Top 10 Fundraising Tips to Achieve your Fundraising Target (and more!)
We know how scary it can be, when you commit to taking on a challenge to raise money for charity. Not only do you have to commit to all the training, the planning, the endless questions “can I actually do this?”, but you also have to put your mind, and your time, towards raising money for that charity.
And we know how that can feel overwhelming in itself, fears start to arise, “I can’t raise that much money” “what if I don’t achieve my target”? “No-one will sponsor me!”
However, it doesn’t have to feel like this. At The Natalie Kate Moss Trust we have helped dozens of individuals not only reach their target, but surpass it (sometimes by thousands of £) and you can do the same, with some simple steps.
But, to start, it is important to understand why charities ask you to raise money when taking on a challenge and what this means for them.
Firstly, in order for a charity to be able to offer you a place on a certain challenge (e.g. London Marathon), they need to buy places in the event upfront which can be a significant cost for a charity. The costs of these places vary according to the event itself, but could be anything from £35 to £1000 per person. All fundraising therefore firstly covers these costs, before then going towards the charity’s main cause. And therefore, if fundraising targets aren’t met, this will often leave the charity at a loss, which is why your fundraising is so, so important in supporting the charity financially to continue running and supporting the cause.
Fancy taking on a challenge for NKMT?
Ready to sign up to your first 10km or maybe your first marathon whilst raising money for life saving research? Click HERE to check out all our races now and sign up today.
So, now that we understand more about why the fundraising is so important, how can we ensure that we smash it out of the park and support the charity as best as possible with their cause?
Here are our Top 10 Fundraising Tips to Achieve your Fundraising Target (and more!)
Create a story and share your story: Are you taking on this challenge for a specific meaning? Are you doing it for yourself? In memory of someone? To support a cause that is close to your heart? If so, be clear on your story and leverage this story in your fundraising.
Add your the link to your fundraising page across different platforms: Add it on your Facebook and Instagram Bio, Linkedin or email signature and direct people there to donate.
(Top Tip: Make sure the link is a hyperlink, so make it easy for people to click through and donate, don't just add the link to the copy in the text as people cannot click through - you want to make it as easy as possible for people to click through and donate to your challenge).
Build a story on your social media channels: Keep your audience up to date with your journey to help drum up as much interest as possible and to keep them engaged throughout. Share with them the highs and the lows, and the reasons why you are committing to this challenge; you want them to feel emotionally invested in what you are doing.
(Top Tip: As you share your story, keep giving them opportunities to sponsor you, by directing them to your fundraising page).
Engage larger audiences where possible: What is your story? Could you try and get on relevant podcasts, contact local newspapers or put yourself forward to speak at events and share your story? By doing so you can get your message heard by a wider group of people, create more awareness for the charity you are supporting and also encourage more people to donate to your fundraising.
Email your biggest supporters: Make a list of people who are likely support you and let them know what you are doing and why. Share your fundraising link with them and ask if they would be happy to support you.
Ask your work to match your fundraising: Often businesses are happy to support your fundraising or they match the amount you raise.
Host a bake sale: Don’t under estimate the power of a bake sale!!! Simple but effective.
(Top tip: ask others to support with the baking too!)
Host a raffle at work: Reach out to contacts for a selection of prizes. The more variation in the prizes, the more people you are likely to attract.
Host an small event: Host a pub quiz, a wreath making class, a wine tasting evening, a small dinner party, brunch or coffee morning etc, and ticket the event.
Host a large fundraising evening: Host a Charity ball and raise money through ticket sales, raffles and auctions. This is a great way to raise more money in one go and also raise awareness about why you are doing what you are doing and the cause your are supporting.
(Top Tip: Consider how you can upsell to people coming to your events e.g. offer a VIP ticket with front row seats, raffle tickets included etc.)
(Bonus top tip: Get a key sponsor who will support in covering the costs of the event)
Ultimately, have fun with it, get imaginative, the main focus is drumming up awareness and interest in your challenge/event to help support your fundraising. Good Luck!!!
Ready for your next challenge? Join us on one of next events. Click here to find your next challenge.
At The Natalie Kate Moss Trust, our aim to prevent as many brain haemorrhages from happening as possible, it is vital to find better treatments to improve survival rates for those we can’t prevent.
By donating a little as the price of a coffee today (£3), you can directly support ground breaking research at The University of Manchester to improve this treatment and stop 3 million lives being lost every year as a result of a brain haemorrhage.