We have designed this guide to help you create a fundraising campaign that will effectively raise money for your cause. Discover how to create a fundraiser that makes an impact online!
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How to start a fundraiser
Setting up a fundraiser to fulfil your dreams or needs is a fantastic initiative! Many online fundraising platforms, such as 4fund.com, offer bespoke features for raising money and reaching out to Donators. Fundraising has become very popular, proving repeatedly that working together can make a real difference!
Wondering which service to use?
Wondering which service to use?
Setting up a fundraiser on 4fund.com is easy. We have created a user-friendly form that guides you step-by-step through adding your fundraising goal, description and photos. You can try it now - click the button below:
Create fundraiser - for free, no fee!
Create fundraiser - for free, no fee!
While it is easy to set up a fundraiser, it is much harder to get the word out. For successful fundraising, it's important to reach your target audience, especially on social media. Instagram, Facebook and X are full of content. It can seem hard to make your fundraiser interesting enough to get people to click. Luckily, we know a few tricks that will help you get noticed. Today, we will show you how to stand out from the crowd!
Create a masterful headline
The title of your fundraiser is the slogan of your campaign. It should be memorable to potential Donators and capture the essence of your campaign. The rules for creating good headlines are trivial:
- The verb in imperative mode is essential. Words like ‘help’, ‘check’, ‘save’, and ‘meet’ encourage people to click and take action. Think about what action you expect Users to take and have them do it!
- The shorter, the better, especially with a limited number of characters in the preview. Your goal should contain one essential piece of information. You will tell about the details in the description.
- Stand out from the crowd! There are plenty of fundraisers with titles like ‘Help me overhaul my kitchen’ or ‘Help me overcome the disease’. It doesn't mean that kinds of fundraisers are worse or less important – just competition is much higher! Therefore, you should create a unique advertising slogan. Time is money, and you are just working for your fundraising success!
Try experimenting with the form of your headline. We've got a few inspirations for you:
- Consider what verbs are most often used by Organisers. Exclude ones like ‘help’ or ‘contribute’. Try to find less obvious words, as strongly related to the purpose of your fundraiser as possible.
- Engage your donors. Make them part of your fundraising team! Replace 'Help us travel to a competition' with 'Win a gold medal with us!'
- Use a hashtag – one or more words written directly after the # (for example #TeamJohn or #JanevsEndometriosis). It works great on social media, making your fundraiser easy to find and giving it extra exposure!
- Or maybe you like rhymes? Short ones are catchy and easy to remember! For example: ‘Give a dime, change a life!’ or ‘Give from your heart, make a new start’ or ‘Look at this dog – he thanks you a lot!’
Select the best images
A reminder of the number one rule of online eye-catching: first, you see the picture, then you read the headline, and at the very end you might read the article.
Think of an image as your bait. A fundraiser without bait loses at the start!
Choose relevant images for the cause and show why you are fundraising. Try to include personal photos of the people the fundraiser is for. This can help connect Donators to the cause and make it more personal. Be sure to include images that evoke emotion - a smiling child, a cute pet, etc.
When you share a link to the fundraiser on social media, the audience will see its preview with a photo and title. Try to share your fundraiser on social media platforms to check out what it looks like.
Pay attention to your cove image - it is the largest element, so it needs to be perfect! Check that it displays correctly and that it is well-cropped and inviting. If necessary, try several times and change the photo until you are happy with the result.
Remember: Once you've added an image, share your fundraiser on Facebook and check the preview. If anything is wrong, crop it again and again! The work you put in now to improve the look of the created fundraiser will pay off with future contributions!
Write an interesting description
Have you ever read the comments under a post with a link to a longer article? It's a valuable source of information about the general social media audience.
Many people don't want to read a longer article – they comment on the headline and a cover photo. They are tired, distracted and do not have the energy for the long, vague text. They often look to the comments for answers to the most important questions so as not to get caught up in the clickbait.
Your task is to write a fundraiser description these people will read and decide to donate.
This may seem challenging. But once again, based on more than 10 years of experience, here are some rules to follow to keep the donor's attention:
- Take care of spelling and punctuation. Cliché? Then try to: red this wierd text carefuly and dotn get tired aditionaly remmeber most important informations adn dont got tired. Hard one? So don't do that to your audience!
- The first paragraph = first impression (not many people get to the next one). This part must be a masterpiece! Play your strongest cards, grab the reader by the heart and make them reach for their wallets.
- Beware the ‘wall of text’! Even the biggest book lover will not want to read a long, unbroken text. Break your text into subsections to avoid overwhelming the reader. Such a small change can make your story much easier to read.
- Bet on multimedia. Add images, videos, and graphics. Reading from picture to picture is easier and more enjoyable for the recipient than absorbing a long text at once. And there is always the chance that somebody will stop by to read just a snippet, but will find it interesting, so will read the next and the next...
- And the most important thing is always to tell the truth.Ultimately, only the truth will stand up for itself. Your fundraiser will be seen by both strangers and people from your environment. The latter will be able to spot strange inaccuracies very quickly. They will let us know, and if our security department catches you lying, we will be forced to cancel your fundraiser.
Conclusion
Try to empathise with your audience. Imagine you are sitting in your chair after a hard day's work and an exciting fundraising campaign appears on your screen. A good photo and a catchy headline make you click... What would you look for? What elements would make you stay? Would you be more interested in graphics, film, or text?
This article will help you get started. With the support of friends and family, you could even raise a few thousand euros! A larger goal will require more effort from you.
Check out these articles to maximise your efforts:
- Guide and checklist for organisers
- Promoting your fundraiser
- Donor relationship
- Strategies for Nonprofit Fundraisers
- Crowdfunding for creatives
- Fundraising for wedding
- Raising money for a sports team
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