Create the Hype for your Personal Fundraiser

You have a fantastic-looking fundraising page and you’re all set to go… but wait, what do you do next? How do you make sure people will want to donate to your fundraiser?

 

The first thing you need to do, is let those closest to you know what you are going to do. Not only will this result in some useful advice and provide a good way to test the reactions of family, friends and colleagues, it removes that awkwardness when you start asking for donations.

 

Next, consider your actual launch date.

 

Just because your fundraiser is all set up and ready to go doesn’t mean you have to start asking for donations straight away. Think about when would be the prime time to do this. The beginning of the month when everyone has been paid and may be feeling a little more generous? Close to a birthday or Christmas, so that you can ask for donations instead of gifts? Small considerations like this can make a big difference to getting that initial injection of donations.

 

A pre-launch invitation is an excellent way to have a number of donations already showing up on your fundraiser page, before the ‘official launch’.

Ask a few family and friends if they can make their donations in the 2-3 days before the official launch date. This is a great way to test that everything is working as it should be (you really don’t want the stress of trying to establish what part of your fundraiser or donation process still needs to be addressed on your launch day).

It also removes the universal dislike of being the first person to do something. From getting onto the dance floor to donating –    no-one likes to go first. Remove this obstacle for your donors and they will feel more comfortable about donating.

 

If you have no-one close able to do this for you, make a number of small donations yourself as a guest (you can always withdraw the money straight away again, if this is a worry) and make your donors feel more relaxed about donating to your fundraiser.
If you use any social media platforms use the week leading up to your fundraiser to tell everyone what you are doing and when you are going to launch.

 

Make a fuss of your followers and thank them for all their support and friendship.

 

Be sure to tell them about your fantastic rewards and your donation matching competition.

 

Encourage them to get involved by telling them they will be able to  leave comments and share your page effortlessly when they donate.

 

If you don’t use social media, stick posters up in work or put a notice up in your local shop. Approaching local radio stations and local newspapers has proved very successful for many fundraisers. The local news reporters love local news stories like fundraisers and will not only print your story but will also print a link to your fundraiser page. Just imagine how many people that could reach!

 

So, it’s the big day. Now you have a great-looking fundraiser, a number of donations already displayed on your fundraiser page and you’ve built up interest in your fundraiser through social media or traditional promotion.  You should feel confident that you have given your fundraiser the best start possible.

 

Next time we will look at different ways of drawing attention to your fundraiser.

 

If you are considering creating your own personal fundraiser page, click on the link below.  Online fundraising is now simpler than ever, and with our great tutorials and easy-to-use  set up, you could raise a lot more money than you expect!

 

Visit GoGetFunding & Start Your Own Campaign >