There can be many reasons why you may want to begin a personal fundraising project. Some reasons can be heartbreaking; such as taking a sick child visit on holiday, or perhaps even buying vital (but expensive) medical equipment for them. Or, you may be trying to help a neighbour who has been made homeless by a natural disaster.
Whatever your reasons, fundraising can be a challenge, particularly in tough economic times. These days, there lots of online fundraising sites that can host your appeal, but how do you get your page to stand out? Here are a few tips to help you get started, plus a few ideas about how raise some money.
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Firstly, you need a clear mission statement that sets out exactly why you are asking for money. It helps to include the story of the person you are trying to raise funds for. If you are raising funds online, don’t forget to include lots of photos. There can be many ways you can create your mission statement for both offline and online fundraising efforts. For example you may want to visit here if you’re wanting tips on how to write a fundraising appeal letter that could garner greater support.
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Set a financial target. This can be included on your page as a visual marker so show people how close or far away you are from achieving your goal.
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Spread the word on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Send out regular updates and reminders to let people know how you’re doing, or to ensure they don’t forget about your cause. Don’t forget to reach out to your physical community too, by organising a range of activities such as those suggested below.
Online/live auction
Persuade friends and neighbours to allow themselves to be auctioned off for a day or an evening. They can offer services such as chopping wood, painting and decorating, gardening or even cooking a meal for someone. It just depends on each person’s talent (and willingness). You can combine an online auction with a live auction to add some fun to the proceedings – and you can charge for a ticket to the live event too.
image source: https://flic.kr/p/dcf37k
Offer personalised bricks
If you’re raising funds to help someone rebuild their house, one fantastic fundraising idea is to offer people the opportunity to buy personalised bricks. Each brick is engraved with their name or message. It’s a great way to help them feel as though they have made a permanent contribution. And for the person receiving the bricks, it’s a physical reminder of how much they mean to their community.
image source: https://flic.kr/p/bWqste
Challenge yourself
Commit to an activity if you raise a certain amount. You’ll need to put a fair amount of effort it, such as training for a marathon to convince people you are serious. Or it that’s unachievable, try something outside your comfort zone such as shaving off your hair, abseiling down a cliff or overcoming a phobia. You could even offer to put yourself in some stocks and have people throw wet sponges or cakes at you. There are plenty of sports fundraising ideas to be found online if you’re set on doing something active.
Throw a party
Open up your home or hire a venue, and then organise a gala evening or ball. This could be a themed party depending on the time of year or just a swanky bash! You’ll need to organise music and refreshments, but you may be surprised how many local businesses offer to donate things either at cost price or for free. Then charge for tickets and have an evening to remember.
