Do You Need Help Raising Money? Here Are the Top Fundraising Tips

Do you need to raise money for an important cause? At GoFundMe, we’ve seen fundraisers meet and beat their goals using our unique fundraising tips. Whether you’re a seasoned fundraiser or an absolute beginner, here are some pro fundraising tips for making your fundraiser a success.

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Young girl psoing in front of her lemonade stand for charity

How to create a successful crowdfunding fundraiser

Begin with a realistic goal
Launch your fundraiser with an achievable fundraising goal, create momentum, then aim for more. Don’t worry—you can always raise it later.
- Launch the fundraiser and let it hit its stride.
- If your financial needs grow, it’s OK to continue increasing your goal.
- Make sure to show a detailed cost breakdown to show potential donors exactly where their money will go.
For more tips, read our blog posts:
- How to Create a Fundraising Plan
- 20 Online Fundraising Tools
Use your title to tell a shareable story
Your fundraiser title may be the most important aspect of your fundraiser—it’s usually the first thing people see.
- Choose a name that makes people want to learn more about and share your cause.
- Make it short, descriptive, inspiring, and easy-to-find when people search online. If appropriate, also make it funny and personable.
- Include the first and last name of the beneficiary in the title—it’s usually the first thing donors search for. A great example is: Jeremy Mason K-9 Officer
- Create a unique hashtag for your fundraiser that makes it easy for people to find and follow it on social media. Pair it with hashtags associated with your cause or event.
- Keep in mind: fundraiser titles with four to eight words raise more funds.
- Customizing your fundraiser URL makes it easy for friends and family to identify and share the link to your fundraiser.
For more tips, read our blog posts:
Tell a unique story that’s easy to skim
Successful fundraising requires being open about your financial need. Tell your story in honest and heartfelt words you’d use to explain your cause to a friend.
- Highlight details that paint a personal and compelling picture.
- Answer basic questions, such as who the fundraiser is for; what happened; where, when, and why it’s important to you; how you know the beneficiary; and how the funds will be used.
- Break down the costs that make up your fundraising goal. For example, “How the funds will be used: $1,000 will be used for medical transportation and $9,000 will cover Jennifer’s unpaid leave from work to care for her children.”
- Read your story aloud, considering how it might sound to potential donors. Which details will inspire empathy and compel readers to care enough to make a donation?
- Find similar fundraisers that have successfully reached their goal. Use their approaches as guidelines for your own fundraiser.
- Use headlines and subheadlines in your fundraiser description to break up text, making it easier to read. Give an overview of your story to make it easy for readers to skim.
- Include a mailing address so people can send offline donations if they choose.
- Fundraiser descriptions of 400 words or more receive more donations.
For more tips, check out:
Upload high-quality photos and videos
High-quality images can instantly evoke empathy in your beneficiaries and have a dramatic impact on fundraising success.
- Choose a clear, high-resolution feature photo that will attract donors and help persuade them to lend support. This is the first image people will see on social media.
- Fundraisers with five or more photos raise more than those with fewer. Add more images to broaden your appeal or show different aspects of your cause. Post updates that include photos.
- Use video; GoFundMe fundraisers with videos raise more than those without. Videos are a great way to communicate with supporters and potential donors. You can add videos from YouTube or Facebook.
For more tips on images and videos, see these posts:
- How Images Can Lead to Fundraising Success
- Videos Are Powerful Fundraiser Tools
Build a community
Leverage social media by posting inspiring messages, photos, and videos to draw interest to your fundraiser.
- Use the social media buttons on your fundraiser to share on Facebook, Twitter, and email.
- Click on the button with the “+” sign below your fundraiser story to get an embeddable widget for easy placement on your website or blog.
- In every message you send, include a link to your fundraiser page and ask others to share it. Include a hashtag to make your fundraiser easier to find.
- Offline fundraising events are a great way to build connection, especially for crowdfunding fundraisers that touch a whole community.
- Create a website or blog about your fundraiser to help build community.
For more tips on creating community, see these posts:
Get press coverage
Getting your fundraiser in the local news will help more potential donors see your cause. (It’s not as hard as you might think.)
- Search for news stories about causes similar to yours, and seek out the journalists who covered those stories.
- Give journalists a newsworthy hook. Why will their audience care?
- Share your contact details so journalists can contact you.
- Use a low-cost press release service to share your story and fundraiser URL; this gives you an excellent chance of being picked up by both local and national press.
For more strategies for getting media coverage, see these pages:
- How to Get Local Media to Cover Your Fundraiser
- Online Fundraising Without Social Media: 42 Ways to Share Offline
Update your fundraiser regularly
The more often you update your supporters, the greater your chances for fundraising success.
- Post text, photo, or video updates at least once a week. Share good news, challenges, and setbacks. Bring your supporters along on your journey.
- Share your updates on the social media platform you use (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and use relevant hashtags.
- Encourage people to sign up to receive your updates through the “Subscribe to Updates” button on your GoFundMe page.
For more tips on updates, see these pages:
- How to Write a Fundraising Update
- Use These Fundraising Email Templates to Reach Your Goal Faster
Adjust your goal as needed
It’s important to set an achievable fundraising goal to create momentum.
- If circumstances change or progress is slower than expected, consider adjusting your fundraising goal.
- Let your supporters know about your updated goal and encourage them to take action to help you achieve it.
For more on fundraising goals, check out:
- How Fundraising Goals Lead to Winning Fundraisers
- What to Do When Your Fundraising Fundraiser Stalls
Follow up on your fundraiser
Achieving your fundraising goal is not the end of your story. Donors want to find out what happened and how the beneficiary’s life has changed.
- Share the success of your fundraiser with your community by following up with updates including photos, video, or links to news coverage.
- Show your gratitude by thanking your donors.
For more tips on following up on your fundraiser, see this pages:
- How to Write a Donation Thank You Letter
- 20 Affordable Ways to Say Thank You to Donors
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