If you’re new to fundraising, are curious about what type of fundraiser you should run, or you want to know the difference between various fundraisers, you’re in the right place. Carrying out a successful fundraising strategy is the most important thing you can do for your organization, so being familiar with different fundraisers and how they work is critical.
As you dive into becoming a fundraising expert, remember that whichever type of fundraiser you choose to run, you can get all the pointers you need for making it a smashing success by downloading our fundraiser playbooks.
Crowdfunding campaigns seem to be everywhere, and there’s a reason they’re so popular. Crowdfunding allows you to raise money virtually without having to host an event, track paper forms, go door-to-door, or chase down people for payments. Plus, online crowdfunding campaigns harness the power of social media to reach more donors and raise more with less effort.
How crowdfunding campaigns work: A crowdfunding campaign is an effective way to rally your community around raising money for a specific cause or goal. Maybe it’s new whiteboards for third grade classrooms. Or, you want to raise funds to buy teacher appreciation week gifts.
Once you find a crowdfunding platform to administer your campaign, it’s all about promoting your campaigns widely to donors and supporters, and encouraging them to share it with their networks as well. That’s the beauty of online crowdfunding campaigns – it allows you to connect with a bigger group of donors than in-person fundraisers.
A-thons are a classic fundraiser that bring people together for fun, fundraising, and some friendly competition. This tried and true fundraiser gets your entire school community involved and excited while raising money for your school.
You can choose an activity that appeals to your participants, from the traditional dance-a-thon or reading-a-thon to a fresh, unique one like kick-a-thon or kindness-a-thon.
How a-thons work: Once you’ve set up your a-thon fundraiser, supporters can make donations to teams or participants through it. They can give a flat amount or pledge a specific amount per each unit of activity the participant completes.
Participants or teams can also set up a dedicated fundraising page they can share to rally support. During the a-thon, participants can log their activity in their account and see progress tracking on a-thon results to keep them engaged and motivated. Once the a-thon is finalized, per-unit-of-activity pledges are collected.
Online auction fundraisers are a great way to raise money for your organization while engaging your community. They allow you to raise money virtually without having to host an event or go door-to-door. Plus, you can share your auction on social media, helping you reach more donors and raise more with less effort.
How auction fundraisers work: While auctions are flexible in that they can be run online and in-person, you can definitely widen your reach by holding a virtual auction fundraiser. An online fundraiser makes it easy for supporters to bid on your items wherever they are, whenever it is convenient for them.
After you set up your auction fundraiser and promote it, you’ll start collecting bids which can make for some friendly competition for bidders going after desirable auction items. When the bidding period closes and the auction has ended, you’ll notify the highest bidders and collect their winning bids so you can distribute the auction items.
Events are a classic fundraiser that bring people together for a great time and a great purpose. While virtual events soared in popularity over the last few years, in-person events are happening just as frequently as ever.
If you’re looking to raise funds and awareness for your cause, an event is a great way to do it. Whether you decide to hold a virtual or in-person event, you can expect to do a lot of planning and coordinating to ensure your fundraising event is successful.
How event fundraisers work: Once you’ve decided the format of your event (in person or virtual) and the type of event you want to run (gala, road race, etc), you’ll need to pick a date and start organizing.
You’ll need to think through details of how you’ll raise money – entry fees, ticket sales, donations at the event, or some other way – and how you’ll promote your event to get the maximum number of attendees or participants.
Often events are combined with other types of fundraisers to maximize the funds raised. For example, you might have a silent auction at your annual gala or awards ceremony. Or maybe it’s a raffle at your road race. No matter the event you choose or the other fundraiser type you combine it with, the bottom line is making sure your event is exciting and memorable!
Raffles and sweepstakes are a top-notch way to fundraise for your organization while engaging your community. Virtual raffles and sweepstakes are even easier because you don’t have to host an event or go door-to-door. Plus, you can share your fundraiser on social media and reach more donors.
Before you go all in on running a raffle or sweepstakes fundraiser, you’ll want to check the legal regulations in your state to make sure your fundraiser is permissible where you live. A number of states prohibit raffles but do allow sweepstakes so you’ll need to know what makes them different and what you’re allowed to do.
How raffles work: To run an online raffle fundraiser, you’ll need to have a fundraising platform that makes it easy for supporters to purchase tickets or make a donation. Once that’s set up and you have the items you’ll be raffling off locked in, you’re ready to promote your fundraiser and sell tickets. When your ticket selling period closes, it’s time to randomly select winners and notify them of their win. Easy, right?
How sweepstakes work: While sweepstakes may come with a few requirements you need to be aware of (check the rules in your state), running your sweepstakes fundraiser online makes it easy for supporters to purchase entries wherever they are and whenever they want. Sweepstakes work similarly to raffles in that you’ll need to figure out what your prizes are and have a way for people to enter to win. After planning, promoting, and running your sweepstakes fundraiser, you’ll select winners and award prizes.
One other fundraiser type you should be thinking about is passive giving. It’s different from all of the other fundraiser types in that it requires much less planning and effort. More of a set-it-and-forget-it fundraising method, passive fundraising can provide a consistent stream of funds for causes.
How passive giving works: Passive fundraising works by creating an automatic and consistent fundraising stream that doesn’t require additional work for you or asking more of your supporters. The easiest way to get started with passive fundraising for your organization is to partner with an already established program like Shop to Give.
Through Shop to Give, supporters can shop in-store or online or dine with over 25,000 merchants to earn donations for their favorite organizations. Because the merchant funds the donation, it doesn’t cost supporters anything extra, so it couldn’t be easier. And since the donations happen automatically, your organization has an all new donation stream that doesn’t require extra effort.
