Prioritize Your Marketing Strategies

One of the major advantages of a shoe drive fundraiser is that donors are not only willing but eager to donate their unwanted shoes in return for that warm, fuzzy feeling of lending a hand to a worthy cause. As long as donors are well aware of your fundraiser and understand exactly how to participate, you’ll find your donation boxes starting to pile high with out-grown sneakers.

This means that one of your top priorities should be getting the word out about your campaign. To maximize the visibility of your shoe drive fundraiser, be sure to use these important mediums:

• Social media. This is a great place to upload bite-sized videos, graphics, and posts for donors to share with their friends and expose new audiences to your mission.
• Your website. Remember to include all the information donors will need to know about your mission, your shoe drive campaign, and how they can get involved. You might even create a special event page for your campaign!
• Email. Take a look at your existing mailing lists and start crafting personalized messages to grab your audience’s attention and engage them in your campaign.
• Hard-copy flyers and posters. Posting flyers around your local schools and other community hubs is a classic marketing idea to get eyes on your fundraising campaign.
• Local media outlets. See if you can get your local newspaper and similar news outlets to boost your fundraiser and support your noble, community-driven campaign.

With your marketing materials splashed across these major channels, your entire community should know when, how, and why they should pack up their shoes for the good of your cause.

Incentivize Donations for the Shoe Drive

While many donors will be excited to hand off their unused or unwanted footwear, there’s no harm in sweetening the deal a little further by offering small prizes and rewards for people who come out to support your organization.

For example, you might:

• Station volunteers to give out sweet treats to donors who visit your donation boxes.
• Offer a trophy or a small prize to the top donor or donors.
• Organize a fun, community party if you’re able to meet your fundraising goal.

This will not only help to boost donations, but should also add an extra layer of engagement to your shoe drive campaign.

Pair Your Shoe Drive with a Local Event

Speaking of incentives, hosting a local event is a perfect way to put a button on your campaign, build further momentum and anticipation for your fundraiser, and encourage your supporters to join in.

There are countless, thrilling event ideas that you could toy with, like:

• A concert in the park
• A carnival, festival, or fair
• A raffle or auction

These events can even act as their own mini-fundraisers, with different ticketing and merchandising opportunities to top off your margins of revenue.

Find the Right Shoe Drive Fundraising Coordinator

When in doubt, it’s always a good idea to turn to the help of a trained professional. Shoe drive fundraising coordinators are experienced fundraising veterans that not only know the ins and outs of these campaigns, but also offer additional resources and materials to ensure that your shoe drive fundraiser runs as smoothly as possible.

From providing your team with dedicated marketing materials and messaging templates to negotiating the best possible deal with third-party shoe sellers, an experienced and effective shoe drive fundraising coordinator should ensure that your fundraiser is a success.