4 Fun Ideas to Increase Overall Profit for Your Fundraiser

Whether you are trying to raise funds to support your son’s soccer team or help homeless veterans in your area, you will find that fundraising can be a challenge.

It’s often easy to convince people that your cause is a good cause. People understand need; they understand lack. However, it’s another thing entirely to convince people to open their wallets. People, understandably, have bills to pay and financial obligations to make. They are also often so bombarded with various causes and fundraisers that they often feel overwhelmed and unable to help everyone they would like.

So, the question arises, how do we use creative fundraising to encourage people to give? While not an easy problem to solve, here are four ways you can incorporate some “fun” in your fundraising to help increase profits:

1) Publicize Creatively!

You want to get the word out as soon as possible. However, you also want to be aware of how you are getting the word out. While no one wants to be surprised about an event they find out about last minute, no one wants to be given enough time to dread the event. This is why it is imperative that you use some creativity in your marketing. You need to immediately get them looking forward to your fundraiser.

Assistant Professor, Jen Shang, of the Center of Philanthropy at Indiana University reminds us all that “grabbing a donor’s attention is the very first psychological step.” Even if your fundraising is for something perceived as a lack in the world, use positive language to engage people’s sense of who they would like to be. Use adjectives such as “kind”, “generous”, and “responsible”.

Use media! Create a slideshow to advertise, a video compilation, bright posters. Create catchy hashtags for social media. Advertise the event as much as the cause. Get people excited for the event itself so that instead of spending money solely on charity, they feel like they’re spending money on an experience.

2) Involve the Community in Something They Want to Do

People are more likely to participate if those around them are participating. Thus, get the entire community involved. Not only will your fundraiser become more fun by having a greater social quality, it will encourage those participating to give more, either time or money.

Get local businesses involved. Get neighborhoods involved. Get groups of people together because giving is contagious. Let people engage with each other, talk, laugh, and see just how fun it is to give!

3) Variety for Every Taste

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Offer a variety of ways to get people to give. Have something for everyone. Have something for kids, something for men, something for women, etc. Tailor your activities to the interest of your participants.

Without making your participants feel like they’re being nickeled-and-dimed, provide ways for them to choose how they give. Have activities they can freely participate or not participate in. People like choice. They also don’t like to feel cornered. So, make the event as low-pressure as possible so that they can independently spend money on the experiences they want to.

4) Add Games and Make Participants Feel Good About Giving

Why was the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge so successful? It was because it was 1) a game and 2) a way to make those participating feel good about themselves.

Even if you are raising money for something that brings others distress, make your fundraising activity fun. Get people to laugh and show off their “courage” to do something new.  Elevate your charity by having games. Create a scavenger hunt, pizazz your auction by upping the ante by making it a heads or tails auction, get someone fun to conduct the games and get the crowd hyped. Provide people an opportunity to show their involvement.

No matter what, focus on fun and people will flock to your charity. Doing a traditional 5K to raise money? Add something to it. Involve an auction, a theme, or an opportunity to run in costume. Having a community yard sale? Add activities for kids that can be purchased with tickets. Whatever you do, think about how you can create an experience for people instead of just providing a receptacle for them to guilty put their money in.

If you get the community hyped and provide various ways for people to donate, you will see increased donations. You will not be pressuring people to just give, you’ll be encouraging them to feel good about themselves as they simply have some fun for a cause.