Four simple steps to amplify your nonprofit on GoFundMe
Leveraging GoFundMe’s collective community of over 190 million is a great way to boost your nonprofit’s discoverability, and claiming your Nonprofit Page is a critical first step. Before you begin, be sure to coordinate with your team to keep everyone aligned on your nonprofit fundraising strategy.
1. Pick the right fundraiser images and videos
Creating engaging and informative content can make your fundraiser stand out, and using powerful images can help tell your story in a compelling way. The fundraiser’s main image is often the first thing people notice when it’s shared on social media platforms, so it’s important that it captures the attention of potential donors and conveys the right message. To help you choose the most effective photos, here are a few tips to supercharge your fundraising efforts:
- Stay away from using grainy or unclear images.
- Make sure that your main image is not the nonprofit’s logo. People are far more drawn to photos that convey an emotion and include other people rather than a logo or text.
- Donors love seeing multiple images, so be sure to include additional photos within your fundraiser story.
If you’d like to go above and beyond, adding videos to your fundraiser can connect potential donors to your cause in a way that photos can’t. You’ll want to ensure that any videos you add speak to your organization’s mission and illustrate why the funds are needed. Read our blog post to find out more about how videos can be powerful fundraising tools.
2. Set the right goal amount
Your fundraising goal may influence how prospective donors perceive your fundraiser. A goal that’s too high—such as hundreds of thousands of dollars—may actually discourage new donors, as they may feel like their contribution won’t have any impact.
Instead, we recommend working out how much your nonprofit organization needs to raise and setting an achievable fundraising goal. Keep in mind that you can always raise or lower the fundraiser goal at any time.
Consider whether you’ll accept in-kind donations for those who can’t afford to contribute financially. Ask supporters to donate their time, skills, or useful items to your cause.
Think about other success metrics to measure your fundraiser, too, including reach and engagement. Everything you learn from this fundraising initiative will help you continue to build.
3. Create a catchy fundraiser title
Aside from your photo, your fundraiser title is one of the first pieces of information that potential donors will see. Creating a descriptive title can lead more people to click on your fundraiser URL, and it also makes it easier for people to find your fundraiser in a search.
In just 35 characters, you’ll want to convey the tone of your fundraiser and describe why you’re raising funds. A title like “Help Our Organization” is vague and doesn’t explain exactly why the organization needs help. The title “Help Us Cure Breast Cancer!”, on the other hand, gets right to the point and encourages people to find out more.
To promote your fundraiser even more and encourage sharing on social media platforms, try creating a fundraiser hashtag. Others can use this hashtag to easily find social media posts about your cause across platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
4. Write a captivating fundraiser story
Explaining why a cause means so much to your nonprofit or why your organization needs support from others isn’t always easy, but doing so clearly and engagingly can make a meaningful difference in your fundraiser’s success. These are important points to consider when writing your story:
- Explain the most crucial details first, like why your organization needs the funds and who is running the fundraiser.
- Include a detailed budget that shows how every dollar will be used. This will create transparency and earn your donors’ trust.
- Clearly state who will be managing all of the donations. This will leave no question among donors about who is handling the funds.
- Provide some background information about what your organization stands for, and introduce any members of the organization who play an important role in the fundraiser.
- Add details that will immerse potential donors in your story and evoke a specific emotion. The fundraisers that receive the most donations have stories that connect people to their cause through honesty and vulnerability.
Our guide to writing a fundraiser story is full of detailed tips on crafting an amazing story that will encourage people to take action.
Easy ways to promote your fundraiser
Now that you’ve taken the time to set up your nonprofit fundraiser, the next step is to begin sharing it far and wide. We’ll cover how to best reach your supporters through different avenues and how to cast a wider net to reach people outside of your social network.
1. Create a launch plan
Promoting your fundraiser is key to its success, so it’s essential to create a clear fundraising plan before launch. Work with your team to create a fundraising strategy for outreach, deciding who you’ll target, how you’ll engage them, and which channels you’ll use to spread the word.
Before officially launching the fundraiser, you’ll want to create some buzz by making a pre-announcement. This creates excitement, lets your supporters know something’s coming, and can help drive stronger engagement when the fundraiser goes live.
2. Reach out to your supporters
The majority of donations, at least at the beginning, will come from people you personally know or who are connected to your nonprofit or cause in some way. Here are the best ways to reach out to your network when fundraising for nonprofits:
- Share your fundraiser prominently on your organization’s website. Consider writing a blog post specifically about the fundraiser and including a link to it.
Asking for direct financial support can be a tricky task to undertake, but we have some tips to ensure your requests are well phrased and effective:
- Your message should explain why receiving support at this time is critical.
- Be sure to emphasize the value of each donation to the organization’s work, no matter how small.
- If writing to those familiar with the organization, remind them how much their continued support means.
- If writing to those unfamiliar with the nonprofit, you should include some background information and key facts about the organization’s mission.
- Remember to include a clear call-to-action that links to your fundraising page.
Need some extra guidance on the best way to write messages to potential supporters? Read our blog post, How to Ask for Donations.
3. Raise awareness on social media
Social media is a powerful tool that allows you to reach a large audience with minimal effort and build a successful fundraiser. Creating consistent and interesting posts on various social media platforms can help boost donations and bring more awareness to your cause. These are the most common social media platforms for promoting nonprofit fundraisers:
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Instagram
- Snapchat
For more ideas about how to use social media to inspire more people to give, read our blog post on fundraising ideas for social media.
4. Ways to promote your fundraiser offline
If you’re looking to extend your reach beyond social media, there are numerous tactics to help your crowdfunding fundraiser gain more visibility offline. Here are just a few tips on online fundraising without social media:
- Text messages: Send text messages to contacts asking them to support your organization’s cause. If you have a personal connection with the people you are contacting, be sure to personalize the message for them.
- Fundraising flyers and posters: Create eye-catching flyers and posters and post them on bulletin boards in libraries, grocery stores, coffee shops, and anywhere else that gets a lot of traffic in your community.
- Word of mouth: Use any social interaction as an opportunity to advocate for your fundraiser and reach new supporters. Carry flyers about your fundraiser with you so you can easily hand them out when the moment calls for it.
- Emails: This is a great option if you have a solid database of supporters who already receive emails from your organization. Our guide to different fundraising email templates can help out if you’re looking for new or different ways to ask for support.
- Direct mail: If you have a mailing list of existing or potential supporters, lucky you. Create flyers and write letters for your fundraiser, sending them out to your target audience. Remember to include a call-to-action asking people to donate.
- Phone: Phone calls are an excellent way to reach out to loved ones and family members to ask them to support your cause.
- Media coverage: The local media can bring in a new wave of support for your organization, so you might try reaching out to the press to cover your fundraiser.
How to keep up the momentum
Receiving a burst of support followed by a lull in online donations is all a natural part of the fundraising process. But if you’d like to give your fundraiser a second wind and encourage recurring donations, we have some advice to help.
1. Write fundraiser updates
Updates are an essential part of building donor relationships and keeping them informed about your fundraiser’s progress, while also gently reminding them that you still need their continued support. Knowing how to write effective fundraising updates—and doing so frequently—can pull your fundraiser out of a donation slump. If you aren’t sure what to write in your update, here are a few ideas:
- Write a quick message about the fundraiser’s progress.
- Share any news related to the nonprofit.
- Post photos from any fundraising events related to your cause.
- Follow up to ask donors to share your fundraiser with two to three close friends.
- Send a thank-you note to show gratitude to your supporters and publicly recognize the top five major donors. This will help encourage future donors.
- Highlight any important milestones. If the fundraiser has made it halfway to its goal, this is great news to share, and it encourages supporters to donate again or share the update with their network.
2. Host fundraising events
Hosting fundraising events is an invaluable way to build relationships with supporters on a deeper level and educate potential donors about your organization’s mission and financial needs. Whether you decide to host an auction, walk-a-thon, gala, or simply a fundraising happy hour, an event brings the community together while providing new opportunities to ask for support.
You can even ask local businesses to sponsor your event to boost funds. Offer suitable incentives in exchange for sponsorship, such as a mention in promotional materials, the opportunity to sell products, or a speaking slot at an event. Sponsorships take many forms, from financial support, including donations and matching gift programs, to in-kind donations, where businesses donate goods, time, or services. Find out how to write an effective sponsorship letter on our blog.
Live Events on GoFundMe Pro provides your nonprofit with the tools and technology it needs to host unforgettable virtual, in-person, and hybrid experiences.
3. Thank your donors
Making sure your supporters feel appreciated is crucial in maintaining a strong donor base. Donors are more likely to give again if they’ve received a thank you message and feel valued. And when potential donors see how much your organization appreciates its supporters, this may increase donor retention, encourage recurring giving, and increase donation amounts.
While thanking donors through GoFundMe is fast and easy, sometimes going the extra mile to express gratitude is worth it. A handwritten note or personalized email can make all the difference when someone is deciding whether or not they want to offer continued support to your cause. Our blog post also offers 20 affordable ways to say thank you to donors.
Start a fundraiser for your nonprofit
If your organization has goals that fall outside of its budget, crowdfunding can allow you to meet those goals without ending up in the red. Creating a nonprofit fundraiser can help your organization raise the funds it needs while also bringing more awareness to your mission.
Consider using GoFundMe’s ‘teams’ feature, where you can streamline your efforts and work with colleagues to manage your fundraiser together. While assigning teammates is not essential, it’s a great way to share fundraising responsibility.
Launch a fundraiser for your nonprofit today and start making an even bigger impact locally, nationally, or even globally.
