Fundraising takes many different forms. Some organizations or political campaigns may court individual donors or groups of donors through exclusive events, targeting potential donors based on their historical largesse. This approach requires spending resources to court donors who may or may not respond with an actual donation. Another approach emphasizes quantity over quality of donations, and targets groups of donors with scattershot recruiting efforts.
Social media falls solidly in the second camp, but in all honesty, the most successful organizations will battle consistently on both fronts, courting both deep-pocket individual donors and large groups of potential donors. Unlike black-tie charity events to draw individual donors, fundraising through social media is not a game where you wait on donors to come to you. Just the opposite, social media fundraising is all about being where potential donors already are.
Getting the right kind of attention
The first part is easy. Simply add the Raise The Money app to your Facebook page and you’re ready to start processing and tracking contributions. The next part is a little less straightforward, and that is finding the right message and imagery that resonates with your audience and yields measurable donations. As donations come in, the Raise The Money software will give you the tools to quickly analyze and understand your donor base.
When seeking donations through social media, the key is to get viewers interested before asking them for anything. If they smell advertising, they will run. Ease them in with compelling content – a video that paints an emotional portrait of the problem your organization seeks to solve; photos of volunteers toiling away for the good of humanity; video testimonials of those helped through your efforts or those still waiting for help due to lack of funds.
Making Your Ask
Only at the end of this narrative should your efforts reach out and ask the viewer for a donation. Before you ask for help, show your followers the hard work you have already done and continue doing. Modest production values paired with authentic content are always preferable to high production values for generic content. The more honest your message and the less you attempt to sell it, the more successful it will be.
Keep track of the latest fundraising trends on our blog, and process all your campaign or charitable contributions the easy way with Raise The Money.