Today we bring you another installment in our weekly series of nonprofit fundraising Best Practices in Action. Each week, we’ll highlight an organization that has done an incredible job of promoting its online fundraising efforts with FirstGiving and show you how to do the same. This week’s Best Practice is. . .
Set a fundraising minimum and offer incentives for super-supporters.
Our friends at the V Foundation for Cancer Research are hosting their 4th annual Ride for Research event next weekend, and they’re already well on the way to success! This year, ride organizers set a fundraising minimum of $50 for each rider. Importantly, they also challenged riders to set their sights higher than the minimum. As an incentive for super-supoprters who raise at least $500 in donations, they’re giving away a great piece of swag (see below). Here’s an encouragement email the folks at the V Foundation sent out to riders a few weeks before the event:
Their email contains loads of great content, including:
- A thank-you to cyclists for taking part in the Ride for Research
- A reminder to event participants to set up a FirstGiving page if they haven’t already
- A reminder of the $50 fundraising minimum and how to reach it
- A picture of the fundraising incentive: a commemorative cycling jersey
- A shoutout to the 7 fundraisers who have already met the $500 fundraising goal
So, to recap: Your fundraisers will really surprise you when you equip them and empower them. Set expectations by setting a fundraising minimum, and offer a meaningful incentive for those who far exceed it.
Happy fundraising!
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***Share your own success stories of fundraising Best Practices in Action! Send us an email: bestpractices@firstgiving.com.
