4 Ways to Fundraise During COVID-19

Posted by Tim Stansbury on 20 March 2020

We are going through unprecedented times with COVID-19 and many governments are now enforcing social distancing, but fear not, we can still continue to help you to fundraise! 

Fundraisers worldwide are now switching to online fundraising and we are finding that although many of us are staying at home, the urge to give is still strong! Below we explore a couple of key areas you should consider focusing on over the next few months and until your event calendar fully returns.

1) Efficiently create your own bespoke fundraising website

Using an online platform to drive donors to fundraise is an essential tool in the current climate, and using our fundraising website is simple and effective. You can still run a silent auction and drive competition normally found at events, whilst encouraging people to also make donations. Using our support we can help you launch an effective fundraising campaign, engage your donors and drive participation.

Our online platform has built-in outbid notifications, ensuring donors get emails and SMS messages directing them back to the site to continue to drive participation and interest.

To see what your own, brandable platform might look like, check out our demo:

VIEW DEMO

2) Run a fun prize draw

Donors love a competition and you may have some exceptional prizes originally intended for your gala event. These could be perfect for an online prize draw. It’s a simple, effective and exciting way to drive donors to fundraise, keeping your charity in their minds, whilst also giving you a great social presence.

3) Now is the time to ask for donations

Now is the time to ASK! Many fundraisers are fearful of asking for direct donations and you shouldn’t be. Donors know that during this difficult time you need those vital funds more than ever, so make sure you ask them! 

Using our donation feature you can set up multiple pledge items, from ‘any amount’ donations to what we call tangible donations; giving specifics on how their donation will be used. Donors love to give, but they also want to know where their money is going. Giving your donors these options is proven to raise more. 

4) Strategically drive traffic to your fundraising website

Setting up your fundraising website is one part of the puzzle and we can certainly help. However you now need to think of your site as an online fundraising campaign and it’s crucial that you get the message out to your donors to ensure that they participate and bid and give. Targeted email campaigns to your support network will help drive traffic, but also promote on your website and through social media channels, as this will easily allow supporters to share and increase your reach. You also have the ability to use the Givergy platform to message donors in the system, pushing items that have low bids or warning that the auction will close soon. Eyes to the site is an absolutely crucial part of your fundraising strategy!

The Givergy podcast

We are also proud to launch our new podcast, which we will be updating over the coming weeks with further advice and support. We already have two great episodes and next week we will be releasing a special episode on fundraising during COVID-19 with special guest Stephanie Thomas CRFE. So please subscribe now on Apple or Spotify. 

If you would like to discuss online fundraising further click the button below.

CONTACT US

Tim Stansbury

Director and Fundraising Consultant

Tim joined Givergy in 2010, overseeing the early stage growth of the business to 50 employees across five international regions, supporting over 4,000 events worldwide. With a passion for leadership, business growth and exceptional standards, Tim is at the heart of all clients needs both in the UK and worldwide.