6 Creative Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits

Charitable or nonprofit organizations and associations are invested in solving any number of problems present in our local and global communities.

Although they are initially established on not-for-profit grounds, these organizations can’t glide forward without proper financing.

Creating and implementing nonprofit fundraising ideas is perhaps the most challenging part of establishing charitable programs.

Spreading word via email, social media, and print can be powerful ways to deliver the message to the target donor audience.

‘However, these channels are often exhausted by not only your organization but by the thousands of others looking to leverage the same marketing mediums.

Admittedly, it is difficult to discover new and creative ways to ask for donations that also happen to be repeatable and effective!

Before we get into some of the creative ideas, let’s go over some of the foundational things your nonprofit should already be doing.

1. Have a clear and concise mission statement- People need to know what your organization is trying to achieve in order to want to support it. Keep your message clear and easy to understand so that potential donors can see how their contribution will make a difference.

2. Make a personal connection- Donors are more likely to give if they feel a personal connection to the cause. Share stories about how your organization has helped people in need and make sure potential donors understand the impact their donation can have.

3. Use social media- Social media is a great way to reach potential donors who might not be aware of your organization otherwise. Use platforms like Facebook and Twitter to share your mission and stories about your work, and don’t forget to include a link to your donation page.

4. Hold events- Events are a great way to engage potential donors and raise awareness for your cause. Hosting a fundraiser or gala is a great way to get people involved and excited about your organization, and it can also be a significant source of revenue.

5. Have a strong online presence- In today’s digital world, it’s important for nonprofits to have a strong online presence. Make sure your website is up-to-date and easy to navigate, and that you’re active on social media. Having an engaging and informative online presence will help you reach more potential donors.

Are you looking for more creative fundraising ideas for your nonprofit organization?

Here are some great fundraising ideas for nonprofits.

Get Started with Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is currently one of the most sought-after methods of sourcing funds for different nonprofit or for-profit causes. Small and established businesses use crowdfunding to acquire finances to invent, innovate or reinvent projects and products.

Perhaps your organization’s website is a good destination to receive general donations from a wider donor base. But have you ever considered launching a specific crowdfunding effort for a very niche effort?

For example, an organization that generally raises funds for land conservation may be best served to set up a crowdfunding effort to raise awareness for a specific land conservation project in a specific geography.

It goes without saying, but establishing a crowdfunding campaign that stands out will require a high level of creativity and knowledge of the platforms available.

You have to educate yourself on the the different crowdfunding models, how they work, and how to implement them.

For instance, some platforms have ‘keep-it all’ or ‘all-or nothing’ models that may require you to reach your campaign goals in order to withdraw your funds.

RallyUp is a popular nonprofit fundraising platform that lets you pitch your fundraising ideas to a target audience, develop specific fundraising milestones, while also offering marketing channels to help promote your crowdfunding campaign.

There are dozens of platforms to source for finances, which have varying terms and conditions.

Platforms such as Fundly are more general crowdfunding platforms that support charity and nonprofit fundraising, while other platforms such as FirstGiving are made specifically for nonprofits looking to raise funds.

Organize Golf Tournaments

Organize Golf Tournaments - Creative Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits

Golf has historically brought together people of different walks of life. With golf clubs prevalent in every part of the country, hosting golf tournaments is now common place.

Besides being a fun way to interact and showcase your above average putting skills, golf tournaments are also a popular way to generate funds for your nonprofit or charitable cause.

Golf tournaments provide an opportunity for you to meet with corporate sponsors, wealthy individuals in society, social groups, and community leaders.

Not only is there a diversity in attendees at these types outdoor events, but it is not uncommon to pair golf tournaments with silent auctions or raffles to generate even more funds (you could almost consider this two events in one)!

Organizing a golf tournament can be intimidating – if you’re a first-timer or unfamiliar with the sport itself, you could risk spending more than you raise.

Suggestion: contact your local golf course or club to discuss special rates as a nonprofit or public good organization.

You’ll also want to contact well-known corporate sponsors such as local restaurants, beverage companies, and other related corporate brands to sponsor the event.

Peer-to-Peer Charity Fundraising Ideas

Peer-to-Peer nonprofit fundraising has benefited large and small nonprofit organizations sourcing funds for their nonprofit goals.

Peer-to-peer fundraising is a creative way for a nonprofit organizations to raise funds by asking supporters and sponsors to solicit donations on their behalf.

It’s the most diverse and effective way to involve your network of family members, workmates, and friends to chip in and support your nonprofit or charity cause without spending a dime.

The process starts when the target peers create a fundraising page, selling your nonprofit organization’s goal. The concerned individuals will then give details of why they support your nonprofit cause.

Creative Nonprofit Fundraising Ideas for Your Charity

By nature of tapping into the peer network, your organization is able to access a larger and more diverse.

However, deciding who to recruit for the fundraising programs and coming up with a proper incentive that will motivate your ‘fundraising army’ is critical to the success of the campaign.

Start by asking for a helping hand from your current donors and supporters.

Keep your fundraisers engaged with consistent updates as to individual performance and the overall campaign’s progress.

Additionally, don’t forget to motivate your fundraisers by sharing encouraging quotes and praising them for work done well.

 

Virtual Fundraising Ideas

Video-Shoot Your Donation Campaigns

2021 video consumption statistics have shown that videos generate over 1200% shares compared to messages shared in image or text format.

In addition, consumers directed to an e-commerce site via links shared on videos have over 184% chances of taking action, that’s buying the product or subscribing to the target program.

What this means to a nonprofit fundraiser is that if they integrate videos into their fundraising campaigns, they increase the odds of getting more people to donate money towards their charity programs.

Leveraging videos to enhance your fundraising effort by telling a better story is the simplest most creative approach to drive a more engaged audience to your donation page.

Producing a video can be easy – you don’t necessarily need world-class production effort to create an effective video to educate your target audience about your nonprofit programs, what you do, and the purpose behind the fundraising.

A powerful message may include explaining in detail to your audience the projects you have completed in the past and how many people have been impacted by the work of those projects.

Livestream Fundraising for Your Nonprofit

Creative Nonprofit Ideas When Fundraising for Your Charity

A new age digital medium, livestreaming, is a particularly exciting way to leverage the power and reach of social media to engage your already existing donor base audience.

Assuming you’ve invested in growing your social media followers over the years by creating and promoting valuable content, your organization is sitting on a gold mine of donors waiting to be engaged.

Market the page to the right audience and earn those followers and likes.

Start small with your livestreaming expectations, but overtime, you could begin to see your engagement pick up as your social media base continues to grow and becomes increasingly familiar with your fundraising campaigns.

Leverage Social Media Influencers to Win Donors

Has your nonprofit organization not yet built a meaningful social media following?

Not a problem. An increasingly popular means of advertising of for-profit companies is the use of social media influencers who have built followings of their own that overlap with your target audience.

There are a number of influencer networks that offer a self-service platform for you to communicate directly with any number of influencers that align with the values of your organization.

As an example, iFluenz is an Instagram influencer platform that has conveniently aggregated thousands of potential partners.

The process is generally simply – you create a campaign stating who you are targeting with what message and the influencer community will have the opportunity to ‘interview’ to promote your message.

Not only can you easily preview the influencer’s audience size, posting frequency, average engagement, etc, you’re also able to easily negotiate pricing, timeline, etc.

As with any advertising campaign, make sure you have establish clear ways of tracking traffic that the influencers are generating so that you can appropriately assign the ROI (return-on-investment) of your fundraising efforts.

At no time will you ever find an easy way to solicit money from people regardless of the reason you give for seeking financial aid.

However, fresh and creative fundraising efforts can give you an edge in a world where countless organizations are looking to raise money.

Regardless of the campaign you choose to launch, be sure to set clear goals and milestones, so that once the campaign is underway or completed, you’ll be able to look back retroactively to determine if the efforts can be deemed a clear success or failure.

Listen to our Charity Charge Show podcast to learn more about fundraising for your nonprofit.

 

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