I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Business owners are stewards of the communities they live in. It’s important for us, as business owners, to act on planned giving endeavors. What do I mean by planned giving? Well, I mean planning, organizing and executing our own opportunities to give to charity. One way to do that is by hosting a virtual fundraiser to raise money for causes. Social media and other tools makes it easier than ever to find charities that speak to you and give back to them. Here’s how to fundraise remotely:
Why fundraise remotely?
Fundraising is important for community development. According to the non-profit organization SCORE, 75% of small business owners dedicate 6% of profits to charity and 250% more than larger businesses. That’s a lot of money going directly into the hands of community changemakers who use it to clothe, feed, educate, house, make healthcare services accessible and more. By raising money for non-profits you are being part of the solution.
However, COVID-19 has made it more difficult to get money in the hands of charities during times when they need it the most. It’s natural that we are very much focused on ourselves and loved ones during a pandemic. The goal of staying healthy and in tip top shape is an important one. However, virtual platforms make it easy to give back. Here’s how to organize a virtual fundraiser:
How to organize a virtual fundraiser for your community
Here’s how to organize a virtual fundraiser:
Brainstorm on fundraiser type
There are a lot of different fundraisers that can be accomplished virtually. You can host an informational webinar, seminar or class, a game or challenge, or even a musical performance or live-streamed event that might appeal to your audience. The important thing is to have a ticket cost and give the proceeds to charity. Facebook has a number of good fundraising features and now allows you to set ticketed events and collect money through Facebook’s Creator Studio.
Set a goal and plan
Next, you need to set financial goals for your event. Are you trying to raise $500 or $5,000. Start with how much you want to make for the charity of your choice, and then back into how you are going to make that much with a well thought out plan.
For example, if you set a goal of $1,000 and you create a Facebook event where tickets are $10 each, you’ll need to sell 100 tickets to the event to make $1,000. That means you need to think about your target audience (your customers) and what they like and are willing to spend money on.
If you specialize in content marketing, and your average client is a woman between 25 and 55 who makes $450k per year, you want to create a charitable event that appeals to them. Perhaps an auction for spa tickets that don’t expire, or collect items for local businesses and make a high quality self-care bundle to give away. You could use the ticket cost for admission to a seminar where you offer life coaching and get a special guest to help with assertiveness training for women in the workplace. Think of something valuable for your target market and partner with the right people to help you out. Then formulate a plan that includes day of preparations.
Publicize and act
Once you have a plan, its time for action, and the first action you should take is to publicize your charitable event. You can do this with social media advertising on Facebook and Instagram, or through Tweets and Pins. The idea is to publicize wherever your customers are to get the best results.
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