Being involved in a charity is a highly rewarding endeavor and allows you to tangibly impact communities across the country and world. Ranging from those striving to provide equal education opportunities across the world to those helping animals, charities often bridge the gap between overlooked causes and public or government assistance.
If you’re a part of one of the country’s over 1.5 million nonprofits, you know that the work you do wouldn’t be possible without money. However, no matter the cause, fundraising remains one of the most significant barriers, and you may be wondering how to get people to donate money to you.
In this article, we’ll cover 10 of our best strategies so you can reach your fundraising goal earlier and focus on your charity’s mission.
1. Letter Writing
While writing letters used to be people’s only mode of communication, bills and ads are the only things most people receive in the mail nowadays.
Letter writing is one way to effectively reach out to your network not only to raise money but increase awareness. Well written fundraising letters address the person you’re writing to personally and include the problem you’re facing, your mission and goal, an explanation for how they can help, and a call to action.
If you want to take your letter writing to the next level, add a personalized note to each letter and include any personal experiences you have with the charity or details on your involvement.
2. Email Campaigns and Newsletters
Keeping those interested in your charity updated with relevant information or events is paramount in running any nonprofit and can increase the chances they’ll donate to your charity.
Email marketing sites such as MailChimp and Benchmark make sending newsletters easy with drag-and-drop features and pre-made templates. Both of these tools also offer discounts for nonprofits.
It’s also essential to make sure you diversity your content across newsletters and tailor them specifically to your intended audience. For example, your emails to general supporters should be different from those of regular donors and key stakeholders.
3. Send Out Press Releases to Media Outlets
Sending press releases to local media outlets is another excellent way to raise awareness (and money) for your charity.
This article by Forbes on how to write a press release contains valuable advice. Here are some of the most important elements of any great press release.
- A short and punchy subject line
- Be concise and get right to the point within the first paragraph
- Explain why your charity is important within the body of the email
4. Sponsorship Letters
Another strategy on how to get people to donate money to you is to write sponsorship letters to find one (or more) corporate sponsors. Corporate sponsorships are beneficial to both nonprofits and companies as they raise money and awareness, while also providing positive social alignment for the company to differentiate them amongst their competitors.
Here are a few tips on writing a successful sponsorship letter.
- Do your research and personally address and tailor the letter to the CEO or person in charge of the human resources department
- Within the body of the letter, make sure you’re professional, precise, and adequately detail the mission of your charity and the benefits of the sponsorship
- Proofread your letter to make sure there aren’t any typos or grammatical errors
5. Make the Most of #GivingTuesday
GivingTuesday was established in 2012 as “a day that encourages people to do good,” according to the movement’s website.
Since then, it has become a worldwide movement that has brought attention and inspired many to donate millions of dollars on this day alone. In 2019, 13% of the United State’s adults participated in the movement and donated an estimated $511 million online, according to the GivingTuesday Impact Report.
Use the established momentum and awareness of this social movement to raise money for your own charity.
Steps such as making an inventory of your donors, setting a realistic goal, and looking for potential partners are only some of the necessary elements for creating your #GivingTuesday campaign.
6. Fundraising Challenges
Planning fundraising challenges for charity members (or even in conjunction with another local charity) is a fun and engaging way to raise money, while also tapping into people’s competitive spirits.
In today’s digital age, you can conduct these fundraising challenges over social media and track progress toward your goal in real-time. Encourage members and supporters to not only participate but share it via their own social media channels to expand its reach.
These challenges also provide perfect opportunities to set up matching donations by some of your larger donors.
7. Host Charity Auctions
Hosting auctions is a fun way to engage your supporters and potential donors, while also engaging other local businesses.
Online auctions have also gained traction in the past few years and provide a way for people to support your charity even if they can’t attend a specific event. Make sure to check out our article detailing actionable online charity auction strategies if this sounds like something you’d be more interested in doing this upcoming year.
8. Harness the Power of Social Media
Social media is an integral tool for any business or organization in the 21st century, and you should utilize the many platforms to your best advantage.
This is an effective way to reach people across time zones and outside your immediate community. In 2019, people spent an average of 144 minutes per day on social media, according to a study released by Statistica.
9. Photos and Videos and Graphics, Oh My!
You’ve probably heard the saying a picture is worth a thousand words in the past. In our media-inundated lives, this saying holds even more true as people will usually quickly skim or click away from long bodies of text.
Adding engaging and colorful media such as video and photo to your communication materials will capture your audience’s attention and give them a more immersive experience.
Creating and using colorful graphics not only catches the attention of your reader but can be largely informational, as well. You don’t even have to be too graphic-design savvy, either.
Websites such as Canva create stunning graphics for those with limited experience. Additionally, the website also offers the premium version free to nonprofits.
10. Create Merchandise
Everyone loves a quality T-shirt or mug to add to their collection—especially those that promote their favorite charity.
Companies such as Bonfire, Totally Promotional, Custom Mugs, and Custom Ink help you create customizable merchandise such as T-shirts, mugs, reusable shopping bags, and stickers that you can buy in bulk and sell or raffle to raise money.
We hope these 10 tips help you develop a strategy on how to get people to donate money to you.
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