In this blog post I shall share with you the things you should know before you embark your fundraising journey.
1. You should focus on planning fundraising activities that allow people to get something from you.
You can go around in your city centre, holding a massive empty can, asking people to donate to you. There is no problem with that. However, you are likely to expect a less effective outcome from that. That's the thing about our human brains, we like to be rewarded, even for the good things we do. We also like to be able to see our rewards, not by imagining. Hence, a more successful fundraising activity would include things like selling food or an item that will definitely be of use for your target donors. You may also offer services like car washing or other cleaning jobs. Really, it just means that anything people can definitely benefit from.
2. You should do things that are within your realm of ability not capability.
Some fundraisers go all out to collect their target fund. Again, there is nothing wrong with that. We are capable of doing a lot of things. You can go all out to learn how to dive and 3 weeks later you host a who-dives-the-longest campaign to raise some fund. If you can do that, bravo to you! However, you really wanna think about the time and effort that cost you. Will you be all exhausted and worn out after managing the massive fundraising event you're planning to do? Will this then affect your daily work routine? Is there any other options that will make things easier for you? It is better for us, especially first timers to try something manageable to save ourselves from the misery. I once tried to run a mini singing competition to fundraise it took me days of sleepless nights and ended up feeling physically and mentally knackered by the end of the event. So if you are new to this, I suggest you stick with the old-fashioned, pizza selling plan for starter.
3. Be ready to ask for help
Raising fund by yourself can be depressing and dreadful. No man is an island, you can't possibly go far by doing it yourself. Plus, you really don't have to torture yourself by taking up all the jobs needed. Ask your friends, ask your family, ask your closed ones. Don't be afraid to ask or feel ashamed about it. What's more is that after all, the purpose of you helping a charity is to hopefully be able to spread the word and raise the public awareness. So let the people around you to do it for you. You will be surprise how nice people are and how effective the word-of-mouth method can be. I once asked my indians friends to cook me some Briyani, we made some £200 pound profit in two days. What's better is they didn't even ask for a penny to do that!
4. Start early
The early bird catches the worm. You want to start early so that you can avoid the stress and tension from a last-minute catch up play. Starting early allows you to test the water and try out different small attempts one at a time. You get to choose when, where, and how you wanna do it without having to worry much as you know you will have time to recover if you hashed up the first few tries. You get to do things in a more stress-free environment. That gives you room for planning and executing well later on. Because of that, you probably get to save some of your energy from having to run more activities than you need to in order to reach your target.
So that's it. One step at a time, and you will get there. Be nice, plan smart and start early. God loves loving people.
All the best.
Also, feel free to check out my 'What Not To Do When Doing Fundraising' article at
signed,
g.
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