Charity fundraising is far from easy, especially in the current financial climate. With this in mind, you need to get the best results possible from your efforts, as your time will be limited, and your returns smaller than you would like.
There are many techniques that you can use, such as table sales, auctions, and sponsored events, but these rely on there being many participants for success. There are only so many people you and your current number of volunteers can get around, so the next step is to take things online. This way, you are not limited by location or man hours, as your internet presence is there 24/7.
Identifying What You Are Looking For
Your online presence, including your website and your social media output, is not just there to ask for funds directly. Potential donors need to be given more information about your cause, which if it is not among the top 100 charities, they might not even know exists.
You can also recruit other fundraisers this way, the people who will organize local events in their area (with your approval, of course), or undertake various challenges for which they can be sponsored. This can also be a way of reaching out to various businesses and individuals to donate products or services to auctions, raffles, and competitions as prizes.
Drive Online Traffic to These Pages
Once that box is ticked, you need to make sure enough people are seeing what you have created, which is where many charities start to hit rocky ground. Many of these methods involve spending money, and as they are already trying to raise funds, this might be where things come to a halt. Many charities are not aware that free advertising for charities is available on Google by receiving grants for PPC campaigns.
By getting involved with the right agencies, the whole process of application and approval can be made easier, as well as setting up effective PPC campaigns, which can then be seen on websites and in search results for certain targeted keywords. This might be outside your normal scope, so should be left to those who know what they are doing, and you could just touch base with them monthly or bi-yearly, depending on what is best for you.
Look at Results and Evolve
PPC advertising gives you instant traffic, so you can use the data generated to quickly see which events are more popular, and which aren’t making the grade. You can then change your strategy to run more of the popular events, or target getting more fundraisers onboard to get donations that way. You will also be looking at direct donations, and you can trial different pages to see which gets the best results for certain demographics, and as with the events, simply do more of what works.
Final Thoughts
The benefits of an effective online campaign for your charity can not be underestimated. By getting the right people involved, you can not only have their expertise on your side, but unlock grants to advertise for free. This can target not only donations, but can do much to raise awareness of your cause and find others to join in with fundraising efforts and other areas to make your charity more successful.
