Use these suggestions to capitalize on the summer season and get your community outside and donating!
#1 LAUNCH A CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN
While crowdfunding is a popular fundraising idea for any time of the year, it’s especially effective over the summer because you can combine your online fundraiser with a live event such as a walkathon, charity concert, etc.
Additionally, creating a crowdfunding campaign is often free, making it an inexpensive fundraising tool to use during the summer (or any season for that matter).
When setting up your crowdfunding campaign, be sure to include a lot of fun visuals to help encourage your supporters to donate and share your campaign with their peers. Moreover, you’ll also need to draft a killer fundraising description that explains why you’re raising money and what communities or people will benefit from the funds.
After you launch your campaign, spread the word through social media, email, print and e-newsletters, and your local press.
#2 HOST A BLOCK PARTY
A block party is a one-stop shop for summer fun. The endless summer nights provide the perfect backdrop for a community gathering that benefits your cause!
Block Parties are what you make them so the vibe and atmosphere will be up to you.
Consider organizing some extra fundraising events to incorporate into the block party and maximize your donations.
I would suggest getting some competition brewing with a watermelon eating contest and a cook-off.
Watermelon is the perfect summer fruit, refreshing and healthy. Donors won’t feel guilty about stuffing their faces with watermelon.
Messy enough to provide a visual badge of honor for those who compete, your contest will be a highlight of the block party.
For those who find the competitive eating world unappealing give them the option of competitive cooking. A cook-off is a great complement to any block party.
Pick a summer classic, like apple pies, burgers, or chili, and get people cooking!
You can have party guests vote using a secret ballot or appoint a judging panel. Just have fun with it!
Look into getting a local chef or cooking supply shop to donate cooking lessons or a gift card to the winner.
Keep the party going late into the night and let your cause reap the financial rewards.
#3 HOST A POOL PARTY
Is a block party not cool enough for you in those hot summer months? Make it a pool party instead. Problem solved!
Pool parties are pretty straight forward. Have pool? Will party.
Just make sure you have your safety bases covered with licensed lifeguards.
Your pool party can be as extravagant as your heart desires. Set up carnival like games near the pool. Have a party-wide round of Marco Polo. Sell snacks from a concessions stand.
#4 ORGANIZE A WATER BALLOON FIGHT
Kids will join in for the fun of it and adults will join in for the nostalgia-fun of it. Establish a designated fight-zone, register competitors, and sell water balloons.
You could even make it a tournament with teams competing for a coveted prize…glory!
#5 COORDINATE A CAR WASH
Car washes are a fundraising standby for a reason. They’re a great way to raise money with little event cost.
They are also an excellent opportunity to expand awareness of your organization.
Make sure your car wash has plenty of signage stating what the proceeds are going towards. You might even want to print off some flyers or brochures to give those who participate additional info on your cause.
#6 HOST A FISH FRY OR BARBECUE
For this event you’ll have a crew of volunteers and staff manning the grill or fryers. Set up a method of ordering (online, via the phone, in person) and provide made-to-order food.
Your establishment can be take-out style or you can set up some outdoor seating.
Get kitschy if you go the eat-in route, and don’t forget the quintessential summer items like picnic tablecloths and funky plates.
#7 RUN A WALK-A-THON, BIKE-A-THON, OR SWIM-A-THON
Pick whichever of the three you think your community will be most interested and you’ll be off to the races.
Charge a small registration fee and have your participants gather sponsorships for distance walked, biked, or swam.
#8 HOST A WINE TASTING
Find an outdoor venue, get wine donated from local shops, and invite your supporters who are 21+ to pay a minor fee to participate.
People will jump at the chance to sample wine while feeling charitable.
Golf tournaments can be very lucrative. To get started, you’ll need to partner with a local golf course and solicit your corporate sponsors and donors to buy spots in the tournament.
Your nonprofit can add a unique twist to your golf tournament by including additional games that guests can participate in. Check out this list of unique ideas to get inspiration for your fundraiser.
Once you’ve got your event planned out, advertise it by inviting current supporters and prospective donors. It’s also best to set up an online registration page where guests can RSVP, and you can communicate updates with guests directly on your dedicated events page.
#11 ORGANIZE AN OUTDOOR CONCERT
Outdoor concerts are summer staples. It doesn’t matter who the main attraction is, whether its Beyoncé or your cousin Al’s neighborhood band.
A benefit concert is all about having fun and raising money.
#12 COORDINATE A SUMMER FILM SERIES
Reserve a venue, like a park space, for 4 or 5 separate nights. Then pick out a movie for each reserved day that an entire family can enjoy.
Title your series, something like “June Movie Mondays,” and start rolling.
Make sure to advertise and let people know what the ticket sales are accomplishing. You could even sell theater concessions to create an authentic movie-going experience.
And click here to learn more about donor segmentation.
Donors have more time and energy to get involved in their communities during their summers. Cement your nonprofit’s community presence by making a big fundraising push this summer. Go forth and conquer the season!
Donor stewardship is one of the most, if not the most, important activities a nonprofit does. That being said, it can be a tricky beast.
NonProfitEasy’s teamhas compiled advice from a variety of experts from the nonprofit sector on how nonprofits can perform effective stewardship for their donors.
Listen to your donors
You’d be surprised how much you can learn about your donors if you’re willing to listen! If you develop trusting relationships with your donors they’ll be the only focus group you ever need.
“Although I’m not personally involved in nonprofit fundraising, I’m very fortunate to get to interview some incredibly successful nonprofit leaders in my line of work! The best practice that I’ve heard time and time again: “Listen” to your donors.
At first blush, it may seem counter-intuitive that “listening” is more important than “telling,” “suggesting,” or “asking.”
But, by listening, you are letting your donor tell you how they want to be further engaged with your cause— and they will be charting the course to a successful and more meaningful relationship for you to follow.”
“Survey your donors! If there’s one tip that I think can make a big difference for stewardship plans it’s to do a donor survey.
Send one annually that includes 5 to 7 questions about donor demographics and their overall satisfaction. It can provide non-profits with vital data points about their donor audience and how they can better steward their audience.”
“Never miss an opportunity to get feedback from your donors. Not only does it strengthen your relationship, but it can identify common problems that you can solve to improve your donor experience.”
Donors who have given to multiple nonprofits are likely inundated with follow-up communications. Make yours stand out by ensuring they’re high quality and meaningful!
“So many nonprofits send bad thank you letters – if they send them at all! Nonprofit thank you letters need to be thought of as a very important, highly strategic piece of communication.
A thank you is NOT just a tax receipt. It should look like a personal letter from one friend to another. Ditch the predictable openings like “Thank you for your gift of…” or “On behalf of our organization…” Draw in the donor immediately by placing them front and center. Something as simple as “You made my day…” is much better.
A great thank you is the first step in creating a relationship with your donor that will inspire them to give again and again.”
“A prerequisite for above-average donor retention is a well-planned, donor-centric communications program that begins with a welcome.”
Jeff Schreifels, Senior Partner at the Veritus Group, says:
“It’s sad, but just like we’ve all become accustomed to bad or mediocre customer service and we accept it, it’s the same with donors who give large, multi-year gifts. They have come to expect very little of us.
This is where you can have an advantage over other charities. Your mindset should be that because they gave a gift, I’m going to do the unexpected and cultivate them so wonderfully that they can’t wait to make their next gift.”
It’s because of generous donors that your organization has the opportunity to make a difference. Make sure they know how important they are by thanking them early, frequently, and in a variety of ways.
Chris Moore, Executive Vice President of Innovairre, says:
“In today’s fundraising environment, where retention is the new acquisition, the days of having a revolving door of endless new donors are long gone!
The need to thank donors promptly and personally is more critical than ever.
After all, it’s not the first gift that’s most important – it’s the second, and first impressions count; you have to earn the right to ask again!”
It doesn’t matter how great your relationship is now. If you don’t demonstrate repeated gratitude and/or can’t show your donor their money is creating an impact, there won’t be much of a relationship for long.”
“Your non-profit would not exist without your donors. So why not start treating your donors like the essential members of your team that they really are?
Your donors are the heroes of your work… your program staff and volunteers are important, but your donors are essential. Make sure they know that!”
Always connect donors with your organization’s mission
A charitable donation doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Make sure your donors or potential donors know where their money is going and the difference that they’re making to your organization.
“One of the most important things to do in donor stewardship is connect the donor to the mission.We need to bring donors into what my friend, Shanon Doolittle, calls these ‘mission moments.’ We often overlook these because they’re things our nonprofit is doing on a regular basis. But these are exactly what the donor is investing in. And since they’re happening on a regular basis, it doesn’t take a lot of programming or organizational inconvenience to bring donors in.
The best part? When non-fundraising staff see donors get excited about their work, the non-fundraising staff start willingly helping with the fundraising!”
Sarah Bernstein, Founder and Owner at Philanthrodata, says:
“I would suggest that in acknowledgements and reports to donors, that nonprofits emphasize what they can accomplish with and because of donors, what donors have made possible, rather than a litany of the organization’s achievements.
For example, they could talk about what it means to the people they serve to know that the community (of donors) believes in their potential and has demonstrated that by investing in their future. Also, they should pay attention to the people who pay attention to them, especially the donors who follow them in social media.”
“Too often, nonprofits will separate fundraising activities from their ‘mission’ as an organization.
We try to encourage nonprofits to always link any monetary solicitation with a tangible outcome.
This is an easy way to show donors that their donation is making a difference and showcase process after a fundraising campaign.”
Remember to follow up, and follow up, and follow up!
Donor stewardship is not a one and done sort of activity. It’s an ongoing relationship with donors that your organization should constantly be looking to deepen, develop, and grow.
“Committing to year-round stewardship will retain current donors and recruit new repeat donors. Their funds are an extension of their faith in the organization and the missions, so remember: you’re not only stewarding their money, you’re stewarding their trust.
Care for your donors by investing in them — send a personalized thank you note; a formal, written thank you note; mid-year update; and a personalized ask the following year.”
“One of the most important stewardship activities are reports sent to donors on a periodic basis informing them about what has been done with their investment in your organization. “
Having industry leading donor stewardship means you are engaging potential donors at all giving levels, ages, and exposures to your nonprofit. Think about the different ways your organization can find opportunities to interact with organizations of all types.
Alex Saavedra, Digital Marketing Manager at Greater Giving, says:
“Young donors are hands-on and serious about helping. The common thing among young donors is the desire to be involved—especially when working on limited budgets, the amount they care and want to participate may not be matched by how much they can give.
A donor is a long-term investment—if these donors have a positive experience with your organization when they’re young, they’ll continue donating long into the future when they have more disposable income.
Provide opportunities for young donors to get involved in other ways besides donating (such as volunteering and hosting their own local events such as a 5K).”
“Prospect research can help your front-line fundraisers identify which donors have the capacity to give a major gift and a history of past philanthropy.
This will enable your development team to ensure that those major donors receive excellent stewardship to keep them engaged for years to come!”
“Annuals funds are a great way to cultivate a strong pipeline of donors who have the potential to make a major donation down the line. The secret to your success in this effort will be your organization’s donor stewardship program!”
Focus on stewardship, not solicitation
Soliciting donations is only one part of donor stewardship. Make sure your communications with donors are varied so they’re receiving a diversity of information about your organization.
“Celebrate your donors and make them feel like heroes. Highlight your accomplishments as theirs!
Highlight what your donors care about. Not sure what that is or why they give? Ask them via phone interviews or surveys. Don’t just ask donors to give. Make sure to book-end any appeal with non-donation actions, updates on results, and word of thanks.”
“Donors are not ATMs, they are people with wishes and dreams. Your job as a fundraising professional is to help people realize those dreams. You are not a mugger lurking in the shadows trying to snatch a donor’s wallet or purse. If there is one guiding principle that is paramount to all other fundraising best practices, it is treat your best donors like you would your childhood BFF.
Check-in with them from time-to-time.
Care about what is happening in their life.
Put their needs ahead of your own.
Spend time with them figuring out what they want their philanthropy to accomplish and then show them how your organization can help them accomplish their goals and dreams.
The more personal you can make your cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship interactions, the stronger your relationship will become. Philanthropy done right can be enriching for all parties involved!”
“Put as much effort into creating a stewardship plan for your donors as you do in creating cultivation/solicitation plans. Your best future donors are your current donors, and if you neglect to demonstrate how much you appreciate your current donors, you run the risk of losing them as donors.
On a slightly related note, I recently made a first gift to an organization. About six weeks later, I got a letter in the mail from them. While this was a long time to wait for a thank you letter, I was glad to see it in my mailbox.
I opened it up…only to discover that it was a solicitation!
I was being asked for another gift before I had ever been thanked for the first one!”
“To be truly donor-focused, donor relations and stewardship programs must find the sweet spot between developing policies & procedures, gathering donor feedback and exhibiting empathy.
We must step into the shoes of our donors, aim to understand their feelings and perspectives, and use that understanding to guide our actions.”
There’s more to donor communication than email and direct mail. Mix up how you interact with donors to separate your organization from the rest!
Joanne Fritz, Nonprofit & Charitable Organizations Expert at About.com, says:
“Multi-channel fundraising is a hot topic, though no one talks about multichannel thanking. Consider thanking by snail mail just another channel for your campaign.
Many people who receive your direct mail appeal likely respond by going to your website and donating. It’s a matter of convenience, not dislike of the mail.”
John Haydon, Digital PR and Fundraising Expert at Inbound Zombie, says:
“Social media empowers donors to share stories about the causes they care about. If they care enough about yours to make a donation, they’ll care enough to share your campaign on Facebook, Twitter, etc.
One of the best places to promote sharing is on your “thank you” pages. These are the first pages donors see after clicking “donate”, so the likelihood they’ll share the campaign is relatively high.”
“Make sure to include matching gift appeals in your donor acknowledgements. It’s an easy way to let donors know that they might be eligible to double their donation!”
Transparency and trust come first
If your organization is doing great work and making a positive difference in the world then don’t hide it! Be open and honest about how you’re using donations or where your organization is looking to improve in the future.
“Seemingly counterintuitive, freely and openly admitting your mistakes, is one of the most powerful forces in renewing your donors. Total transparency—the good, the bad, and the ugly.
What does this do? It shows your respect for your investors and gives you the ability to continue making promises going forward. It’s one of those ironies of life.”
“To keep donors coming back, you must not only show them that yours is a quality organization with a solid reputation, but also one they can trust with their money.
After a first gift, each experience and touch you give your donor will help them further identify with your mission and ultimately strengthen your relationship.”
Technology is revolutionizing the nonprofit sector by making it easier than ever for donors to engage with causes they care about. Figure out how your organization can embrace technology to make the donation process and stewardship process as simple as possible for prospects or donors.
Meagan Nordmann, Digital Marketing Lead for @Pay, says:
“In order to keep an ongoing relationship with your donors so that they become repeat donors, organizations must be sure that the online donation process is as simple as possible.
Currently, most nonprofits require donors to visit multiple web pages, or remember a username and password, or download an app, or enter 57 keystrokes of payment information every single time they want to give.
There are express checkouts now that let donors give in just a few clicks, no matter what device they are giving from.“
“Linking to your donation pages or including call-to-actions at the bottom of your virtual communications will encourage some percentage of the folks who visit your website to become first-time donors.
This is a simple, automated way to improve your inbound donation pipeline.”
https://blog.fundly.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/file1691255717296.jpg20481536Kate Whitehttps://fundly.com/assets/logos/v2/fundly_logo_with_text_181_50.pngKate White2015-06-10 08:00:562016-09-13 14:32:51Donor Stewardship Expert Advice from 29 Industry Leaders
Organizations value acquisition over retention at every giving level. Larger nonprofits tend to balance acquisition and retainment, but many smaller organizations don’t have the money or staff to do so.
Smaller nonprofits focus on retention, but they know that acquisition must be increased in order to raise more money.
The following best practices can help grow your donor population and keep your organization well-funded for years to come!
1) Show potential donors how your nonprofit uses donations.
Showing donors specific evidence of how far their money will go can help to encourage donations from new sources.
Ray of Hope explains using their preset donations on their donation page what varying monetary donations do to help. This gives donors tangible evidence of how their money will be used, so they’re giving to something more concrete, as opposed to a nonprofit’s ambiguous overall budget.
Demonstrating the work your nonprofit does is a promotional act that can be performed through words, pictures, and other types of media:
Share pictures of your work on social media.
Send emails detailing what recent fundraising has allowed you to accomplish.
Incorporate examples of your work on your website.
Improve direct mail by showing donors exactly what their money goes towards.
‘Showing’ is about both citing specific evidence and showing that donations will go towards specific actions.
For example, showing a prospect that her money will go towards a specific event might lead to a donation. Being able to show that the money will go into a fund that’s specific to this discussed event assures the donor that her money truly is going to what you say it is going to, and not into an ambiguous or unspecified bank account.
In summary: Letting donors know how their funds will be used can lead to more donations because they’ll instantly know how their contributions will impact the people or communities you serve.
2) Promote to donors online for better donor acquisition.
The internet provides a bevy of options to both connect with and promote to donors. Not all online channels serve the same purpose, but they can all work together to acquire donors:
Search engine marketing (SEM) — Advertising through Google and others search engines requires money, but it’s hard to raise money if you don’t spend some. You want your ads to attract people to your website in an effort to raise awareness for your nonprofit. Additionally, Google can offer up to $10,000 dollars in monthly Adwords spending to organizations that qualify for their Google Grants program.
Social media — People who follow you on social media are generally more engaged with your nonprofit, and you have the chance to share meaningful content with them. This content, such as that shared by Ceres Community Project, should educate them about your organization, how to donate, and other relevant topics with the aim of acquiring email addresses.
Email — Donor conversion through email averages about 33%. That’s a far cry from everyone you reach out to, but 1/3 is a desirable amount. The trick is to send the right messages at the right times, as you don’t want to overwhelm donors, give them extraneous information, or seem spammy and get blocked by internet service providers. If you do email right then you’ve got a great chance of acquiring more donors than you would through any other online medium.
In addition, adding a little variety to your organization’s outreach allows, you to interact with more potential donors.
In summary: Whether you use email, social media, search engine marketing, or a combination of all three, make sure to use these outlets not only to reach out to current donors but also to target new potential supporters.
3) Send direct mail for better donor acquisition.
The internet makes it easy to stay in touch with prospects, but some people crave a more intimate form of communication. Some fundraisers think that letters are out of date, but many older donors either don’t use or don’t respond to email.
Direct mail matters because older donors are often an organization’s biggest supporters.
Not only is purchasing the cookbook a form of donating, but it must be mailed to the buyer, the cost of which is already covered by the purchase. This is a great opportunity to include more information about your organization in an attempt to turn a cooking enthusiast into a fully-acquired new donor.
Selling items, such as cookbooks, requires upfront costs, but it’s okay because you’ll be able to make it back in the future. Not only will many of your new donors give future gifts and recurring donations, but the amounts of those donations can increase over time.
In summary: Spending money to acquire new donors through direct mail is an investment in future donations that will more than cover the price of those initial mailings.
4) Take your fundraising online with crowdfunding campaigns.
Crowdfunding makes it easy to run specific fundraising campaigns.
Most software allows you to create a handsome webpage, share pictures, video, and other media to easily articulate your campaign, and process payments through a secure online service. Nonprofits can run multiple campaigns at once and manage them all on the go thanks to mobile compatibility.
The beauty of online fundraising is that it can help you to reach new donors. Many donations may come from loyal donors, but online campaigns make it easy for them to share your cause with friends and family through social media and email, so you stand a good chance of landing donations from new sources.
Online campaigns are also easy for nonprofits to promote to new prospects through their own social media profiles, email, and other online channels.
In summary: Crowdfunding is an inexpensive way to widen your nonprofit’s reach and raise funds for your campaign. Best of all? There’s no limit to the number of crowdfunding campaigns you can launch.
5) Provide exemplary stewardship to increase donor acquisition.
People prefer to give online. It’s a safer, faster, and increasingly more credible way to raise funds.
Online fundraising also extends the opportunity to interact more with potential donors. You can share pictures, videos, links, and other informative content that can educate people and build the sort of goodwill that could lead to donations.
Stewardship extends beyond promotion. On top of marketing, the chance to interact with more donors means that you may receive more leads who want more information on your organization before donating. Your staff will likely interact with potential donors, and it’s important to treat prospects well from the start.
While your nonprofit might provide a great service to the world, people will judge your organization according to their interactions with your staff, so you want those experiences to be positive.
Ceres Community Project exerts great stewardship on their website.
They use language like, ‘our actions’, ‘together’, and ‘Join us!’ to convey a sense of inclusion in their community. They do a great job of conveying that their mission depends on a team effort that extends to both its donors and the community. The language is simple, but the impact can be large in how it could encourage new donations.
When donors sign up for your membership, they’re agreeing to make an annual or monthly contribution in return for discounts and other perks.
What’s great about membership programs is that donors get even more opportunities to interact with your organization, allowing you to cultivate long-lasting relationships.
When prospects form a positive affinity for your organization, you can begin a conversation about major gifts or planned giving.
Planned gifts are major gifts given in wills that can make a big difference for your organization. Receiving planned gifts is a long game, and the key to success is building great relationships that take foundation in a dedication to exemplary stewardship.
In summary: If you want your donors to stick around, it’s important to make sure that your organization shows your appreciation so donors know you value more than just their money.
6) Get creative at special events for increased donor acquisition.
Similar to Sarah’s Race for literacy in Nepal, BATS Theatre is nonprofit dedicated to improving New Zealand performance work. Let’s say they host a show and pass around jars in which the audience is meant to place donations during the performance. The response is fine, but BATS receives only money and no names.
At the same show the next year, BATS disperses programs that contain envelopes and pencils. The audience is meant to write their names and contact information on the envelopes and place their donations inside. This time, the theatre not only raises money, but they acquire a host of new email addresses, too.
It’s one thing to acquire new donors and another thing to land new donors who you can ask for donations from again and again.
The concert fix is an example of a simple, creative solution that turns one-time donors into possible recurring donors.
Events of any kind are attractions that can bring new faces into contact with your nonprofit.
You can also implement fun activities such as raffles and games to help paint a positive image of your organization.
In summary: Events provide the perfect opportunity to rack in donations and the contact information of new donors.
7) Focus on high-quality donors for the best donor acquisition rates.
A one-time donor isn’t as valuable as a continual donor. Additionally, donors who give bigger gifts are more valuable than donors who give less.
Finding high-quality donors requires a focus on building relationships, as opposed to seeking donations. Money is what you want, but you’ll likely receive more money, and hopefully more than one donation, from people who feel a more intimate connection to your organization.
While major gift donors tend to be previous donors, and specifically mid-level donors, who, over time, decide to give more, you should try to predict which prospects might be apt to eventually become your major gift donors.
Pursuing prospects who won’t give as much or as frequently isn’t worth the time that could be spent talking to prospects who will give consistently, in large amounts, or both.
How do you know what to look for?
Think about what characteristics your current loyal donors share.
Find out if the prospect has a history of giving to other nonprofits.
Look for wealth markers, such as real estate ownership, to gauge the prospect’s capacity to give.
Ask questions that demonstrate if the prospect has an affinity for helping out causes like yours.
Your donation page can also do the work of encouraging people to become high-quality donors.
A small button labeled ‘Monthly’, which gives donors the option to schedule automatic, recurring donations.
A big blue button, which suggests that a nominal amount be added to the donation to counteract payment processing costs.
Mentor Me requires that donors provide the full gamut of contact information, so that these new donors may be contacted to give future gifts.
The work of finding high-quality donors usually happens before someone lands on a donation page, but smart, subtle tweaks can help your donation page to encourage more people to give a little more or more frequently.
In summary: There’s not an exact science to knowing who will and won’t make a good donor, but looking for telling signs can help your nonprofit to dedicate its time to soliciting the right people, which should land you more high-quality prospects, more donations, and waste less of your fundraising resources.
Many donors need to be provoked in order to speak up, and it’s an important responsibility for your nonprofit to seek what people think.
If you don’t know why people are giving, or why not, then you’re not learning how to improve fundraising appeals to new prospects.
Surveys need only ask the questions that your nonprofit wants answered, such as:
What did you enjoy about the donation process?
What could be improved or removed from the donation process?
Why did you choose to give to our nonprofit?
Why did you elect not to give to our nonprofit?
How do you decide where to donate?
The questions on your surveys will be relative to your organization and timely needs. Request for people to participate in your survey after donating or send out the survey in a newsletter or its own email.
Try running a raffle or prize giveaway to encourage participation. Survey results become more statistically relevant with the more responses you receive.
Surveys don’t have to be forms, either physical or online. Mentor Me offers mentor roundtables to discuss the program, so they’re constantly learning what’s working, what’s not, and how the program might be improved.
Once you have your desired information, use the data to improve your fundraising appeals and who your fundraisers focus on.
In summary: Surveys should be used frequently, as your organization is always changing, people are changing, and the ways fundraising can be conducted are always being tweaked. Surveys supply the information to help your nonprofit stay ahead of the curve.
9) Give gifts in exchange for donations for better donor acquisition.
The people want tote bags, jackets, coupons, hats, pens, and anything that’s free. People love free stuff, and giving out nice gifts can help to encourage donations.
Many nonprofits give out gifts for a certain level of giving, such as a donor must give at least $50 to receive a free bag. Some nonprofits give out different gifts depending on the amount donated. What all gifts do is incentivize giving, as people are now not just helping a cause, but also receiving a nice gift in return for their philanthropy.
Raffles can be a type of gift giving to encourage donations, such as the wine cellar raffles held by Mentor Me. Not everyone wins, but the potential of winning encourages people to donate by purchasing tickets.
Not only does the winner feel good about being rewarded for a donation, but it’s fun for people to compete in a game of chance while knowing that, at the very least, their money is going towards a good cause.
Promote the gifts as part of your fundraising appeals, as some people might choose to donate to a cause that gives them something tangible in return for their money.
A gift might not only make the difference between no donation and a donation but the difference between a small and large gift, as people may jump to higher donation levels in order to receive a free gift.
In summary: Giving donors a gift with their donation can encourage new donors to support your mission and help you spread the word about your organization.
Kids will do the craziest things: sneak attack counselors with water balloons, get lost in the woods after being explicitly told not to enter the woods, cannonball into the shallow end, eat sunscreen, and the summer camp memories go on and on.
While camps are seasonal fun, raising funds to maintain the campgrounds, improve the facilities, and provide scholarships is a year-round effort.
Fortunately, there are a near equal amount of summer camp fundraising options as there are unpredictable things that a camper might do.
These are summer camp fundraising ideas to help you raise the funds to bring back those kids, and unforgettable memories, year after year.
1) Haunted forest
While summer camps are seasonal attractions, campsites can be repurposed and used to raise money year-round.
Some camps are run out of churches or other buildings devoid of forests, and that’s okay. A haunted house can be just as good as a haunted forest. Executing off-season fundraising events entails crafting events specific to the time of year, knowing what staff you have available, and what your budget is for such an event.
Photo credit: Markoff’s Haunted Forest
Calleva, a summer camp and year-round outdoor school, hosts Markoff’s Haunted Forest during the month of October. This horrifying attraction helped raise the money for the Markoffs to start their summer camp. The annual tradition now raises so much money that they donate a portion of their proceeds to local charities.
An inexpensive way to create a haunted house or forest is to reach out to campers and parents to create costumes, decorations, and to serve as some of the characters lurking throughout your campsite of horror.
2) Recycling for cash
Summer camps can run programs to raise money from recycling. Camps don’t even have to reach out and form specific partnerships, as many recycling facilities will accept recyclable materials from the general public and offer cash in return.
Most camps advocate such programs to their campers. A way to make the recycling program fun is to turn it into a competition. Whichever camper or group of campers raises the most money wins a prize.
Photo credit: Fun Cheap or Free
Kids can raise hundreds of dollars in a mere week from recycling. Families, colleges, restaurants, and other businesses produce tons of recyclable material every day that can be turned from waste into valuable funds.
Recyclable materials that can be turned into cash include:
You’ll probably have people interested at the word ‘chocolate’. If not, try ‘brownie’, ‘fudge’, or ‘hard candy’. People who still don’t pay attention have probably forgotten how to smile.
Photo credit: Cross Community Church
Bake sales are a chance to get kids and parents more invested in your camp. Ask families to commit to baking a certain treat. This ensures that your bake sale will offer a variety of desirable goods while getting people both more involved in the event and willing to spread the word. You can host bake sales at your campsite or other community locations where you might reach a larger audience.
Bake sales can work at any time of the year, but doing them in conjunction with big events can boost your profits.
4) Car wash
Rub-a-dub-dub, your car is too big to wash in a tub. However, arm kids or staff with sponges, soap, and water, and they can spend some hot summer days making cars shine.
Photo credit: Riverview United Methodist Church
Car washes can be hosted at your campsite or at locations throughout the community. Not only will this raise money for your camp, but it can increase exposure, so that more kids register the next summer.
A YMCA in South Carolina demonstrates the true power that car washes can have when they involve the larger community. By pairing with the Family Justice Center and the All Saints Church, the YMCA was able to host a car wash at a local parking lot to raise money to enable children of victims of domestic violence to attend their camp.
Renting out your campsite can be a lucrative endeavor that also keeps your facilities in use, so your campsite becomes more useful to the community, as opposed to sitting around for months.
Photo credit: Episcopal Traveler’s Weblog
Other events include dances, movie screenings, family game nights, and pool parties. Get creative with your event suggestions, let the community know that your camp grounds are available, and let the people party! Or get married. Or picnic. Or whatever their hearts desire and they’re willing to dedicate money to.
6) Crowdfunding
Summer camps are communities, and you can use that community to raise needed funds. Kids have parents, who have friends in the community, and all of these people can be sought to help your fundraising campaign to create scholarships, improve facilities, or other endeavors.
How? For starters, crowdfunding websites help nonprofits to create professional looking webpages and accept donations.
What’s important to realize is that a crowdfunding campaign does nothing by itself. You need to reach out to friends and camp supporters, potentially through email, to promote your campaign. A crowdfunding website makes donations easy, but you have to alert people that a fundraiser is going on.
A lot of families struggle to afford summer camps. You can empower kids to raise the necessary funds themselves.
Sponsorship letters are emotional appeals that campers write and send out to friends, family, and businesses in order to raise money to go to camp.
Kids should write about what a week of camp means to them, when and where they’re going, and include pictures, if possible. Promise to let any sponsors know how the experience goes, as following up with a heartfelt thank you is the least you can do in exchange for financial aid.
Writing these letters can be a bit of work, but it can be an effective way to pay for camp or raise money on behalf of a camp. Thanks to computers, kids only have to type up their letters once, although handwritten letters can provide the kind of intimacy needed to sway certain potential donors.
Your camp has old stuff. The community has old stuff. Local businesses may be willing to donate items for sale or for auction. Reach out to people, see what you can acquire, and organize a yard sale or auction that can raise lots of needed money for your summer camp.
Summer camps teach kids art, swimming, tennis, science, and about loads of other topics. Why not teach people about those subjects year-round?
Camps have the facilities to host classes both for adults and children. Groups can rent your facilities to host their programs at your campsite or you can hire seasonal staff to teach various classes throughout the year. This is a great way to keep your facilities in use while bringing in extra funds.
Classes can attract families whose children don’t yet attend your summer camp, which can result in new campers when summer rolls around. Remember that any event hosted at your campsite is also a potential opportunity to showcase your grounds to new people.
Montgomery Parks in Maryland hosts summer camps, but also offers classes throughout the year. They create guides to keep people informed of what’s going on and the opportunities their parks make available to the community.
Fundraising is hard work, but with a little creativity you can make it a fun, varied experience. Variation helps to raise money from a wide array of people, all of whom you can easily manage with the help of a CRM. Choose the fundraising strategies that work for your summer camp and get started today.
If you want more fundraising ideas, take a look at these helpful resources:
Fundraising Ideas for Kids and Families. Typically, to join a summer camp the participants have to pay a fee that covers boarding, food, and other expenses. Learn how you can raise money to cover your child’s camping costs with our fundraising ideas for kids and families.
Crowdfunding Tips: Quick and Easy Ways to Raise More Money. Crowdfunding is a great way for organizations, churches, and individuals to raise money for their cause. Learn how you can implement best practices into your campaign to reach your goals.
