By Diane Klich & Nicholas Sawarna
Crowdfunding software has been quick to extend the offering to not-for-profits in recent years. So, how different is crowdfunding from traditional peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, which were born and raised in the NFP space?
Well, in many situations, the two aren’t so different after all.
Let’s consider a popular method of crowdfunding called Do-It-Yourself (DIY) fundraising. DIY fundraising empowers passionate supporters of your cause to raise money by organizing an inventive event of their own, setting up a virtual fundraising page, collecting donations in lieu of birthday/wedding gifts or honouring of a loved one.
With this type of DIY program, third-party fundraisers rely on the help of their extended network of family, friends and community – and as such, leveraging a solid peer-to-peer online fundraising system may be all you need to kick-start their fundraising spirit!
What, then, should you look for when embarking on a DIY fundraising program?
Help Fundraisers Become Digital Marketers
Passionate people are the best ambassadors for your cause -- all they need are the right tools! Start them off with a basic campaign kit containing the necessary features to launch a compelling and effective digital campaign, including:
- a self-serve fundraising page that they can quickly setup to effectively share their story and accept donations
- an fundraising centre that provides statistics and intuitively coaches participants throughout their campaign
- an email dashboard populated with some sample messaging that helps them communicate the importance of the cause and the difference they can make.
Taken together, these tools can turn third-party supporters into effective fundraisers, as well as thankful recipients.
Encourage Stewardship
You’ve spent time and money ensuring you have a strong brand presence that effectively communicates your mission, the work you’ve done, and how donor dollars make a difference in the lives of others. Use a system them helps you extend this voice to a DIY program, launched under your brand, your website, and using your organization’s messaging. This arms your fundraisers -- be they board members or a school class -- with the proper advice and materials to build trust in your cause, and in turn, assures donors that their money is in the right hands.
Attend to Those Special Moments with Care
Receiving a donation on behalf of someone affected by your cause is a special gift. Tribute pages recognize these occasions with the ability to send e-cards to loved ones, or opt-in to a recurring program that coincides with a birthday, holiday or day of passing -- all of which provide that special touch for your donors. Also take care to ensure E-mail messaging doesn’t get grouped with a generic ‘thank-you’ communications, but recognizes the sensitivity and the timing of the donation with the ability to craft a unique, targeted message.
Alignment with your Systems to Develop Long-Term Relationships
By launching the campaign within your own systems, you have the benefit of knowing that gifts are properly delivered to the correct fund, aligned with financial reporting, and receipted by your charity. This also provides the opportunity to nurture these new donors, and earn their trust through a proper engagement program that truly demonstrates how the difference their donation has made and fosters a long-lasting relationship.
Nurture the DIY Program
While DIY fundraising may not be running a physical event, it’s still effectively a peer-to-peer campaign. The same efforts and principles you apply to teaching your event participants to fundraise, you should apply to these individuals as well. Be sure to have dedicated resources to onboard these DIY champions for success – educate them about the cause, teach them about fundraising best practices, introduce them to the fundraising tools and resources at hand, and welcome them to your organization.
Need Inspiration?
Check out some of the creative ways charitable organizations like the
Kidney Foundation of Canada and
Save the Children Canada are empowering grassroots fundraisers with raisin's DIY fundraising module.
To start your DIY program today or learn more about our DIY module, called Personal Fundraising Pages, contact us for more information.