Let’s Crush Your Fundraising Goal!
This step-by-step guide was crafted by a diverse group of some of our top fundraisers. These are best practices they found to be helpful regardless of how you are fundraising: through one of our events, with a school club, or flying solo.
Our fundraisers who use this guide usually see a 50%-70% jump in donations. Some of our supporters even raise double their goal on accident by simply following this guide! Let’s get you started.
1. Start & Customize Your Page
If you have not started your fundraiser yet, pick a campaign and start your page here.
Make your campaign feel like you! Hit the Manage button in the upper-right hand corner of your page. Then select the Details tab to add a profile picture of yourself and write a welcoming headline.
The rest of your page already includes a moving video and information about where the money you are raising goes. We encourage you to go to the Story tab and add a few sentences at the top about why you’re fundraising, just be sure to keep the video and rest of the information if you do.
A profile photo and welcoming headline are critical to a successful fundraising page. Donors have told us that seeing their friend’s face and reading their words is a major reason why they gave. They want to support our Sudanese partners, but they also want to support you.
2. Get ready to have some fun!
Personalizing your fundraising campaign to your interests will make your experience more engaging for you and your donors! Here are some ideas to get you started:
Create fun social media donation rewards (e.g. If you give $50 I'll share who I think your celebrity doppelgänger is on Instagram Stories if you give $50.)
Set a halfway milestone goal for your donors to unlock a special event (e.g. If you help me get halfway to my goal, I’ll shave my head!)
Set a full milestone goal for your donors to unlock a special event (e.g. If you help me reach my $1,000 goal, I’ll go for a run in a pink bunny suit and share it online!)
Add donor names to a virtual “thank you wall” that you take photos of and post online.
3. Get Organized & Start Fundraising
Download and print our Fundraising Organizer Sheet and write down some close friends and family members who you think will donate. Then send them the link to your page and ask them to give!
The people you are closest to are most likely to donate. You’ll be able to keep up with them over the next few weeks using this sheet. Supporters who use this tool usually reach their goal faster than those who do not.
4. Social Media & More
After you have secured a few donations, share a link to your page on social media with a heartfelt message asking for gifts. Tag and thank people who give in the comments of your post. This expresses your gratitude and encourages others to give!
If you need a photo to share on Instagram, go here and hit Download Social Media Photos. Use your favorite one or use several over time as you make progress your campaign.
Friends and family will still be the most likely people to give. They will usually make the largest donations, too. As you share on social media, don’t forget to keep tracking individual people who you have asked directly to give. Grab another Fundraising Organizer Sheet to make even more direct asks and reach your goal faster!
5. After You Reach Your Goal…
Congrats on hitting your goal! We’ll send the funds you raised to our Sudanese partners in a few weeks. If you want to keep going, here are a few ways to stay involved:
Raise Your Goal. Some people will hold back on giving when they see you’ve reached your goal. Login to your page and raise it by 25% to encourage more donations.
Start A Team. Ask a few friends to start their own pages! This is an especially good option for friends and family who wanted to donate, but may not have been in a position to give. Contact us to get your team setup.
Join The Renewal. This is our passionate family of monthly givers who never stop fighting for change. Learn more and join here.
Have Questions?
We’re here to help! Shoot us a quick message and one of our team will be in touch with you soon.
Thank you so much for fundraising for our Sudanese partners. They really are our biggest heroes. So are you. Our friends in Sudan could not do the work they do without your generosity. Talk to you soon.
Onward,
Mark C. Hackett
Executive Director