7 Simple Fundraising Steps
Step 1: Make fundraising a priority. It is important to ensure that every member of your group or organization is willing to put in the effort to complete a successful fundraiser. Making the fundraiser a priority will allow for a great end result. So be sure to get all of your members on the same page.
Step 2: Understand why people want to support your organization. Before you try to sell products, it is often helpful to understand why people would be willing to purchase items from your group. With this being said, it will be easier to target a certain group of people of your product selection is based off of reasons why members may want to support your group or organization.
Step 3: Identify the best fundraiser for your community. If you know your community is big on going green and eco friendly products, then why not run one of our eco friendly fundraiser? If it’s around the holiday season and you know people in your community would enjoy purchasing tubs of cookie dough, why not run our cookie dough fundraiser? It really is that simple. Observe your community, family, and friends and find out what everyone seems to have in common and go after it. This is the best way to choose a fundraising idea that will be beneficial to both your group and the community.
Step 4: Tell your story. Does your sports team need new equipment? Are you looking to raise money for a class trip? Most groups and organizations are trying to raise money for either a national cause, or a cause of their own. It is important to let people know why you are fundraising and what you hope the end result will be. This is the reason why supporters are more than willing to help groups and organizations raise money towards a cause or for a particular reason.
Step 5: Plan how and when your group will begin fundraising. This is really important when beginning a fundraiser. It is important to have a comprehensive fundraising “plan of attack” that is complete with strategies and techniques that will be most effective for your group or organization, as well as the community you will be selling to.
Step 6: Acknowledge your supporters. Being sure to thank supporters is not only polite, but it helps build relationships and trust with that supporter. If you continue to run fundraisers on a yearly basis, you will know who you can count on for support. This can be as simple as a thank you letter, or simply speaking the kind words to individuals and families who have helped your group reach their goal.
Step 7: Evaluate overall success. Measuring your success will help you know which fundraising activities to continue and which ones not to. Consistent evaluation will help you not only stay on target and focused, but keep you moving forward. This last step can also be the participants’ reflections on the fundraiser and what they think can be done differently for next time.
