We know lots of folks are looking for ways to organize and make an impact in their communities as we continue to live in a digital-first world. And we also know it’s really easy to use ActBlue’s community fundraising tools to start a fundraiser and raise money for the causes and campaigns you care about! If you’re looking to do something for an upcoming awareness month or key issue you’re passionate about, keep reading for our tips to help you raise money and awareness for the cause.
Community fundraising can be an incredibly impactful way to take your own action a step further, allowing you to spread the word about the causes or candidates you’re passionate about and organize your community from home. For example, Black History Month recently ended, but there are Black-led organizations working every day to help Black people, from organizing for voting rights to advocating for the protection of Black trans people. Dismantling white supremacy and working toward racial justice is long-term, movement work — not a moment limited to a single month a year.
With Women’s History Month underway and many other awareness days and heritage months to come, now is a great time to learn how to fundraise! Plus, when news breaks, it only takes minutes to create a personal fundraiser for rapid response, so you can mobilize your community when it matters most. Check out our tips below for creating a contribution form that makes its mark in inboxes, on social media timelines, and anywhere else you decide to drop the link:
A personal touch goes a long way!
- Whether you’re someone with thousands of followers on Twitter, or someone who wants to organize their Close Friends list on Instagram, you have influence within your sphere. Add a blurb to the page that explains why people should support the cause(s) you’ve included.
- Write this in your voice and include anecdotes or personal stories of your interactions with the groups you’re including, like in the Instagram Story example below. Being authentic can make all the difference.
Make the hard ask.
- It might feel awkward, but you want to make sure you actually ask people to give, rather than just sharing your form. Include your ask for money both in your social post or email and on the form.
- Try approaching it like you would any other message to the folks in your community, and again, be true to yourself and why you care about the causes! If you want tips for writing a compelling fundraising email, check out this guide.
Encourage recurring donations.
- Recurring contributions make a big difference for nonprofit organizations and campaigns alike, helping groups budget and plan for the long term. During these uncertain times recurring donations are even more critical and can be a way for folks to commit to supporting groups doing work they believe in for the long haul.
- Ask your friends and family to chip in $3, $5, or even $10 a month if they’re able to.
Customize your social share.
- We’ve made it easy to add images and text that will appear with the link to your contribution form every time someone shares it on Twitter or Facebook, also known as a social share. See above for an example!
- A custom image can help your form stand out in fast-paced social media feeds and make your friends and followers excited to share your page in their own feeds, helping you expand your reach. To get started, make a copy of our social share template and just plug in your own text!
- Even if you’re not able to add a custom image to your social share, we highly recommend customizing the title and description that appear below the image, so when folks see the link in their feeds they know exactly what they’re clicking on. Get step-by-step instructions here!
Report back to your community.
- This might seem like something you would do at the end of a fundraising push, but we recommend sharing updates on your fundraising totals throughout your efforts! Set a goal and get your friends, family, or followers invested in hitting it — you can even add a thermometer to your form so people can easily track your progress.
- Folks want to be part of something, and seeing others working together to help you hit a goal can encourage their own involvement, whether that means donating or sharing your link themselves to help you hit your goal.
Awareness or heritage months and special holidays are a great time to create your own contribution form and work with your personal network to support the issues and organizations you’re passionate about. Here are a few awareness month and day resources to get you inspired:
- HeyOrca!’s 2021 Social Media Holiday Calendar
- The AP Planner on Twitter
- AwarenessDays.com
- Library of Congress’ Commemorative Observances
The options are endless! If you’ve never created your own form before, there are lots of resources linked above, and our team is always here to help. Send us a message at info@actblue.com if you have any questions, and if this post inspired you to make your own contribution form, please let us know! Tag us on social media or drop us a line and let us know how your fundraising is going.
