Fundraising Challenges

Non-profit organizations like the one you head will always find individuals who sympathize with your cause. However, just like any other business, you will inevitably come across some bumps along the way, especially when fundraising is involved. Here are some of the most common fundraising mistakes and obstacles:

Being repetitive with online auction items

Using an online auction website is effective in generating the funds your nonprofit needs, but the items for auction can get pretty repetitive over time if you don’t change them up a bit. What you can do to avoid the monotony is to establish a theme for each auction. For instance, if your organization is devoted to literacy causes, sell first-edition books that belong to one specific genre at a time, like horror or fantasy.

Limited audience

People can’t donate to your cause if they aren’t well-informed about your upcoming online fundraising event in the first place. Take advantage of social media and promote your event through sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Unclear goals

If you’ve managed to reach out to a wider audience, you certainly wouldn’t want to lose their attention by being vague about your goals. What is your end goal for the fundraising event? Is it to raise funds for future use—which is too general—or is it to use the money for something specific and urgent? More often than not, you’ll get people to listen if you state what you really want.

Tweet

Tip for Charity Fundraising Success: Have a Purpose | Doing Good Together

Why does purpose even matter? Isn’t it enough that your members complete their tasks? In reality, purpose is the foundation upon which your organization should be built. It determines your group’s collective understanding of your nonprofit and its goals. It can also impact donor satisfaction and establish your organization’s overall effectiveness and success. Above all, it protects and upholds the core principles your group is based on. What is your organization’s purpose? Before you move ahead with your activities, be sure to take the time to step back and answer this question. It’s the only way to see if your charity fundraising events, such as the ones you stage through the eBay Giving Works Program, still meet your needs, goal, and mission.
http://blog.givingworks.ebay.com/content/tip-charity-fundraising-success-have-purpose

Tweet

Non Profit Fundraisers: Above and Beyond

Noting the effects of cancer not only on the patients but also on the people close to them, it takes a lot of time, effort, and dedication for strangers and groups like Cancer CAREpoint to give that additional support without getting or expecting something in return. It is mostly through volunteers, donations, and non profit fundraisers that Cancer CAREpoint, as well as other charity organizations we support, are able to continue to provide their selfless kind service. According to the American Cancer Society, people afflicted with cancer often go through bouts with anxiety, fear, and depression. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to handle these cases, and this involves the patients and the people taking care of them. Though certain medications can help alleviate the pain, which in turn, temporarily relieves anxiety, they only serve as band-aid solutions as far as the emotional, psychological, and spiritual aspects are concerned.
http://blog.givingworks.ebay.com/content/non-profit-fundraisers-above-and-beyond

Tweet

3 Tips for Successful Online Fundraising for Nonprofits

Smart fundraising for non-profits entails partnerships between the auction websites and the company, providing the technology to allow netizens to make donations through the site. So, before you can put items for auction, you must first register with a charity partner. The registration process will require you to provide a legal document proving your nonprofit status. List the items for auction appropriately. Listing the items to put up for auction for a charitable cause is similar to listing an item to generate profit. You should write a detailed description of each item, including the brand name (if available), condition (new, slightly used, and used), and other item details like size, dimensions, and color. Prepare high-quality images to accompany the description.
http://blog.givingworks.ebay.com/content/3-tips-successful-online-fundraising-nonprofits

Tweet

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.

Tweet