Fundraising Online: The True Beginner’s Guide

Whether you’re fundraising for yourself, your community, or your school, there’s no better place to do it than online! There’s just no competing with the reach you can achieve through the web.

But we know it can be intimidating. After all, everyone is looking for an audience online, too.

Fear not! Here at Best Fundraising Ideas, we’ve seen it all. And we’re here to help you get some great online fundraising ideas to raise more money for your cause.

Step 1: Clarify your vision.

The internet moves at a breakneck pace. If you’re going to successfully fundraise online, you need to be able to capture the attention of potential donors quickly. That means you need a message that’s easy to communicate quickly and clearly.

Here are some ideas to clarify your mission:

• Distill your mission into one sentence. Brevity is important!
• Look up what similar fundraisers are saying about themselves. Are there key words or ideas you could borrow from them?
• Test it out! What do your family and friends think of your vision statement? Can they explain to you what you’re trying to achieve just by listening to your mission statement?

With your new, clear mission, it’s time to get started!

Step 2: Choose your strategy.

Online fundraising has many faces! There are new and innovative ways popping up every day.

You can find some of the best online fundraising strategies right here at Best Fundraising ideas. Some of our favorites are:

1. Matching gifts.
2. Online shopping.
3. Virtual charity auctions.

Take a look at the incredible recommendations in each of these fundraising ideas and see what sticks out to you! You might see something that excites you.

Step 3: Set your goals.

How will you know when you’ve been successful if you don’t know what you’re aiming for?

We recommend setting a few different levels of goals when you begin your online fundraising strategy.

Red: What is the very least you would like to achieve? Is it a certain amount of money raised, or a certain number of donors? What is the number that will let you know you’ve made a difference, even a small one? This red goal is a very encouraging milestone to hit! Make sure to be realistic.

Green: Your green goal is really what you would like to achieve. If there is a specific program you’re trying to fund, for example, your green goal might be the full cost of the program. Green means go!

Super Green: What are your wildest dreams? There’s a place for these in your strategy, too! You don’t want to stop at green if you don’t have to. If it looks like you’re on a roll, keep going and shooting for the stars.

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We hope this 3-step guide was helpful for you! We wish you all the best on your online fundraising journey.