Alright, we know that times are tough. And yes, that means that people seek ways to supplement incomes. We’ve had families and individuals collect gently worn, used and new shoes in shoe drive fundraisers in our social enterprises. In short, there are many ways to raise money for your favorite cause or even yourself if you need extra cash. Because there’s a lot of need in our communities, in this post, I’m going to focus on how to get people to donate money to you for virtually any cause. No, people aren’t going to give you funds just for the heck of it. But, for a good reason, you’ll get support, especially if you seek to make a difference.
So the following are some tips and ideas for getting people to donate.
Think of the Words You Use
If you know me, then you understand that I often say words matter. And in the case of thinking about getting people to donate money to you, you have to consider the words in your appeal. The reality is that people do care about supporting a good cause. But, if you don’t take the time to craft your fundraising message, people won’t give to your cause. Even a nonprofit executive director or two has experienced missing the opportunity to raise funds because of lackluster messaging. So, what should you consider in your use of words?
First, you want to realize that there’s a psychology to words. In other words, some words have greater weight than others. For example, as demonstrated in this article, you could see that “help us take care of the animals” has a greater pull than “give to our annual fundraiser.” Which would you give to if you thought about donating to a fundraiser? Another example is “provide a homeless person with a meal” instead of “fund our budget.” Again, which fundraiser would you support? In short, you have to find words that vividly describe what you want and tug at hearts.
Keep Your Fundraising Ask Simple
In considering how to get people to donate money to you and your fundraiser, keep it simple. If you run a nonprofit, then you want to keep your site simple and make the place for people to donate easy to find. Most people will use social media for any fundraising they do. So, that means you have to keep the ask you make simple to understand. As I mentioned earlier, we have plenty of families and individuals raising money with us. For instance, they raise funds to defray the costs of medical needs, for service animals, or adoptions. In other words, even if it benefits them, people can get others to give to them.
However, the ask has to be straightforward. For example, if you want to raise $1,000, you have to tell people why you need it. So, let’s say that you decide on a GoFundMe fundraiser, you want to be clear that you need the funds for your specific reason. Moreover, you want to share with them your personal story and experience with the cause. And finally, you want to ask for the fundraising contribution. Be specific.
You could say something like, “My goal is $1,000, and I’d appreciate it if 10 people could donate $100, but any contribution, no matter how small, makes a difference in achieving the goal.” Make sure to ask the 10 people you want to contribute specifically for that amount.
Think of Your Fundraiser as a Chance to Tell a Story
I mentioned earlier about telling your story. It doesn’t matter if you are raising money for your adoption or a charity; you have to get good at telling a story. I have a few things to say about this. First, if you lead a nonprofit, consider attending the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference. Second, if you want to master digital storytelling, I have another resource to share with you. In 2020, my team at our shoe drive fundraising brand started doing webinars. Moreover, they were a great success and continuing through 2021.
That said, one of the webinars was about storytelling through digital marketing. If you click the link for that particular post, you’ll find the article highlighting the webinar. However, within the article, you’ll also have the chance to download your free copy of the entire webinar. What’s more, you also get audio and PDF download. So I invite you to go ahead and download your storytelling webinar information because you’ll have the chance to learn how to do it well. It’s essential to master it in learning how to get people to donate to you and your fundraiser.
In sum, we’ve started the recovery as more and more people get the vaccine. Ultimately, business leaders are optimistic that we’ll be turning the corner in the latter half of 2021. And while things seem harsh, stay the course, think creatively, and you’ll get what you need for your cause. You have to be fearless, and you have to do the work with no shortcuts. If nothing else, I think that’s what the recent events with the pandemic and economy taught us. Even with everything up in the air, we all have to hustle and continually stay outside our comfort zones.
© 2021 Wayne Elsey. All Rights Reserved.