10 Ways to Fundraise Money Fast and Meet Your Goal

Your fundraiser story should answer five crucial questions: who, what, when, where, and why. Focusing on the ‘why’ is especially important. If the reason for your fundraiser isn’t clear or creates urgency, people will often assume you have other options.

Try answering these questions when writing your fundraiser story:

• Why is it crucial that you raise money fast for your cause?
• What will you be able to do if you meet your fundraising goal?
• Why are you fast fundraising right now?

A list of expenses tells people precisely what you need and why you need it, which can help them wrap their heads around the challenge you’re facing. The key to how to fundraise fast is to include an itemized list of the expenses you’re raising money for in your fundraising story.

For example, if you’re raising funds for a medical procedure, list the costs and other expenses you’ll incur like:

• Transportation costs
• Post-op medication and copays
• Rehab and caregiving costs
• Lost income during recovery
• Childcare

People will quickly see exactly why you’ve chosen your fundraising goal and share it on social media. Another benefit of doing this is that it helps your supporters know how much of a difference they can make by donating and helping you with emergency costs.

For maximum impact , try sharing your fundraiser with your close friends and family before you share it with the general public. The reason for this? People who don’t know you well are less likely to donate if they arrive at your fundraiser page and don’t see many existing donations. Sharing your fundraiser with your family and close friends helps you build up donations before sharing it more widely with others.

Knowing how to fundraise fast isn’t always intuitive, but there are small ways to market your fundraiser that can definitely help. For example, adding special dates to your fundraiser is just one of many fast fundraising ideas that can spark interest in others.

Is there a number between 1 and 31 that has a special meaning for your fundraiser? It could be the age of the person you’re raising funds for or a significant anniversary or birthday. If so, mark that date on your calendar and plan a special fundraising event for that day. For instance, ask everyone to donate $15 on the 15th of the month and share the reason behind it.

After you’ve shared your fundraiser with close friends and family members, you might wonder how to ask for donations from people outside your social circle. If you feel a little awkward about asking for financial support, these blog posts offer tips on the most effective ways to reach out to everyone from close friends to strangers:

• How to Get Donations From These Five Types of Donors
• Use These Fundraising Email Templates to Reach Your Goal
• Learn How and When to Ask for Help with These Tips

It’s important to share your fundraiser often on social media and with context to raise more money. Facebook is probably the first thing that comes to mind when sharing your fundraiser. While Facebook is a helpful tool, there are many other ways to spread the word about your cause.

If you still aren’t sure how to raise money by sharing your fundraiser, these are a few ideas:

• Online fundraising without social media allows you to reach out to people creatively. Aside from telling people about your fundraiser by word-of-mouth, you can copy and paste your fundraiser link to people via text or email.
• Take advantage of social media platforms like TikTok, Nextdoor, and Instagram to promote your fundraiser.
• Create a fundraiser hashtag so others can easily follow your story.
• Read our blog post on fundraisers sharing tips for more ways to drive donations.

Spread the word about your fundraiser in the local community by creating and posting flyers on bulletin boards in community centers, cafés, and other local businesses as one of the ways to fundraise money fast.

• Add a QR code or fundraiser link to your flyer for easy donations.
• Send a digital copy of your flyer to those you know via email or WhatsApp. Make sure it’s mobile-friendly and easy to read before sharing.

In addition to making flyers, spread awareness about your fundraiser with a fundraising event. It will allow you to create strong connections with potential donors. Some simple, fast fundraising ideas include a car wash, a marathon, fall festival at a local school, or a trivia night. For more inspiration, check out our top fundraising event ideas.

Take your fundraiser to the next level by creating a video. While photos make a huge impact, a video can increase awareness of your fundraiser and boost donations. What’s more, you don’t need expensive equipment or a ton of video skills to make a video. Follow our video fundraising tips to help you get started.

Sometimes the best fast fundraising ideas succeed thanks to human connection. Updates are a powerful fundraising tool that can make your donors feel appreciated and even increase donor retention and recurring giving to your fundraiser. Posting regular updates creates an opportunity to bring people into your story as it unfolds. Whenever you thank supporters or include them in your updates, others will see how they might be involved in your story.

Another essential function of updates is to show people how you’re spending donations. Sending fundraising updates to supporters shows them how their donations are helping—and that may inspire them to give again or to share your fundraiser with a friend.