Successful Fundraising Happens Before the Fundraiser Even Starts

They are of hundreds of thousands of fundraisers out there today. Some are raising hundreds and thousands of dollars from donors all across the nation and even across the world. You have a fundraising idea and you want to start a fundraiser online just like the successful stories you hear about, right? But how do you do successfully implement crowdfunding and fundraising in general? It is literally the million-dollar question and the experts at Continue to Give have put together some great tips for you so that you can reach your fundraising goal!

1. Brainstorm

According to Continue to Give research and that of Crowdfundingacademy.com, less the 40% of personal fundraisers actually reach their goal or get close to their goal. Yikes! One of reasons is that people think you can just throw up a free crowdfunding profile and hit your goal. Yes, sometime this happens but the chances are so few and far in-between that we would like you to erase that idea out of your mind all together. The truth is that fundraising takes time, planning, and commitment. You need to sit down, answer these questions, and write them on a piece of paper.

What is the money I raise going towards? If you truly do not know what you are going to use the money for then the people that give won?t know the answer either. This may even make people skeptical to even give to you.

Who would be interested in donating to this cause? Do not ask people that work in a paper mill to donate to a forest conservation effort that eliminates cutting down trees. For one, that is their job that is at stake and they may even be offended. Think of a like-minded audience.

Am I going to follow through with what the donation funds are intended for? The worst thing a person can do is start a fundraiser and people that donate see that you are not using the money for the cause itself! Do not do this ever.

What is your timetable? Are you raising money for cancer? Then plan your fundraiser during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In addition, it may take a month or two to really create a plan of action. Getting all your ideas straight and start talking to people about your fundraiser. Get people excited. Finalize all your pictures; create your mission and description statements, plan events, get bracelets to give away, etc. Plan, Plan, Plan. Expound on your ideas and how long will it take you to get everything in order to open the door to your fundraiser! Good things take time.

2. Market

Now that you have done some planning it is time to market your fundraiser and here is how you get started.

Write a description of your fundraiser. Have bullet points, describe exactly what the money is going to be donated to and write out how you are going to implement your plan. If you need money to start a record label tell people the breakdown. You need so much money for (first thing you need to purchase), and so much money for (second thing you need to purchase), etc. Let them know the progression and steps you are going to take and follow to reach your ultimate goal! You want people to donate online to you right? So tell them why they should.

Put up pictures. Are you raising money for your dogs surgery? Then take pictures of your dog. Pictures do not mean taking sexy selfies. Pictures should relate to what you are fundraising for. You can even do a video to talk to people about your passion for what you are doing and how they can be a part of that by donating.

Now that you know who you are going to target for donations now it is time to figure out how to reach them. If you are raising money to build a playground, in a city in Texas, for families to visit you are not going to market the idea to people in New York. People that are interested in your fundraiser will be local moms with kids. These people are most likely going to be found at other playgrounds, read school newsletters, visit daycares, etc. Do you see the logic? Your specific fundraiser has a very specific target audience that will be interested or even moved by your cause! All you have to do is find the best way to contact your audience. Start thinking is email better, starting a group on Facebook, personal phone calls, etc. Find out where your audience is and how you can reach them.

3. Implement

Only if you have done the planning above should you actually implement your fundraiser. So let us recap:

Start brainstorming what you are going to start fundraising for, what it is about, what steps you are going to take once you get the money, who shares your passion, and WRITE IT DOWN!

Next, finalize all your brainstorming notes. Make a final draft with pictures and other content and learn how to reach your targeted audience that will share your same passion in your fundraiser.

Now, implement your fundraiser that you have put thought and hard work into. You can start a fundraiser online through fundraising platforms such as Continue to Give or other websites that will allow you to take credit card donations.

Other references: Forbes.com "Before you Launch your Crowdfunding Campaing Read This"