Five Unique Ways to Attract Donations
Running a business or non-profit organization is hard work, and though it comes with its rewards, owners must always be thinking of new and creative ways to gather donations. Of course, getting on the phones and making calls to request donations, or to sign up new donors, is always an obvious option; but donation campaigns are always more fun and effective when they are creative and unusual.
There are many ways a company can seek donations and sign up new donors. Here are just a few ideas to get you started.
Gather Information
Gathering and collecting as much customer and consumer information as possible is a great way to build a list of possible donors. Holding raffles or registering people for auctions is another way to add to that contact list. If you are running a website, having your webmaster build a capture page where visitors can sign up for information or a newsletter, increases your number of contacts and keeps people coming back to your site. The larger your list, the more options you will have when seeking new donors.
Ask Your Staff for Help
Consulting with your staff or board members is a way of getting new contacts and donors. Often your own staff may know friends, family members, even influential people in the community, who would be interested in helping your company or organization with its cause.
Offer Donor Perks
Being creative is key when seeking new donors. Planning a special event to draw new potential donors and existing donors, has been a very successful way to bring people together for a common interest. You can offer discounts to stores or box seats at sporting events. Make it a raffle or silent auction for an original piece of art, where only donors and potential donors will qualify. Ask your existing donors to suggest friends or colleagues who may be interested in giving or volunteering.
Swapping Mailing Lists
Consider asking other businesses or colleagues in your field to swap mailing lists. This way both of you will benefit from having a completely new list of potential donors. This can also work very well with colleagues in other industries, as most people have varying interests.
Get on the Social Media Wagon
If your business or organization is not involved in social media, you should do so right away. Popular social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, are irreplaceable when it comes to spreading the word on promotions and campaigns. Post daily to get the word out; offer your perks, make announcements, run online raffles and auctions on these sites. You will build readership, gain more visitors to your site, and then people will feel as if they know your company, and be more inclined to donate towards your work.
If you do not have a website, it is necessary to have one built right away. Websites easily assist your business or non-profit with gathering lists of visitors. These visitors’ information can then be used for sweepstakes, coupons, and fundraisers that are offered to potential donors.