Nonprofit organization and charities rely on donations and sponsors to conduct their activities. Asking for donations has always been a sensitive subject. It can feel intimidating at first, but there’s no need to feel that way.
In this article, we are going to see how you can ask for donations and minimize your chances of getting rejected.
1. Research your potential donors
Find out who are the people that are most likely to donate to your cause.
It is important to know what their pain points are, what would stop them from giving, what would make them give, what kind of messages work best for them and what type of language they tend to use.
This is helpful because it will help you craft targeted messages. Also, you will learn what words you need to use when you talk to them directly.
2. Show them how they can make a difference
If you ask for donations, and you do not want to be rejected, then it is important to tell your potential donors how exactly their donations will help your cause and your organization.
Donors have become quite selective when it comes to where their money goes, so you have to make sure that you show them how their donations can make a change.
3. Be prepared to answer any questions they might have
Some donors will most likely ask you why they should donate to your cause, which is a legit question if you think about it. Make sure you have an answer prepared for this situation. Ensure that you have answers prepared for other questions as well.
If the donors can sense that you are being hesitant, then it is going to be hard to win them over.
4. Don’t surprise donors
The chances are that if you go ahead and ask for donations from someone that never heard of your organization, they will need some time to think about it. After all, you are asking a stranger to give your organization their hard-earned money.
Approach donors that already made contact with your cause because they will find it easier to donate to someone they are familiar with.
5. Use particular words
If you use the following words, then you will see that the donations will increase: Small, immediately, expert and you.
For instance, when the word “small” is placed near the amount of money needed for a donation, the response rate can increase by a whopping 20%. When people donate to a cause, they cannot really see results overnight, so the word “immediately” will make them take action right away.
People tend to trust the opinion of “experts”, so this word is very strong in this context. Last, but not least, using the word “you” is going to reassure the donor that you are talking directly to them.
6. Organize an event for them
Winning donors’ trust will be that much easier if you give something worthwhile in return. Moreover, what can be a better reward than an event organized in their honor? Yes, it will be costly, but it will help your donors remember you forever.
Plus, you can ask for contributions during the event since they’ll be more likely to comply with that because they’ll be in a good mood. If you want to boost your chances, then make sure to book some quality entertainment as well because it will make a world of difference when it comes to achieving success for your nonprofit.
How to Evaluate a Fundraising Event and What to Look Out for after you Ask for Donations
Right after your fundraising event has finished, you may feel like you deserve a couple of weeks rest. Sadly, your work is hardly done.
After you had said thanks to each and every stakeholder, it is time to evaluate the event and understand what went well, what didn’t and what you can improve next time.
However, there isn’t just one indicator you can measure to find out all of this. There are multiple aspects and factors you need to take into consideration. Here are some tips that will help you achieve a proper fundraising event assessment by pointing the most important details and help you ask for donations after your event.
7. Budget Overview and Other Financial Metrics
When you set up the budget for the event, you should have considered each and every possible cost. Now that the event is over, it is time, to sum up everything and see where you stand. Did you stick to your budget or went slightly overboard?
Right after you know where you stand regarding your budget, it is time to assess your financial goals for the fundraising event.
The easiest way to measure it is to head back to the financial goals you have set up before the event. However, in case you did not think about it, here are the questions you should ask:
- How much did the event raise through pledge donations?
- How much did the event raise as in-kind donations?
- How much did you raise through tickets, food, and beverage sales?
- Did you organize an auction? How much did it raise?
- Were you able to secure generous donations or investments from local businesses?
Sum everything up, and if you stuck to your budget, it means everything can go to your cause.
8. Assess Your Fundraising Event’s Attendance
It is rather easy to measure this metric, especially if attendance required a ticket. Just look at the numbers and compare them with last year’s to understand how the event evolved. However, if attending your event did not require for your guests to buy a ticket, you may have a hard time.
Your best option would be to take a look at all the pictures showing an overview of all participants and try to estimate. In this case, the specific number is not that important, as long as you have achieved your goals.
You could consider hiring entertainment for next year’s event. It may boost your attendance and goal achievement rate.
9. How Much Awareness Has the Fundraising Event Generated
Awareness for your cause is an important metric you need to measure carefully. Generally speaking, the more accurate the number, the easier it is to measure early growth.
To determine this metric, have a look at all your marketing channels. The online ones are easy to measure, as social media networks provide you with the numbers. You should also count emails, any press coverage, radio announcements, offline posters and flyers and so forth.
10. Evaluate Your Partnerships and any Happenings from During the Event
Get all your volunteers for one final meeting and ask for their feedback and opinions. Ask them what went well, what went wrong, what issues did they face.
Try to remember if any of your partners failed to keep up their promises. If so, try to find out what happened and if future collaborations would be a good idea or not.
Speak with the location’s manager and ask for their feedback as well.
Identify any issue the fundraising event had to face so that you can fix it for your next event.
Wrapping It Up
That is about it. All the information presented above should give you the right overview of your event. Was it successful? Congratulations!
Some believe you should also measure how much fun your guests had during the event. However, this metric should be 100% linked to the number of donations you have received.
Using these tactics, your fundraisers will have a profound effect on the people attending it. Remember that personal engagement is the key to a donor’s heart.
Speaking of entertainment
The success of an event heavily depends on the entertainment and speaker you choose. We have plenty of comedians; artists and speakers specialized in fundraisers. Get in touch with us and we will help you find the best person to represent your cause at the fundraiser.
The Grable Group is a booking agency and entertainment company providing top quality services for any event. Working with us gives your event high chances of reaching its goals.
To learn more, either call us right away at 615-283-0039.
