Rally Support for Your Cause

Every legit fundraiser pretty much supports an actual charitable cause. However, as much as donors want a good cause to succeed, they can only provide so much support. Yet you are more likely to secure people’s support by highlighting the timeliness and relevance of your campaign. Here are a few tactics you can use.

Mind the Awareness Calendar

Every month plays host to a number of cause awareness events. Congress used to delegate which event belongs to a particular month, but only the Senate maintains this practice today. Breast cancer, AIDS, and consumer protection awareness months are put in place by federal proclamations.

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Headlines to Reel in Donors

In the world of online fundraising, writing articles to market your cause is an important part of getting the word out to all the potential donors you stand to reach through the Internet. However, it is with the creation of marketing content that many organizations run into snags.

The Internet is bursting with tons of written content. As a result, if your articles don’t stand out online, your marketing efforts are bound to go almost nowhere.

One of the most important aspects of getting people interested in reading your articles—and supporting your cause—is to write smart, attention-grabbing headlines. Advertising expert David Ogilvy once said that five times as many people will read a copy’s headline than they will its body, so in some instances, the headline alone can be enough to get them to donate.

Create catchy fundraising content headlines by remembering the following points:

• Make a claim that’s almost unbelievable. A headline has to be truthful, but should also pique a reader’s interest.
• Don’t be afraid to quote someone’s praise of your organization—especially if it’s someone particularly famous or important.
• Your headline should sound urgent. This makes reading the copy’s body sound more enticing to potential readers.
• Be creative and occasionally add an unexpected element to your titles. Asking unusual questions, using curious analogies, making baffling or contradictory statements, being a bit shocking, or encouraging your audience to think differently about the world are all great ideas for headlines.

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Need a Good Fundraiser? Host a Charity Auction

Whenever funds need to be raised, charities, churches, schools, and other institutions often employ traditional fundraising events like contests, lotteries, and marathons. However, these events can be costly and time-consuming to organize, especially for smaller organizations and nonprofits. As such, charity auctions may be the better option for these organizations.

Deciding to go with the auction approach definitely has its merit, because charity auctions are simple yet very effective. At the start of the auction, a list of items is distributed to give the participants an idea of what they’re bidding for. Upon being assigned their identifying numbers, the participants can bid on whatever is on the list at any time. Online auctions are essentially the same, except they are conducted through the Internet and attract bidders from all over the world without having everyone together in the same physical place.

This process means that charity auctions usually don’t take up as much time and resources as other fundraising events. What’s more, auctions can maximize the sale price of any item, especially if it is truly valuable, as participants compete with each other via ever-increasing bids. Finally, items sold in a charity auction are usually tax deductible if the purchaser is able to prove that the item’s real value is much less than the purchase price.

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