Jill Benbow shares her digital fundraising techniques with us today. Read more on how she was able to raise more than $3500 for clean water.
Tell us a little bit about who you are.
I am a stay at home mom that does some contract grant writing for a couple of small organizations. I live in Breckenridge, Colorado and am an outdoor enthusiast. I really enjoy trail running, mountain biking, and of course, skiing. I just turned 30 and am trying to pretend it doesn’t bother me.
Why are you fundraising for Shower Strike?
Although the premise of the Shower Strike is pretty alarming (no shower allowed until you reach your fundraising goal), the mission of Well Aware is worth it. The drought crisis in East Africa is devastating, and I wanted to get involved. I wanted to do more than just write a check. The Shower Strike really raises a stink (pun intended) and spreads awareness in a unique way. People really listen to your reasoning for pledging to be unkempt. This is my second year participating in the Shower Strike. Last year, I was the top earner of the group, and I was crowned the Shower Strike Queen.
What methods did you use to get people to come to your page?
A couple of weeks before the Shower Strike started, I added a signature tag to my email account saying, “Be nice and support clean water” with a link to my fundraising page. The day before the Shower Strike started, I sent an email to all the people who donated to me last year and included a lot of information about what their money went to (drilling a water borehole in Naminga, Kenya). I relied on social media heavily, asking for retweets and reposts. Every time someone donated, I would post a thank you on my facebook page and include the link to my fundraising page. I also posted links and videos that had to do with the drought in East Africa.
What has been the most difficult part of fundraising?
It is always hard to ask for money, especially since great fundraisers and causes already saturate our everyday. I found it most discouraging when people would say they would donate but then never followed through. I tried to use a variety of pleas in the hope of appealing to different interests. I think you have to respect that not everyone will be interested in donating money and capitalize on other things those people can do, like sign a petition for the same cause or send an email/tweet on your behalf.
Any tips you’d like to share with other fundraisers?
You have to spend some time writing your appeals, ensuring that you are clear and clever with your delivery. Imagine you are a perfect stranger when reading the appeal and see if it makes sense. Put donation amounts into perspective: $10 gives a child clean water for 20 years, $50 gives a family clean water for 20 years, and so on. Be grateful for any donation amount. Send individual thank you notes to your donors, especially if you think you will do another fundraiser!
