10 Fundraising Tips

10 Fundraising Tips

1. Develop your own brand2. Explain why the cause matters3. Tell the charity – get their support4. Tell your story, often and everywhere5. Track your progress6. Approach family, friends, colleagues, network7. Be your own PR8. Set a target, tweak it9. Make fundraising fun 10. Repeat to fade

Develop your own brand

• Come up with a brand that encompasses your campaign

• Use that as your page URL, one off twitter handle, tumblr, t-shirts etc

• Set up your JTG code in line with your brand• Make it easy for people to remember e.g.

https://www.justgiving.com/92Grounds92Hours/

Explain why the cause matters

• Really hard but often overlooked. • How would you pitch your cause and the work that

they do in a 30 second elevator pitch (hint – look at their impact statement!)

• Make it easy for supporters to understand why the cause is important, why it matters to you, what impact their donation will make

Tell the charity – get their support

• Make the charity treat you as their number 1 fundraiser

• Ask them for supporting materials (leaflets etc)• Get them to publicise your efforts (Facebook page,

twitter, featured fundraiser, celebrity support etc)• Ask if you can speak at their events

Tell your story, often and everywhere

• Always be able to tell people. Have a simple url they can visit, or a premade flyer (see JG offline page format)

• Keep your page updated with news, updates, new images etc

• Develop a story – let your fundraising efforts and your training emerge as a story that people can follow and be inspired by e.g. http://www.thecyclediaries.com/

Track your progress

• If you are completing a challenge over a set distance or time, then try and track your progress to date. Let people see how far you have progressed at any point in time.

• e.g. Look at apps like Strava, Speedo, MapMyRun etc

Approach family, friends, colleagues, network• Break your network into groups and approach them

in the appropriate manner

• Family – face to face (they are your highest net donors)

• Friends – face to face (hard to say no) or personalised email

• Colleagues – speak at a work event, personalised email

• Network – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc

PR

• Generate PR. What is your interesting hook that means a journlist, blogger would want to write about you

• Provide all the details, assets easily. • Make yourself approachable• Provide them a ready for print quote• Local newspapers are desperate for content!• e.g.

http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/9276967.Watford_dad_swimming_channel_in_pool_lengths/

Set a target, tweak it

• Set a realistic but challenging target• Speak to the charity to understand what that

amount would pay for• Donors like to be the one that gets you to 100%• Tweak your target once you have met it. Update,

thank and inspire your supporters to dig deep again• Sign up for badges at badges.justgiving.com

Make fundraising fun

• Earn your donation• Create a party playlist (e.g. GuiltyPledgers)• Try some crazy dares (e.g. DareToDonate)• Do a cake sale• Make the training element as interesting as the

actual event• Run a quiz night• Come Dine With Me etc

Repeat to fade

• Spread your efforts over a prolonged period of time and know when and when not to ask (e.g. avoid the day after Comic Relief, but remember pay day!)

• Pick the right message for the right audience• Be succint• Be personal• Be approachable• Thank people, publically and in a timely manner

Good Luck!