I was not expecting to find myself writing an article for MoneySavingMom.com, but here we are. I started the website to help moms find ways to save money, and now I’m going to give some advice on how to get donations. Let’s get started.
Set A Goal
As the founder of MoneySavingMom.com, I can tell you that setting a goal is the key to successfully getting donations. Find a charity or nonprofit organization that you believe in, and set a goal to raise X amount of dollars. For example, you might say to yourself, “I want to raise $500 for charity this year.” You might ask friends and family members to make a donation, or you might even decide to hold a raffle or auction to raise money. Whatever you do, make sure that you have a clear goal in mind.
Create A Fundraiser
If you decide to hold a fundraiser, the next step is to create the event. This event should be centered around your goal, and it should feature items that are easy for people to get passionate about. For example, if your goal is to raise $500 for charity, your event might consist of raffles and auctions for the chance to win lots of money for your favorite charity. Or if your goal is to help impoverished children, you might hold a bake sale with all of the profits going to a children’s charity. Once you have your goal in mind and have started to think about what you can do to raise the necessary funds, you will be able to come up with lots of ideas for a fundraiser.
Use E-Mails
E-mails are an excellent way to connect with people who want to help your cause. Charity organizations and nonprofits usually have websites, and if they do not, you can use your own e-mail list to send out your request for donations. The nice thing about e-mails is that you can be very creative with the subject line and body of the message, and you do not need to stick to one style. For example, if you want to appeal to teen girls, you can use the subject line, “Help me choose the perfect gift for my best friend’s birthday!” and you can follow up with, “The best gift is…[insert name here]!” You can also ask people to donate specifically to help children or pets, or even to fight cancer or Alzheimer’s disease. The sky is the limit when it comes to the creative subject lines you can use, so do not be afraid to experiment. You can also ask people to give to a certain cause that you are passionate about.
Get The Word Out
If you decide to use social media to publicize your fundraiser, you will want to set a date for the event and make sure that you get the word out. If you set your date far enough in advance, you will find that more people will be interested in donating because it will be closer to the date. For example, if you set your fundraiser for September 20th, you will find that many people will be excited to donate on or before that date. There are several ways to get the word out about your fundraiser, but nothing compares to getting out there and doing it yourself. Make sure to put in the effort to get the word out, and it will work wonders for you.
Set Sights On A Reward
Once you have collected enough donations, you can start to think about what you are going to do with the money you have raised. One way to motivate your contributors is to give them some reward for their time and effort. Giving a little something back to the people you are trying to help is a great way to show them that you appreciate their support. A common way to do this is to give the donors a chance to win prizes, which can be anything from a simple thank you for their donation to a nice little box of jewelry or a spa gift card. Giving out a prize can help to get more people interested in donating, and it will encourage them to contribute more money. It is a win-win situation for everyone.
Follow Up
Setting a goal and creating a fundraiser is a great start, but it is only the beginning. Once you have collected the funds, you need to follow up with the contributors to make sure that they have received their reward. Depending on how big your reward package is, you will want to follow up with the donors a few days or weeks after the event to make sure that they have received their prize. This way, you will not have to worry about them forgetting about your fundraiser or not understanding why they are being thanked months later. Checking in with your donors on a regular basis is a great way to continue to keep them motivated to help your cause, and it is also a great way to ensure that you are delivering on your end of the bargain.
Getting donations is not as hard as you would think. All it takes is a little bit of organization and a lot of follow up. Setting a goal and creating a fundraiser is the first step, and it will get you on the right path to being able to ask for donations. From there, all you need to do is follow up with your donors and make sure that they have received their reward. Setting a goal and creating a fundraiser is not as hard as you would think. All it takes is a little bit of organization and a lot of follow up. It is highly recommended that you do not quit your day job until you have raised at least six figures, and then you can consider yourself a full time philanthropist.