Charitable giving is on the rise. Last year, giving to charities hit a total of $427.71 billion. Creative fundraising campaign ideas are to thank for this. For example, #GivingTuesday, a movement to increase charitable giving, generated $380 million in donations in 2018. That’s a 27% increase over the previous year.
The audience of potential donors in only increasing. Millennials are more likely to give than other generations. They’re also set to be the beneficiaries of a $41 trillion transfer of wealth from older generations. And this is just one generation of donors. Non-profit organizations who adapt their fundraising strategies to leverage these trends stand to reap significant benefits.
Get the Most Out of Your Fundraising Campaign Ideas
Effective fundraising campaigns must be relevant to your audience. Sometimes this means tailoring your message or approach to resonate with different donor personas. For example, each generation interacts with technology in distinct ways. Consider creating interactive digital experiences to engage millennials. For older audiences, however, you may want to incorporate direct mail into your mix.
When brainstorming new fundraising campaign ideas, thinking outside-the-box is a great starting point. Encourage creativity among your team members. Then, begin refining those big ideas by asking:
Creative Fundraising Campaign Ideas Worth Trying
There are hundreds of fundraising campaign ideas out there. And you’ve likely built your own portfolio of ideas over the years. Here are a few of the biggest nonprofit fundraising trends we’re seeing in 2019.
Fundraising Idea #1: Target Gen Z
Reaching millennials has been the focus for years, but now it’s time to move on to the even younger “Gen Z.” Gen Z’ers were born after 1996 and currently make up 27% of the population. By 2020, they will account for 40% of all consumers. And from what we can tell, Gen Z is actively interested in supporting charitable causes, most notably those that support youth, animals and human services.
DonorBox, a payment gateway for online donations, explains that Gen Z is highly motivated to volunteer their time. This may be the best way to engage them for the next few years. Since a large portion of them haven’t entered the workforce just yet, their ability to give financially is limited. But building relationships with this audience now may be the key to building your donor database in the future.
When creating fundraising campaign ideas to target Gen Z, this about using:
How Some Non-Profits Are Reaching Gen Z
Fundraising Idea #2: Get Donors Moving
With growing awareness of health and wellness, it’s a great time to do something active with your donors. Be sure to consider your donor profile to determine what physical events align with their age, lifestyle and interests. These types of fundraisers can be an ideal way to reach new audiences. Often participants will show up simply for the fitness aspect. Give them a chance to cross a 5K off their list or hit the greens. In return, you’ll get a captive audience who you can introduce to your cause. After the event, you can use their registration information to send them a donation request.
Fitness-Related Fundraising Campaign Ideas
- – Creating a strong planning committee
- – Building new relationships while working your existing networks
- – Focusing on delivering a great experience to participants and attendees
Fundraising Idea #3: Feed Your Need
Dinners are nothing new in the world of fundraising. There’s a reason they’re so successful at raising money. Guests are typically at their tables for an hour or more, giving you a captive audience. This allows you to really speak from your heart and share more of your non-profit’s story than a typical face-to-face interaction.
- – Planning should begin at least 12 months in advance.
- – A celebrity guest goes a long way in increasing event attendance.
- – Consider adding additional fundraising opportunities like an auction, raffle or event sponsorships.
Fundraising Idea #4: Get Up Close and Personal
In an increasingly digital world, face-to-face fundraising still has a place in your fundraising strategy. Save the Children says,
“Face-to-face is one of the most successful ways to bring thousands of compassionate supporters to the Save the Children family, as it allows us to speak to more people on a daily basis as compared to other fundraising methods.”
In-person fundraising is proven to:
Face-to-face fundraising is effective because you can adapt your pitch in real time to the person you’re speaking with. You can build an emotional connection with people. This makes it more likely that they will support your organization. DonorBox recommends adapting your message by:
What other fundraising campaign ideas have you tried this year? Which have made the biggest difference for your organization? Share your stories in the comment box below.