Online fundraising is all about making it personal. Here we talk with Rene B. and her online fundraising efforts for ULC. She shares her fundraising journey and techniques. So far, she has raised $980 through her personal network. Check it out below.
Tell us a little bit about who you are.
I started as a volunteer tutor with the Unique Learning Center about 7 years ago on the recommendation of a friend who was also tutoring with ULC at the time. My student and I hit it off right from the beginning and I’ve been committed to our Tuesday evening tutoring sessions ever since. Now, she’s a high school senior set start her undergraduate studies in the Fall. The experience has been so enriching–I think I’ve grown almost as much as I’ve seen my student mature into a confident young woman.
Why did you decide to fundraise for ULC?
There was no real decision necessary for me. The work of the Unique Learning Center is, I think, so vitally important to the 30-40 children who benefit throughout the year. The ULC needed to raise funds for its Summer Program and I knew I would help.
What methods are you using to get people to come to your page?
I don’t THINK that my approach can be called a “method.” I simply wrote up a personal, heartfelt email message briefly describing the ULC and my work with the organization over the past several years, and sent an appeal to my family and friends for help. Throughout the fundraising period, I sent out reminder emails every week or so. I also made sure to send personal thank you messages to or make phone calls to those who made donations.
What has been the most difficult part of fundraising?
The most difficult part was overcoming my initial squeamish feelings about ‘bugging’ friends and family for contributions. But, once I reminded myself that ULC was worthy of the effort, I had no problem.
Any tips you’d like to share with other fundraisers?
Well, of course, one tip is to use CauseVox. This platform makes giving so easy for donors and the set-up for the fundraiser is simple. It’s really quite an elegant use of technology. I suppose one other suggestion would be to make any fund raising appeal as personal as possible. One FRIEND told me he was happy to make a donation because my personal work with ULC and my willingness to help raise funds for the organization was enough to convince him that the funds would be put to good use.
