Fundraise For Something Meaningful To You! Fundraising Toolkit What is Crowdrise? CrowdRise is the world s largest and fastest-growing fundraising platform dedicated exclusively to charitable giving. CrowdRise is used by millions of individuals to raise money for their favorite charities and causes. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta has partnered with Crowdrise to provide an outlet for our supporters to give back, all while having the most fun in the world while doing it. So, what would I use it for? Whether you're running in a marathon, giving up your birthday for charity, doing a tribute, volunteering on weekends, or anything else, use CrowdRise to raise money for charity and make a real-life impact. 5 ways you might use Crowdrise to support BBBS: 1. Create a fundraising page and ask your friends and family to donate to a cause you are passionate about. 2. Running, cycling or participating in an event? Turn that into a tangible extension of your fundraiser. 3. Request donations instead of gifts for a special occasion. 4. Set up a fundraiser in honor of or to memorialize someone special. 5. Are you a Big Brother or Big Sister? Join The BIG Challenge held each fall to support BBBS (and win fabulous prizes for your efforts). Okay, I m interested. How do I get started? Your Fundraising Page is the site where supporters will make a donation to your cause. Take the time to make it compelling, and with rich content, so that they cannot leave without pressing that Donate button. Setting Up Your Page in 3 Easy, Fast Steps: 1. Create your Individual Fundraising Page: www.crowdrise.com/bbbsatl 2. Click the orange Fundraise For This Charity button. You ll be prompted to start a new fundraiser. 3. Personalize your page: On the page you are directed to a) Add one or more pictures to your slideshow; b) Set a goal; and c) Add your own personal story to the auto-populated information. Click view on the left-hand navigation to view the final product. Tips: The more compelling your page, the more likely people will stick around to learn about your cause and to make a donation. Tell your story The story section has to paint the picture. Talk about your experience with BBBS and why you are fundraising to support the organization.
Add Pics Lots of em. The more vivid a picture you can describe, the better chance you ll hook your audience. Include a video if possible A video helps round out your page and show your cause at a deeper level. This might be a video of you sharing a story and/or giving details about your fundraiser or even the agency video. Upload your Profile Pic When in view mode, click upload profile pic to insert a picture here. Take It One Step Further in your Dashboard: In this area, you can update your page, track your donations and post updates on your fundraising success (takes less than a minute and can make a huge impact!). In the advanced settings, you can allow others to join you in fundraising as part of a team, customize your automatic donor thank you (highly recommended), customize your personal page s URL, add offline donations (helpful when Great Aunt Susie hands you a wad of cash but you d really like for it to display in your progress bar), and create a fundraising widget that allows you to add a donate button to any website that links directly with your campaign. I created my fundraising page (a great one too!). Now what? Maximize Your Fundraising: 1. Fund yourself first. Those who donate to their own page raise 8x more than those who don t. So get the ball rolling by making that first donation. 2. Set a goal and a deadline. Give your donors something to shoot for in terms of both your goal in fundraising and the deadline for which to give. 3. Utilize Email, supplement with social media. Start with your inner circle, personalize an email & hit send. Tweet, text & share updates. Email converts 100x better than social media. 4. Double your donations with matching gifts: Check if yours and your donors companies offer matching gifts. Keys to Successful Promotion of your Fundraiser: Start with Email While we all know social media isn t going anywhere, Email is still the single best way to reach supporters and obtain donations. Why? The more personal your interactions, the more likely they ll say yes. Reach out to potential supporters in either individual or small batches (10 or less). The chance of someone ignoring a personal email is extremely low. Supplement with Social Media Tweet, text, & share out regular updates. Use social media to create a drumbeat around your campaign. Social media is a great way to say thanks to donors and create momentum for your efforts. Best Practices: o Always include a direct link to your Fundraising Page in emails and social media posts. o Have a clear call to action like click here to make a donation or support me today o Concise is best in email and social media. No one reads so keep it short. o Keep messaging active and try different techniques throughout. o Have fun and make it fun for your supporters. If you re willing to be silly, create an incentive around reaching certain milestones. o Say thank you make sure to thank your donors both in real time and at the end of the campaign. o Use hashtags: Twitter Hashtags were invented for Twitter. If you want to trend, use them. Tweets with hashtags get twice the engagement of those without. Facebook Avoid using hashtags on Facebook. We ve found that posts without hashtags on Facebook see more engagement. Instagram Hashtags on Instagram work. Sometimes it s the posts with more hashtags that see the most engagement.
o Best times to post to social media: Facebook According to the Huffington Post, Thursdays and Fridays are the best days to post. Post regularly throughout the week to keep momentum high and your fundraising visible, with a few extra on these days. Avoid posting after 8pm when engagement is the lowest. Twitter Posting mid-day has the best click-through rate, while early evening is best for retweet rates. Instagram The most engaged times on Instagram appears to be around lunchtime and after work into the evening. Take it One Step Further: Try something silly Create buzz around your efforts by challenging your donors to help you reach a specific goal by doing something silly. Shave your head, wear a rival s teams colors, etc. Get creative. Drive donations on a specific day by offering a prize Kick-off your campaign with a drawing on the first day or at the mid-point to reach a specific goal. Keep it simple - $10 Starbucks card or movie tickets, for example. Big Brother or Big Sister? Involve your Little Brother/Sister Use your own experience to teach your Little about philanthropy and the importance of giving back to your community through your time, talents and treasures. Interested in technology? Ask them to help you in setting up your fundraising page, writing your story or sending out an update. Turn it into a math lesson! Let them tally your donations, figure out the % raised of your goal or the % over your goal you ve raised. By reviewing all the individual donations, and their collective total, you ll teach your Little the important lesson that anyone can be a philanthropist it s not about the size of the gift, but the heart behind it. Involve them in thanking your donors. Ask them to write, or draw, a simple note of thanks on a blank index card. Donors will love it! Can you hook me up with some sample emails? Sample Email #1 - Example of an Introductory Email for General Fundraising Hey! As a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta, I have witnessed first-hand the life-changing impact this organization is making daily in the lives of kids across our city. I am committed to supporting this amazing organization and am raising funds to help fund new Big Brother-Big Sister matches. It would mean the world to me if you would consider supporting my campaign with a donation. Please click HERE [link to your personal fundraising page] to give. It ll take about 10 seconds and any donation, large or small, will make a HUGE impact. I m hoping to raise $, by [insert date] and your support would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!
Sample Email #2 - Example of an Introductory Email for Event/Activity Fundraising On [insert date], I will running the XYZ half marathon. I could think of no better opportunity to also raise support and awareness of a cause that is very dear to my heart - Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta. As a volunteer, I have witnessed first-hand the life-changing impact this organization is making daily in the lives of kids across our city. I am committed to supporting this amazing organization and am raising funds to help fund new Big Brother-Big Sister matches. It would mean the world to me if you would consider supporting my campaign with a donation. Please click HERE [link to your personal fundraising page] to give. It ll take about 10 seconds and any donation, large or small, will make a HUGE impact. I m hoping to raise $ by [insert date] and your support would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance! Sample Email #3 - Example of an Email Update to those who have not yet given Thanks to some amazing support already, I have raised $ towards my goal of $ in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta. Would you considering helping me [reach my goal] [surpass $ today] [raise $ today] by making a donation? Click HERE [link to your personal fundraising page] to give. I have personally seen the life-changing impact of the one-on-one mentoring relationships fostered by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Atlanta and am passionate about helping to fund more matches for at-risk children in our community. Thank you for your consideration! Sample Email #4 Final Push I wanted to give a huge shout out to all of my supporters throughout my training for the XYZ marathon and for those that have contributed to my campaign for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta. So far, I ve Raised $. Thank you! But I m not finished yet! In less than one week, I ll be hitting the pavement and when I do, my goal is to have hit the $ mark as well. So here s the challenge: For every $10 you give between now and the marathon, you get your name in a hat for [a $10 Starbucks giftcard/dinner out with me/tickets to xyz]. All you have to do is CLICK HERE [link to your personal fundraising page] to give. It ll take about 10 seconds and any donation, large or small, will make a HUGE impact. The countdown is on!
What About Some Sample Social Media Posts? Twitter Support my campaign for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta. Check out my fundraiser [LINK TO FUNDRAISER] I ve raised [$X] so far to support Big Brothers Big Sisters and would love your help: [LINK TO FUNDRAISER] Help me celebrate my birthday with a gift to my fundraiser, join me at [LINK TO FUNDRAISER] Running the X marathon to raise $ for Big Brothers Big Sisters, support me at [LINK TO FUNDRAISER] Donate to my campaign for Big Brothers Big Sisters and help me raise $X by midnight [LINK TO FUNDRAISER] Facebook Support Me! I ve seen first-hand the life-changing impact Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta has on the most at-risk children in our community and I ve committed to raising $X to support their efforts. Click the link to make a donation and to read my story. [LINK TO FUNDRAISER] Meet my Little Brother/Sister [first name only]. He/She s the reason I m passionate about giving back to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta. So far, I ve raised $x to support this cause. Help me and [little s first name] raise $x by donating today! [LINK TO FUNDRAISER] FREE STARBUCKS! (No it s not a scam!) Everyone who donates at least $10 TODAY to my fundraising page in support of Big Brother Big Sisters gets their name in a drawing for a $10 gift card. On [insert date], I will running the XYZ half marathon & can think of no better opportunity to also raise support and awareness of a cause that is very dear to my heart - Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta. It would mean the world to me if you would consider supporting my campaign with a donation. CLICK HERE [link to your personal fundraising page] to learn more about my training and to help me raise $ by [insert date]. It ll take about 10 seconds and any donation, large or small, will make a HUGE impact. I m running in the XYZ 5K this fall to raise money in support of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta. Please support me by clicking to donate HERE. Sample 6-Week Timeline Week 1-Day 1 (Weekly) Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6-Day 1 Week 6-Day 6 Week 6-Day 7 Announce your fundraising via personal emails and on social media Remember Start with personal emails and post regularly on social media. Post regular social media updates include progress and call to action Send mid-campaign update - Send email and post social media update with mid-campaign progress. Now s the time to utilize dashboard tools to analyze what s working and try new tactics. The end is near! Get creative - Add an incentive for donations. The perfect time to say Thank You to donors and add a reminder for those that haven t given yet. Announce a final week push via email and social media. Add another incentive for donations. End your campaign with a bang! Email & post all day encouraging donations by the final day Met your goal? Announce it to the world and say Thank You! Want to keep going? Go for it!