How to Make Your Fundraising Efforts Go Viral (2024)

How to Make Your Fundraising Efforts Go Viral (1)

Viral marketing is the holy grail of online salesmanship. Having a product, game, or website go viral… that is, be passed on and promoted by word of mouth, personal e-mail forwards, and social media recommendations… is the quickest, cheapest way to spread the message about your product or service.

The benefits of viral marketing don’t stop with online retailers, however. Non-profits of all sizes can and do use the same tactics to make their fundraising campaigns spread like wildfire, being passed on from person to person and group to group.

If you’d like to see your fundraising campaign go viral, either online or off, be sure to follow these important tips:

1. Make Your Ask Bite-Sized

$10,000 asks don’t go viral. $10 asks do. If you’re trying to start a viral fundraising campaign, make your asks bite-sized and concrete: $10 to buy a mosquito net and stave off malaria… $27 to send 3 kids to school for a week… $5 to feed one family for one day.

2. Find “Sneezers”

There’s nothing a virus likes more than a good sneeze, spreading the germs far and wide. The same is true for your viral fundraising effort. Find supporters who are good sneezers… that is, who have a broad network and aren’t shy about promoting your charity. Task these supporters with heading up your viral campaign and spreading the word about your efforts. (For more information on getting others to pass on your message, read Building Fundraising Networks).

3. Boil Down Your Message

Viral marketing relies on good, succinct, easy to explain concepts. Make sure that everyone who is working on your fundraising campaign can quickly, accurately, and passionately describe the need. Instead of, “Our organization was founded in 1924 by three Philadelphia social workers for the purposes of collaborating with…” use, “We save kids from starving. $12 will feed a child for a week. We have a child who needs your $12 today!”

4. Make it Easy to Give

Be sure that you make it as easy as possible to give. If you’re running a viral fundraising effort, set up a separate web page that allows people to give directly to the campaign easily and in the right chunks. For example, if you’re raising $25 donations to pay for vaccinations, this campaign-specific page should ask how many vaccinations the donor wants to sponsor… 10 for $25, 20 for $50, etc. (For more information on setting up great fundraising pages, read Fundraising on the Internet).

How to Make Your Fundraising Efforts Go Viral (2024)

FAQs

How to Make Your Fundraising Efforts Go Viral? ›

By understanding your audience, crafting compelling stories, leveraging social media, collaborating with influencers, incorporating gamification, and engaging supporters, you pave the way for your online fundraising platform to go viral.

How do I make my fundraiser go viral? ›

Steps for Making Your Crowdfunding Campaign Go Viral
  1. Step 1: Develop a Detailed Strategy. ...
  2. Step 2: Create a Captivating Story. ...
  3. Step 3: Prioritize Polished Visuals. ...
  4. Step 4: Cultivate Active Backer Engagement: ...
  5. Step 5: Design Thoughtful Backer Perks. ...
  6. Step 6: Offer Flexible Funding Tiers.
Oct 30, 2023

How do I get my fundraiser seen? ›

Ask friends and family to share on your behalf

Their networks will allow your fundraiser to be seen by even more potential donors. Email is a great way to personalize your ask. Try sending a message to your email contacts. Explain why you're fundraising, and ask if they would consider donating.

What makes a fundraising campaign successful? ›

Goal setting is one of the most important aspects of any endeavor. Budgetary needs of the organization generally guide the fundraising goals that are needed. Your organization should have yearly financial requirements, and then a plan to reach that requirement with individual fundraisers and campaigns.

Why is no one donating to my GoFundMe? ›

When people don't feel a personal connection to your fundraiser, they're less likely to donate. The key to fixing this is by sharing personal stories or testimonials that highlight the impact of your cause.

What is the 3 to 1 rule for fundraising? ›

When planning the year's activities, PTAs should use the 3-to-1 Rule: There should be at least three non-fundraising programs aimed at helping parents or children or advocating for school improvements, for every one fundraiser. Fundraising should involve as many members as possible and be fun.

What is the best time to post a GoFundMe? ›

We recommend launching your campaign on a Tuesday or a Wednesday because donations peak on those two days of the week.

How can I raise my donations fast? ›

Host a fundraising event

In addition to making flyers, spread awareness about your fundraiser with a fundraising event. It will allow you to create strong connections with potential donors. Some simple, fast fundraising ideas include a car wash, a marathon, fall festival at a local school, or a trivia night.

Can I crowdfund for myself? ›

Individuals often raise money on Crowdfunder for personal causes, or to help fund the beginning stages of an idea when a business or charity bank account is not available quite yet. In these cases, you can add a personal bank account to a project to collect funds into.

Why is my just giving donation not showing? ›

As soon as you make a donation, we automatically send a donation receipt to the email you've given us. If you haven't received a receipt, there's a possibility that your email account has automatically treated it as spam, so it's worth checking your spam folder to see if it's in there.

What are the 4 P's of fundraising? ›

A GiveGab blog provided four P's of being a great fundraiser. Their P's are passion, persistence, philanthropy and people-focused.

What are the five strategies for fundraising success? ›

In section one of this well-organized book, Warwick outlines his five strategies: Growth, Involvement, Visibility, Efficiency, and Stability (or G.I.V.E.S).

Is there a better fundraiser than GoFundMe? ›

BetterWorld. BetterWorld tops the list of GoFundMe alternatives for several reasons. The first reason is its flexibility. In addition to hosting a crowdfunding campaign, you can also do a variety of other fundraisers, including online auctions, giveaways, peer-to-peer fundraising events, and monthly giving arrangements ...

What is the downside of GoFundMe? ›

The main downside of GoFundMe is that it is an all-or-nothing platform. This means that if you do not reach your fundraising goal, you will not receive any of the money that you have raised. This can be a big risk for startups as they may not be able to raise enough money to reach their goals.

How fast does GoFundMe pay you? ›

The process of setting up and verifying transfers can take 3-7 business days or longer to complete. Then, once your first transfer is sent, it will take on average 2-5 business days for the funds to safely be deposited into the bank account on file.

How do I promote my fundraiser on Tiktok? ›

To add a fundraiser to your LIVE:
  1. On the LIVE screen, tap the Settings button at the bottom.
  2. Select Support nonprofit from the settings list.
  3. Select the organization you'd like to support. To learn more about an organization, tap the Learn more button.
  4. Place the sticker where you want it to and go LIVE.

How do you increase fundraising ROI? ›

If you want to increase your fundraising ROI, consider cutting some of your non-individual fundraising activities, including things like grantwriting and corporate fundraising, and use that extra time, money, and bandwidth to focus on individual donor development.

How does GoFundMe go viral? ›

Challenge your donors

Invite donors to participate in a challenge. For instance, everyone remembers the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Your fundraiser is more likely to go viral if there is an engaging and fun challenge connected to your cause.

How do I make an online fundraiser successful? ›

Online fundraising best practices
  1. Ask for recurring gifts. ...
  2. Set up suggested giving amounts. ...
  3. Leverage social platforms where appropriate. ...
  4. Design all donation pages to match your organization's branding. ...
  5. Leverage donor data to better reach your audience. ...
  6. Include an impact statement to encourage gifts.

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