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Promoting your fundraising event effectively is crucial for growing your donations and number of supporters. Developing a comprehensive fundraising plan can provide the foundation needed for successful promotion.
In this blog post, we'll share 15 proven tactics to promote your fundraiser like a pro. From creating a compelling theme to leveraging social media like Instagram and Facebook and email marketing, these strategies will ensure your event stands out. Let's take your fundraising campaign to the next level.
Planning your strategy to promote your fundraisers
1. Create a theme
Selecting a theme is crucial for consistency when promoting your fundraiser across various channels and attracting donors to your event.
Choose a theme that resonates with your audience, aligns with your fundraising goal, and reflects your mission. A cohesive theme for your fundraiser campaign will help to build a connection with your supporters and set expectations for what they can anticipate.
When promoting the event, include all the essential details to build interest and encourage participation.
Pro tip:
Engage your supporters by creating a voting form for theme ideas. This approach generates excitement and ensures your event resonates with your audience. Zeffy's 100% free form builder makes this process simple and effective.
2. Select a venue
A carefully chosen venue complements the theme and objectives of your event and can build excitement and anticipation among potential donors.
Opt for a location that aligns with your fundraiser's theme and goal, and prepare compelling content to promote the venue.
Consider the following tips when selecting the perfect venue:
Ensure accessibility for your target audience
Share captivating photos and interesting facts about the location
Use social media, email newsletters, and your event page
3. Create FOMO and leverage word-of-mouth
Word of mouth is a powerful tool for nonprofits, as it helps build trust and credibility. When someone recommends your cause, it adds significant weight to your mission's message.
Encourage your supporters to create FOMO (fear of missing out) surrounding your event by sharing their previous positive experiences and excitement on social media.
Their genuine support and enjoyment can generate buzz, making others feel they don't want to miss out on a great opportunity. Motivate attendees to post about upcoming events to promote the fundraiser further.
You can also explore an online calendar, social media group, or newsletter. If so, you may also be able to promote your event by posting a message about it on one of these forums. These are often free resources for all community members to promote events and other happenings in your area.
4. Incentivize your committee
Your hosting committee can be your most significant support in promoting the fundraising event. They are connected to your nonprofit, understand your cause, and share the same passion. Seize this opportunity to further motivate them by offering enticing incentives.
Consider fun reward ideas like gift cards or complimentary tickets.
Execution phase of your fundraiser
5. Sell event tickets online
Selling tickets online will help you reach a broader audience as you promote your fundraiser.
Use a powerful online event ticketing tool to simplify registration for everyone involved.
Focus on creating online event pages that are easy to link to and share with supporters.
Create event pages with solid and consistent branding elements, such as a logo, color palette, and a tagline or mission statement. These visual elements allow supporters to recognize your organization and build trust over time.
It also helps them understand the core value behind your organization and connect with the cause quickly. Images and visual elements create excitement for the event, and you can incorporate inspiring copy to motivate attendees to purchase tickets.
7. Organize raffle and silent auctions
Silent auctions and online raffles provide additional opportunities for event promotion. Use social media platforms to post hints for attendees about the available auction items.
Exciting items like signed memorabilia, exclusive artwork, theme park tickets, and local restaurant vouchers can build anticipation for your event.
Seek support from local businesses for in-kind raffle and silent auction donations. Find corporate sponsors or local businesses to supply event items. Focus on items that will capture your audience's interest, such as unique concert tickets or a private dinner with a local celebrity.
8. Show gratitude
Small gratitude goes a long way, especially for nonprofits that receive donor contributions. Show donors and attendees appreciation to encourage them to return to your fundraiser and become advocates.
Thanking them for their contribution helps strengthen the relationship and build loyalty. Send thank you letters to create excitement for your event as you approach your fundraising goal.
Outreach for your fundraising event
9. How to promote your fundraiser on Facebook
Use your nonprofit's Facebook page to update followers on upcoming fundraisers and other initiatives regularly. This creates loyalty and repeat attendees. Keep the page active with different updates and use it to promote upcoming fundraising events.
Here are a few best practices to consider when using Facebook for fundraising:
Ask your Facebook supporters to “share” your fundraiser. This will spread your message to more users and leverage social proof to build trust.
People often accept invites from their friends as they’re more likely to assume an event is worth attending if their friends recommend it. Remember to encourage your followers to share event posts.
Use Facebook fundraising ads to raise funds and support. These targeted ads allow you to reach potential donors based on interests, demographics, and behaviors.
You can use X (formerly Twitter) to reach out to influencers your local audience follows. Tweet at them with details about your event, highlighting how it aligns with their interests or previous charitable work.
Research the influencer’s interests, values, and previous engagements to craft your personalized message. If their interests align with your cause, ask them to give your organization or the event a shoutout.
Some influencers and public figures support a cause to show a sense of social responsibility and use their platform to promote positive change. Many influencers make in-kind gestures to receive tax benefits for charitable contributions or donations.
If influencers retweet about your event, you can reach thousands of people willing to donate to your fundraiser.
Instagram is popular among younger generations and caters to people who like a visual platform. Encourage your host committee and supporters to share pictures related to your event.
Use Stories and Reels to create short-form, engaging content, such as behind-the-scenes videos of a rescue mission or impact stories. Share sneak-peek videos of the event to engage potential attendees in the lead-up to the fundraiser.
Tip:
Create a contest and offer free tickets to the best posts related to your event. Ask them to tag your nonprofit in the post to let others connect with your organization. Continually encourage people to use event-related tags and keywords.
Invest in paid ads to spread the word about your fundraiser. Google Ad Grants provide nonprofits with $10,000 in advertising credit, allowing them to promote their cause on the platform, even with a reduced budget.
Use appropriate call-to-action buttons to prompt supporters to join the cause. Link to the event landing page to ensure they have all the necessary information.
13. How to use text messages
SMS marketing is a simple and cost-effective way to promote your event. When people register for your event online, ask for their phone number. It is essential to get consent when asking for phone numbers to respect people's choices and comply with data privacy laws.
Keep them updated with the status of your ticket sales and ask them to remind their friends to buy tickets. To demonstrate your appreciation for their donation, share the fundraiser’s progress and describe the difference more ticket sales will make to your cause.
Personalize the message using their first names and donation amounts to show how crucial their contribution is and how much it means to your nonprofit.
Prefer a regular phone call? Read this.
Phone calls don’t have to last longer than five minutes, and you can even use them to check in on your donors, see if they have any questions, and give them a heads-up about your upcoming fundraising event. They may even offer to help out! And, if they do, make sure they know that one of the best ways they can help is by encouraging the people they know to attend/buy tickets/etc.
You don’t need to call everyone on your list, but a phone call will be especially helpful when trying to engage supporters who usually attend your events, make large donations, or reserve tables.
After the call, remember to follow up with a text or email with a link to your fundraising event’s page so donors can buy tickets, donate, and share the link.
14. How to use email to promote your fundraiser
Well-designed, mobile-friendly emails encourage supporters to read all the details about the fundraiser.
Choose nonprofit email templates and customize them to align with your organization's brand identity. If registration is required for the event, provide a direct link to the registration form in the email. Leverage email marketing tools to automate reminders and personalize each message to your supporters.
Direct mail marketing is a tested method for engaging donors, sending invites, and sharing nonprofit missions. Its tangible nature creates a personalized experience, making it an effective way to promote a fundraising event.
Share the true impact of people’s contributions through direct mail to evoke emotion. Incorporate QR codes and a clear call to action for easy event registration.
5 best practices to maximize donations to your fundraiser
1. Find out which platform your target audience uses
Identifying which platforms your core audience is most active on requires a strategic approach. Start by researching popular platforms within your industry and related niches. Platforms like Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram cater to specific demographics.
Track data via your CRM tools, Google Analytics, and social media insights to understand your supporter base.
Keep an eye on similar nonprofit organizations for inspiration. Find out what platforms they use the most and how they use them to engage supporters. Adjust your strategy using a competitor analysis to see if it can help improve donor engagement.
Create a content calendar
Before randomly posting and sharing anything, create a content calendar to map when you will post what. Include posts that will:
Announce the event and build awareness.
Reminders about your event with dates, ticket sale info, etc.
Social media channels are already great platforms for reaching a large audience base.
Your nonprofit can promote your Facebook page by targeting specific users filtered through demographics and interests. Hyper-specific targeting can increase support and donations for your cause.
Track your ads to see which types of ads best engage your audiences. Facebook’s retargeting ads can increase engagement by reaching people who have visited your nonprofit’s website.
3. Embrace influencer marketing on Instagram
Influencer marketing is a great way to make your nonprofit recognizable and build trust. Collaborating with influencers to spread awareness of your mission can make the public passionate about your cause.
More awareness and recognition means more people will feel compelled to support your fundraising event. Find an influencer who aligns with your mission to make the most out of influencer marketing.
Here are some steps to finding the right influencer to collaborate with your nonprofit:
Search for the relevant hashtags and accounts. This will help you reach influencers who may already be speaking about the issues associated with your mission.
Review the influencer’s recent posts to see if they can become a positive representative of your nonprofit.
Check their audience demographics, age, and location to determine whether they are appropriate for your mission and cause.
Once you select an ideal influencer, prepare a personalized pitch to connect with them. This would also help them understand your fundraising mission. Some influencers may feel a connection and be willing to provide an in-kind donation.
4. Ensure your story is compelling
A compelling story has the power to organically raise funds by tugging at the heartstrings of potential supporters. Compelling storytelling taps into your audience's emotions, building a foundation of trust.
Your story must evoke empathy and create a strong emotional connection to inspire people to contribute and make a difference. Craft a narrative that highlights the impact of your cause and demonstrates the tangible difference supporters can make through their contributions.
5. Use your network
Amplifying your reach is essential; you don't have to do it alone. Leverage your network to spread the word and engage more people in your cause. Encourage your volunteers and host committee members to share your message and promote your fundraiser within their influence.
Reach out to supporters and attendees, asking them to give shoutouts by tagging your organization in their social media posts or sharing event details.
Remember to connect with local media outlets with a stake in your cause or community, and consider publishing a press release to maximize attention for your fundraiser. Newspapers, radio, and TV stations will allow nonprofit organizations to advertise events with them, and they may even interview you for a short segment. Local news stations may also want to report on your event if you're fortunate.
In your press release to news media, be sure to include:
Case study: Noelle’s Gift to Children raised over $325,000 with Zeffy
Noelle’s Gift to Children, a nonprofit that helps kids in Sarnia-Lambton and Chatham-Kent, Ontario, uses Zeffy's free fundraising platform for events like its annual gala and 5K run. It has raised $325,208 for its various fundraisers using Zeffy.
Switching to Zeffy saved them $16,260 in fees, meaning that more money goes directly to helping children. Bryan Cowden, the run's convenor, loves that Zeffy is a 100% free fundraising platform that is easy to use and offers all the features they need.
"I was shocked. Yeah, I was shocked by the features that you get. Compared to other forms I’ve used, Zeffy is just amazing." - Bryan Cowden
Final thoughts on promoting a fundraiser
Promoting your fundraiser doesn't have to be complicated, and our effective fundraising tips simplify it. Pick the best strategies for your nonprofit, and be bold and creative. Remember, your passion is contagious, so let it shine through in your promotion strategies.
Creating memorable experiences for your community fosters a sense of connection and inspires them to become advocates for your cause. When supporters feel personally invested, they're more likely to spread the word and contribute meaningfully to your mission.
Leverage Zeffy — the only 100% free fundraising platform — to promote and manage your fundraisers. Zeffy doesn't charge any fees, which means more of the money you raise goes straight to your cause.
Every nonprofit is different, and so are its causes. Which social media platform is the best for a nonprofit depends on its core target audience.
Social media platforms can be popular among different demographics, too. For instance, 31% of all Facebook users are between 25 and 34. Meanwhile, 71% of people aged 18-29 have active Instagram accounts.
This means the best social media channel for a nonprofit targeting an older base is Facebook. Instagram is apt for a younger audience base. LinkedIn is an ideal social media channel for nonprofits to connect with prospective donors in a professional setting.
To announce your fundraising event, here are some key points to focus on:
Share the details of the fundraising event clearly, precisely, and impactfully
Mention the event’s date, time, and location
Explain the cause and mission of the fundraiser to establish a connection
Provide details on how to attend, donate, or volunteer
Include contact details to keep the channel open for more engagement
Encourage immediate action like registering online or purchasing a raffle ticket
Viral content leaves a lasting impact on people and compels them to support a good cause. While there is no one-size-fits-all strategy to make your fundraiser go viral, here are a few things you can consider:
Your fundraiser message must be relatable to its audience
It must have a captivating, heartwarming, and — ideally — unique story
The fundraiser must be simple and easy to share
The only 100% free fundraising platform for nonprofits
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