Publicising Your Fundraising Campaigns
The success of your fundraiser depends on how much publicity your group can attract. Community awareness of your fundraising need and your fundraising offering will always increase your results.
Consider incorporating some of the following tips into your next campaign, to help boost your profile:
Use your website
If you don't have one, get one. Use it to communicate your goals, thank your sponsors, highlight periodic offerings, recognise successes, honor individual contributors, give event updates, etc.
Don't forget to promote your web site on all your materials.
Actively seek more publicity
Get the word out about your fundraiser in as many ways as possible. Get into as many neighborhood newsletters, community forums, talk shows and other public forms of communication as you can.
Utilise any gathering
Make announcements at other events to spread the word, display products, take orders, make sales, and recruit volunteers.
Take a joint venture approach to marketing your group or event by giving something of value back to all those help out, even if it's only simple t-shirt!
Goal awareness
Heavily promote the goal of your fundraiser in all communications, particularly with potential attendees, auction bidders, and sponsors. A good cause gets the checkbooks out!
Make sure that all participants know the specific reason why the money is being raised and specifically how it will be used.
Communication
Use all available means of increasing awareness of your group's efforts including roadside signs, e-mail lists, phone calling trees, newsletter, flyers, posters, bulletin boards, recorded hotline messages, etc.
Sponsorship decals
Offer these free to supporting merchants and include them supporter memberships. Use the glass stick-on type for storefronts or vehicle windows.
This "branding" gets the word out to the community that your organisation has a strong support base.
Bumper stickers
Sell your organisation year round with every fundraiser by offering one that says "Proud Supporter of _____." Give one to every volunteer and group member.
Flyers
Hit local mailboxes (follow postal regulations) and car windshields in shopping centers. Give fundraiser details in your flyer in a way that promotes sales and gives contact information.
Incorporate a coupon or free gift offer into the flyer that will keep it from being thrown away. Your merchant base will help provide the offers because this is free advertising for them.
For example, a flyer could include a car wash, dry cleaner's discount, or oil change coupon. (Or even all three!)
Build and use an e-mail list
Ask for an e-mail address for future newsletter distribution when you're fundraising. Have opt-in links on your web site. Easily stay in touch with a monthly email update.
You can build an online community of supporters even faster by offering them extras available only at your site. Offer community forums to post information or read the latest news.
And finally...
Put your fundraising publicity plan in place today. You'll reap the benefits in continued growth and additional fundraising success for years to come.
