Maybe you have particularly ambitious goals for your next campaign, or maybe you just feel like you’re running out of ideas to motivate your base. Whatever the reason, it might be time to revamp your fundraising approach.
With a little imagination, you’ll see that there are plenty of inventive ways to shake up your fundraising methods. Check out 3 easy and creative ways to bring you closer to your next fundraising goal:
- Engage your donors as fundraisers themselves.
- Try a creative twist on a classic event.
- Diversify your fundraising methods with digital tools.
Follow along for a breakdown of these three methods.
1. Engage your donors as fundraisers themselves.
One creative twist to breathe new life into your fundraising strategy is to engage your donors as fundraisers themselves. The easiest way to do this– and make sure everyone has fun in the process– is through a community-based event, such as the many event-a-thon options.
Whether a walk-a-thon, a read-a-thon, or a rock-a-thon, you’re guaranteed an affordable, creative, and engaging event for all involved.
These fundraisers involve participants in creating personal giving pages through which to fundraise. They then invite friends and family to donate to their fund. Donors pledge to pay a certain amount corresponding to the amount a participant walks/reads/rocks/etc.
Hosting one of these events is easy. For a walk-a-thon, for instance, you’ll only need a few core resources to get the event up and running:
- An area for your participants to walk in
- An effective strategy to spread the word
- An online donation platform optimized for -a-thon style fundraisers
This peer-to-peer style of fundraising has experienced a major rise in popularity over the past few years, especially for smaller organizations. These events are great for organizations that can’t invest significant time or resources into planning a major campaign.
Whether you utilize this event as your main fundraiser or use it to supplement a larger event, an -a-thon event is a creative way to build toward your fundraising goal.
2. Try a creative twist on a classic event.
Schools are almost always in need of additional funds. That’s why many become proficient at maintaining fundraising momentum year-round through their PTAs. To revamp your organization’s campaigning, consider taking a tip from educational fundraising ideas and put creative twists on classic events.
For example, referring back to the walk-a-thon event mentioned earlier, what are some ways you can bring variety to the classic community fitness fundraiser? Whether a dance-a-thon, a swim-a-thon, or a bowl-a-thon… the variations are endless!
There are a ton of other classic events you can easily revamp with creative twists:
- Usingtilizing the classic bake sale formula but selling multi-cultural baked goods instead
- Inviting furry friends to your classic car wash and adding home-made dog treats to the offering
- Selling community-decorated goods rather than mass-produced candy/magazines/candles
If you’re dealing with a donor base that is already feeling the effects of multiple fundraising pushes, consider adding a creative, fun twist to a classic event. This will ensure a fresh experience for your donors and positive steps toward your fundraising goals for you!
3. Diversify your fundraising methods with digital tools.
One of the easiest low-cost methods to help you reach your goal is to optimize your digital methods of fundraising, specifically peer-to-peer and mobile fundraising.
Once you make sure your online giving platform is capable of these functionalities, you can encourage your donors to utilize these two giving methods:
- Peer-to-peer fundraising: This type of fundraising allows your donors to create personal giving pages, which they then share with friends and family through social networks. Motivated by personal relationships, this extended network then donates to your cause in the name of their loved one– regardless of whether they’re directly involved in your cause.
- Mobile fundraising: This type of fundraising involves optimizing your web-based giving platform to be mobile device-friendly. Through doing this, donors will be able to give while on the go, at any moment. Mobile giving tools, like text-to-give services, fall into this category, too.
All you have to do is ensure your digital fundraising tools can accommodate these two processes. Then inform your donors of the options. Your contributors will handle the rest! There are more accessible and affordable tools on the market today than ever before. So explore your options if you’re interested in investing in new tools.
By expanding your fundraising capabilities to the mobile sphere, you’ll be able to invite donations from contributors you may not have reached otherwise. And you’ll be able to receive these gifts without technological restraints. This funding source may just be the boost you need to reach your fundraising goal.
As the year goes on, it can be difficult to continue motivating donors to give to your cause. Whether they’ve already given throughout the year or you’re just starting to run out of fundraising ideas– maintaining momentum is no easy task!
However, it is essential in the run-up to the year-end season. You’ve got to keep your audience engaged before the holiday giving season kicks in.
By making a few easy, creative changes to your nonprofit’s next campaign, you’re sure to breathe new life into your organization’s strategy. With these 3 techniques, you’ll be reaching your goals in record time!
Guest Author: Brad Dowhaniuk
Brad Dowhaniuk is the co-founder of 99Pledges, and a writer at WriterZone.net, which provides schools and teams with an easy-to-use, web-based fundraising solution to manage and drive success in Fun Runs, jog-a-thons, baseball hit-a-thons, and much more.
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