18 DIY-Fundraising tips by Kentaa and clients

Fundraising organisations face daily challenges with DIY fundraising, a specific form of peer-to-peer fundraising popularly known as take action or third-party fundraising. We organised an inspiration session for our clients on this topic. It was a chance for them to talk to each other and learn from each other.

In this article, we share tips and learnings about recruiting, engaging and retaining fundraisers discussed during the session.

 

Learnings about the recruitment for your peer-to-peer fundraising platform

 

1. Start with why

Starts with Why is a book by author Simon Sinek. One of the most important principles in this book is the 'Golden Circle'. In it, Sinek states that you must communicate from the 'why' of your organisation. Then you communicate the 'how' and then the 'what'. This can also be applied to online fundraising.

The why is often overlooked. Explain why someone should raise money for your organisation.

 

2. Make a clear route from your channels to your Peer-to-Peer site

In addition to making it clear why someone should start a fundraiser for you, it is also important to make the way there as easy as possible. Instead of using the term 'Take action' - what exactly is that? – try 'Start a fundraiser'. Create the right expectation and create clarity.

Have you already elaborated on the Why and the How of your peer-to-peer site on the channel you're using? Then consider introducing the visitor directly to the registration flow of your site instead of first going to the homepage. As long as your explanation is clear, the fewer clicks, the fewer drop-outs.

 

3. Let other fundraisers speak

Let other fundraisers show what works in fundraising. For example, share these testimonials in a blog article on your own website.

 

4. Segment your target groups and be creative

If you want more people to start a fundraiser on your site, make sure you don't approach everyone at the same time with the same message. Segment and determine for each segment:

• The message
• The communication channel
• Examples of fundraisers.

Examples of target groups are:

• peripheral patients
• Existing (involved) donors
• Companies involved
• Related organisations/associations
• Sponsors of other campaigns.

 

5. Approach new target groups – think out of the box

Are you unable to recruit within your existing constituency? Here are some ideas:

• Use your existing fundraisers - member get member via team fundraisers
• Use your ambassadors or approach influencers – let them create a fundraiser that people can participate in
• Create a link with an existing event or campaign and add sponsorship campaigns
• Find an existing (related) community: a specific sport, hobby or interest.

 

6. Make it easy for fundraisers

It is difficult to come up with a fundraiser yourself. Therefore create 'Join' team fundraisers or projects that people can easily join and make sure there is something for everyone. Think of

• Playful/original fundraisers
• Sporting fundraisers
• Creative fundraisers
• Cultural fundraisers.

 Or claim your own moment. A month, day or week that is all about taking action for your organisation. Make sure you find a logical connection with your goal. Tip: check the hook-in calendar to see if there is a time that you can claim that suits you. Claiming a moment also helps to create momentum in your communication.

 

7. Give fundraisers ownership

Being part of the solution together is - especially for younger generations - an important motivation. So let fundraisers on your platform take action and raise money for a specific goal or project. Then their impact becomes tangible, and with this, you can create support among young people, but also, for example, among employees of your organisation. 

Learnings about making fundraisers successful

 

8. Give the fundraisers personal attention

That which you give attention to has a tendency to grow! Approaching personally with tips and support allows your fundraiser to raise more money. You can do this by e-mail, but even better by telephone or via WhatsApp.

 

9. Ensure a good customer journey

Pay attention to the communication towards your fundraisers. Give them a warm welcome, drop-by-drop tips (e.g. with the conditional emails from the Kentaa platform) and congratulate them on achieving important milestones. Awarding badges works well and this form of gamification makes fundraising more fun.

 

10. Create a fundraiser toolkit

Help your campaign starters spread their fundraising campaign using a toolkit. In it you will find, for example:

• Your logo
• A fundraising poster
• Graphics for social media
• Example texts for sharing in their network
• Sample email signature
• Sample press release for door-to-door newspapers.

 

11. Encourage sharing of the fundraiser page via WhatsApp

fundraisers can best share their sponsor pages via WhatsApp (groups). This medium has proven itself successful when it comes to raising donations. Social pressure plays an important role in a donation call in WhatsApp groups.

 

12. Point out blogging on the fundraiser page

Let fundraisers keep the blog on their page up to date. There they can show the progress of their fundraiser (and preparation) and each blog article offers another sharing moment with which they can lead their friends and family to the page again (and thus a possible donation moment).

The Kentaa platform also offers useful tools to help with this, such as a Strava link and KM tracking. Handy for sporting sponsorship campaigns.

 

Learnings about binding fundraisers

 

13. Let fundraisers know they belong to a special group

Would you like fundraisers to remain involved with your organisation for longer? Nothing works as well as sincere appreciation:

• Put fundraisers in the spotlight on social media
• Do you have a special fundraiser newsletter? Highlight fundraisers in this
• Have the director of your organisation call them and thank them
• Send or bring a check (take a picture right away, then you also have great content)
• Reward successful fundraisers with a nice prize
• Send them a message at unexpected times – at Christmas, New Year's Eve, on a birthday or another special day.

 

14. Help returning fundraisers with their donation request

The biggest challenge for returning fundraisers is to approach their immediate supporters (friends, family, etc.) several times. Help them with this by giving targeted tips on fundraising. Provide them with results that your organisation has achieved thanks to their efforts. A new, specific project for which they can raise money also makes it easy to ask the question again.

 

Other learnings about DIY fundraising

 

15. Think about which channel you can use best for what

Use your own website to:

• Motivate with the 'why'
• Inspire by giving examples of what you can do
• Explain how easy it is through testimonials
• By linking to the peer-to-peer platform.

 Use social media to:

• To motivate
• Share ongoing fundraisers
• Thank your fundraisers.

Use your peer-to-peer platform to:

• Give options for what you can do
• Explain how it works
• Create a clear pathway for individuals and teams, companies and institutions.

 

16. Provide activity at the launch

Don't start with an empty action site. Make sure you already have some ongoing actions there. For instance, ask colleagues to start an action or join you. And be sure to put up a number of team actions where people can get involved.

 

17. Make your platform lively, logical and clear

Keep your texts on the platform short and concise and use attractive images. Empathise with your target groups and create logical user flows.

 

18. When maintaining the action platform, regularity is more important than quantity

To keep your platform alive, it is smart to spend time on it periodically. For example, one or two hours every week. Then pay specific attention to:

• Highlighting other fundraisers
• Writing news articles
• Changing banners or fundraiser photos
• Experiment with suggested donation amounts
• Sharpening tips, toolkits and emails