If you’re looking to raise funds for your charity, you will likely find yourself in a position where your budget for fundraising and resources available is limited. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways for charities to fundraise without breaking the bank and without the need of lots of resources. Whether you’re running a peer-to-peer fundraiser or an online auction, there are plenty of cost-effective ways to make an impact with your fundraising efforts.
Below we’ll explore some of the most effective methods for fundraising on a budget.
Peer-to-Peer Fundraising: This is a great way to get your supporters involved in fundraising on your behalf. If they are participating in a walk, fun run, or cycling event let’s make it easy for your supporters to fundraise for you. Encourage participants to raise funds by encouraging friends and family to sponsor their participation. Depending on your cause you can also do “In Memory of” or even open up special occasions like birthdays, Christmas or weddings that people can fundraise for you. With events like these, you can utilise fundraising software like SupporterHub to keep track of donations, and encourage a sense of community around your charity. You can set up a fundraising page and encourage your supporters to set their own fundraising goals. This is an effective way to spread the word about your cause and rally support from your community.
Online Auctions: Hosting an online auction can be a great way to raise funds for your non-profit. It doesn’t require a lot of upfront costs, and you can use software such as SupporterHub to manage the whole auction process. Reach out to local business owners and community leaders for donations to your auction. This is a great way to get your supporters excited about contributing while keeping costs low.
Donations: One of the most straightforward ways to fundraise is simply asking for donations through the donation page on your website. Using platforms like SupporterHub you can simply set up a donation page, capture payments and send receipts so it is easy for supporters to donate what they can. Use eye-catching graphics and messaging to make a strong case for why your charity deserves donations. Promote this page across your social media channels to encourage donations. Ensure you thank and provide continual communication with your donors so they continue to give more to your great cause.
Recurring Giving Programs: Encourage donors to contribute small weekly, monthly or annual amounts. Even modest recurring donations can add up over time. Highlight the impact of consistent support and provide regular updates to retain these donors. Using software like SupporterHub you can automate this whole process including giving end of financial year receipts for your supporters to make their life easier.
Raffles: Raffles can be a fun and exciting way to get your supporters involved in fundraising. You can sell tickets for a chance to win a prize such as sporting memorabilia or a donated experience or service. Try to get prizes donated from local businesses so that the cost to your charity remains low.
Email Marketing: Build and segment your supporter list to deliver targeted messages to specific donor groups and explain how their support contributes to the community. Having your email marketing software linked with your CRM, and fundraising tools, like SupporterHub does, makes this really easy to segment and target your supporter base more effectively.
Use email to share success stories, provide updates, and request support for specific projects. Craft and share compelling stories about the impact of your charity. Stories resonate with donors and can lead to increased support.
Grant Writing: Invest time in researching and applying for grants from foundations, government agencies, and corporate giving programs. There are lots of grants that pop up regularly that may align to your cause, so looking regularly or using grant management software such as The Grants Hub, that brings all the different grants into one easy interface to search.
Ensure you tailor your grant proposals to align with the mission and priorities of each grant maker.
