How to use social media to give your fundraising a boost ... raise as much as possible for your chosen charity. ... thro
Networked for Good
How to use social media to give your fundraising a boost So you’ve decided to help a cause close to your heart and now you want to raise as much as possible for your chosen charity. BT, with assistance from the Institute of Fundraising and MyDonate ambassador Ben Fogle (@Benfogle), has put together these tips to help you maximise your personal fundraising through social networking sites. Ben Fogle recommends: “Why not do something creative to grab attention? If you want to get your fundraising challenge noticed and raise the maximum amount of cash then think outside the box to get your friends and followers to take notice. This is a classic tactic for making people sit up and listen. It works equally well online as it does in the real world. Creative charity stunts like world record attempts stand out on social media and are brilliant fun to get involved with.”
Don’t forget that using social media works best when it corresponds with your real life. You should be talking about the kind of topics online that your friends would expect you to talk about in person; this helps you maintain your authenticity. And complement your online fundraising with personal appeals to cover every base.
And what do other charity champions think? James Kennedy, who recently raised over £3,500 with three friends for charity Changing Faces by completing the Iron Man Challenge, said: “We found emailing and contacting people online was the easiest and most effective way to get people to donate.”
Sarah Tirrell, Policy and Codes of Practice Manager at the Institute of Fundraising, thinks social media is a brilliant way to raise money. “Social media is a great fundraising tool as it’s a quick and easy way of garnering support. Online giving sites combine the ability to reach a wide-ranging audience with a secure and simple way for them to donate, making it beneficial for all users.”
Networked for Good
How to use social media to give your fundraising a boost
Blogs Keep track of your charity challenge and your fundraising landmarks with a blog. Here are some tips for writing a successful one; also websites like Blogspot and Wordpress offer free blogging tools. Look them up on Google to find out more.
• As well as words, you should post pictures, videos and links to other relevant sites that capture your interest. This keeps your readers entertained and the links help your Google search ranking, meaning your blog is easier to find • Don’t forget to include links to your other social media profiles like Twitter or a YouTube channel if you’re using one. Then every time you write a blog post, mention this, with a link, on Twitter and Facebook to drive your friends and followers to your site • You can use your blog like a diary so that people can see how you’re getting on. You might want to think about writing a weekly post about how your preparation is coming along and how close you’re coming to meeting (and beating) your fundraising target • 150-300 words is the perfect length of post for a blog and, most importantly, make what you write a reflection of your personality – people love that about blogs • Looking for inspiration? Check out disability charity Scope’s blogs (http://www.scope.org.uk/news/ blogs), which give a fascinating mix of opinion, insight, updates and information about fundraising drives all from a personal perspective
Use Facebook to tell your friends that you’re raising money for a good cause. Keep them updated on how you’re getting on and try these ideas to ask them to contribute to your goal: • To tap into people outside your Facebook friends, find the page of the charity you are supporting (such as Cancer Research UK), “like” the page to subscribe to the news and then post on the wall about your challenge, with a link to your MyDonate profile so that the charity’s supporters can contribute • Mention your fundraising drive on your Facebook status so that your closest friends and family can chip in. Again, don’t forget to attach that all-important MyDonate profile link • In your status updates, mention your training, challenge or fundraising milestones. Keep it light and use humour where you can • You could even create your own Facebook group or event; this is a great way to encourage support, not just financially but also in terms of attendance and goodwill too • Facebook is all about dialogue, so don’t be surprised if people leave messages of support on your wall. It’s important to leave a comment in reply to acknowledge this and express thanks • And to keep that dialogue going, ask your Facebook friends for advice. Maybe you could get their tips for staying hydrated on a long run or where’s best to do a sponsored skydive
Using Twitter can extend your fundraising drive beyond your own personal network. If you’ve wondered how to use hashtags (#), retweets and all that the micro-blogging site has to offer,then let us help you get the full effect:
• Ben Fogle is an active Tweeter. “I send out at least one tweet on most days,” he says. This keeps people interested and fully up to date with his news. Use the same thinking with your own posts • Be careful not to look too pushy by asking people to donate too often. Ask occasionally and then keep your followers up to date on your progress • Help people find your tweets by putting # in front of hot topics. This will collate your tweets and make them easy to find for people who are interested in these topics – for example, #marathon, #charity or even #MyDonate • The best way to build a following is to mention other Tweeters in your post and then they’re likely to follow you. A tweet like “Using @bt_uk #MyDonate to raise money for a great cause this summer” might just encourage BT and its followers to follow you! • If your charity is supported by a celebrity with a Twitter following, maybe you could try asking that celeb to retweet (or RT) your fundraising message so that their fans can find out about your challenge too • Remember, tweets are short and sweet; practice writing in 140 characters to perfect your style
Networked for Good
How to use social media to give your fundraising a boost
After the challenge is over... You can keep talking about your challenge even after it’s over. Use your social media channels to share your achievements (photos are great for this), thank your supporters and let them know how you got on. They’ll be interested to hear all about it.
“Whatever channels you use to promote your fundraising, make sure it’s accurate and clear, so potential sponsors know which charity you are helping and how much of their money will go to the charity. Let them know whether they are receiving it all, or if some will be used to cover the costs of doing the event,” says the Institute of Fundraising’s Sarah Tirrell.
Getting involved in supporting charities is great, but people can be unsure if there are rules or not. As well as being able to speak to the charity you are helping, the Institute of Fundraising is an excellent resource to ensure your fundraising is as effective as possible. To learn more about the Institute, go to: www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk.
www.bt.com/mydonate
