F1Fund's Blog
Not everyone is an expert fundraiser, and sometimes we need guidance. If you have never run a fundraiser before this 4 step guide will help you get started the right way and start raising funds today using Unified4People.com’s simple and easy fundraising platform.
Defining Goals and a Deadline
There are two types of goals to think about with a fundraiser. The first is goal should answer why and define the purpose of your fundraiser. Having a fundraiser is great, but unless you can clearly communicate what you’re raising funds for you will not be successful. Clearly think about your this goal and why you are launching a fundraising campaign.
The second goal is financial. How much do you need? It’s a simple question in theory, but difficult in practice. If you set a goal too high, people may not what to donate as they may be fearful you’ll never reach the goal. They will likely think “So why should I bother?” On the flip side, if your goal is too low, they may feel like you’re not taking the fundraiser serious and not donate. The trick to setting a goal is to find the sweet spot. There’s no rule, you just need to be realistic and set a goal that your target audience will be able to help you reach. Think of it this way, if you ask for a million dollars, but no one in your audience is a millionaire, the chances are you’ll never reach your goal.
Keep Your Campaign Organized
A good campaign is well written, thought out and organized. If you can clearly tell your story, provide clear formatting and images it will greatly improve your audiences trust in your campaign.
The following tips will help keep your fundraiser organized:
- Grammar is important, make sure you at least check your spelling and use basic punctuation.
- Don’t ramble, use paragraphs and keep your sentences short.
- Make your thoughts simple and concise. For example, if your fundraiser is for a sick pet, say so and start with that!
- Use images, but place them correctly. Unified4People provides a great story builder and allows you to insert images in your campaign’s story.
Enlist a Team
One voice is great, but many voices get heard. Unified4People’s team builder allows you to enlist friends and family to share you campaign and collect donations on your behalf. If you’re running a fundraiser for a cause, a team will get the cause out. When you launch a Unified4People fundraiser you can set a team message and let people join your team themselves, or you can enlist them yourself. Once they are on the team, they can share and you can track their contributions. Teams work and should be considered when running a sports fundraiser, a fundraiser for a common cause or if you are rallying behind someone in need.
Find out more about Unified4People’s unique team fundraising tool here.
Spread the Word
Sharing is where most fundraisers fail. If your story is great, your goals set but you’re not getting the traction you need, it is likely due to sharing. Oddly, sharing isn’t hard. You just need to ask. When you first launch a fundraiser you need to share it yourself and ask friends or family to share as well. 90% of any campaign’s donations come through sharing and you’re not going to be successful if you don’t. Unified4people makes sharing easy, and our unique campaign owner dashboard gives you the information you need to track your performance.
Not all fundraisers are successful, but following these 4 steps will help you be successful. Like anything you do in life, you will get you what you put in. If you create a fundraiser with only a couple of sentences, no images and no clear direction, people will not be inclined to help.
Find out more about Unified4People though our How It Works page.