People are constantly bombarded by information. Your fundraising campaign needs to share just the right amount of information effectively and quickly. Our team put together this checklist to help you get in the right mindset before creating your campaign.
Your Plan
- Create a list of everyone you need to receive permission from to launch the fundraising campaign.
- Pick a fundraising goal you want to achieve. Remember, there are no penalties for not reaching your goal.
- Choose 10-20 influencers in your community you want to help promote your campaign.
- Recruit a team of people who would like to get involved with your campaign.
- Create a list of everyone you can ask to make a pledge - friends, family, colleagues, church members,teammates, coaches, alumni, and local business leaders.
Your Story
- Tell a compelling, memorable story.
- Be very clear about why you are raising money. Spell it out. It will build trust.
- Keep your story short but provide enough information to supporters.
- Don't write long paragraphs, add a space where necessary.
- List the most important information first.
- Proof read your story before publishing, we recommend asking a friend to check for spelling and grammar errors.
- Share details about the team or athletes involved in the game or event.
Your Background Photo & Headline
- Make sure your image & headline is relevant to your campaign. The image & headline will be the first thing supporters see on your fundraising page.
- Choose a catchy but descriptive headline to encourage supporters to click the Pledge Now button.
- Pick a clear, high resolution photo. The ideal photo size is 1024x768.
- Select an photo with the team or athlete. Action photos are the best.
Your Video
- First impressions are very important, make it concise.
- Make a short video (1-3 minutes).
- Tell supporters about your goals and reasons.
- Create a fun but serious video.
- Upload your video to Youtube or Vimeo.
- Include video of the team or athlete speaking about the fundraising campaign.
- Make it personal.
- Directly ask for a pledge or donation. End with a clear call to action.
Your Pledge Rewards (optional)
- Make Pledge Rewards clear to supporters.
- Pick rewards that is exclusive to your fundraising campaign, and supporters will be excited to receive. For example, create a t-shirt supporters can only receive by pledging to your fundraising campaign.
- Create a process for managing your Pledge Rewards and the distribution before you launch your fundraiser.
- Notify supporters when they have reached their pledge goal that qualifies them for your Pledge Rewards.
- Use words like "exclusive pledge reward" or "limited edition."
- Think about the pricing-pledge ratio. You don't want to lose money on your pledge rewards.
- Consider offering your pledge reward to only the first 50 or 100 supporters who pledge. Build urgency to give.
Questions to Ask Yourself
- Can a stranger in your community identify what your campaign is raising funds within two seconds of opening your fundraising page?
- Will your campaign image or statement connect with supporters on a personal level?
- Is it clear where the funds will go?
- Is there a sense of urgency about your campaign to encourage supporters to give?
- Will you write an email and send it to all of your email contacts and anyone in your network?
- Do you have any social media accounts, like Twitter or Facebook?
- Do you plan to email your 10 closest friends?
- Is your email marketing message clear and concise?
If you have any immediate questions please contact us at support@pledgeit.org.