One of the perks of creating your own business is that you get to set all the rules. At CauseVox, we dedicate a portion of our time and resources towards pro bono work. I’m in Kolkata, India to help two NGOs build up their capacity and technology.
But this trip couldn’t happen without the financial support of friends and family. So I decided to use the CauseVox platform, or in other words, “eat my own dog food,” to raise funds for the trip.
I was blessed — in less than 12 hours, I was able to exceed my goal of $950. Here are seven tips, from this experience, that you can take away for your own fundraising page.
1. Set an attainable goal – My fundraising goal was $950. Donors want to see that they can make a difference in helping you achieve your fundraising goal. Set a fundraising goal that is realistic but still takes an effort to achieve. At the end of the two-day campaign, I received $1165.
2. Give ownership and let people know – For my fundraising effort, instead of sending it out to my whole personal network, I only asked for donations from 16 people. I made sure that these 16 knew that too. This gave each one of them ownership and intimacy into my fundraising effort.
3. Set deadlines to create urgency – A drawn out fundraising campaign gives prospective donors a chance to delay their support. From start to finish, my campaign was only 2 days. This gave my a real urgency to give support as soon as possible.
4. Empathize with supporters – Think about friends and family that will connect with the cause. Think about your audience, how they identify with your cause, and how to best communicate with them.
5. Make it human – My appeal was personal. It was filled with passion, and mimicked my personality. Don’t make fundraising just about the transaction. Make it about being human.
6. Show your gratitude – Show people that you appreciate their support. For all donors, I’m bringing back a little momento for them from India.
7. Make it easy to donate – Use a platform eliminates hurdles from donating. CauseVox made it easy for donors to view the page, donate, and leave a comment.
