I failed miserably at fundraising in the early 2000s. In the first fundraiser I was organising I raised a grand total of $5. Yep, just $5. Not $5k. Just $5. I was too afraid to ask people for money for a great cause I believed in - high school scripture in case you were wondering. I should also tell you that the fundraiser in the early 2000s was linked to doing long run - 30km to be exact, so I still had to run the 30kms from my childhood home in Eastwood all the way to Mona Vale Beach. It's a grueling, hilly run. It was a long and painful. During run where I reflected on what I'd do differently next time. I had a long time to think. I finally made it and jumped into the beach at the end of my run and I new I'd do fundraising differently next time. Well, two decades later, and almost a decade of reseraching NFP giving trends at McCrindle, this year was a big success. By the generous support of my community this year we raised funds for local scripture teachers in The Hills and raised more than our target, reaching 126% of our fundraising goal. So what did I different this year compared to back then? Here's 17 reflections. 1) Set a clear goal and communicated it repeatedly. 2) Gathered a team and gave people a role to achieve the goal. 3) Launched the fundraiser with an in-person experiential event to hear stories of impact. 4) Provided easy to use digital giving options. I'd actually like to do more cash options next time to suit the different generations. 5) Got photos from the event to use in digital campaigns. 6) Told stories of need, community, activity and impact at the event 7) Recapped the stories in digital format during the rest of EOFY campaign 8) Gave fundraising updates along the way with the impending deadline to create urgency to reach the goal 9) Kept up the communication - telling stories of impact and asking for funds to carry on the good work is more than a one-off message. 10) Pray like crazy you reach the goal! Visualise success and be positive if you don't pray! As Ted Lasso reminded us, 'Believe'. 11) Then remember the significance of people giving their money amidst cost of living crisis, housing unaffordability, the range of great causes out there and the fact that people are prepared to support your cause - it should move you to great humility, accountability and transparency. 12) Give the team credit for success (or take responsibility for areas that didn't work as hoped) 13) Be personal in praise and feedback 14) Remember the journey you've been on because today's success is possible because of yesterday's failure. Be grateful. 15) Celebrate together with your team 16) Thank your community for their generosity 17) Get ready for the next fundaiser and keep up the momentum. Research https://lnkd.in/gwZwJmAc #giving #socialresearch #failure #growth #leadership #fundraising #NFP #trends #reflections #dataislife #generations
Great story. Every success is built on failure
Director of Strategy at McCrindle | Social trends & insights for leaders
3moYou had me at $5, and then I read on that you still ran the 30km! Huge!