Fundraising Dos and Don’ts

With this list of fundraising dos and don’ts, you’ll be able to avoid common pitfalls and get your team the support it needs.

Don’t: Be Too Aggressive

If the first thing your community hears from you is a sales pitch, it could make people uncomfortable and uninterested in what else you have to say. Instead, occasionally share non-fundraising related messages with your community — major wins in your program, or just regular happenings.

Finding the right way to ask is an important part of the fundraising process, and it takes balance to get it right. Check out this blog for some of our effective donor email templates.

Do: Manage Donor Relationships

Take the time to build meaningful relationships with both potential and first time donors. Let them know specifically how their involvement helps, and invite them to follow your program on social media or sign up for your newsletter if you have one.

For active or returning donors, let them know you appreciate their participation in your program, and occasionally share non-fundraising updates with them. Be sure to share any wins within your program, and invite them to attend various events.

Don’t: Use a Complicated Donation Process

Make it easy for your donors to support your program. If your process for collecting donations has too many steps or any weird quirks that are hard to navigate, you risk losing your donor’s attention and even potentially frustrating them.

Keep your process simple and straightforward, whether that be with a dedicated P.O. box or web page, or by adopting an online fundraising platform like Snap! Raise.

Do: Emphasize Financial Transparency

Donors like to know where their money is going, and what issue it’s helping to address. Be open and honest with your community about your program’s financials, and share data that shows how they’re helping you make a real impact.

Take the time and effort to build meaningful relationships with both potential and first time donors. Let them know specifically how their involvement helps, and invite them to follow your program on social media or sign up for your newsletter if you have one.

For active or returning donors, let them know you appreciate their participation in your program, and occasionally share non-fundraising updates with them. Be sure to share any wins within your program, and invite them to attend various events.

For transparent money management, consider a platform like Snap! Spend. The Snap! Spend platform allows you to see your program’s expenses, budget, and pending payments, as well as share this information with your community in an easy-to-understand layout. If people can see exactly how they are helping you reach your goals, it will incentivize them to keep offering their support down the line.

Don’t: Set Unrealistic Expectations

Fundraisers are exciting, but it’s important to keep everyone’s expectations in check, including your own. Asking for too much can turn donors off of your program, and sets everyone else up for disappointment when those goals aren’t met.

Do: Acknowledge Donations and Complaints

Use timely thank you emails during and after your fundraiser to show your donors how much you appreciate their contributions. This also extends to members who volunteer to help your program, or donate materials instead of money.

Likewise, if you get any comments or criticisms about your fundraiser, be sure you respond in a thoughtful way. If your donors feel ignored, don’t count on them to support you the next time around. Keep track of the critique, who brought it up, and take action to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Do: Let Snap! Mobile Help

We offer tools that can help you build a thriving program for yourself and your participants, like Snap! Spend, Snap! Raise, Snap! Store, and more. In addition to the tools themselves, we also have a team of representatives that can provide personal support and advice. Sign up here to learn more about how Snap! Mobile can support you today.

Start your best fundraiser today.