5 Fundraising Ideas From The Texas Nonprofit Summit

Every conference I’ve ever attended has a theme that crops up in keynote speeches, hallway conversations and finds its way into sessions. The big watchword of the recent Texas Nonprofit Summit was “impact.” But, what impact do conferences have on attendees? You go, you get big ideas, take notes and then they end up at the bottom of your pile by the end of the week. I wanted to pull out fundraising tips that will impact you today. Here are 5 ideas you can implement right now.

1. Create shareable assets, from the Peer-to-Peer Fundraising.  Use photos, videos, infographics and post them on your website or Facebook so your supporters can Like them or share them with their network. Create a Facebook timeline cover that they use on their Facebook timeline.
2. Tell a story, from Fundraising Best Practices in the Digital Age. “Stories are compelling…Donation pages are not.” Go take a look at your donation page and make sure you’re telling an effective story. Concentrate on an individual or boil it down to the real impact that donation can have. Highlight it with video or photos.
3. Improve your email communication, from Building and Nurturing Community Online. You want your email to be recognized. Make the “from” your organization’s name. And don’t forget to write a short, engaging subject line.
4. The first 15 words, from Donor Centered Fundraising. The first 15 words of any communication is the most important thing you’ll ever say. When you write a thank you letter, don’t just start with, “Thank you for your contribution.” Try something like, “Your gift has saved five puppies from being euthanized.”
5. Move to Mobile, from the Top Technology Trends for Nonprofits. More than $64 million has been raised through mobile donations and the next generation of donors is mobile. What’s your plan to engage them via their mobile devices?  You’ll need mobile optimized emails, donation forms, web sites and mobile pledging to engage.

Jamy Squillace
Product Manager
Sage Nonprofit

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Cycle of Hope: Fundraising Lessons Learned

Fundraising events are a great way to build awareness and community support while raising funds for your organization.  There are many reasons why events work.  One reason is that people are more willing to spend or give money to enjoy an experience, rather than donating directly.  For this reason, one of the fastest growing event types is athletic event fundraising.   According to the Run Walk Ride Council, the top thirty athletic events alone raised over $1.6 billion in 2010.

Habitat for Humanity Winnipeg, while not on the list of the top thirty, raises funds annually through their Cycle of Hope event.  The Cycle of Hope is open to anyone with a bike, a helmet, the desire to pedal 1600 kilometers and the ability to raise a minimum of $2,500 for Habitat for Humanity Winnipeg.

For participants it’s a great way to combine a love of cycling, tackle a challenge or check an item off the “bucket list” for a great cause.  For Habitat for Humanity, the event brings a tremendous amount of attention, community support and helps them meet their fundraising goals.  In 2011, Habitat for Humanity Winnipeg exceeded their event fundraising goal by $60,000.  So, what lessons can be learned from the Cycle of Hope event?

1. Invest the right amount of time and people in the planning efforts.    Planning for the Cycle of Hope begins as soon as the event is over.  And, they have already kicked off their rider recruitment for 2012 – 6 months in advance of the event date.    See our previous post about the importance of planning here.
2. Make it fun – it’s about the experience.  Habitat for Humanity offers group-training sessions, giving participants a chance to meet one another, learn how to ride, pick up bike maintenance tips and proper nutrition for before and after the event.  In addition, every year the route is different, repeat participants get to experience the same fun event and camaraderie while enjoying a different landscape as they ride.
3. Turn every participant into a fundraiser.  Habitat for Humanity engages riders in their fundraising efforts well in advance of the event.  Through a series of meet and greet sessions, they enable participants to meet Homeowners and hear how their participation supports Habitat’s mission.  They also enable participants to set and track their fundraising goals, easily ask for funds through their social networks using email, Facebook, Twitter, their own websites or blogs.

Check out this clip of the last leg of Cycle of Hope online.

Amazing to see all the participants and different teams riding to raise hopes and funds for Habitat Humanity.

If you are interested in learning more about event fundraising, check out this educational webcast by Richard Dietz here.

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Sweating It Out For Charity

The opportunities to participate in a charitable race  in Austin, Texas are limitless. I am a huge fan of our local Turkey Trot. It’s a wonderful annual event for my whole family and I like the extra exercise to make up for the pumpkin pie.  I am also a regular triathlon supporter, cheering my daughter on or donating on her behalf. I am proud of her she recently came in third for her age division and she just started competing three years ago.

As a participant and supporter of numerous race days, I am surprised by how few of the local races incorporate a peer-to-peer fundraising element into their event. I guess the organizers think it’s too complicated costs too much or will raise very little?

However, a peer-to-peer fundraising tool can transform a runner, cyclist, swimmer or walker into an individual fundraiser multiplying their $30 race day fee into $120 and so on. Since participants appeal to their friends for funds through Facebook or Twitter, your organization can easily grow awareness of the event, increase registrants and potentially appeal to a completely new set of donors or participants who will sweat it out for your charity.

Don’t take my word for it.  Check out the Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council website at www.runwalkride.com there are a number of case studies and articles about peer-to-peer a.k.a. individual a.k.a. participant fundraising.

Even better, register for their upcoming conference taking place March 6th and 7th in Atlanta.   The presentations are terrific and you get to see and meet all the world-class athletes on hand.  I will be attending this year and would love to tell you more about Sage Fundraising Online; it’s our tool for powering peer-to-peer fundraising.

The early bird deadline is January 17^th  for the Run Walk Ride conference, so sign up today!  Be sure and save $100 on registration by using the promotional code S100 when registering here.

Let me know if you’re attending below or come by and see me at our Sage booth.

Heidi Kelley
Solution Consultant, Sage Nonprofit Solutions
Sage Business Solutions

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