Fundraising has been a part of the charity industry for a long time and is still key to NPOs achieving their mission. Through donors, fundraising events, and diverse campaigns, nonprofits raise money to drive projects, programs, and their day-to-day operations. But, how can your NPO get creative about how you raise money and engage your community?
Here are nine ways to light a spark in your fundraising efforts and get people interested in donating.
It may feel counterintuitive but getting creative with nonprofit fundraising is all about going back to the basics. You want to use tried-and-tested methods and give them a twist that’s unique to your brand. These are nine powerful methods that you can give an innovative refresh for your fundraising efforts.
Crowdfunds make fundraising a crowd activity and what’s more encouraging than feeling like you’re a part of something? A crowdfunding campaign can give life to your cause and make it feel like a community mission. Plus, they’re super effective! On GoFundMe alone, crowdfunds helped users make $30 billion from 2010 to 2024.
Create a crowdfund and get your community involved by sharing goal progress meters with your audience via social media, email, newsletters, and other communication channels.
Another wonderful way to draw on your NPO’s community and harness the power of connections is through peer-to-peer campaigns. With this approach, you can rely on your supporters to help you raise money.
Volunteers, donors, staff, partner companies, family members, and others can sign up for the campaign. Participants get a custom fundraising page or a unique link to share and direct their network to donate there.
You can make the campaign more exciting by giving a prize or incentive for the top fundraiser. You can also pair your peer-to-peer campaign with an experience or event like a walkathon where participants invite their loved ones to support by donating.
A branded donation page is a great way to keep all your company’s donation information in one place. If a potential donor spots your NPO online or elsewhere and wonders how they can get involved, a donation page is an easy answer.
Where they might get distracted with other bits on your website, a custom donation URL guides them on everything they need to contribute. You can support this by keeping your donor landing page minimal and simple. Make sure it has:
You can also add eye-catching images or videos to highlight your cause and show visitors what they’re giving to.
Tons of people use their smartphones and mobile devices like tablets for their day-to-day activities. That’s what makes text-to-give campaigns super successful.
Create a short and simple text-to-give invite that includes a donor number or keyword. Donors text back, fill in a quick form, and check out their payment. It’s speedy, simple, and gives convenience to modern on-the-move donors.
Social media is another powerful modern fundraising tool. If you can gain visibility online and shine a spotlight on your cause, you can attract donors to your cause.
Use social media creatively to raise funds by:
A tried-and-tested fundraising technique is hosting a smashing event. Galas, auctions, ‘a-thon’ events, market days — there are many ways to approach fundraising events. Get creative by hosting:
With a well-organized event, you gain many ways to make money. You can sell tickets and receive donations at the event.
Also, sell items that enhance the event experience. For example, if you’re hosting a sports event, you can sell bottles of water, fruits and snacks, branded foam fingers and t-shirts, and more. Or, food sellers and other stalls at the event can pay for a stand.
Events aren’t the only time sales can work for your fundraising. Your NPO can create branded merch and sell it online, at community gatherings, and in other spaces. Ideas for your nonprofit merchandise include:
There are many ways that you can collaborate with businesses to increase your NPO’s income. The most obvious might be to ask for sponsorship or funding for your cause. You can do this by writing and sending out exceptional sponsorship request letters.
You can also see businesses as members of your community. Engage them during events by inviting them to participate in campaigns like peer-to-peer fundraisers and walkathons. Run donation matching campaigns where businesses can double donations raised by your company.
Collaborate with businesses that have the same values as your NPO and leverage their social media and other platforms to promote your fundraising efforts. Businesses can benefit from partnering with you as part of their corporate social responsibility and you can offer them free advertising in exchange, too.
Keep donors invested in your NPO and establish an ongoing community through donor memberships. Monthly payments from memberships can give you a consistent income. Plus, members can play a key role in boosting awareness of your ongoing programs by sharing updates with their networks.
To make a membership worthwhile, ask yourself what signing up can offer. Maybe membership includes exclusive updates, newsletters, merch discounts, member events, and more. Whatever you choose to include in the membership should make people feel special enough that they’re super keen to sign on!
Take these proven fundraising methods to the next level by paying attention to the little details. Minor creative details like a well-designed donation page or special membership benefit can make a huge difference to your money-raising efforts. It really is the little things that count!
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