7 Simple Steps to Start Fundraising

When you are dedicated to a cause, it can be challenging enough to raise and contribute money in support of this cause. However, it pales in comparison to the challenges of convincing others to invest and contribute to your cause. Successful fundraising requires a focused strategy, dedication, and creativity. Fortunately, this is a road that many have walked before, and their stories are available for us to learn from and use in our own experience.

Whether you fundraise with the help of a fundraising consultancy such as Group IFC or take your own path, there are a few basic steps to fundraising you should keep in mind.

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1. Set a clear target

Setting a clear and visible goal (or goals) for your fundraising effort will best convey to people what you would like to achieve, and subsequently, help them better understand the role that they can play in achieving this goal. For example, if your ultimate goal is to earn money for children’s education, you can make the target more tangible, such as the construction of a playground, or the purchase of textbooks, with benchmarks along the way signifying what can be achieved with the current raised total. It’s important for you to do this or else the contributors might feel that their contributions were meaningless and unappreciated. For fundraising ideas that are sure to success check out fundraisingexpert.com.

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2. Expand your outreach

At the start of a fundraising campaign, it is only natural to begin your outreach with family, friends, and colleagues. These are the people who know you best, and whose support you are most confident in. However, leaning on your inner circle and expecting them to spread the same passion and exposure to your campaign is not a winning strategy. To maximise exposure, you will want to turn to new people and organisations that you have not interacted with previously, build new friendships and relations.

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3. Don’t be afraid to get personal

Authenticity and passion are some of the most prized qualities in public speakers and personality. It is inevitable for the leaders of fundraising efforts to be subjected to significant attention and scrutiny. As long as you speak from the heart, let your passion and love for the project show, and spend one-on-one time with potential supporters, you should have no trouble with dismissing any fears or concerns.

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4. Think outside the box

Ever since the gladiator games and far before, humans have been drawn to a good show. By adding some stakes to your fundraising campaign, you will boost its entertainment value, and subsequently, interest. Even if you establish some silly or nonsensical stakes, such as pledging to perform a tap dance in a dinosaur costume after reaching a particular milestone, people will be only more drawn to your cause. So keep it fun and unique, think outside the box, and if you have a hard time deciding, you can always visit sites like ABC Fundraising to read up on the different types of fundraisers that you can do. Check out ABC’s suggested fundraising ideas by clicking here.

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5. Embrace Social Media

This step goes hand-in-hand with expanding your outreach but is especially suited to our current age. Using Facebook, advertising, and other web-based promotion will make sure that your message is accessible to all with a network connection.

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6. Follow through till the end

Whether you succeed in your fundraising goal or fall short, it is vital to follow up on the project once it concludes. Everyone who contributed their time, effort, money, and support will want to know what became of the project, so following up with a post listing the results, statistics, and proper appreciation for contributors will cement the legacy of your fundraising effort.

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7. Use the Help of Fundraising Companies

What better way to get closer to your goal than to use the help of the companies which primarily focus on fundraising. They know all the benefits and downsides of this type of financing and they can give you advice as well as the concrete steps in order to help you reach your goal. One of such companies is a brick fundraising company called Polar Engraving. You can check out how this strategy works through memorial tiles and engraved bricks – which is just one possible way.