How to keep your new fundraisers

Fundraisers are raising money for organizations that they have had no previous contact with, and they are likely to do so without contacting the organization to ask for help or praise. They are the new fundraisers, the new donors and organizations new support network!

So why is this happening and how can we keep it happening?

It’s a new world out there on the web. User generated content is adapted by everyone from BBC and CNN to Call-To-Action initiatives like Ben Stiller’s Stillerstrong Campaign, Twitterism, while Second Life has grown to over 2 million users.

Like people are engaging in Twitter to update each other on the news of the world and spark conversations and debates. People are donating and becoming members of charity organizations because their friends suggested they do so. They are fundraising because it’s fun to interact online, and fundraising becomes another thing to do online which in turn also actively makes a different in the real world..

So how can organizations keep these people around when they are doing such great work?

The answer comes in form of 4 C’s:

• Community
• Cause
• Creativity
• Convenience.

Community

By community I mean making the fundraiser feel at home, welcome, appreciated and connected. Make them feel as though they are connected with the organization, by taking this opportunity to send them a thank you.

Show that you appreciate the work that they are doing and offer to send them information material. If they reply positively, then send them a membership request. The reason for this approach ties in with the Cause aspect.

Cause

Your fundraiser may be raising money for your cause this year, not for your organization in general. So the cause may be the trigger for them personally, rather than a connection with your organization. Therefore you need to be willing to accept the loss of a great fundraiser on account of cause if your causes change over time.

Creativity

Creativity is key because allowing individuals to fundraise for your organization means to allow them to take charge and fundraise in the manner they see fit. They might want to bike across country in a panda outfit or arrange contests between themselves and other fundraisers. Let them get creative with their fundraiser and give them information about your projects so thay have something to work from when possible. As an organization you need to allow the fundraisers creativity flow, and let go of the control.

Convenience

Finally we have to talk convenience. Fundraising online is convenient, donating online is the same. So make it convenient, and let the work partly do itself. When fundraisers are in charge of their own time and engagement, they will give as much of themselves as they can. Also, there is a convenience in the internet never shutting down, never closing, and has no office hours. So fundraise can fundraise on their own time. This means less work for you when you allow for fundraisers to do it on their own.