While many charities use traditional fundraising techniques like collection buckets or door-to-door methods to raise money for a cause, several social sector organisations successfully raise funds online too.
Your cause is important to us. Fundraising online can be one of the most impactful ways to increase awareness and collect donations. As a social enterprise ourselves, we are committed to providing you with the tools and resources you need to succeed. We want to make it as simple as possible for you to raise funds for your cause, so we’ve compiled a list of 6 ways to fundraise online.
1. Online auctions
Many charities have embraced online charity auctions. They operate similarly to conventional in-person auctions, whereby contributors provide free goods or services while supporters compete to win them.
However, online charity auctions are typically held over a longer time period. This enables supporters from all over the world to participate and encourages bidding wars, which help to raise the final price of auctioned goods. While auctions are a terrific way to foster a sense of community among your supporters, online auctions also allow bidders to remain anonymous, which is especially handy when high-value products are on offer.
2. Social media takeover
There are many ways to raise money for a cause you care about, but one of the most popular is using the power of social media.
Social media is great for nonprofits—large or small. It’s an easy way to share your mission with the world, build a donor base, and raise money. A social media takeover is when an influencer or group of influencers take over an organisation’s social media account for a set period of time. The influencer will post content on behalf of the organisation and, in many cases, will encourage their followers to visit the organisation’s profiles. Using social media takeovers to raise awareness for your cause is a great way to build brand credibility, create new content, and increase reach.
3. Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is a great way to raise money for your nonprofit or charity. There are plenty of reasons to try it, and many successful examples of how it’s been used to help people.
The internet has made it easier than ever to create fundraising campaigns, and there are many different platforms you can use to do so. You can either go with a platform like GoFundMe or you can create your own website with a donation button.
During a crowdfunding campaign, you can keep in touch with your donors by posting updates about the project, answering questions, and thanking people for their support. Donors like getting involved in the campaign, and crowdfunding is a great way to build relationships with them.
4. Live-streaming
The impact of a single live-stream fundraiser is undeniable: it can bring in donations, lead you to new connections with potential donors, or even help recruit volunteers for your cause once you’re done. You can use the live-stream to raise awareness, share stories, and educate people about your cause, while also sharing how they can get involved.
Live-streams are also great for building relationships with people who might not be familiar with or sympathetic towards your nonprofit yet, because the viewers see you as a person rather than just an image or logo. This increases the chances that they’ll be interested in getting involved in some way after watching your stream.
5. Online raffle
Online raffles are a popular way of raising funds. They’re entertaining, they get people excited, and they can generate a lot of money. This is because people donate not only to help a good cause, but also to increase their chances of winning a big prize.
You set a price for tickets, create a prize (or two), and then start spreading the word. The more people who buy tickets, the more money you make. An online raffle is basically the same concept—you just use the Internet to sell your tickets instead of asking people to buy them in person.
6. Partner with an online business
Another simple way to fundraise online is to collaborate with an online company and kindly ask that they include a donation prompt at the point of purchase.
When you’re checking out at the supermarket, you’ve probably been asked to donate a pound or two to a charitable cause. The concept is the same online. People are already buying something, so asking them to donate a pound to a good cause isn’t unreasonable. According to recent statistics, 69% of customers say yes when asked to donate at checkout, so it can quickly add up to a substantial amount.
Canopi is driven by a desire to make a difference. We hope you found this useful and informative. We look forward to continuing to work with charities and nonprofit organisations in the future, helping them empower and enrich the communities they serve. If you are looking for affordable and flexible working environments for your charity or social organisation, contact us today.