Fundraisers have to be done creatively, especially at times of seeming communal duress where everyone is trying to hold on to what they have, for the sake of uncertainty. In order to achieve much, the ideas must be unique and be able to rally a following. Participants must have fun and be motivated to take it viral, attracting thousands of more donors. The nonprofit fund drive organizer must be willing to make the event fun to encourage mass participation of the community.
Below are some very useful strategies that can be used to gear capital for worthy causes like funds to help fight a Pandemic like the COVID-19. Take note, however, that this can also depend on the context within which you live. But these strategies can be utilized online, especially with factors such as social distancing being emphasized. Hope these helps:
1. Text in Money
Have people text to donate a small amount, which will simply be added onto their phone bill. Promote the campaign by word of mouth and social media. For example, the Red Cross uses this kind of campaign very successfully. Online Fundraising Bootcamp for Nonprofits is a specialized course that will fine-tune the tech and social media marketing skills for your event, to enable you to achieve tremendous success.
2. Organize a competition
Have a competition say eating, dressing or fashion. Members of the public will pay to participate in voting or tasting foods or sampling fashion as they donate to the cause. Just be aware of local laws regarding competitions before you start, so you can make sure that your competition is legal!
3. Use old tricks: Raffle selling
Sell raffles for surprise prizes. Everybody fancies being a winner, and this will create some positive energy that will attract donors. You can either give away a prize or do a 50-50 drawing, where the winner receives 50% of the money raised through the raffle. Again, check legal regulation in your area before planning this type of fundraiser, since raffles aren’t allowed everywhere.
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4. Wrap events around holidays
Get people to donate a certain amount of money on their special events. Target occasions such as birthdays and public holidays where it is easy to net many people simultaneously. Valentine, Easter and Sallah would be a great choice. For example, you could partner with vendors to have people purchase a certain type of product where a percentage of the proceeds go to the fundraiser.
5. Organize a dance-a-thon
Getting couples and friends to dance until they wear out. The last duo standing are the winners! People will be willing to pay premium rates to participate. A small amount for watching can be charged as well, and the event can even run in multiple locations simultaneously.
6. “Imprison” a celebrity
Imprison a ‘local celebrity’ (like a radio DJ or school principal) in a public cage and tell his colleagues, contemporaries or even the public to bail her/him out for a certain amount of money. This kind of event is funny (especially if a prison costume is involved) and can create a lot of social buzz in your community.
7. Organize karaoke competition or a sporting event
Get talented (and not-so-talented) people to participate in a karaoke show or sports event. Each participant/team must have a supportive audience, made up of are paying attendees, online attendance and online votes. Members of the public will also donate to participate in watching the event. For a detailed study on how to fundraise through sporting events, enrol for this course in “The Ultimate Sports Fundraising Program.”
8. Organize a cooking face off
Allow people to show off their skills by paying to participate in a cooking competition. You can have both amateur and professional categories, so everyone can compete. Allow the public to participate by paying a small fee then tasting and voting, or have them vote with cash, and the money is channelled to charity.
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9. Give it up campaign
Encourage people to sacrifice certain activities for a good cause. You may compel individuals to give up their lunch money, airtime or shaving money for a week and donate the small amount to charity in periods like these.
10. Do not ignore crowdfunding
One big mistake people make is to ignore the power of social media. Create a portal where people can give toward a certain cause and promote it via twitter or Facebook for maximum impact. Register for this program on “Secrets to a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign” for an A-Z guide in accumulating monies for your course online through crowdfunding websites. This will be a sure catapult into new levels of the campaign.
Sources:
Classy
Udemy
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With social distancing, how’s some of this possible