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Fundraising Starter Kit

To help make your fundraiser successful and as stress-free as possible, we've put together this Fundraising Starter Kit with tips, tricks, and branded graphics.

Branded Graphics

Personalize and level up your fundraising page with branded Still I Run graphics. You may download and use any of these graphics for your fundraiser and on your fundraising page.

 

Right click and choose "Save image as..." to save the image to your device.

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Donor Infographic

Are you or your donors curious about where their donation goes? Share this helpful infographic on how Still I Run uses the generous donations.

Still I Run Where your money goes infographic

How to Elevate your Fundraising Page

These are the top three (3) things to do after making a fundraising page:

Make a donation to your own page

Other people are more likely to donate to your page when they see that someone has already contributed. Furthermore, donating some of your own money demonstrates to potential supports that you are serious about helping the cause.

Personalize your page

Add your own text, photos, or videos. Potential donors may be interested in the cause, but they are more interested in you — and why you are interested in the cause. Be sure to tell them why you are getting involved and your connection to the cause.

Reach out to your inner circle first

Send individual emails to your five closest friends or family members and ask them for donations first. Getting your "inner circle" to donate to your page first helps build momentum to garner additional donations. It's also good to start with the people you are most comfortable with.

How to Reach out to your Friends and Family

Think about your fundraising strategy like an onion. The inside core is you and your closest friends and family. As you progressively move outward, you encounter your colleagues, acquaintances, friends of your friends, and eventually strangers — the outer skin.

General Outreach

As you write social media posts and emails to your contacts, keep the following in mind:

 

  • Explain your connection to the cause and why it's important to you. Describing how the cause has personally touched your life is the single most important element of your message.

  • Explain the work that the organization is doing to advance the cause. This helps potential donors understand where their money would go and how their donations will be used.

  • Be clear and direct about what you are looking for: make a direct ask for financial support.

  • Include a link to your fundraising page!!!

  • And thank them for their time and support

Remember: be yourself! You are writing to YOUR contacts — if something feels forced or inauthentic, scrap it. 

Personalized Outreach

When reaching out to your closest friends and family: you know them better than we do. Don't feel like you need to stick to a predefined formula. If a one line message is going to work, do that. If a longer personal message will work best, do that. Whatever you choose, be sure to include a direct request for their financial support and a link to your fundraising page at the end of your message.

How to Follow Up with Potential Donors

Your external goal, the fundraising goal, is great. However, it's also important to set internal goals — goals that help you understand your progress and inform your decisions on when to reach out to your potential donors again.

Set your Internal Goals

Your internal goals are helpful for two reasons: you create urgency when you ask for support and you give yourself a built-in reason to follow up with people. If you set a fundraising goal of $250, an example of a few good internal goals would be $50, $125, and $200.

Reach back out

Reach back out to non-responders when you are approaching one of your internal goals. Remember, people can easily miss or skip over your initial outreach. Include progress updates in your follow up messages and consider adding additional personal anecdotes or stories about the cause.

Use Social Media

Social Media is a great tool for continued outreach. Posting on Social Media can happen more frequently and with fewer pushbacks from your contacts. Some people will be more receptive to social media posts (and you can fundraise directly on Facebook!) than they are to receiving multiple emails.

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