Mobile fundraising, and text-to-give technology specifically, has grown in popularity among nonprofits. Why shouldn’t political campaigns use it, too?
Choose a text-to-give platform that is easy for your constituents and campaign staff to use. You don’t want people to get confused when donating to your campaign!
You can promote your text-to-give campaign in your digital and physical communications, but you can also get the word out at events, rallies, speeches, and more! Keep your supporters aware of all of the ways they can give to your campaign.
Peer-to-peer fundraising is a great fundraising idea for of all types of political races and causes. Not only does it enable your organization to raise more money, it also helps you expand your existing donor base!
In a nutshell, peer-to-peer fundraising enlists the fundraising help of your current donors and empowers them to ask for donations on behalf of your organization.
Each supporter builds his or her own donation page from a template that is tied back to your main fundraising page. Then, your supporters reach out to their friends and family members and ask for donations for your political campaign!
T-shirts are the perfect product to sell as a campaign fundraising idea. Everyone loves a comfortable shirt, and your contributors will enjoy wearing something that supports your position.
Create a few t-shirt designs with your slogan, and then find a wholesale provider that takes care of the shipping for you, such as our personal favorite, Bonfire!
Supporters can make a contribution by purchasing your shirts. You could even sell other merchandise like hats and pins. You can plan an event like a walkathon to go with your t-shirt sales. On the day of the event, encourage participants to rock your gear as a way to support you.
Nowadays, carrying cash is a rarity, so it’s important to accommodate supporters who want to give using their credit or debit cards.
When looking for a giving kiosk, it’s important to choose one that’s portable and cusomizable. This will ensure that it’s versatile enough work for fundraising events or political speeches.
Another feature to consider is the device’s ease of use. For instance, DipJar’s giving kiosk only takes two steps to donate. Donors are more likely to give (and keep on giving) if the process is quick and simple.
Who wouldn’t want to pay for the chance to pie their politician in the face? If you need to raise a little extra money and don’t mind the mess, you can host a pie-throwing event!
All you’ll need to do is fill some tin foil pie pans with whipped cream and find a crowd of supporters who can throw them in the face of your politician or candidate.
Make sure that everyone knows that the event is supposed to be in good fun. You can also use the event as an opportunity to explain your platform and policies and answer any questions that your constituents might have.
A Rubber Duck Race is on of the more hilarious political fundraising evenst that can be a fun way to get to know more of your local supporters and inform them about your positions.
Buy some yellow rubber ducks in bulk and write numbers on the bottom of them. Then, sell tickets with the same numbers on them to your local supporters.
Then, release the ducks into a local river or stream. The first one to cross the finish line entitles its “owner” to a small prize. Just make sure you have a way to capture all of the ducks once the event is over!
A family fun picnic can be an easy way to raise money for your political campaign. Not only does it bring all of your supporters together, but it also gives you an opportunity to give a speech. Your supporters and their families will enjoy spending an afternoon together.
Set up games, food and drink stations, and a donation table. Don’t forget to send out invitations to your supporters. You can also hang up flyers around town to get the whole community involved!
You can host your family fun picnic on a Saturday when the most people can attend. On the day of your event, have signs that direct people to the outdoor area you organized.
For this political fundraising idea, you can sell one-year flag posting services to the members of your community. During the year on national holidays, you and your volunteers will post flags in the yards of those who have donated and then remove them the next day.
Of course, you can create your own variation of this fundraiser by putting up flags whenever the purchaser wants, or putting them up during the election and taking them down after it’s over.
In order for this fundraiser to work, you’ll need to purchase the flags, recruit volunteers to help set up the flags in people’s yards, and tell the community about your new service.
While this might be too small of a fundraiser to stand on its own, you can add this to other political campaign event ideas or informal speeches to earn even more funds.
Basically, this fundraiser is similar to a raffle; you can charge for entry into the game. Before your event, ask your guests if they want to join. You can give them a golden star or a ticket to show that they’re participating.
The presenter will then ask all the participants to either pick “heads” (by showing a thumbs up) or “tails” (by showing a thumbs down). Those who pick the correct side of the coin remain standing while everyone else sits down. You repeat the process until only one person is left standing. That person wins an awesome prize.
A barbecue contest is the perfect political fundraiser for your campaign. Plus, you can voice your positions to the community and enjoy some great tasting food.
All you have to do is get your best barbecue chefs to mix up their unique and delicious barbecue sauce. You can grill ribs, burgers, and chicken to go with the sauces. Then, sell tickets to your supporters and community members to taste each one!
They can vote with their dollars on which sauce they like the best. The winner can receive a small prize or trophy, and you end up raising a lot of money!
Golf tournaments are tried and true fundraising events for nonprofits and charities as well as political candidates and campaigns.
A leisurely golf tournament is a great way to get to know some of the movers and shakers in your community and ask for their support for you campaign.
Charge an entrance fee for individuals or teams. Once the tournament is over, you can give a speech or an informal talk and ask for donations or other types of support from your participants.
Charity auctions can be a fast-paced and energetic way for your organization to raise more money and interact with your donors face-to-face. You also have the opportunity to form some solid business connections!
Ask for charity auction items from local businesses; try to get as many items donated for close to nothing. That way, you can put your budget into creating a great atmosphere for your attendees.
Hire an auctioneer, send out invites, and cater in food and drinks. Make sure that everyone is aware of the rules of your charity auction beforehand. People will walk away with some unique items and experiences, and you can raise more money!
Writing letters is a great way to raise money for your political campaign or cause. You can send out letters asking for general donations, sponsorships, charity auction items, volunteer time, and more!
Your letters should be genuine and personal. Always start with your donor’s preferred name and try to reference any past relationship or donations.
You can use letters to direct people to your online giving pages or crowdfunding campaign, but you should also include a self-addressed envelope within your letter to encourage people to send in checks (make sure you tell donors not to send cash!).
Silent auctions are a fun way to get a little more face time with your donors while they bid on unique and appealing items up for grabs. Plus, if you find the right auction items, you have the potential to raise a lot of money!
Ask local businesses and individuals if they would like to donate items to your silent auction. Common items include gift cards to restaurants, signed memorabilia, lessons from a professional of some kind, gift baskets, and more!
You can enlist the help of a mobile bidding tool to create a tech-enhanced bidding experience for your attendees. Mobile bidding software also makes checking in, checking out, and item monitoring easier on your auction volunteers and staff.
Walkathons are perfect for active supporters who like to show their passion for a political cause. Walkathons are well-suited for healthcare-related issues and causes, but they can technically be used for any type of fundraising effort!
You’ll need to determine a location and time for your walkathon. Choose a season that is a good temperature with minimal risk of rain. Make sure you have a backup location just in case!
Then, send out invitations and design some merchandise like t-shirts and water bottles. You can sell these for an extra fee to raise money above any entrance costs you charge. Make sure you have medical and first-aid supplies nearby in the case of an accident.
Create a crowdfunding campaign for a political candidate or cause for absolutely FREE. Pay nothing until you receive your first contribution.
Create a campaign in a few minutes and start raising money for a candidate or a cause quickly and easily. You can start asking for donations from constituents, friends, and family members.
With Fundly, you can reach your supporters where they are! With social media integrations (and even options for email communications!), your political campaign has the greatest chances of success.
At only a few cents for every dollar you raise, Fundly is one of the most affordable ways to raise money for your political campaign, cause, or candidate.
With Fundly, there’s no need to raise a minimum amount, meet a deadline, or pay penalties if you don’t reach a goal. You get to keep everything you raise, minus any fees!
Get set up quickly and easily, whether you’re tech-savvy or not. Our interface is super easy, and our team is always here to help you with any problems you may run into while setting up and running your political crowdfunding campaign.
This crowdfunding campaign was set up to raise money for Greg Duke, a candidate who was running for Georgia’s Second Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The campaign offers supporters a few images of the candidate with his constituents. Additionally, the description of his campaign details his stances on several issues, including tax policy, social security, immigration, and the military.
Joe McHugh set up a crowdfunding page to raise money for his campaign to become a state representative for Michigan. He set a goal of $5,000, but his supporters helped him raise more than that!
The best thing about this crowdfunding page is that it has been branded to fit the candidate’s main campaign. He uses the same colors as his website, and he even included his logo on the top of the crowdfunding page.
One of the best ways to connect with your supporters is to share photos of the candidate and the campaign staff. Pictures and videos help to establish the politician as an approachable person instead of a distant leader. It’s great to have photos of the candidate interacting with constituents.
Learn more about shooting and posting great crowdfunding photos.
Use your crowdfunding page to tell your political campaign’s story and outline your policies, opinions, and ideas. Tell your supporters how you got involved in politics and how you plan to serve your community, state, or country. Use your crowdfunding description to motivate donors.
Check out these examples of great crowdfunding descriptions.
The only way people are going to know about your crowdfunding campaign is if you get the word out! Use social media sites, like Twitter and Facebook, and send out emails to your constituents to let them know that you’re raising money with a crowdfunding campaign.
Learn more about sharing your crowdfunding campaign with your network.
As your fundraising campaign and your political campaign each hit their own milestones, use your crowdfunding page to let people know how things are going! Post regular updates and upload more videos and photos when you can to connect even further with your voters.
I decided to run for mayor of my town during the last election cycle. Even though it was a small and local race, I knew that I’d need proper funding in order to be successful and serve the good people in my area. My campaign set up a crowdfunding page, and we raised well over our initial goal!
I wanted to raise money for my local congresswoman to help her get elected to our state legislature. I decided to use Fundly to set up a crowdfunding campaign and ask for donations from my friends and family members. We were able to raise money and awareness about important issues!
My city was trying to build a new community center, but the numbers just weren’t working out in the budget. At a town hall meeting, I suggested that we set up a crowdfunding campaign to see if we could collectively raise the money that we needed for the center. Not only did we raise enough for the community center, we had enough left over for a new playground, too!
Every crowdfunding campaign can use a little help every now and then!
Whether you need advice about shooting and uploading crowdfunding photos, writing descriptions and updates, or sharing your fundraiser with your friends and family members, we’ve got your back.
Click below to learn more about the top seven crowdfunding tips that can be used for all types of fundraising efforts and campaigns!
You’ve heard the stories about fundraisers surpassing their goal, but how often does that really happen?
The answer? More frequently than you might think! In fact, individuals and organizations often meet and exceed their goals when they use Fundly to set up a fundraiser and share it with their friends and family members.
Check out these ten crowdfunding campaigns that all exceeded their fundraising goals by sizable margins in just a matter of weeks!
Crowdfunding has been used to raise money for everything from creative projects to medical costs and more!
Why is it so popular? Well, it might have something to do with the fact that a crowdfunding campaign is insanely easy to set up and share with your friends, family members, coworkers, and other peers.
See for yourself! Take a look at our Ultimate Guide to Crowdfunding and learn how you can make the most of this fundraising craze!
Fundly is dedicated to providing you with the tools you need to raise money for whatever your cause may be.