Fundraiser tips of the day
Send your widget out into the world wide web
If you’ve got a JustGiving page, you’ve got free access to a JustGiving widget too.
What’s a widget? It’s a mini version of your fundraising page that you can put on websites and blogs - a small, portable summary of how much you’ve raised that lets people donate then and there.
Where can you find it? Log in to your account, go to ‘Your pages’, click on your page and click on ‘Use our widget’.
You’ll find some code that you can paste into the code of any website or blog where you want to display your widget. It shows up best when you’ve set a fundraising target.
Just think how fast the message spreads once you send that code to all your friends with websites and blogs and they display your widget, encouraging their friends to support you too…
Make use of *all* your social media
How many different social networks do you belong to?
Are you on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, Bebo, Flickr, YouTube, WAYN, Yammer, Ning, Mumsnet?
Make use of as many of those tools as you can to get your JustGiving page link seen by lots of people that you might not reach just through email.
Use all ten photos on your page
You can add ten photos to your JustGiving page - a main photo and nine more that potential supporters can flick through to find out more about you and your cause.
Pictures make a much quicker impact than lots of words, so make the most of the opportunity to add photos that show people any or all of these things:
- you out running/training
- the people in your team/your family/supporters
- the people that you’re raising money for
- what you’re hoping donations/your fundraising will buy
- some funny/silly photos, if that’s appropriate
- recognisable or beautiful scenery/landmarks on the run
You get the idea. Bring your JustGiving page to life and encourage even more donations.
Get your message layout right
It makes a real difference to a JustGiving page when the story - the big personal message near the top of the page - is laid out clearly.
Make the most of spacing, bolding and different coloured text to increase the strength of your message. It sounds simple, but it’s really important.
Check out two good examples here: www.justgiving.com/Ross-Evans and www.justgiving.com/24hrs_100miles
One for the Twitter fans…
Get your friends to retweet your JustGiving page URL – you never know who among their Twitter followers will be touched by your cause and inspired to donate.
Let people know how donations will be used
People are generally keener to donate if they know what their money is going to do.
So get in touch with your charity and find out how the money you raise will be put to good use.
For example, they might tell you that £10 will pay for clean water for a month, or that £100 will pay for some new hospital equipment. The more detail you can give about the lives you’re affecting, the more powerful your request for donations will be.
Get a few good donations on your page first
It’s a really good idea to get a few donations on your page before you publicise it more widely.
Being the first person to donate can be a bit intimidating - you might have no idea of the appropriate amount to give and it can really help to have a few donations on the page early on as a guide.
So get your closest friends/family/boss to donate first - whoever you think will be most generous. You could even get the ball rolling yourself - and remember if you get generous donations early on, others may be encouraged to match them!
Keep your fundraising plea light-hearted
One of the best ways to get people reading your page and donating is by throwing in a bit of humour.
It’s not always appropriate - and that’s important - but where you can, be fun and friendly in your message to potential sponsors. Put people in a good mood and they might donate a little bit more to your cause.
Tap into your social networks
Make use of people who have already done fundraising events to get tips and support.
Try chatting to people on our Facebook discussion threads, on Twitter or here on the Runners’ Blog, by leaving a comment.
People are always happy to give advice and help!
Looking for ways to get your JustGiving page noticed?
Try putting an ad in your local paper/on your local radio station, or asking them to write a feature on your event.
We’ve got a sample press release for you to customise - check out #9 on our tips page.
