our guide to fundraising - discount displays · fundraise as the cost to produce is relatively low...


WHY FUNDRAISE?

• Generatemuchneededfundsforyourcause.

• Raiseawarenessofyourcharityandwhatyou’resupporting.

• Meetyourdonorsfacetofaceandenhanceyourrelationshipwiththecommunity.

• Attractpotentialnewbusinesssponsors.

• Buildyourbrand.

• Addnewleadstoyournewsletter,socialmediapagesoremaillist.

Intoday’ssocietytherearesomanycharitableorganisationsthatyoucan’texpectpotentialdonorstobeabletocomeandfindyou.Rather,youmustgetyourselvesoutthereandfindyourdonors.Fundraisingisafantasticwaytodothis,andshouldbeakeypartofanycharity’smarketingstrategy,asthisisusuallythemainwaythatacharitygeneratesincome,especiallyasmallercharity.Thereisalsonobetterwayofgettinginvolvedwiththecommunitythanbymeetingthemfacetofaceduringyourfundraisingventure.

FUNDAMENTAL ASPECTS OF FUNDRAISING FOR CHARITY

So you’ve made the decision to run a fundraising event for your charity - congratulations.Fundraisingeventsareagreatwayofnotonlygeneratingmuchneededfundingfornon-profitorganisations,butthey’realsoexceptionallygoodatraisingawarenessforthecausethatthecharitysupports.Fundraisingeventsdon’thavetobelargescaleevents;theycanbeassimpleasacupcakestandatalocalmarketorpublicplace,araffleorapubquiz.

Regardless,youneedtoidentifyhowexactlyyouwanttofundraise,whereyou’regoingtodoit,whyyou’redoingsoandwhatresourcesyouhaveavailabletobeabletocarryitout.


THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN PLANNING YOUR FUNDRAISING

• Whydoyouneedtofundraise?Doyouhaveaspecifictargetinmind,orareyoujusttryingtoraiseasmuchmoneyaspossible?

• Whatkindofpeoplewouldbeinterestedinyourcause?Ifyourcharityissupportingacausethataffectsmen,thenmakesureyou’retargetingthemaledemographic.Ontheotherhand,ifit’sanissuethataffectswomen,thentargetyourmarketingandfundraisingeffortsatwomen.Agreatexampleofthissortofthingworkingwellisthe‘Movember’campaign.Acharityeventthattargetsmenandinspiresthemtogrowgloriousmoustacheswiththeaimofgainingdonationsviasponsorshipforprostatecancerresearch.

• Doyouoranyofyourstafforvolunteershaveanystrengthsthatmayhelpyoufundraise?Forexampleifoneofyouareinaband,youcouldlookatputtingonaconcert,orifyouhavesomeonewhomakesexcellentcakes,lookatsettingupacakestall.

• Howmuchisitgoingtocosttoputonyourfundraisingevent?Considertherentalofyourlocation,marketing,staffcosts(ifany),rawmaterials(ifsellingaproduct),prizes(ifrunningacompetition)andanythingelsethatyoucanthinkof.There’snopointinputtingonafundraisingeventifthecostswilloutweighanypotentialprofits.

• Knowyourmarket.Ifyoudon’tknowwhoyourtargetmarketis,howareyougoingtomarkettothemeffectively?

• Leverageanyexistingcontactsyouhave.Ifyoucanrecruitvolunteerstohelpoutwithyourfundraisingevent,itwillmakelifealoteasier–andcutdownpotentialcosts!Makesureyouonlyutiliseusefulvolunteersthough,there’snothingworsethangettingvolunteersonboardthataremoreofahindrancethanahelp.

• Doyouhaveanycelebritycontacts?Thisismoreimportantnowthaneverbeforeasweliveinaworldthat’sincreasinglydominatedbycelebrities.Ifyoucangetacelebritytoendorseyoureventandeventurnuptohelppromoteit,you’llbeabletoattractevenmorepeople.Usetheirsocialnetworkingleverage,forexampleasingletweetfromacelebritycouldbeseenbythousandsofpeople,whichisgreatmarketingforyou.Youcanalsoeffectivelyuseacelebrityaspartofyouractualfundraisingevent–readonbelowtowhereItellyouhow!


GREAT WAYS TO FUNDRAISE

• Car wash.Thisisatriedandtruemethodoffundraisingforanyorganisation.You’llneedtogathersomevolunteerstodothewashing,approachtheownersofasuitablelocation(you’llneedplentyofspace,preferablynearabusyroad,andaccesstoarunningwatersupply–pubcarparkscansometimesbegoodforthis)andgoodmarketing(ifyou’relocatednearabusyroad,thensomedecentsignagewouldworkwondershere).Rememberthoughthatthisworksbestingoodweather,soitpaystoonlydothisinsummer.

• Sponsored walk.Thisisapopularmethodoffundraising.Simplygatherasmanypeopleasyoucantogooutandgetpeopletosponsorthemtowalkaspecifieddistance.Thisworksgreatbyapproachingschoolswhocaneasilycommunicatetotheirpupilsthatacharityneedspeopletowalkinordertofundraise–you’llbesurprisedbyhowmanypupilswillactuallysignupforthis.ThisisagreatonetousesocialmediaforastheparticipantscaneasilyrecruitsponsorshipviaFacebookandTwitteretc.

• Raffle.Getincontactwithyourlocalpublandlordandorganisearaffleeventinhisorherpub.Thisisawin/winforbothpartiesasthey’llgetanincreaseofpeoplethroughthedoor,andyou’llbeabletotargettheirexistingcustomers.Youcanapproachlocalbusinesstodonateprizesfortheraffle,thenallyou’llneedtodoisacquiresomerafflebooksandpromoteyourraffleinsidethepub.

• Cake sale. Doyouknowanyonewho’sanexcellentbaker?Cakescanbeanexcellentwaytofundraiseasthecosttoproduceisrelativelylowandsoleavesahealthyprofitmargin.Plus,whodoesn’tlikecake–especiallywhenit’sforagoodcause!Ifyou’regoingtotrythismethodthenit’sagoodideatosetupastallinabusypublicarea–nearashoppingmallforexample.

• Guess the amount of jelly beans in the jar. Thisisanothergreatwaytofundraiseandisaveryeasymethod.Simplyfillajarwithjellybeans(makesureyouknowhowmanyhavegonein!),andaskifyoucanleaveitinthereceptionofabusinessorschool.Theaimistohavepeopleguessthecorrectamountofjellybeansinthejarforasmallfeeordonationandtheclosestguesswinsaprize.

• Celebrity auction.Ifyoudohappentoknowacelebrity,orareinapositiontobeabletoapproachonethenthismethodisonethatworksverywell,especiallywiththeriseofinternetauctionsites.SimplyputupanauctiononasitesuchaseBaylistingadinnerdatewiththecelebrityyou’vegotonboard.Ifyoucangetarestaurantonboardwiththisaswellwhichwillprovidefreeordiscountedmeals,thenthat’sevenbetter.What’sgreataboutthismethodisthatit’sgreatPRforthecelebrityand/orrestaurant,andit’saverygoodfundraisingmethodforyourcharity.It’sreallyawin/win.Ofcourseitdoesn’thavetobeadinnerdate;youcanthinkoutsidetheboxalittlewiththisone,forexampleifyouhaveasportsstaronboard,youcouldofferapersonalisedtrainingsessionwiththem.


AN EVENT IS NO GOOD WITHOUT AN AUDIENCE

No matter what kind of event you put on, it’s no good if you’re not marketing it to attract more custom. Whatever type of event you put on, you should be aiming to spread the word far and wide. Ways you can do this include:• Direct mail.Doyouhaveanexistingclientlistyou

canmailto?Usethistopromoteyourfundraisingevent.Makesureyouconsiderthecostofpostagewiththis,asitcanquicklymountupifyou’remailingtoalargelist.

• Email. Emaillistsareagreatwaytocommunicateeffectivelytoalargegroupofpeopleataverylowcost.Sendanemailafewweeksinadvancetomakepeopleaware,andfollowupadayortwopriortotheeventasareminder.

• Social Media.HaveaFacebookorTwitterpage?Letyourfollowersknowwhatyou’replanning!Youcanalsogainveryusefulfeedbackonyourevent–whichisgreatathelpingyoutailortheeventtoyourtargetmarket.

• Telephone calls. Telephonecallscanbetimeconsuming,howeverifyouhaveakeyprospectyoucancontact,suchasapotentialbusinesssponsor,it’sbettertodoitviaphoneasit’smorepersonal.

• Website. Ifyouhaveawebsite,updateitwiththedetailsofyourevent.Anothergreat,lowcostwayofgettingthewordout.

• Press releases/media.Issueapressreleasetoyourlocalnewspapers,radioand/orTVstations.Mediacompanieslovetopromotecharityeventsasithelpstoincreasetheirreputationaswell.Youmayevengetanewsponsoroutofit.

• Signage/Displays.Nomatterwhatotherpromotionyou’vedonepriortoyourevent,ifyoudon’thaveanattractivedisplayontheday,you’renotgoingtocapitaliseonthetruepotentialofyourevent.Goodsignagewillensurethatyoupickupextramembersofthepublicthatseeyourattractivedisplayandarecuriousenoughtocomeoverandengagewithyou.Plus,you’llalsohelpyourothermarketingeffortsbyensuringthatthosepeopleyou’veconvincedtocometoyoureventcaneasilyfindit.

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR FUNDRAISING EFFORTS

If you have chosen to undertake a fundraising method that means you’ll require a stand and need to interact with people, then make sure you have chosen your best volunteers/staff to be on hand to interact with the public.Makesurethey’retrainedwell,knowwhattosayandhavetheappropriateliteratureonhandtohandouttothepublic.Thingslikeflierscanbeagreatwaytoincreaseinterestinyourcharityonthedayandareaneffectivewayofcommunicatingwhatyourcharityisabout,withouthavingtotakethetimeandspeakoneonone.

Tip: Consider trying to partner with a printing company to decrease/eliminate printing costs, in return for advertising their company on the flyer.


YOUR STAND

Make your stand attractive and inviting. Don’t just go with a simple, boring table as that’s not interesting and doesn’t show anyone what you’re about. Factis,you’llneedgreatsignageanddisplayssopeopleknowwhatyou’rerepresentingandaremorelikelytobeattractedtothestandandthuswillcomeovertointeractwithyou.Thinkabouthavingagreatbackgroundintheformofapopupstandwhichincludesyourlogoandotherimages/writingthatrelatestoyourcharity.Ifyoudochoosetohavewritingonanyofyourdisplays,tryandkeepitshortandsimplesothatit’seasilyreadandunderstoodataglance.Teardropflagsaregreatincombinationwithapopupstandastheycaneasilybeplacedalittlefurtherawayfromyourstandwhichgivesyouagreaterareawithwhichtoattractanaudience.Abanneracrossthefrontofyourtablewhichconveystopeoplewhatyou’redoingorsellingisalsoawinner.Ifyou’relookingforsomethingabitbiggerthatyoucaneasilytakedownandsetupagainfornewevents,consideringhavingatentcustommadeinyourcolourschemeandwithyourlogoandmessagesprintedonthewalls.

YOUR STAFF / VOLUNTEERS

The purpose of the people manning your stand is primarily to fundraise money for your charity, so a certain amount of sales work is involved. Let’ssayyou’resellingcupcakesinordertoraisemoney.Youmaybesellingonecupcakefor£4,howeveryoucouldtryandupselltwofor£7–thecustomerisgettingadiscountforbuyingin‘bulk’andthecharityisgettingmoremoneyfortheircause–it’sawin/win.Pleaserememberthoughthatattheendofthedayyourcharityisbeingrepresented,soensurewhoeveryouhavethat’smanningthestandisnotpushy,ispolite,friendlyandrememberstosmile!

INFORMATION HAND OUTS

A great way of attracting new people on the day is to have someone standing relatively close to your stand whose role is to hand out fliers and to engage with potential prospects in the aim of having them come over to the stand. Makesuretheflierseasilyconveyyourmessage,primarilywhoyouare,andwhatyoudo.Remembertohaveyourwebsiteaddressorsocialnetworkingaddressesincludedontheflyer,asthosepeoplethatholdontotheflyerbutdon’tcomeovertovisityourstandmaystillbeinterestedinyourcharityandcouldstillvisityourwebsiteorsocialnetworkingpageatalaterdatewheretheycouldpotentiallydonate.Alsohavesomeflyersonhandatyourstandaswellandincludethemwitheverypurchasemade.

GET THEIR CONTACT DETAILS

If you’ve gone to all the trouble of organising a fundraising event for your charity, make sure you make the most of any leads that come your way. Alwaysgathermorethanjustdonations;tryandgetphonenumbers,addresses,emailaddressandnewlikesorfollowerstoyoursocialmediapages.Bydoingthis,you’reincreasingthevalueofyourvisitorsanddonorsasyou’reabletomarkettotheminthefuture.Goingbacktothecakestallexample;it’sgreatbeingabletomakeafewpoundsfromeachvisitor,butwouldn’titbebetterifyouwereabletocommunicateandmarkettothatpersonforweeks,monthsandevenyearstocome?Thosefewpoundscouldeasilyturnintohundredsovertime–alljustbycollectingasimpleemailaddressandkeepingintouch.


AFTER THE EVENT

Have a team meeting right after you’ve packed up for the day. Makeanoteofwhatyou’vealllearntandwhatyouthinkyoucouldimproveuponfornexttime.Notedownwhatworkedandwhatdidn’t.It’simportantthatyoudothisassoonasyou’vefinishedsothattheeventisstillfreshineveryone’sminds.

SHARE YOUR SUCCESS

Whatever you were fundraising for, whether it be for a new school for a village in Africa or some sporting equipment for disadvantaged children in the UK, you should let people know about it. Thisisagreatwaytoraiseawarenessforyourcauseandtoevenreceivenewdonations,withouthavingtogooutandfundraiseagain.Makesureyoutakephotostoshowthecharitableworkyou’redoing,eitherphotosofthesportingequipmentbeinghandedover,ortheschoolbeingbuiltetc.Withthisyou’reabletoshowpeoplewherethemoneythatyouraisedfromyourfundraisingisgoing,whichhelpsaddagreatdealoflegitimacytoyourcharityaswell.It’salsoworthissuingapressreleaseandcontactinglocalmediaoutlets,astheysometimeslovetorunstorieslikethis.

DO IT AGAIN

There’s always something that charities can do, for which they need to raise money for. Sodon’tstopwithjusttheonefundraisingeffort,getbackoutthereanddoitagain.Putthelessonsyoulearntfromthiseventintoactionandmakechangesforyournextevent,soit’sevenbetter.Perhapstryadifferentmethodoffundraisingtoseewhichworksbestforyourcharity–ifyouhadastandsellinggoodsthistime,whynottryrunningarafflenext?Thereisnobestwaytofundraiseforeverycharity–youhavetofindwhatworksforyours.

REVIEW YOUR TAKINGS

Did you fundraise enough to meet any goals that were set? If not, what can you do to ensure you reach them?Ifyoudidreachyourgoals,makesureyouleteveryoneknowaboutit!Updateyourwebsite,posttoyoursocialmediapagesandcontactyourmailinglists.Ifpeoplecanseethatyou’reactivelyworkingtowardshelpingthecause,they’llbemoreencouragedtohelpyouout.

Makesureyouknowexactlyhowmuchyoumadefromfundraising.Thisisasimpleequationifyouweresellinggoods,whichissimplyyourrevenueforthedayminusyourcosts.

FOLLOW UP WITH YOUR NEW LEADS

Did you manage to capture some new leads at your event? Ifso,makesureyoufollowupwiththem.Sendthemanemailforexamplethankingthemforcomingalongtoyoureventandthatitwasnicetomeetthem,letthemknowhowtheeventwentforyouandwhetheryoureachedyourgoalsandhowyou’regoingtospendthemoneyraised.Don’tforgettoincludealinktoasitewheretheycandonatetoyou(forexampleaPaypallink).Justbecausetheydidn’thandoveradonationintheformofcashatyourevent,doesn’tmeanthey’renotwillingtoPaypalyouafewpoundswhenthey’reathomeinfrontofthecomputer.


TO CONCLUDE

• Haveafundraisinggoalinmind.

• Pickafundraisingmethodthatyouthinkwillbestsuityourcharityandenableyoutoreachyourgoals.

• Researchyourmarketandfigureouthowyou’regoingtoeffectivelypromoteyourfundraisingefforttothem.

• Runtheeventtothebestofyourability.Trainyourstafforvolunteerseffectivelysotheyknowwhattoexpectandensureyourstand(ifusingone)hasattractivesignagesopeoplecaneasilyidentifyyouandwhatyou’redoingorsellingandthatit’sforcharity.

• Obtainasmanyvisitorscontactdetailsaspossibletoenableyoutofollowupwiththemlatervianewsletter,emailorsocialmedia.

• Haveameetingafteryoureventandseeifyoumetyourgoalsandnotedownanylessonsthatwerelearntfromputtingyoureventon.

• Followupwiththosethatdonatedand/orlefttheircontactdetailsandthankthemforattendingandletthemknowhowandwheretheirdonationwasused.

• Startplanningforyournextevent!

our guide to fundraising - discount displays · fundraise as the cost to produce is relatively low...

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