By far the hardest part about fundraising is asking for money. Why? Because not all of us can shamelessly ask people for money (although huge respect for those who can!).
Making the list of appropriate people to ask…
Worrying about the timing…
Wording your email to invoke an emotional response so people “feel” the cause …
But balancing that with not making people feel obligated to donate.
There are a lot of considerations when fundraising and you want to make sure you stay true to your own communication style. So, how do you get the most out of your efforts? Here are a few rules we live by:
- Be clear on the cause
- Be upfront: tell them why it is important to you
- Be prescriptive: tell people what you want, not just ask them to donate
- Discuss the IMPACT: what will their money do?
- Express Gratitude (thank you notes mean a lot!)
Essentially, you need to have an elevator pitch!
Perfecting your Pitch
You need to know what you want to say and how you are going to say it in less than 30 seconds. People’s time (and money) is valuable to them, so you need to give them a clear reason to give it to you. Here is an example:
Kurl for Kids is a charity organization that hosts a pro-am charity bonspiel in support of neonatal care across Canada. Now in its 29th year, K4K has raised over $2.5 million dollars and we’re not stopping there. Help me support this great cause! I’m looking to raise X amount of dollars/I’m challenging all my friends to donate $20 dollars and all the proceeds go right to the hospitals to help provide better care for the tiny humans who need it.
Struggling to reach your fundraising goal and short of ideas?
Here are some we have tried in the past that go above and beyond your standard “email”:
- Post a challenge to have X amount of people donate X amount of dollars to help you reach your goal
- Host a donut, pizza or any other kind of day at your work, charge $2-5 dollars per unit (but the exposure is more important ;))
- Do a 50/50 raffle at an event you are at
- Ask your company – corporate sponsorships count!
- Do a birthday campaign – what makes a better present than donating for a good cause?
No matter what you do, you have to put yourself out there a little bit. Remember #itsforthekids #29thK4K.
What are some of the creative ways you fundraise? We’d like to hear from you!
