7 Tips For Online Fundraising Success

Posted by Ben Crook on 30 June 2020

Natural disasters and unforeseen circumstances can cause serious ripples throughout the fundraising industry, and we’re certainly seeing that with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Given that many of our charity clients rely on in-person events, which are for the most part now impossible to hold, we wanted to zone in on a few of the best practices we suggest to clients for maximizing fundraising online, and how in some cases it can equal (if not surpass) pre-set fundraising goals.

How We Can Help:

We offer a variety of fundraising tools and excel in running campaigns entirely online. It’s cost-effective and allows your supporters to contribute any time and from any place.

In fact, many of our clients have already done this with tremendous success! As an example, using strategic promotions and emphasis on the right team, HOPE International Development Agency raised over $23,000 in the first four hours of opening their online fundraising website. Their dedicated constituents were able to participate in a highly anticipated auction across Canada, creating an impactful atmosphere during these seemingly isolated times.

7 Tips for Online Fundraising Success with Givergy:

Here are a few best practices that we think will help dramatically impact the amount you raise through your virtual event:

1 – Take Advantage of Pre-authorization:

Givergy can require credit card details for auction bidding. This ensures you will have payment details securely stored for anyone who participates in your online auction and simplify your post-event payment collection.

2 – PROMOTE! PROMOTE! PROMOTE!

Use the Internet to your advantage with social media sharing, Facebook and Instagram Live videos, Twitter, your own website, email marketing, co-branding with your sponsors, etc!

Ask your supporters to assist by sending videos or messages that you can share with your audience through your fundraising website. For instance, if you are raising money for specific families in need, ask them to create a video of where the money will go and hyperlink it to that specific page.

Use your volunteers as assets. Ask them to share the website and involve their friends and families.

It’s proven helping others increases happiness levels. You can enable this form of help through online fundraising. It may not be person to person, but it can be just as effective in supporting the causes we care most about.

3 – Choose the Right Team

When it comes to your team, you’ll want to select the right people to be involved. People who have experience marketing and can get the word out – eyes to the site is absolutely crucial.

4 – Give Them a Reason to Come Back

If you’re concerned about low website traffic, you can delay the release of some items and use strategic messaging to drive supporters back to the site. You can create items, have them ready to go, and make them visible at a specific time. You can then send a message to your supporters letting them know new items are available.

5 – Allow Guests to Cover Processing Fees

When using Givergy, by default your guests are given the option to cover the credit card processing fee on your behalf. This could potentially save your organization thousands of dollars and increase your total revenue.

6 – Turn Losing Bids to Donations

When your auction does end, you can message guests who did not win items or make donations through the Givergy platform to ask if they would like to donate.

7 – When and How to ‘End’ the Event

As mentioned, a positive of online fundraising campaigns is you don’t have the same time constraint you otherwise would. You choose when to end your event based on your goals, and our system allows you to send custom ‘thank you’ messages.

Summary:

Due to the impact of COVID-19 we know many businesses and organizations have been forced to function with no in-person contact, online, or close down altogether.

In a drastically different world, Givergy is here to offer support in providing completely virtual events, as fundraising does not have the option of stopping. Although the situation is unprecedently hard, it is a time we can come together and show creativity with how we continue to support the causes we care about.

Our Client Service Managers (CSMs) are constantly speaking with fundraisers globally on how best to apply the suggestions above and Givergy is constantly brainstorming new and improved ideas on fundraising because of it. We are all in this together! And hope we can help you soon.

Any questions or feedback, please do get in touch.

Article contributed by Ashley Missen, Givergy Canada – CSM

Ben Crook

Chief Operating Officer

Ben is at the forefront of every project in Givergy, listing and actioning constant improvements across the business. With over a decade of experience in the charity and events sector he brings a deep understanding of what the fundraising industry needs to operate effectively and efficiently.