Charities spend £3.3 billion per year on fundraising and publicity. Money well spent according to UK Civil Society Almanac whose figures suggest on average every £1 spent by the organisation returns £4.20. Local events remain the bedrock of many fundraising strategies but more can be done to improve participation and the results they bring. Here are 5 ways charities can accelerate their local fundraising programmes.
1. Celebrate Fundraisers and Sponsors
According to a survey conducted by Blackbaud 30% of those participating in fundraising events do not hear how their efforts have impacted their chosen charity. Furthermore 84% of those that sponsor event participants are not informed as to how their donations have helped.
Start at the end when event planning and think about how you will maximise the follow up activity from events and recognise participants and sponsors. A highly personalised postcard, certificate or email can be a great way to show your gratitude to fundraisers. Be sure to containing the name of the fundraiser, the amount raised and what their funds have specifically contributed to.
2. Promote Local Fundraising Groups
Local fundraising groups raised £9.72 million for Cancer Research UK last year alone. Taking part in a local event or setting up your own fundraising initiative can be a daunting and lonely prospect. Community groups can be a great way to encourage would-be fundraisers to meet with other people, share ideas and work together in a social and rewarding setting. It can be far easier to support a community fundraising group than individual fundraisers.
Why not setup a community page highlighting on a map where each community is based and a contact person. Invite others to start their own community group with tips about how to raise awareness of the group and attract like minded supporters. Provide an example calendar of events, personalised community promotional materials and tailored event help to maximise the efforts and exposure of the group.
3. Suggest Interesting Event Ideas
Coffee mornings, sponsored walks, runs and endurance events still account for around 70% of all local fundraising events. Makes sure these types of events are catered for with easy to find location details and self-serve promotional materials, but why stop there.
Think of new and interesting concepts to entice would-be fundraisers to get involved. Why not create a fundraising idea page on your website or a glossary of the A-Z of fundraising ideas. Some great ideas can be found at Charity Challenge. An image and illustration library linked to fundraising materials can offer great flexibility to creative fundraisers. Recognise the most original ideas and events in your blogs and newsletters to spread the word.
4. Guide Them Through the Process
Walk fundraisers through the process step by step from selecting an event, choosing a venue raising awareness and requesting participation. Communicating best practices for maximising the funds they raise can make a massive difference. Research by Everyday Hero suggests fundraisers who create a Facebook group to publicise their event raise an average of 67% more than those who don’t. Simple ideas like this can have a huge impact on the success of the event.
5. Make it Personal
Help fundraisers bring their own ideas to life. Marketing support materials such as flyers, adverts, posters and social media graphics should be easily available from your local fundraising pages. Go further than basic templates by providing fundraisers with a marketing resource management system full of branded, easy to customise templates.
Fundraisers using marketing resource management systems report a greater sense of pride in the campaigns they run. Make it easy for fundraisers to adapt materials with event details and illustrations and allow space to add company logos to help encourage employer and business sponsorship.
About Brand Unify
Brand Unify help charities and businesses scale their marketing and cut costs with marketing resource management systems. Make it simple for regional teams or individual fundraisers to create professional looking, on-brand posters, certificates, social media graphics without expensive design resources.
References
https://data.ncvo.org.uk/a/almanac15/fundraising/#Fundraising_is_a_major_activity_in_the_voluntary_sector
https://blog.everydayhero.com/uk/category/charity-tips/
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/support-us/do-your-own-fundraising/local-fundraising-groups
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/support-us/do-your-own-fundraising/local-fundraising-groups
https://www.charitychallenge.com/pdf/a-z_fundraising_ideas.pdf
