Fundraising - State a Goal & Keep Folks in the Loop

How do you raise $3600 or so in less than a week-and-a-half?

By honestly stating a case, asking and accepting donations of ANY size, and keeping people up to date. I wasn't following any specific methodology while raising money for a friend at church that had cancer. We simply knew that we had a few guys willing to shave their heads and a goal of about $2000 with about 8 days to raise it.

We thought we were being aggressive in our goal-setting since each of us had full-time jobs and family commitments that limited the time we could commit to the effort.

We created a single online page with Bill's story, a couple of photos, a few PayPal donation buttons, and the "Bald-O-Meter" to track our progress. We spread the word via e-mail, face-to-face conversations, and announcements at our church. We ended up receiving donations totaling over $3600 (a small dent in Bill's medical bills, but much appreciated help).

And what, beyond our bald heads was most mentioned? The Bald-o-meter. We had over 550 visitors to the page - 150 of which returned to continue to keep tabs on our progress with the bald-o-meter. Folks rally around tracking mechanisms because they make them feel a part of something larger than themselves.

So... when your nonprofit is pursuing raising funds online...

• Be specific with your goals (and make them realistic ones)
• Help folks understand how many donors at a certain dollar amount it will take to meet your goal
• That said, accept donations of any size and sincerely appreciate every penny you receive
• Provide a mechanism for ongoing updates and provide them throughout your campaign (don't be afraid to have a little fun with it)

fyi... Bill is in remission and back at work as I type this message. He now has hair and I still have stubble. I have yet to be able to make it through the chia-pet stage where your hair is too short to do anything with, so I'm stickin' with stubble for now. Take care and happy fundraising. pba.