How to Spread the Word about your Online Fundraiser
The Internet is a crowded place. Learning how to stand out, draw attention, and get people to take action isn’t an easy task these days. But it doesn't have to be difficult. Using these 4 simple steps, you'll be surprised how quickly you begin to see donations!
Here’s an example: we’ll call him Dave. Our dear friend Dave is facing large medical bills, and (as a good friend and overall amazing person) we want to help.
Let’s take a look at how we can use a few simple Internet marketing tactics to spread the word about our friend Dave’s PayIt2 page.
1. Social Media
We have found that the majority of contributors come from social media shares. This includes Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest and other sites (Reddit, Tumblr, Wordpress, etc.). For Dave’s Fundraiser, it’s best to start a Facebook page to draw potential donors. So, go ahead and create a page on Facebook and ask for a few likes to get started. Reach out to friends and family first, we’ll get more people later. Add a few pictures, and then follow the steps to add your page to Facebook. If you need help with any of this, ask us! We’re here to help!
Once you have a Facebook page all set up you’ll have a great place for people to interact with Dave, his story, and your PayIt2 page. Here, you have a great platform to share updates and pictures of Dave, a place for his friends and family to share encouragement, and an opportunity to share with people how they can use PayIt2 to help. If you wanna get really fancy with it, you could even create a hashtag to rally around. Like #Help4Dave or #Donate2Dave. You get the picture (#selfie), #AmIRight?
Email is also a great way to share information about your PayIt2 account. Gather the email addresses of extended family, friends, classmates, colleagues, religious groups, community groups or other groups of people that you know and send them an email to be a part of your efforts. You can add a link to this message to your Pay It 2 account and the Facebook page you created. Not sure where to get started? Not a problem, here’s an email draft we wrote that you can check out. Make sure to ask in the email for them to like and share the page on Facebook with their friends for the biggest impact. Don’t worry if it’s slow at first, just focus on your network of potential donors and things will progress from there. What was that line? “If you build it (and maintain consistent communication, reach out to your personal network, and encourage them to join the cause) they will come.” Yeah, something like that.
Be sure to leave no channel unexplored. There are hundreds of submission sites where your story can be heard and supported. For example, if you are part of an online community, share the news with them, and so on. The success of your PayIt2 fundraiser relies on people who care, and people can’t care unless they hear your story.
2. Local News.
Local news outlets want one thing—great stories. Share your story with local news outlets, who are always in search of great stories about people raising money for others and giving back to their communities. Go to the websites of local TV channels, radio programs, and especially online news outlets and gather their contact information. Send them a message including information about why you are collecting money for Dave, and that people should #Donate2Dave. Be sure to include the link to your page on PayIt2, and your link to your page on Facebook. When one news channel picks it up, others soon will follow!
3. Offline Promotion
You know that often used phrase 'word-of-mouth'? You know why it’s used so much? Because it works. Like we said earlier, people need to know your story to care, so you’ve got to promote it in real life too. People are much more likely to check out the page or donate money if they hear about it from people who care.
One great way to get the word out is to build a team of people who can share your story. These influencers can go to their personal networks and share your cause. For example, we might build a team made up of people from different areas of Dave’s life to help out. Maybe a friend from high school, his fraternity, his place of worship, even that awful band he tried to make it big with years ago. Even though the band didn’t quite fulfill expectations, your PayIt2 fundraiser can succeed by tapping your network and consistent offline promotion.
4. Be 100% transparent with your donors.
This is maybe one of the most important things regarding the relationship between you and those who donate to your cause. There is a lot of talk these days concerning the validity of many online fundraisers, and there should be. Work to be open, transparent, and all around truthful with who you are, what you are doing, and why you are asking for money. As your donation network grows, you’ll begin to reach people you may have never met. While this is awesome, they might not trust you right away…keep this in mind.
Already have donors? Share with them updates on Dave, send them pictures, and show them how their donations have directly helped Dave. Have you collected their email addresses? You can send emails with updates, and thank you emails when Dave is healthy again! Post on Facebook, continue the conversation, and always say thank you! People will be much more likely to help spread the word if they know it’s a great cause, not when they feel like they have been scammed.
We hope this helps you and whoever your "Dave" may be!
(Or, as those Internet people say, #UsePayIt2 to #Donate2Dave)
PayIt2 Team