How To Get Your New Fundraising Initiative Off The Ground

There is no such thing as a bad time of year to start a fundraising campaign. Although charitable efforts are quite popular during the holiday season, it’s important to remember that those who are less fortunate require our love and support all year round. To successfully launch a fundraising initiative, there are some vital steps to take. Let’s explore a few!

Create a central focus for your campaign.

It’s important that potential donors know exactly what they’re supporting. It’s not enough to simply state that you are raising funds for charity. A bland approach to generating support won’t help your cause. Find something you truly care about and highlight it in the marketing of your fundraiser. Does it target the well-being of children? Is it looking to feed the hungry? As Wayne Elsey contends, on behalf of Philanthropy University, your fundraiser’s central idea can make or break your campaign.

“Don’t just host another bake sale and call it a day,” he warns, “While ideas like that may be solid in the short-term, you need to focus on choosing an approach that prioritizes sustainability. It should be something that peaks donors’ interests and becomes something they look forward to year after year. Creating a central focus for your campaign enables you to maximize each of your fundraisers and engage more donors.”

Send out e-mail blasts.

E-mail marketing is a tried and true form of advertising because it focuses on your current audience of subscribers. The hope, of course, is that your e-mail’s recipients will be more likely than strangers to want to support your company’s fundraiser. E-mails are also easy to forward. Ideally, you will not just garner donations from your e-mail blasts. You will also generate word of mouth promotion.

“Despite the advent of social media channels over the last ten years, email is still a fundraising event’s primary promotion strategy,” says Summy Lau for Winspire, “Emails are free or low-cost to send, are easy to track and garner instant responses. The trick to an effective email campaign: having new, exciting content in each message.”

Share your story.

There is arguably no better way to generate support for your fundraiser than to tell a truthful and heartfelt story about why you begun the cause in the first place. Is there a particular ailment that has impacted you or your family directly? Did you have an experience when receiving financial support could have helped you? Tell your story. Be honest. Be yourself. Your donors will feel a lot closer to you and your cause, as a result.

“Everyone has a story,” affirms Elsey, “It doesn’t matter if it’s joyful, heart-wrenching, or even comedic. It matters, and someone out there wants to hear it. Nonprofit storytelling involves talking about those you serve with the intent to inspire action and change. Effective stories motivate supporters to give however they can, whether it’s through donations or volunteerism.”

At Unity Payments, we help business professionals to stay ahead of the curve with our advanced fundraising technology. To learn all about how we can help you get your new fundraising initiative off the ground, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-661-3761 or email us at [email protected] to learn more.