The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Live Fundraising Website

Posted by Ella Jacques on 25 September 2023

Online fundraising is a money-making technique that has continued to increase in popularity recently. 48% of donors say they prefer to donate money online, meaning if you neglect this form of raising funds, you could be missing out on almost half of your potential audience!

We offer lots of digital fundraising tools at Givergy, including helping charities and nonprofits build a professional and easy-to-use online presence through our  live fundraising sites to facilitate online donations and fundraising. These versatile and engaging websites can be created in just a few clicks with no design or website-building experience needed! Keep reading to learn more.

What Is a Fundraising Website?

A fundraising site is an online fundraising platform which runs for the entirety of your fundraising event to allow donors a digital method of giving money through donations, auctions, prize draw etc. At Givergy, our sites are powered by our award-winning software, customised to your liking and allow you to have a professional link to share with donors to encourage more donations. 

Fundraising sites can be used to host silent auctions, pledges and prize draw, as well as include lots of information about your charity with imagery and links included.

What Are The Benefits Of Using A Fundraising Website?

1. Wide reach: Fundraising sites allow you to reach a large audience beyond your immediate circle of existing donors. By sharing your campaign on social media and other online platforms, you can reach potential donors across the world who share your passion for your cause.
2. Easy setup: Setting up a fundraising campaign on a site is usually easy and straightforward. You can create a campaign page in minutes and start accepting donations right away.
3. Trusted security: Fundraising sites are secure and trusted platforms that handle all financial transactions and ensure that your donors’ information is kept private.
4. Donor management: Fundraising sites provide tools to help you manage your donors, including tracking donations and sending personalised thank-you messages to your supporters.
5. Cost-effective: Many fundraising sites charge low fees or no fees at all, making it an affordable option for individuals or organisations with limited resources.

Fundraising Website Messaging: What Should It Include?

FAQs

One of the primary purposes of a fundraising site is to automate processes and take away repetitive tasks from the hosting organisation. Including a clear set of FAQs on your fundraising website allows donors to part with their money more confidently and minimises the extra monitoring required by the charity. This also offers a professional look and shows that you have considered the donor’s best interests, which makes a brilliant first impression.

Event Sponsors

In addition to using your organisation’s branding elements, you can include logos and information about any event sponsors you may have. This ensures your audience are clued up on all contributing parties and ensures your sponsors feel respected, meaning they are more likely to support on different occasions.

About The Event and Charity

As well as offering a digital platform to facilitate donations, you should consider a Givergy fundraising website as the homepage for your event. Sharing just one link on all communications allows traffic to land on your donation window so that guests can view all information easily. 

Your fundraising website should include information about the organisation and what the money is being raised for, event details, testimonials, and storytelling elements that can be woven into every part of your event. Remember, these can also include photos and videos.  Links to your main website, socials, and contact routes should also be included to minimise the chance of a donor having to look somewhere else for information.

Details On All Listings

If your fundraising website is being used to host a live or silent auction,be sure to include as much information as possible on the item listings. 

Each listing offers a chance to engage with donors emotionally by sharing more about your worthy cause, who the item can help, and what the donor receives. People love to understand quantifiable information and see examples of how their money has made a difference, so get creative with your listings.

How Can You Personalise a Givergy Fundraising Website?

Getting the content and tools down is one thing, but the beauty of a Givergy fundraising site is that you can customise the site to your organisation’s branding. 

Whether you want to edit it so that the platform looks like an extension of your existing website or create something unique to the event, you have many options. To give your platform a branded finish, you can edit the following:

• Logos
• Cover photos
• Colour scheme
• Information pages
• Photos and videos

Sharing Your Fundraising Website With Donors 

Because Givergy fundraising sites are publicly hosted online with unique URLs, you can easily share the link with donors via any digital platform. Many of our clients also choose to use QR codes on printed materials to direct people to their fundraising website. You can choose when the site goes public and for how long, allowing you to be in complete control of its digital presence. 

Do you think a fundraising website is the best tool for your charity to use to bring in more money? As well as looking professional and facilitating different forms of donations, they also offer an affordable way to reach a wide network of people which is, of course, the main goal of raising money! Contact us today to find out more.

Ella Jacques

Global Client Services Manager at Givergy

Ella heads up the global Fundraising & Events team. A key part of Givergy’s growth for four years, Ella has a passion for event planning and ensuring her and her teams’ clients exceed their fundraising targets. Furthermore, Ella’s exposure to some of the highest-profile fundraising events gives her a unique insight into the newest and most innovative way in which charities are engaging with their audiences.