Fundraising is the practice of raising money especially for non-profit works. Instead of relying on the acceptance of a small group of donors or wealthy institutions, successful fundraisers take advantage of the power of many. Click here for pledge management.
Would not that be incredible? Unfortunately, that rarely happens. Donors need motivation to give! And you need a plan. To prepare for success, describe a SMART (smart) goal before your fundraising campaign starts. In your scheme, address each of the features listed below:
-S (Specific) Specific: Describe exactly what you would like to achieve.
-M (Measurable) Measurable: Quantify your fundraising goal.
-A (Actionable) Actionable: Specify what actions you will take to achieve your objective.
-R (Realistic) Realistic: Be ambitious, but do not set a goal that you can not realistically reach with the available resources.
-T (Time-Bound) Deadline: Schedule a campaign start and end date to create a sense of urgency and motivate yourself and your donors. Visit this site for pledge management.
Choose the right platform
There are hundreds of fundraising options on the Internet! It is important to choose the most appropriate one for your campaign. We recommend comparing five key areas before committing: structure, fees, characteristics, scope and reputation.
Make it personal
Once you have selected the best platform for your collective funding campaign, create a story about your campaign that has the power to inspire donations. Our experience shows that stories about single individuals told in the first person are more powerful than statistics or stories about groups of people. As you write content for your collective funding project, focus on why the project is important to you or explain the impact of reaching your goal in your life or someone else’s.
With a little help from your friends
Here’s the good news: You already know the people who are most likely to donate to your cause: they are your friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances! Focus on how to inspire the people around you to donate to your cause, and invite them to reach your networks on your behalf. Successful funders often partner with friends or form fundraising teams to expand their reach. To start, create a list of people you know. Start with the people who are closest to you and expand. The bigger your list, the better (so do not overlook people like your doctor or a neighbor). Write names, phone numbers, emails and mailing addresses, and plan to reach each person in different ways throughout their collective funding campaign.