BRANDING AND MARKETING YOUR FUNDRAISER
The Fundraising Company, Inc.
If you partner with The Fundraising Company there are no restrictions on who can participate in raising funds. Therefore, don’t get uncomfortable if you’re “why” is just for yourself! So take some time and ask yourself, regardless of the route you take to get there, “why am I trying to raise funds”, “what is my goal”, “what is my mission”. Once you have this in mind it will be easier to share with your network. A clear concise mission statement opens others up more to wanting to get involved or participate in some way.
This is the time not to be “pushy” on those you want to donate, but rather an opportunity to educate those on what your needs are or what you’re passionate about. If you’re running a personal fundraiser, perhaps trying to raise money for college tuition, share with your network what college you have chosen to attend, what your major will be, and your goals for after graduation. That is just what we did here when brainstorming our new company name – we sat for hours talking about what it is we really want to do, and that was to be a company who helped others fundraise. Take time to sit in that awhile and play with different ideas. This is a great first step in successfully marketing your fundraiser.
Creating Flyers for Marketing your Fundraiser
At The Fundraising Company you will have a dedicated and experienced fundraising guide that will put together a tailored starter kit for your fundraiser so you can hit the ground running when you’re ready. These tools and resources include personalized flyers, unique and eye-catching social media posts, press release templates, goal sheets, volunteer sign-up sheets, and more! If we don’t have it, let us know and we’ll add it to the list!
If you want to make your own flyers, or maybe aren’t ready to tackle a shoe drive fundraiser, that is ok too! We are happy to share with you important information you’ll want to share on your flyers. We also can recommend easy and fun software platforms that can create beautiful flyers for marketing your fundraiser.
Details you’ll want to have on your flyers include:
Dates you will be running your fundraiser.
If you’re having a big one-day weekend event make sure you share the time, date, and location as well.
Contact information for whoever is in charge – this can include a phone or email or both.
Your goal, whether this be a financial goal, amount of shoes collected, or cookies sold – whatever it is let people know where you’re trying to get to.
Clear and bold “Call to Action” and the top of the flyer – for example, if you’re running a shoe drive fundraiser you will want something that says:
“THE DANCE TEAM IS COLLECTING SHOES!”
If you have a logo or mascot make sure to share that on there as well, this way even if someone only glimpses at your flyer, they’ll be enticed to read more once they notice your easily recognizable image.
Last, but certainly not least – and probably the most important thing that needs to be on your flyer is, make sure everyone knows how they can donate. If you’re collecting dollar donations, let them know if there is a website to donate, or an address if they’re mailing checks, or your Venmo tag if you’re going that direction. Alternatively, if you’re collecting shoes, let them know if you’ll be picking them up, how to contact you or where they can drop them off at. People won’t be able to give to your cause, even if they want to, if they don’t know how!
The Age of Social Media and Marketing your Fundraiser
Whether you like it or not, social media has taken over the world of marketing. When you start to market your fundraiser, if you’re not on Facebook, it’s time to face the truth…you need to be. Statistics show that 3 billion people are still on Facebook, and 2.5 billion people are using it at least once everyday. So how do you take advantage of this network?
There are a lot of options on the various social media platforms, and we know it can be a bit daunting if you’re not familiar with it. You can ease into it, once you have your account try creating simple posts that announce your event and that share your “why”. These kinds of posts stay on your profile and as you gain followers or friends, they can view this information on your profile at any time.
The Power of Facebook and Instagram
The great thing about Facebook and Instagram is that they are now connected by the same ownership. This means that you can be posting to one account and simultaneously be posting to your others. Twitter, TikTok, Snapchat are still popular platforms, but both Instagram and Facebook are so widely used that if you only have the two you’re already ahead of the curve!
Once you start posting, make sure you’re posting regularly about your fundraiser. Continue sharing your mission, update your followers on goals and reach and targets that you surpass. Give a shoutout to those that are helping you along the way and tag them in what you share! Once you have consistent content that represents your “brand” or your “mission”, now is the time to master the “short-lived content”. This is anything that is shared on social media for only 24 hours. People don’t like to read as much anymore, so this is a great opportunity to share live videos on who you are, what your mission is, and steps you’re taking along the way.A waiting-game…
Now you have your mission statement, you’ve created flyers and shared them on your social media and around your community. Next step is to stand-by and watch the donations pour in. This generation is experiencing a unique time where philanthropy is becoming more and more incorporated into everyday life. The internet has made donations and gift-giving easy to do. You can now help a family overseas in a developing nation without having to join a 2-year mission trip.
Additionally, more and more consumers are holding companies accountable for their public corporate social responsibility relations. They are also showing more loyalty to those who are more involved in giving back to their community. So when you’re trying to get from the beginning of your fundraiser to reaching your goals, don’t hesitate to reach out to any and everyone, because hey, “You don’t ask, you don’t get!”.Brand Ambassador Opportunities
If you don’t know what a brand ambassador is, we’ll tell you; this is where you can take other individuals’ popular influence on social media and ask them to assist you in marketing your fundraiser. This technique can go a lot of different directions. You can use this route to help you in your own fundraiser. You may not hear back from everyone, but continue to reach out. Frequently, once someone becomes aware of your good cause, they’ll want to help in any way they can – and all you’re asking is for them to give your fundraiser a shout-out!
This is also an opportunity for those who aren’t interested in running a fundraiser themselves just yet, but really want to give back to the community and do good for others. You can become a brand ambassador yourself! Whether it is a small fundraiser in your area, and local charity, or a major global non-profit, you can use your own social media to promote and educate others on the good their favorite charities are doing in the world. If you’re not sure what organizations align with your interests, you can always reach out to us and we will be happy to share with you our experienced knowledge of do-good organizations around the country and around the world.
If you’re interested in becoming a brand ambassador for The Fundraising Company contact us today to learn more about how you can share stories about groups and individuals around the United States are raising funds here at home, helping recycle and reduce carbon emissions from landfill deposits, and supporting micro-entrepreneurs overseas. We would LOVE your support!
A Fundraising Expert is just a call away!
Kay Litwin: Senior Fundraising Coordinator: 213-458-9896: Kay@angelbins.com