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If you have a cause in your life – and almost everybody does – that you feel is worth fighting for, you’ve probably considered fundraising before. In fact, the world of fundraising is a massive complex place with many ins and outs. Between the realms of art, medicine and helping the displaced and marginalized, there is an incredible amount of human focus going in the getting the money to lift these causes up. Many people have a cause that’s close to their heart, whether it’s Alzheimer’s, opera, homelessness or literacy. While there are many people who actually make a career out of fundraising, there are also millions of people who organize events and volunteer in their spare time. In this post, we’ll look at different approaches to fundraising, and look at how to throw a successful fundraising event.
First off, let’s dispel the notion that you need to throw an event to raise funds. The truth is, most fundraising is done by simply convincing prospective donors that the cause is worth their cash. Cold calling donors and going door to door can be daunting, but if you are a compelling speaker, you will likely see results. Depending on the organization that you’re representing, it’s important to have a set script to work form that you can improvise on top of. When canvasser’s representing CAMH or Greenpeace speak to potential donor’s, you can bet they hit the same talking points.
While you don’t necessarily need to throw an event to raise money, it’s a good way to cultivate a fun sense of community and rally around a cause together. Car washes, bake sales, golf tournaments, bike-a-thons, etc., are great ways to raise awareness and have a good time while banking a bit of capital for your cause.
When you organize a community fundraising event, it’s always a good idea to order custom shirts to commemorate the occasion. Custom apparel companies like PromoPays in Canada can press out huge orders of custom clothing with your unique design for the event in question. Not only will this add a sense of camaraderie to the event, it will also give participants a chance to represent the cause for years once the event is over.
The value of throwing an event, above and beyond the money that it raises, it that it pushes the conversation around your charitable cause forward. If participants are interested and compelled, they may well want to start volunteering as well. Cash donations are great, but successfully promoting a charity requires a huge amount of labour – volunteer hours are worth a lot.
If you host an event at a venue – like a bowling alley or a trendy ping pong bar – you should always try and get it at a discount, since the point a fundraiser is to make money. Giving charities a break looks great and promotes good publicity for the venue, so such partnerships or beneficial for everyone. Furthermore, partnering with a beer company can be a great way to make a higher margin on your beverage sales and bank more for the charity. You’d be surprised how many businesses are open to helping you make money for a good cause, as long as they’re not actively losing money. At the end of the day, everybody feels good when furthering a worthwhile cause.
