Getting started on your fundraising can be a bit difficult at times so we wanted to give you some tips on how to be as successful as possible!
The NUMBER ONE way to get fundraising results is by reaching out personally to family, friends and coworkers by a call or an email telling them that this is a cause that is important to you! On your fundraising page, there are share buttons that allow you to email a pre-populated message with everything you already want to say! This is what it says, but you can change and customize it however you want:
Family & Friends,
On September 27th, I will be skating 18 miles for Boarding for Breast Cancer’s Skate the Coast board-a-thon from Santa Monica to Redondo Beach to raise money for B4BC’s education, prevention and support programs! This cause is very important to me, and it is a cause near and dear to many of us since most people know someone who has been affected by cancer, or have been affected by it ourselves. We will be pushing in honor of those fighting the battle, and in support of a healthy, active lifestyle. Even a $1 donation shows your commitment and support for this special day as I work towards reaching my fundraising goal! The process is quick, easy, secure, and much appreciated.
If you are interested in joining in on the event, you don’t need a skateboard. Bikes, longboards, blades, and skates all are welcome! Thank you in advance for your help, and for supporting this awesome event!
Find the email on your fundraising page here:
Social media can also be a great tool to fundraise, like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. When using social media to fundraise, it’s better to add an explanation of why you believe in the cause, and why you are participating in the event, like this:
It seems straightforward enough and it often works, but sometimes it doesn’t. The problem is that if you ask your 500 friends to donate they may end up thinking, “It’s not a big deal if I don’t help, there are so many other people here that someone inevitably will.” With everyone thinking this way, no one winds up helping. Here are a few strategies to help solve this issue:
Strategy #1: Tag and Thank
The “Tag and Thank” method is a super effective social fundraising approach. You start out using direct e-mails or calls to get some donations; then, as the donations begin to roll in, you tag and thank each new donor through their social media accounts. As your friends see you recognizing more and more donors (people that they likely also know) they will be pushed to get involved.
Strategy #2: Tell a Story
Keep people updated! Let all your social media friends know how your fundraising is going. When people tune into your regular updates, on some level they begin to follow your “fundraising story” and become more interested in your success or failure. Telling your story can help people connect to your efforts and can lead people who wouldn’t otherwise contribute to get involved. Here are some examples of tweets below:
Strategy #3: Personal “Thank You Gifts”
Incorporating gifts into your social fundraising approach can help you build a broader base of support and shows your commitment to reaching your goal. This strategy works really well when the gifts are personal to you and require your particular skills or services such as buying a drink, washing their car, or anything else you could think of!
Or get EXTRA creative like this (that’s a lot of belly flops…):
If you’re feeling ambitious, you can even combine all 3 of these strategies for maximum results! Don’t forget, the absolute BEST technique is personal emails & calls. People want to support causes that YOU care about! Seriously, try calling just 5 people!
Copy and paste the link to your fundraising page into emails, Facebook and Twitter to send out. Need more tips on who to reach out to to ask for donations? Check out this blog post from our friends at Stay Classy titled: You Have More Supporters than You Think: Here’s How To Reach Them for ideas on how to grow your network of donors!
Happy fundraising, and have fun! We couldn’t do this without you!
Have more fundraising questions? Email Liza@b4bc.org
