are doing. You can include a description of the organization’s work in your page and which activities are going to be done with the money raised in your fundraiser. The message has to be clear.
Remember to answer the basic questions:
– What: What are you going to do? What do you have in mind?
– How: How are donations going to be done?
– Why: Why do you need their help? Why do they have to support your cause?
– Where and who: Who is going to receive the money raised?
– When: When is your deadline to reach the goal? Be realistic.
Anne Schneider decided to raise funds for UNICEF, specifically for the people affected in the Syrian conflict, so she created her own fundraising page explaining her friends and family the situation in Syria and why it was necessary to collaborate. She also explained what was UNICEF working on.
3. Convince them
The most difficult part is not asking for help but trying to convince your friends and family to make a donation. It is important to let them know how the world is going to change thanks to their collaboration. Tell them which projects are going to be done with their donations. Make them feel special. Make them share with you that feeling of happiness that appears when you do something good for others.
Probably not all of your friends will join your cause. Be ready for a “no” and for people ignoring your message. But don’t discourage if you don’t achieve your goal. With the money raised you will also be able to help a lot of people.
4. Be visual
Remember that an image is worth a thousand words. So don’t forget to include a picture or a video – or both – in your fundraising page. Visual effects are more valuable and they will help you to get donations. You can include in your page a video where you explain why you have decided to start a fundraiser or a video of the organization showing their work.
Shane C. Kenny explained in his fundraising page why he wanted to raise funds for cancer research and he also included a video explaining what he was going to do (running Copenhagen marathon) and why he wanted to support that organization (his mother died of cancer.)
5. Reasonable goal
When establishing your goal, be reasonable. You don’t need to set a really high goal if you know you are not going to make it. That will only make you frustrated. So choose a reachable amount of money. In that way, both you and your donors will be glad to the see the goal reached. And that happiness will probably be translated in a new future fundraising.
For example, Kirsten Ejlskov Jensen decided to run Berlin’s marathon after she had overcome cancer. She fixed her goal in 5.000dkk (€670) for the Danish Cancer Society. Thanks to donations from friends and family she raised 5.250dkk (aprox. €705). That personal achievement will surely encourage her to keep fighting for what she loves. And thanks to donations she was also able to help other people.
6. Sharing
Once you have your fundraising page in an online platform, don’t forget to share it in your social networks (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) and also send it by email to your contacts. Make sure everyone knows what you are doing and that you need their help to reach your goal.
And, of course, do not forget to ask politely and always thank every single donation you receive. Every amount, even the smallest ones, will help you reach your objective and, as a consequence, make a difference in the world.
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