AAW HOW TO: Craft a Robust Charity Fundraising Strategy
Fundraising is an integral part of any non-profit organisation, and a successful, robust charity fundraising strategy requires meticulous planning. However, planning a fundraising strategy doesn't have to be overwhelming if you break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks and have a clear vision of what your strategy should include.
This article discusses several things (identifies several key points?) to consider, including using charity recruiters so that you can drive significant change and support your cause. Keep reading to get started.
Getting Started and Goal Setting
When starting the fundraising process, it's essential to look at where your not-for-profit is currently, what resources you have available, and what goals you want to achieve. This is also where you consider your organisation's story.
Identifying where your charity organisation currently stands includes reviewing your current strategy, your database and the performance of your existing fundraising activity, including fundraising events you've hosted. You must analyse how successful previous activity has been because this will help you identify areas that weren't successful, allowing you to make significant changes.
Now is the time to set goals for your charity organisation that can drive growth. These are also called SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Based) goals.
Performing a SWOT Analysis
A SWOT analysis is a framework for identifying and analysing an organisation's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It can benefit your fundraising strategy by helping you determine the factors that will help you raise money and those that could hinder your efforts. Let's take a look at each element in more detail to get a better understanding.
Strengths
Strengths are the positive aspects of your organisation that can help you to raise money. These could include your reputation, track record of success, or network of supporters.
Weaknesses
Weaknesses are the negative aspects of your organisation that could hinder your fundraising efforts. These could include a lack of funding, a small staff, or a lack of experience in fundraising.
Opportunities
Opportunities are the positive factors in your environment that could help you to raise money. These could include things like a new funding source, a change in public opinion, or a new event that you could hold to raise money.
Threats
Threats are the negative factors in your environment that could hinder your fundraising efforts. These could include a recession or a change in government policy.
Utilising Charity Recruiters
Before you begin anything, it's essential to make sure that you have the right resources internally to adopt this new strategy. If you're planning an expansion in activity, then you may well need to grow your team to match.
If you need help in recruiting then contact us at AAW Group today. We work with not-for-profits and charities of all sizes and are dedicated to achieving exceptional results.
Easy Donations
Regardless of which fundraiser campaign you choose, the next most important part of your charity fundraiser is how your supporters can make their donations, it's critical that you offer a variety of options from online payments (including regular giving), phone donations and cheques.
You also want to let your supporters know where their money is going. For instance, if you offer donation values in increments, let your donors know what their money is paying for. For example, an animal charity might have the following on their website's donation page:
£10 feeds a puppy for a month
£30 feeds an adult dog for a month
£100 helps maintain our property
People are more likely to donate when they know what they're contributing towards. During a study at the University of Pennsylvania, when given the option of donating a set value or entering an amount of their choosing, almost 80% of participants chose the "set value" option.
Targeted Marketing
Now that you've fleshed out your charity organisation and fundraising strategy, it's time to focus on promoting it. With the proper promotion, your organisation will reach many people, resulting in more donations. Think about the following:
Create eye-catching and informative posts to grab attention
Use solid and persuasive language to encourage donations
Use relevant hashtags to help people find your fundraiser
Run paid ads to reach a larger audience
Collaborate with other organisations or influencers to promote your fundraiser
Thank donors for their support
Let donors know how their donation is making a difference
You want to promote your campaign from as many free social platforms as possible. Some platforms you can choose from are Facebook, X (formally Twitter), Instagram, GoFundMe, LinkedIn, and crowdfunding platforms.
Facebook is an excellent platform for communicating with a large audience. Facebook ads are also a perfect way to reach a larger audience for a relatively small cost outlay.
X (formally Twitter)
X is an excellent platform for sharing real-time updates about your organisation. You can also use hashtags to help people find your campaign.
Instagram is an excellent platform for sharing photos and videos. You can use Instagram stories to share updates and ask for donations.
LinkedIn is perfect for reaching professionals interested in donating to your organisation. You can share updates on your LinkedIn profile and in groups related to your cause.
Crowdfunder and GoFundMe
These are crowdfunding platforms that allow you to raise money online. You can create a page on either platform and share it with friends, followers, and supporters.
How to Craft a Robust Charity Fundraising Strategy
Hopefully you can see that planning a fundraising strategy doesn't have to be overwhelming if you break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks. So long as you have the right team in place to support this strategy, a well-planned and executed fundraising strategy can be transformational for a not-for-profit organisation.
If you're missing some essential employees in your organisation, contacting AAW Group can help. Our charity recruiters team can help you recruit the right senior-level or trustee role to drive forward performance and reach your goals.
