One of the most popular visuals for fundraisers is the fundraising thermometer. It’s become an iconic symbol to showcase how a fundraising effort is progressing over the course of the campaign.
Besides the visual appeal, fundraising thermometers also come with amazing practical benefits that can help you reach your fundraising goal sooner.
Learn more about how to use the fundraising thermometer and why exactly you need one below.
A fundraising thermometer is a digital tracker that mimics a traditional thermometer. The tracker changes in real-time as you receive donations, growing ‘hotter’ the closer you get to your fundraising goal. It’s become an integral part of hosting a successful online fundraiser.
While this is a common visual choice, fundraising thermometers don’t always have to have a temperature gauge. Sometimes it’s just a traditional tracker with percentiles to show how much of the fundraising goal has been collected.
It’s a fun and engaging way for you to share the progress of the fundraiser with your donors.
While fundraising thermometers certainly add visual appeal, they serve a much more practical purpose.
First, fundraising thermometers tap into the same psychological centers that limited-time deals do. Time limits or gauges stimulate the human brain, creating a sense of urgency. People are much more likely to act under these circumstances and offer up a donation.
Motivation is also a major contributing factor. Unlike fundraisers with no trackers, a fundraising thermometer shows a clear goal.
The more donations people make, the hotter the thermometer gets. This encourages donors to donate and share the fundraiser, all in hopes of getting the thermometer all the way to the top.
Fundraising thermometers offer transparency. Donors can see exactly how much the fundraiser is growing with real-time updates. They can even see how their donation affects the thermometer. This builds trust with donors, as they can see how their donations are impacting the campaign.
The satisfaction from seeing the real-time updates is also likely to spur even more donations from individuals.
A fundraising tracker helps both the donors and the fundraising committee track donations. With real-time updates, it’s easy to see how much you’ve raised and how far you still need to go.
You can also use the thermometer to adjust goals. If your fundraiser is a major success, you can increase the goal amount and set milestones to engage your donors.
If you’re unsure about how to create and use a fundraising thermometer, don’t worry. Keep these tips in mind to make sure you create only the best tracker for your fundraiser.
For a fundraising thermometer to be successful, you need to have a goal. It’s working toward this goal that makes the thermometer so effective.
As for the goal, make it a realistic amount. Use your fundraising data to figure out exactly how much you need to achieve your charity goals.
To keep your donors engaged by creating milestones that you can reach along the way to the goal amount. The bigger the amount, the more milestones we recommend. Donors should clearly see how their money is making a difference.
There are dozens of fundraising tools that you can use to install a fundraising thermometer on your website. Some fundraising or auction software solutions, like BiddingOwl, even offer built-in goal thermometers to make it easy.
The visual appeal of the fundraising thermometer is important. The better it looks, the more people will pay attention to it. So, take your time customizing the fundraising thermometer. Make sure it matches your branding and don’t hesitate to have fun with it.
The whole point of the fundraising thermometer is to draw attention to your goals and to engage donors. So, it needs to be put somewhere clearly visible. Ideally, it should be the first thing donors see when they enter your fundraising website or page.
You can also add the thermometer to your social media pages and email headers. The more visible it is, the better.
A donation feed is a rolling chat that calls out donations as they are made. People who donate can choose to share their name and their donation amount which will appear alongside the thermometer.
Seeing your name and donation, and the thermometer changing in real time is really satisfying. It’s a highly effective way of encouraging participation.
Incentives are a great way to celebrate milestones or large donations and to encourage more engagement. As for incentives, shout out to people who made considerable donations or put together gifts with some help from local businesses.
There is nothing greater than the ability to see how your donations are making an impact. So, alongside your fundraising thermometer, share the progress. As you reach milestones on the tracker, share with your donors how their donations have been used in the real world to make an impact.
Your fundraising thermometer is also a great tool for you to track how your fundraising efforts are doing. As the fundraiser continues, use the gathered data to track your success.
If the final amount is too large and you’re not noticing a lot of engagement, a smaller amount might do better. Or, if you’re seeing more engagement than you expected, create further milestones and increase your fundraising goal.
Either way, don’t stop checking your fundraising thermometer. Use what you see to adjust when necessary.
Fundraising thermometers have become an iconic visual for fundraisers. They look great and offer amazing practical benefits. The thermometer encourages engagement, builds trust with donors, and helps create a sense of urgency to spur on donations.
There is no reason not to take advantage of the benefits and include a fundraising thermometer in your next fundraising event. Use our tips and tricks to get the most out of the practice.
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