HOW TO BUILD A SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING TEAM
Sometimes tackling a full-on fundraiser can be difficult to do by yourself. So get your pen and paper, go through your contacts and start reaching out to your friends and family. You will want to look for someone who has a similar schedule as yourself. Whether you can meet during the week or the weekend, make sure you stay on the same page. Also, don’t be scared to reach out to people, if you don’t ask you don’t get! You will be surprised at the amount of people who will come out of the woodwork for a good cause!
You will also want to make sure the team you build is clear about what their role and responsibilities are. Write them down, create a group chat or facebook group, stay in touch during your entire fundraiser. If your fundraiser is crossing city or county lines, dedicate a leader to each region that is responsible for keeping in touch with all volunteers in their area.
Now that you have reached out to your community and asked for help, built your team, and assigned leaders, you will want to make sure everyone knows their goals and their deadlines to reach them. Don’t wait until the end of your fundraiser to reach out to your team, keep in touch throughout, and motivate each other!
Skills Your Fundraising Team Should Have
Communication
This is a vital skill for the success of your fundraiser. You need to make sure that your leaders are communicative with their team, and you will want to have volunteers who can communicate with potential donors.
Social Media
It’s simply the sign of the times. If you want to reach a large amount of people to market your fundraiser, you’re going to have to be on social media these days. Facebook is also a great resource for starting a group amongst your volunteers as a way to keep in touch, share success stories, and promote accountability.
Creativity
Maybe you live in a small town and you need to think of new out-of-the-box ways to increase donations. Or, maybe you live in a big city and you need to get creative with how to organize your overload of donations. Both of these scenarios will require creativity, and have fun with it!
Organization
Organization is one of the most key elements to building a successful fundraising team. You will need organization amongst yourselves, organization with your donations, and organization with your game plan.
Goals Your Team Should Have
Measurable
No matter what kind of fundraiser your team is running, every volunteer needs to know the goal they need to achieve. Set goals with a timeline, and have each volunteer know what their targets are that they need to reach each week. Use actual numbers, whether it’s funds raised or donations collected.
Achievable
Set expectations, but make sure that they are realistic and reachable. If you set them too high then your fundraising team can meet, you may lose motivation or get discouraged. If everyone is reaching their goals each week, it will encourage hard work. Perhaps even offer rewards for those ahead of their goals, healthy competition can push the limit as well!
Time-focused
While some fundraisers have a large one-weekend event, and others last for weeks to months, you will want to create a timeline that everyone on your fundraising team sticks to.
Leading your Team
Building a fundraising team gives you the opportunity to network, make new friends, and create impact all while raising money for a cause. Keep this in mind when forming your team. Choose people to work with that share your values. These could include professionalism, climate consciousness, or philanthropic endeavors.
When leading your team, it’s not about control, it’s about positive reinforcement. Keep what you are fundraising in mind and share that with your team. Give shout outs in your group texts or facebook groups and let everyone know that they’re doing a great job and making a difference!
Contact an experienced fundraising guide today to learn more!
Kay Litwin
213-458-9896
Senior Fundraising Coordinator