Posted: September 27th, 2010 | Author: Joe Gunn | Filed under: fundraising | Tags: Facebook, fundraising, NF Endurance | No Comments »
- Photo by Vivianna_love (Flickr)
Picture this. You are preparing for your next fundraiser and say to yourself, “I know I can handle the training, but how can I do a better job of fundraising?” The answer is to work on your storytelling. Every day we are bombarded with ads, news, emails, tweets, and pokes. There are many things that catch our attention, but few things that KEEP our attention. When we invite people to hear our story, it is important to remember emotional connections lead to donations.
Facebook has taken an increasing amount of our already limited attention spans. This leads many people to think, “Great! I can just repeatedly post about my fundraising efforts on Facebook, and people are sure to donate!” As with everything in life, it is a bit more complicated than that.
Yes, Facebook can be an effective fundraising tool, but you can’t approach it in the same way you might approach a written letter. Fundraising on Facebook is about telling your story in an engaging way and inviting your donors to be a part of that story. All the Facebook apps in the world can’t replace the power of the story only you can tell.
Here are a few quick tips to help you get started:
People respond best to personalized appeals instead of mass messages. If you have the time, ask your friends individually if they’d be willing to donate. This means avoiding Facebook Causes. Causes makes it easy to ask, but the app gets in the way of telling your story. The donor can’t ask Causes questions, but they can ask you.
Use Facebook to regularly update friends and family on your training and fundraising efforts. Don’t put the same message up on your Wall every time. Let your friends and family know where you are in your training and fundraising. Be excited about what you are doing! People want to see their friends and family accomplish great things. It inspires them to do great things themselves.
Example of an effective update.
Share pictures and video about the team and your efforts. Pictures and video are engaging and are easily shared on Facebook. As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
Make your updates fun and interesting. People are overwhelmed by the massive amount of info on Facebook. We don’t read as much as we skim. Stand out by being unique.
Thank your online donors early and often. Thanking them online shows mutual friends that others are donating. This kind of positive peer pressure will encourage more people to donate. Be sure to let them know how their efforts are making a difference.
Facebook is just one part of the plan. Try inviting your friends and family to help make a difference in at least two different ways. Examples of this include sending a letter, giving them a call, or sending them an email in addition to any communication on Facebook. Research has shown that people who do this raise more money.
Tell your story using photos and video.
Experiment.Try out new ideas all the time to catch people’s attention. Not all of these ideas will be successful. In fact, most of them won’t be. Just be patient and eventually you will find your online voice.
Don’t be afraid to break the rules. What works for one person’s circle of friends and family will not necessarily work for another. If you know your friend Jim would hate to be publicly thanked, chances are you are right.
Have you fundraised using Facebook? Share any tips, tricks, or ideas that have worked for you in the comment section.
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