Fundraising Campaigns| Success in 3 Steps

All organizations at one time or another will need to raise capital for a special need, program or event. Are you new to the world of fundraising? Are you overwhelmed and intimidated? Don’t stall out before you even get started. No need to throw in the towel. Fundraising campaigns need not be complicated. Help your group reach their fundraising goals by following these three simple steps.

1)   Identify and understand the goal of the fundraising campaign and communicate your needs with passion.

What do you need? Clearly answer the question, “What are we raising funds for? What is the goal of the fundraising campaign? Does the school playground need new equipment? Can the varsity choir use some new risers? “Are you raising funds to cover transportation expenses for your dance team? Be specific about your fundraising goals and then be sure to clearly communicate your purpose to your group.  

 2)   Engage and motivate your sellers.

Ask yourself what will motivate your sellers? Use age appropriate prizes and non-monetary incentives to gain 100% participation. Ask your sellers for input? Listening to your seller’s ideas and acting on them, includes them and will motivate them to participate. If your sellers are motivated they will fully “buy in” to your shared goal. This helps build excitement. Keep the excitement level building throughout the course of your fundraiser by sharing process milestones with your sellers and by offering prizes throughout the fundraiser, not just at the end.

3)   Promote, promote, promote.

The most successful fundraising campaigns succeed because they are effective at advertising their fundraisers. Spread the word via your web site, in your email newsletters and across all of your social media platforms. Social media is a great communication tool for sharing your fundraiser that requires a minimal amount of your time and will pay off with increased sales. 

What challenges have you experienced with your group’s fundraising campaigns? Struggling with realistic goal-setting? Having a hard time motivating your volunteers? Leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you and answer your questions in a future blog post.