#GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit • 1 #GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving back that kicks off the holiday season. Since the day’s founding three years ago, crowdfunding has become a major component of the day. The momentum of #GivingTuesday gives nonprofit organizations a unique chance to activate their communities to increase their donor base, dollars raised, awareness and impact. For #GivingTuesday 2014 on Indiegogo, more than 350 campaigns raised over $10 million from 45,000 donations. On Tuesday December 1st, 2015 people around the world will come together on Generosity by Indiegogo to share their gratitude with no platform fees attached. Indiegogo was founded in 2008 to democratize access to capital. Since then, more than 300,000 people have raised millions on the site for anything from technology projects to films to nonprofits. Today, Indiegogo has more than 15 million monthly visitors with users in more than 200 countries and territories raising millions of dollars each week. Over the past year alone, Indiegogo hosted many of the world’s largest global cause-related crowdfunding campaigns such as the $5 million Code.org campaign to teach 100 million students how to code, a 75,000-donor fundraiser from Brandon Stanton of Humans of New York to address bonded labor in Pakistan and 800 projects launched to support relief efforts in Nepal. Inspired by the spirit of our users, we challenged ourselves to create a place for the people and organizations that are improving the world every day through good causes. Generosity by Indiegogo launched in October 2015 as a fundraising community built for personal and social causes. It is the biggest socially conscious fundraising platform that’s free, fast, and open, giving individuals and organizations the power to improve lives everywhere.
Transcript
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 1
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation ToolkitGivingTuesday is a global day of giving back that kicks off the holiday season Since the dayrsquos founding three years ago crowdfunding has become a major component of the day The momentum of GivingTuesday gives nonprofit organizations a unique chance to activate their communities to increase their donor base dollars raised awareness and impact
For GivingTuesday 2014 on Indiegogo more than 350 campaigns raised over $10 million from 45000 donations On Tuesday December 1st 2015 people around the world will come together on Generosity by Indiegogo to share their gratitude with no platform fees attached
Indiegogo was founded in 2008 to democratize access to capital Since then more than 300000 people have raised millions on the site for anything from technology projects to films to nonprofits Today Indiegogo has more than 15 million monthly visitors with users in more than 200 countries and territories raising millions of dollars each week Over the past year alone Indiegogo hosted many of the worldrsquos largest global cause-related crowdfunding campaigns
such as the $5 million Codeorg campaign to teach 100 million students how to code a 75000-donor fundraiser from Brandon Stanton of Humans of New York to address bonded labor in Pakistan and 800 projects launched to support relief efforts in Nepal
Inspired by the spirit of our users we challenged ourselves to create a place for the people and organizations that are improving the world every day through good causes Generosity by Indiegogo launched in October 2015 as a fundraising community built for personal and social causes It is the biggest socially conscious fundraising platform thatrsquos free fast and open giving individuals and organizations the power to improve lives everywhere
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 2
Anyone anywhere can start a fundraiser on Generosity for GivingTuesday giving you the opportunity to engage your supporters through the holiday season
What are the benefits of running a Generosity Fundraiser for GivingTuesdaybull Secure new donors and build a larger
email listbull Engage your community in simple and
effective social media integrationsbull Raise more funds by reaching Indiegogorsquos
global followersbull Keep what you raise with 0 platform feesbull Kick off your year-end fundraisingbull Raise awareness and impact of your work
This guide will provide you with all the resources you need to launch a successful fundraiser includingbull Setting your goal (Page 3)bull Organizing your team (Page 3)bull Writing your story (Page 5)bull Creating your video (Page 6)bull Planning your outreach (Page 8)
Starting Your FundraiserThe Basics Choosing a ProjectCrowdfunding is telling a story that resonates with your audience and empowers you to fund what matters to you As an organizer you are asking people to support yourself a loved one or a cause that matters to you You may already have end-of-year fundraising plans such as a gala or other offline campaign How can crowdfunding help you to achieve your long-term goals like reaching new segments of donors or engaging passionate people online The best fundraisers will complement your overall organizational goals
Before you start your fundraiser you should ask yourselfbull Who is your target audiencebull What resources and time do you currently
have to run this fundraiserbull Fundraising aside what objective are you
hoping to achieve
Your fundraiser can be used to support the greater ambitions of your project today and into the future Think about how you can advance other long-term objectives in addition to your immediate need for funding
The Parkinsonrsquos InstituteThe Parkinsonrsquos Institute was interested in expanding their donor base to include younger generations of donors When Bill Draper offered to make his annual gift as a seed donation to an Indiegogo campaign the Institute saw the opportunity to use a crowdfunding campaign and its social media capacities as a great way to reach millennials Ultimately the fundraiser raised more than 5 times Billrsquos donation from more than 450 donors
CLICK HERE TO START YOUR FUNDRAISER DRAFT
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 3
Finding Your TeamOnce yoursquove decided your fundraiserrsquos objectives you can identify the people who will be part of your team to plan and create your fundraiser
Wersquove found that fundraisers run by teams raise about 240 more money than fundraisers run by a single person Team members can be family friends coworkers or anyone you know who is excited about your fundraiser and wants to get involvedmdashthey donrsquot even need to be in the same place as you Teams not only expand a fundraiserrsquos inner and social network by adding more people but they also enable the organizer to delegate roles and responsibilities Team member roles can includebull Writer to draft the storybull Designer to choose images and infographicsbull Filmmaker to create the videobull Communications manager to handle social
media emails and pressbull Customer Service Representative to interact
with donorsbull Donations level manager to set donation
levels and manage fulfillment of any rewards
If running a fundraiser with a team isnrsquot an option donrsquot worry Even if you are one person doing all the tasks you can make it happen with hustle and dedication We recommend that you focus on 30 minutes a day to dedicate
yourself to a fundraiser taskmdashwrite a Facebook post send an update to your donors reach out to influencers or send an email to a few friends telling them about your fundraiser You should prioritize your outreach and make a plan to use your time wisely
How to Choose Your Fundraiser GoalAfter you choose your project and organize your team itrsquos time to set an attainable goal As the organizer you should choose a fundraiser goal that reflects what you need for your project Your goal is one of the most important elements of your fundraiser so it is important to set it thoughtfully
Focus on What You NeedBe sure to choose a goal that demonstrates that you understand exactly what you need We find that most fundraisers that reach their goal actually exceed it You can pass your goal and still attract new donors Exceeding your goal is never a bad thing
If you exceed your goal edit your story and post an update to reflect a new stretch goal if needed
The Harry Potter Alliance which organizes the fan community around promoting social good is running their fourth fundraiser on Indiegogo Each of their fundraiser team members has a job during the campaign such as adding new donation levels sending emails contacting top donors and more They also give their local chapters tasks during the campaign and turn it into a competition For example the local chapter that shares the campaign the most will win an exclusive prize
To give you a timeline of how to plan launch and execute a fundraiser check out the GivingTuesday Prep Calendar
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 4
Check Your Community SupportUse the amount of support you already have to set a reasonable goal Attainable goals motivate donors to give whereas unattainable goals can dissuade donors by appearing far-fetched No matter how much you raise you can keep the funds
We recommend setting your goal to the smallest amount you need to reach This will help your fundraiser build momentum faster For example compare the two fundraiserrsquos goals below Both have raised $5000 but the one with the lower goal looks like it has more momentum because it has achieved a greater percentage of itrsquos goal
Raising the First 30We find that most fundraisers that hit their goals raise about 30 of their funds from their own communities Why is this bull When new visitors see that others trust you
with their money it gives them the confidence to donate
bull This initial funding also gives your fundraiser momentum that can be leveraged for marketing and press
bull You donrsquot need to raise all the funds you need with just one fundraiser You can always run a different fundraiser for each unique stage of your project if yoursquod like
Common Vision began reaching out to their community early and maintained communication up until launch Talking to their donors early secured early donations which helped inform their goal They organized small events such as barbecues to let people know they were going to run a fundraiser Then the team hosted fundraiser meetups for their close community of teachers volunteers and others ten to twenty days before the launch They shared the plans for the fundraiser a snippet of the video and their long term strategic vision for the organization The team asked its members to think through the target amount they could raise from their own communities and who would be able to donate right away A few days before they launched the team called up these early donors to ask if they would be willing to commit to donating at the start or end of the fundraiser
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 5
An easy way to calculate your goal is to create a list of your existing supporters friends and family with approximate amounts you think theyrsquod be willing to contribute This total amount should represent 30 of your goal Remember you can always raise more funds that the external goal you set on the page On average fundraisers that reach their goal also exceed it by 72
Creating Your FundraiserFraming Your MessageThe story is the heart of your fundraiser Crowdfunding is telling a story that resonates with your audience You are asking people to support and engage in a project you are proud of or a personal life event Present your cause in a way that will make others want to support Share a personal story from the founder a team member a major donor or someone you serve Providing as much information as possible also fosters trust and transparency among the visitors and potential donors to your fundraiser
Here are the top tips for sharing your storybull Tell a compelling story of why your community
cares about this cause from a personal perspective and keep it short
bull Explain exactly why you are raising money and create a sense of urgency
bull Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and provide context
bull Break long text into sections with headers and images
bull Make it meaningful and be authentic bull Ask someone else to proofread your pitch text
and give feedback
One of the great things about crowdfunding is that it helps you create a personal connection with your audience that can last well beyond your campaign Show your compassion and explain why this is important
Writing Your StoryKeeping the tips from ldquoFraming Your Messagerdquo in mind herersquos the format our Cause Fundraising Strategist recommend for your storyrsquos format and textbull Title Include your project or organizationrsquos
name for SEO purposes and describe your fundraiser in a few catchy words
bull Tagline Elaborate on the title and highlight the main goal of the fundraiser
bull Fundraiser summary at the start of your story Put the most important information first so donors have all the information they need to donate right away Answer the who what why and how of the project
bull The Project Present the problem that you are addressing and propose a solution Give us the facts and share your plan
Many fundraisers create amazing images and write engaging stories but two in particular stand out Orphan School raised funds across multiple campaigns to build a school in India Project Hyena Diorama asked donors to help restore a Hyena Diorama at the Field Museum in Chicago Both fundraisers have organized layouts including graphics and images
CLICK HERE TO START YOUR FUNDRAISER DRAFT
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 6
bull Press Highlight any press yoursquove received with an image showing major logos
bull About the Organization Share your organizationrsquos mission and history
bull Impact Emphasize the success of the work yoursquove done Share statistics or facts in an infographic and add stories from your community
bull The Team Introduce your team with short bios including their roles and credentials to build trust with your donors
bull The Budget Break down your budget and show how the funds will be used in a visual
bull Partners Show the logos of your organizationrsquos partners for recognition
bull Other Ways to Help Ask your donors to share the fundraiser and thank them for helping out
Remember to keep each section short Including headers with a larger font size and images between each section helps break up the text and make the page easier to read
Tool Tip You can use free sites like Piktochart or Venngage to create infographics for your story Fotoflexer or Pixlr are also great for photo editing
Putting Together Your VideoThe fundraiser video is a great opportunity to personally share your story with your community and wider audience Fundraisers with a video also raise four times more than fundraisers without video You should create a new video for your Generosity fundraiser mdash donors want to be a part of a unique opportunity and connect with your organization
Here are most important tips to create a good videobull Tell your story clearly and conciselybull The first 30 seconds count the most mdash explain
the main goal of the fundraiser and answer the basic details such as who what why and how
bull Include a strong call to actionbull Keep it under 3 minutesbull Express gratitude
Personal connectionWe cannot emphasize this enough Creating a personal connection with your audience is the best way to engage new donors and increase donations Sharing your compassion in your story and video will make donors more likely to join your cause
Keep It SimpleYou do not need a budget or videographer to make a great video The best videos feature the organizer speaking to the camera and sharing their story
When fundraiser videos include personal stories they often reflect the compassion of the organization Root Division included many community members in their video with each stakeholder sharing a piece of the overall story
The Parkinsonrsquos Institute worked with Bill Draper to create a video sharing Billrsquos story when his wife Phyllis was diagnosed with Parkinsonrsquos The results are very emotional and create a strong personal touch to the fundraiser
Parkinsonrsquos Wersquore in this together
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 7
The first thirty seconds of your fundraiserrsquos video should give viewers all of the information they need to make their decision in the shortest time possible
Foster TrustThe video is also a great opportunity to highlight your existing community If you are working with a team to run the fundraiser include them in the body of your video Your friends family and supporters can share their stories about your fundraiser too
If you have existing press coverage a good reputation in your field or a dedicated fan base donrsquot be afraid to put these on screen in the first thirty seconds
Technical tip Videos will need to be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo to add them to the campaign
Donation LevelsDonation levels (aka perks) are coming soon to Generosity and will be available in time for GivingTuesday In the meantime you can create incentives for potential donors and add them to the fundraiser story
On Indiegogo perks are benefits that you offer donors in exchange for their contribution Perks can include recognition (name on a website thank you letter) physical perks (stickers T-shirt) event voucher (tickets to a show opportunity to meet your organization) or digital downloads (mixtape ebook video) With donation levels you will be abel to offer a perk share the impact of the donation or create a suggested amount for donations Sharing the impact of the donation is a great way to motivate supporters For example if you are raising funds for a school you could say that $15 provides school supplies for one student
Until full donation level functionality is available you can offer perks or other incentives for donors right in the fundraiser story Create a list of incentives that you can offer to your donors through the campaign Then put the perks in the story of the fundraiser as a list or image showing the incentives with a donation amount Donors will see the perks associated with donation amounts on the page and donate the required amount to the fundraiser As the organizer you can download a CSV file with all of your donorrsquos information including email address and amount contributed on the fundraiser dashboard
Check out this great example (below) of an incentive breakdown by the San Francisco based nonprofit Root Division
Sign up now to be the first to know about donation levels on Generosity
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 8
Promoting Your FundraiserMake a PlanFundraising can be extremely rewarding for yourself and your organization When running a fundraiser you want to start building momentum as early as possible Planning your fundraiser promotion before you launch will help you make the most of your first 48 hours and set you up for success during the duration of your fundraiser
The best channels for promotion arebull Email bull Social Mediabull Updatesbull PRbull In personbull Telephone
To give you a timeline of how to plan execute and launch a fundraiser check out the GivingTuesday Prep Calendar
Email OutreachSending personalized emails to your donors friends and family is the best way to garner early support for your fundraiser We find that email is the best outreach method for a fundraiser and brings in more funding than any other outreach method
To help ensure your early email outreach is a success use the following steps
Identify Your Top DonorsBefore you launch your fundraiser identify your major donors and early supporters of the project A few weeks out you should start contacting your list of major donors to ask for early pledges of support This will help you set your goal in order to raise 30 in the first few days
That way when wider audiences visit your page theyrsquoll see your project already has a strong base of support and will feel more comfortable contributing to it themselves
Organize Your ListsOnce yoursquove identified your top donors make sure to organize your additional email lists Ask your team to identify their own networks of supporters as well Donrsquot forgot to create a list for friends and family too Leveraging contacts from Gmail Facebook Twitter and other social channels is a great first step toward building these lists
Craft Your MessageNext you should craft your message for each email list The best emails are personalized for your audience and give them a direct action Emails should includebull An inviting introduction Include the personrsquos
name an individualized greeting and one sentence explaining why they have a personal stake in your project Set the stage with a genuine tone
bull Your story This is your chance to get personal and explain why your project matters to you Including events or major turning points that led you to your campaign are great details for further investing your audience in your journey
bull An invitation Point out the values you share with your audience and then show how those values relate to your project Make your audience unable to deny its investment in your projectrsquos success
bull A call to action Clearly state one thing your audience can do to help your campaign and provide them with the single necessary link template or information to do so
bull A graphic While not necessary graphics go a long way toward conveying the more complicated information your campaign might entail
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 9
Promoting Your Fundraiser with Social MediaAfter direct personal emails social media is one of best ways to engage your communities and encourage your supporters to spread the word about the fundraiser
When it comes to social media keep a few important things in mind1 Take some time and invest in growing your
social media presence engagement and relationship with your followers before you launch your fundraiser
2 Be sure to go to where your audience is located Focus your efforts around social media sites with your largest numbers of followers
3 Make sure you are using good etiquette (crowdfunding and otherwise) Thank your donors for contributing or posting your project Engage with them and make them feel a part of the larger goal Respond to their questions and comments donrsquot ignore them Donrsquot spam them with the same post over and over again
4 Your posts should be frequent and varied in subject matter Posts should be engagement-driven and shouldbull Let your crowd know how their donations
can make a differencebull Share your fundraiserrsquos status
and milestonesbull Share new images or videos of your projectbull Provide a chance to get to know you
and your team
HashtagsHave a predetermined hashtag to rally your posts around and include it in each of your posts (not only on Twitter but also Facebook Instagram etc)
FacebookFacebook is a great opportunity to drive traffic to your fundraiser In fact after email Facebook is the most powerful ldquosharerdquo tool and is responsible for eliciting more donations to fundraisers on Indiegogo than any other social networking tool
Ask those who have already contributed to share your project on their Facebook walls Build this message into the ldquoThank Yourdquo email you send to your contributors Have a quick pre-written line or two linking to your fundraiser they can easily post to Facebook and be sure let them know how important Facebook is in helping you raise awareness and donations
Herersquos a great post from App Camp for Girls Facebook promotion
Find App Camp for Girls on Facebook
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 10
TwitterTwitter can be used for quick direct and casual interactions with your followers Be sure to share your short-link in your posts and answer questions or comments about your fundraiser
Twitter can also be a great way to connect with journalists bloggers and other influencers who may be interested in writing about or sharing your fundraiser Use Twitter to quickly thank your community as well
Kartma a program by Downtown Streets Team to create jobs for the homeless did a great job posting Tweets throughout their fundraiser see an example below
InstagramInstagram is a valuable social channel for image-driven fundraisers If your story can be told visually or has a strong visual component consider integrating Instagram into your Facebook and Twitter content strategies
Remember Instagram doesnrsquot allow clickable URLs to be posted with a post So be sure to add the fundraiser link to your Bio and direct people to the link in each post
Bring Visitors Back To Your FundraiserYour fundraiser page should serve as the central hub for all project-related content No matter how many social channels you leverage make sure each includes a clear path back home so that your audience can find your fundraiser mdash and donate mdash as easily as possible
Donrsquot forgot to tag us in your postsFacebookcomgenerositycom
Twittercomgenerosity
Instagram mdash generositycom
generositycom
Find Kartma Cafe on Twitter
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 11
How to Update Your DonorsUpdates are posts on your fundraisers that are sent as emails to all your donors We recommend posting updates often to keep your donors engaged and boost your fundraiserrsquos success
Organizers who provide updates once every five days tend to raise 218 more than those who update less often Yoursquoll help instill trust to grow your community (updating provides even more opportunities for donors to share your fundraiser creating new fans) and in turn increase funds
Why use Updatesbull Posts stay on your fundraiser much like a blog providing room to tell
your continued story Your donors can then be more aware of how their funds are used
bull Updates remain visible to all users informing those beyond your immediate social network
bull Updating your fundraiser boosts your likelihood of being promoted through Indiegogorsquos channels including our blog newsletter and homepage
bull Best of all updating your fundraiser is easy
4 Keys for Excellent Updatesbull Post something at least once every five daysmdashbut be mindful of your
donorsrsquo inboxes Create an update when there is something new related to your fundraiser
bull Share your latest campaign achievements Your donors can feel good knowing theyrsquove been part of these milestones and if they share your fundraiser can encourage others to donate too
bull Include videos and photos with your updates It can help your donors feel more closely involved
bull Include a call to action for your donors at the bottom of the update such as sharing the campaign
Evacuspots successfully raised funds to light the evacuation spots in New Orleans to aid disaster relief preparedness in the city They did a great job of posting updates throughout the fundraiser to share progress and thank their contributors This is an update they posted to encourage their networks to share the fundraiser
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 12
Suggested Schedulebull Create one update each week geared toward
forging a deeper connection with your followers Share news personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes photos and videos
bull Create a second weekly update encouraging contributors to share your campaign You can for example share your new stretch goals andor personally thank your community for its support
PR TipsPutting your fundraiser into the media spotlight can be a great way to raise awareness in your community and get the people around you excited about what yoursquore doing Itrsquos best to share your story with press after yoursquove raised your first 30 When the articles are posted the new visitors will be more likely to donate when they see that your fundraiser already has supporters
Here are a few key tipsbull Identify newspapers magazines bloggers
social media influencers and other press sources in advance You can create a list of writers and prioritize your options
bull Draft a press release that you can send out after yoursquove reached 30 of your goal
bull Helpful PDF Getting Local Press to Write About Your Fundraiser
ConclusionGivingTuesday brings together our global community to amplify social impact one day a year On Tuesday December 1st 2015 cause-driven organizations will join Generosity by Indiegogo to share gratitude without extra fees attached By utilizing the strategies in this guide we hope you will launch your cause fundraiser with strong momentum leading up to GivingTuesday
Sign up now to receive access to our Community Engagement Toolkit with tips for amplifying your impact and increasing your donations on GivingTuesday 2015
Questions Check out the Generosity Help Center
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 2
Anyone anywhere can start a fundraiser on Generosity for GivingTuesday giving you the opportunity to engage your supporters through the holiday season
What are the benefits of running a Generosity Fundraiser for GivingTuesdaybull Secure new donors and build a larger
email listbull Engage your community in simple and
effective social media integrationsbull Raise more funds by reaching Indiegogorsquos
global followersbull Keep what you raise with 0 platform feesbull Kick off your year-end fundraisingbull Raise awareness and impact of your work
This guide will provide you with all the resources you need to launch a successful fundraiser includingbull Setting your goal (Page 3)bull Organizing your team (Page 3)bull Writing your story (Page 5)bull Creating your video (Page 6)bull Planning your outreach (Page 8)
Starting Your FundraiserThe Basics Choosing a ProjectCrowdfunding is telling a story that resonates with your audience and empowers you to fund what matters to you As an organizer you are asking people to support yourself a loved one or a cause that matters to you You may already have end-of-year fundraising plans such as a gala or other offline campaign How can crowdfunding help you to achieve your long-term goals like reaching new segments of donors or engaging passionate people online The best fundraisers will complement your overall organizational goals
Before you start your fundraiser you should ask yourselfbull Who is your target audiencebull What resources and time do you currently
have to run this fundraiserbull Fundraising aside what objective are you
hoping to achieve
Your fundraiser can be used to support the greater ambitions of your project today and into the future Think about how you can advance other long-term objectives in addition to your immediate need for funding
The Parkinsonrsquos InstituteThe Parkinsonrsquos Institute was interested in expanding their donor base to include younger generations of donors When Bill Draper offered to make his annual gift as a seed donation to an Indiegogo campaign the Institute saw the opportunity to use a crowdfunding campaign and its social media capacities as a great way to reach millennials Ultimately the fundraiser raised more than 5 times Billrsquos donation from more than 450 donors
CLICK HERE TO START YOUR FUNDRAISER DRAFT
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 3
Finding Your TeamOnce yoursquove decided your fundraiserrsquos objectives you can identify the people who will be part of your team to plan and create your fundraiser
Wersquove found that fundraisers run by teams raise about 240 more money than fundraisers run by a single person Team members can be family friends coworkers or anyone you know who is excited about your fundraiser and wants to get involvedmdashthey donrsquot even need to be in the same place as you Teams not only expand a fundraiserrsquos inner and social network by adding more people but they also enable the organizer to delegate roles and responsibilities Team member roles can includebull Writer to draft the storybull Designer to choose images and infographicsbull Filmmaker to create the videobull Communications manager to handle social
media emails and pressbull Customer Service Representative to interact
with donorsbull Donations level manager to set donation
levels and manage fulfillment of any rewards
If running a fundraiser with a team isnrsquot an option donrsquot worry Even if you are one person doing all the tasks you can make it happen with hustle and dedication We recommend that you focus on 30 minutes a day to dedicate
yourself to a fundraiser taskmdashwrite a Facebook post send an update to your donors reach out to influencers or send an email to a few friends telling them about your fundraiser You should prioritize your outreach and make a plan to use your time wisely
How to Choose Your Fundraiser GoalAfter you choose your project and organize your team itrsquos time to set an attainable goal As the organizer you should choose a fundraiser goal that reflects what you need for your project Your goal is one of the most important elements of your fundraiser so it is important to set it thoughtfully
Focus on What You NeedBe sure to choose a goal that demonstrates that you understand exactly what you need We find that most fundraisers that reach their goal actually exceed it You can pass your goal and still attract new donors Exceeding your goal is never a bad thing
If you exceed your goal edit your story and post an update to reflect a new stretch goal if needed
The Harry Potter Alliance which organizes the fan community around promoting social good is running their fourth fundraiser on Indiegogo Each of their fundraiser team members has a job during the campaign such as adding new donation levels sending emails contacting top donors and more They also give their local chapters tasks during the campaign and turn it into a competition For example the local chapter that shares the campaign the most will win an exclusive prize
To give you a timeline of how to plan launch and execute a fundraiser check out the GivingTuesday Prep Calendar
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 4
Check Your Community SupportUse the amount of support you already have to set a reasonable goal Attainable goals motivate donors to give whereas unattainable goals can dissuade donors by appearing far-fetched No matter how much you raise you can keep the funds
We recommend setting your goal to the smallest amount you need to reach This will help your fundraiser build momentum faster For example compare the two fundraiserrsquos goals below Both have raised $5000 but the one with the lower goal looks like it has more momentum because it has achieved a greater percentage of itrsquos goal
Raising the First 30We find that most fundraisers that hit their goals raise about 30 of their funds from their own communities Why is this bull When new visitors see that others trust you
with their money it gives them the confidence to donate
bull This initial funding also gives your fundraiser momentum that can be leveraged for marketing and press
bull You donrsquot need to raise all the funds you need with just one fundraiser You can always run a different fundraiser for each unique stage of your project if yoursquod like
Common Vision began reaching out to their community early and maintained communication up until launch Talking to their donors early secured early donations which helped inform their goal They organized small events such as barbecues to let people know they were going to run a fundraiser Then the team hosted fundraiser meetups for their close community of teachers volunteers and others ten to twenty days before the launch They shared the plans for the fundraiser a snippet of the video and their long term strategic vision for the organization The team asked its members to think through the target amount they could raise from their own communities and who would be able to donate right away A few days before they launched the team called up these early donors to ask if they would be willing to commit to donating at the start or end of the fundraiser
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 5
An easy way to calculate your goal is to create a list of your existing supporters friends and family with approximate amounts you think theyrsquod be willing to contribute This total amount should represent 30 of your goal Remember you can always raise more funds that the external goal you set on the page On average fundraisers that reach their goal also exceed it by 72
Creating Your FundraiserFraming Your MessageThe story is the heart of your fundraiser Crowdfunding is telling a story that resonates with your audience You are asking people to support and engage in a project you are proud of or a personal life event Present your cause in a way that will make others want to support Share a personal story from the founder a team member a major donor or someone you serve Providing as much information as possible also fosters trust and transparency among the visitors and potential donors to your fundraiser
Here are the top tips for sharing your storybull Tell a compelling story of why your community
cares about this cause from a personal perspective and keep it short
bull Explain exactly why you are raising money and create a sense of urgency
bull Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and provide context
bull Break long text into sections with headers and images
bull Make it meaningful and be authentic bull Ask someone else to proofread your pitch text
and give feedback
One of the great things about crowdfunding is that it helps you create a personal connection with your audience that can last well beyond your campaign Show your compassion and explain why this is important
Writing Your StoryKeeping the tips from ldquoFraming Your Messagerdquo in mind herersquos the format our Cause Fundraising Strategist recommend for your storyrsquos format and textbull Title Include your project or organizationrsquos
name for SEO purposes and describe your fundraiser in a few catchy words
bull Tagline Elaborate on the title and highlight the main goal of the fundraiser
bull Fundraiser summary at the start of your story Put the most important information first so donors have all the information they need to donate right away Answer the who what why and how of the project
bull The Project Present the problem that you are addressing and propose a solution Give us the facts and share your plan
Many fundraisers create amazing images and write engaging stories but two in particular stand out Orphan School raised funds across multiple campaigns to build a school in India Project Hyena Diorama asked donors to help restore a Hyena Diorama at the Field Museum in Chicago Both fundraisers have organized layouts including graphics and images
CLICK HERE TO START YOUR FUNDRAISER DRAFT
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 6
bull Press Highlight any press yoursquove received with an image showing major logos
bull About the Organization Share your organizationrsquos mission and history
bull Impact Emphasize the success of the work yoursquove done Share statistics or facts in an infographic and add stories from your community
bull The Team Introduce your team with short bios including their roles and credentials to build trust with your donors
bull The Budget Break down your budget and show how the funds will be used in a visual
bull Partners Show the logos of your organizationrsquos partners for recognition
bull Other Ways to Help Ask your donors to share the fundraiser and thank them for helping out
Remember to keep each section short Including headers with a larger font size and images between each section helps break up the text and make the page easier to read
Tool Tip You can use free sites like Piktochart or Venngage to create infographics for your story Fotoflexer or Pixlr are also great for photo editing
Putting Together Your VideoThe fundraiser video is a great opportunity to personally share your story with your community and wider audience Fundraisers with a video also raise four times more than fundraisers without video You should create a new video for your Generosity fundraiser mdash donors want to be a part of a unique opportunity and connect with your organization
Here are most important tips to create a good videobull Tell your story clearly and conciselybull The first 30 seconds count the most mdash explain
the main goal of the fundraiser and answer the basic details such as who what why and how
bull Include a strong call to actionbull Keep it under 3 minutesbull Express gratitude
Personal connectionWe cannot emphasize this enough Creating a personal connection with your audience is the best way to engage new donors and increase donations Sharing your compassion in your story and video will make donors more likely to join your cause
Keep It SimpleYou do not need a budget or videographer to make a great video The best videos feature the organizer speaking to the camera and sharing their story
When fundraiser videos include personal stories they often reflect the compassion of the organization Root Division included many community members in their video with each stakeholder sharing a piece of the overall story
The Parkinsonrsquos Institute worked with Bill Draper to create a video sharing Billrsquos story when his wife Phyllis was diagnosed with Parkinsonrsquos The results are very emotional and create a strong personal touch to the fundraiser
Parkinsonrsquos Wersquore in this together
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 7
The first thirty seconds of your fundraiserrsquos video should give viewers all of the information they need to make their decision in the shortest time possible
Foster TrustThe video is also a great opportunity to highlight your existing community If you are working with a team to run the fundraiser include them in the body of your video Your friends family and supporters can share their stories about your fundraiser too
If you have existing press coverage a good reputation in your field or a dedicated fan base donrsquot be afraid to put these on screen in the first thirty seconds
Technical tip Videos will need to be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo to add them to the campaign
Donation LevelsDonation levels (aka perks) are coming soon to Generosity and will be available in time for GivingTuesday In the meantime you can create incentives for potential donors and add them to the fundraiser story
On Indiegogo perks are benefits that you offer donors in exchange for their contribution Perks can include recognition (name on a website thank you letter) physical perks (stickers T-shirt) event voucher (tickets to a show opportunity to meet your organization) or digital downloads (mixtape ebook video) With donation levels you will be abel to offer a perk share the impact of the donation or create a suggested amount for donations Sharing the impact of the donation is a great way to motivate supporters For example if you are raising funds for a school you could say that $15 provides school supplies for one student
Until full donation level functionality is available you can offer perks or other incentives for donors right in the fundraiser story Create a list of incentives that you can offer to your donors through the campaign Then put the perks in the story of the fundraiser as a list or image showing the incentives with a donation amount Donors will see the perks associated with donation amounts on the page and donate the required amount to the fundraiser As the organizer you can download a CSV file with all of your donorrsquos information including email address and amount contributed on the fundraiser dashboard
Check out this great example (below) of an incentive breakdown by the San Francisco based nonprofit Root Division
Sign up now to be the first to know about donation levels on Generosity
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 8
Promoting Your FundraiserMake a PlanFundraising can be extremely rewarding for yourself and your organization When running a fundraiser you want to start building momentum as early as possible Planning your fundraiser promotion before you launch will help you make the most of your first 48 hours and set you up for success during the duration of your fundraiser
The best channels for promotion arebull Email bull Social Mediabull Updatesbull PRbull In personbull Telephone
To give you a timeline of how to plan execute and launch a fundraiser check out the GivingTuesday Prep Calendar
Email OutreachSending personalized emails to your donors friends and family is the best way to garner early support for your fundraiser We find that email is the best outreach method for a fundraiser and brings in more funding than any other outreach method
To help ensure your early email outreach is a success use the following steps
Identify Your Top DonorsBefore you launch your fundraiser identify your major donors and early supporters of the project A few weeks out you should start contacting your list of major donors to ask for early pledges of support This will help you set your goal in order to raise 30 in the first few days
That way when wider audiences visit your page theyrsquoll see your project already has a strong base of support and will feel more comfortable contributing to it themselves
Organize Your ListsOnce yoursquove identified your top donors make sure to organize your additional email lists Ask your team to identify their own networks of supporters as well Donrsquot forgot to create a list for friends and family too Leveraging contacts from Gmail Facebook Twitter and other social channels is a great first step toward building these lists
Craft Your MessageNext you should craft your message for each email list The best emails are personalized for your audience and give them a direct action Emails should includebull An inviting introduction Include the personrsquos
name an individualized greeting and one sentence explaining why they have a personal stake in your project Set the stage with a genuine tone
bull Your story This is your chance to get personal and explain why your project matters to you Including events or major turning points that led you to your campaign are great details for further investing your audience in your journey
bull An invitation Point out the values you share with your audience and then show how those values relate to your project Make your audience unable to deny its investment in your projectrsquos success
bull A call to action Clearly state one thing your audience can do to help your campaign and provide them with the single necessary link template or information to do so
bull A graphic While not necessary graphics go a long way toward conveying the more complicated information your campaign might entail
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 9
Promoting Your Fundraiser with Social MediaAfter direct personal emails social media is one of best ways to engage your communities and encourage your supporters to spread the word about the fundraiser
When it comes to social media keep a few important things in mind1 Take some time and invest in growing your
social media presence engagement and relationship with your followers before you launch your fundraiser
2 Be sure to go to where your audience is located Focus your efforts around social media sites with your largest numbers of followers
3 Make sure you are using good etiquette (crowdfunding and otherwise) Thank your donors for contributing or posting your project Engage with them and make them feel a part of the larger goal Respond to their questions and comments donrsquot ignore them Donrsquot spam them with the same post over and over again
4 Your posts should be frequent and varied in subject matter Posts should be engagement-driven and shouldbull Let your crowd know how their donations
can make a differencebull Share your fundraiserrsquos status
and milestonesbull Share new images or videos of your projectbull Provide a chance to get to know you
and your team
HashtagsHave a predetermined hashtag to rally your posts around and include it in each of your posts (not only on Twitter but also Facebook Instagram etc)
FacebookFacebook is a great opportunity to drive traffic to your fundraiser In fact after email Facebook is the most powerful ldquosharerdquo tool and is responsible for eliciting more donations to fundraisers on Indiegogo than any other social networking tool
Ask those who have already contributed to share your project on their Facebook walls Build this message into the ldquoThank Yourdquo email you send to your contributors Have a quick pre-written line or two linking to your fundraiser they can easily post to Facebook and be sure let them know how important Facebook is in helping you raise awareness and donations
Herersquos a great post from App Camp for Girls Facebook promotion
Find App Camp for Girls on Facebook
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 10
TwitterTwitter can be used for quick direct and casual interactions with your followers Be sure to share your short-link in your posts and answer questions or comments about your fundraiser
Twitter can also be a great way to connect with journalists bloggers and other influencers who may be interested in writing about or sharing your fundraiser Use Twitter to quickly thank your community as well
Kartma a program by Downtown Streets Team to create jobs for the homeless did a great job posting Tweets throughout their fundraiser see an example below
InstagramInstagram is a valuable social channel for image-driven fundraisers If your story can be told visually or has a strong visual component consider integrating Instagram into your Facebook and Twitter content strategies
Remember Instagram doesnrsquot allow clickable URLs to be posted with a post So be sure to add the fundraiser link to your Bio and direct people to the link in each post
Bring Visitors Back To Your FundraiserYour fundraiser page should serve as the central hub for all project-related content No matter how many social channels you leverage make sure each includes a clear path back home so that your audience can find your fundraiser mdash and donate mdash as easily as possible
Donrsquot forgot to tag us in your postsFacebookcomgenerositycom
Twittercomgenerosity
Instagram mdash generositycom
generositycom
Find Kartma Cafe on Twitter
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 11
How to Update Your DonorsUpdates are posts on your fundraisers that are sent as emails to all your donors We recommend posting updates often to keep your donors engaged and boost your fundraiserrsquos success
Organizers who provide updates once every five days tend to raise 218 more than those who update less often Yoursquoll help instill trust to grow your community (updating provides even more opportunities for donors to share your fundraiser creating new fans) and in turn increase funds
Why use Updatesbull Posts stay on your fundraiser much like a blog providing room to tell
your continued story Your donors can then be more aware of how their funds are used
bull Updates remain visible to all users informing those beyond your immediate social network
bull Updating your fundraiser boosts your likelihood of being promoted through Indiegogorsquos channels including our blog newsletter and homepage
bull Best of all updating your fundraiser is easy
4 Keys for Excellent Updatesbull Post something at least once every five daysmdashbut be mindful of your
donorsrsquo inboxes Create an update when there is something new related to your fundraiser
bull Share your latest campaign achievements Your donors can feel good knowing theyrsquove been part of these milestones and if they share your fundraiser can encourage others to donate too
bull Include videos and photos with your updates It can help your donors feel more closely involved
bull Include a call to action for your donors at the bottom of the update such as sharing the campaign
Evacuspots successfully raised funds to light the evacuation spots in New Orleans to aid disaster relief preparedness in the city They did a great job of posting updates throughout the fundraiser to share progress and thank their contributors This is an update they posted to encourage their networks to share the fundraiser
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 12
Suggested Schedulebull Create one update each week geared toward
forging a deeper connection with your followers Share news personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes photos and videos
bull Create a second weekly update encouraging contributors to share your campaign You can for example share your new stretch goals andor personally thank your community for its support
PR TipsPutting your fundraiser into the media spotlight can be a great way to raise awareness in your community and get the people around you excited about what yoursquore doing Itrsquos best to share your story with press after yoursquove raised your first 30 When the articles are posted the new visitors will be more likely to donate when they see that your fundraiser already has supporters
Here are a few key tipsbull Identify newspapers magazines bloggers
social media influencers and other press sources in advance You can create a list of writers and prioritize your options
bull Draft a press release that you can send out after yoursquove reached 30 of your goal
bull Helpful PDF Getting Local Press to Write About Your Fundraiser
ConclusionGivingTuesday brings together our global community to amplify social impact one day a year On Tuesday December 1st 2015 cause-driven organizations will join Generosity by Indiegogo to share gratitude without extra fees attached By utilizing the strategies in this guide we hope you will launch your cause fundraiser with strong momentum leading up to GivingTuesday
Sign up now to receive access to our Community Engagement Toolkit with tips for amplifying your impact and increasing your donations on GivingTuesday 2015
Questions Check out the Generosity Help Center
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 3
Finding Your TeamOnce yoursquove decided your fundraiserrsquos objectives you can identify the people who will be part of your team to plan and create your fundraiser
Wersquove found that fundraisers run by teams raise about 240 more money than fundraisers run by a single person Team members can be family friends coworkers or anyone you know who is excited about your fundraiser and wants to get involvedmdashthey donrsquot even need to be in the same place as you Teams not only expand a fundraiserrsquos inner and social network by adding more people but they also enable the organizer to delegate roles and responsibilities Team member roles can includebull Writer to draft the storybull Designer to choose images and infographicsbull Filmmaker to create the videobull Communications manager to handle social
media emails and pressbull Customer Service Representative to interact
with donorsbull Donations level manager to set donation
levels and manage fulfillment of any rewards
If running a fundraiser with a team isnrsquot an option donrsquot worry Even if you are one person doing all the tasks you can make it happen with hustle and dedication We recommend that you focus on 30 minutes a day to dedicate
yourself to a fundraiser taskmdashwrite a Facebook post send an update to your donors reach out to influencers or send an email to a few friends telling them about your fundraiser You should prioritize your outreach and make a plan to use your time wisely
How to Choose Your Fundraiser GoalAfter you choose your project and organize your team itrsquos time to set an attainable goal As the organizer you should choose a fundraiser goal that reflects what you need for your project Your goal is one of the most important elements of your fundraiser so it is important to set it thoughtfully
Focus on What You NeedBe sure to choose a goal that demonstrates that you understand exactly what you need We find that most fundraisers that reach their goal actually exceed it You can pass your goal and still attract new donors Exceeding your goal is never a bad thing
If you exceed your goal edit your story and post an update to reflect a new stretch goal if needed
The Harry Potter Alliance which organizes the fan community around promoting social good is running their fourth fundraiser on Indiegogo Each of their fundraiser team members has a job during the campaign such as adding new donation levels sending emails contacting top donors and more They also give their local chapters tasks during the campaign and turn it into a competition For example the local chapter that shares the campaign the most will win an exclusive prize
To give you a timeline of how to plan launch and execute a fundraiser check out the GivingTuesday Prep Calendar
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 4
Check Your Community SupportUse the amount of support you already have to set a reasonable goal Attainable goals motivate donors to give whereas unattainable goals can dissuade donors by appearing far-fetched No matter how much you raise you can keep the funds
We recommend setting your goal to the smallest amount you need to reach This will help your fundraiser build momentum faster For example compare the two fundraiserrsquos goals below Both have raised $5000 but the one with the lower goal looks like it has more momentum because it has achieved a greater percentage of itrsquos goal
Raising the First 30We find that most fundraisers that hit their goals raise about 30 of their funds from their own communities Why is this bull When new visitors see that others trust you
with their money it gives them the confidence to donate
bull This initial funding also gives your fundraiser momentum that can be leveraged for marketing and press
bull You donrsquot need to raise all the funds you need with just one fundraiser You can always run a different fundraiser for each unique stage of your project if yoursquod like
Common Vision began reaching out to their community early and maintained communication up until launch Talking to their donors early secured early donations which helped inform their goal They organized small events such as barbecues to let people know they were going to run a fundraiser Then the team hosted fundraiser meetups for their close community of teachers volunteers and others ten to twenty days before the launch They shared the plans for the fundraiser a snippet of the video and their long term strategic vision for the organization The team asked its members to think through the target amount they could raise from their own communities and who would be able to donate right away A few days before they launched the team called up these early donors to ask if they would be willing to commit to donating at the start or end of the fundraiser
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 5
An easy way to calculate your goal is to create a list of your existing supporters friends and family with approximate amounts you think theyrsquod be willing to contribute This total amount should represent 30 of your goal Remember you can always raise more funds that the external goal you set on the page On average fundraisers that reach their goal also exceed it by 72
Creating Your FundraiserFraming Your MessageThe story is the heart of your fundraiser Crowdfunding is telling a story that resonates with your audience You are asking people to support and engage in a project you are proud of or a personal life event Present your cause in a way that will make others want to support Share a personal story from the founder a team member a major donor or someone you serve Providing as much information as possible also fosters trust and transparency among the visitors and potential donors to your fundraiser
Here are the top tips for sharing your storybull Tell a compelling story of why your community
cares about this cause from a personal perspective and keep it short
bull Explain exactly why you are raising money and create a sense of urgency
bull Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and provide context
bull Break long text into sections with headers and images
bull Make it meaningful and be authentic bull Ask someone else to proofread your pitch text
and give feedback
One of the great things about crowdfunding is that it helps you create a personal connection with your audience that can last well beyond your campaign Show your compassion and explain why this is important
Writing Your StoryKeeping the tips from ldquoFraming Your Messagerdquo in mind herersquos the format our Cause Fundraising Strategist recommend for your storyrsquos format and textbull Title Include your project or organizationrsquos
name for SEO purposes and describe your fundraiser in a few catchy words
bull Tagline Elaborate on the title and highlight the main goal of the fundraiser
bull Fundraiser summary at the start of your story Put the most important information first so donors have all the information they need to donate right away Answer the who what why and how of the project
bull The Project Present the problem that you are addressing and propose a solution Give us the facts and share your plan
Many fundraisers create amazing images and write engaging stories but two in particular stand out Orphan School raised funds across multiple campaigns to build a school in India Project Hyena Diorama asked donors to help restore a Hyena Diorama at the Field Museum in Chicago Both fundraisers have organized layouts including graphics and images
CLICK HERE TO START YOUR FUNDRAISER DRAFT
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 6
bull Press Highlight any press yoursquove received with an image showing major logos
bull About the Organization Share your organizationrsquos mission and history
bull Impact Emphasize the success of the work yoursquove done Share statistics or facts in an infographic and add stories from your community
bull The Team Introduce your team with short bios including their roles and credentials to build trust with your donors
bull The Budget Break down your budget and show how the funds will be used in a visual
bull Partners Show the logos of your organizationrsquos partners for recognition
bull Other Ways to Help Ask your donors to share the fundraiser and thank them for helping out
Remember to keep each section short Including headers with a larger font size and images between each section helps break up the text and make the page easier to read
Tool Tip You can use free sites like Piktochart or Venngage to create infographics for your story Fotoflexer or Pixlr are also great for photo editing
Putting Together Your VideoThe fundraiser video is a great opportunity to personally share your story with your community and wider audience Fundraisers with a video also raise four times more than fundraisers without video You should create a new video for your Generosity fundraiser mdash donors want to be a part of a unique opportunity and connect with your organization
Here are most important tips to create a good videobull Tell your story clearly and conciselybull The first 30 seconds count the most mdash explain
the main goal of the fundraiser and answer the basic details such as who what why and how
bull Include a strong call to actionbull Keep it under 3 minutesbull Express gratitude
Personal connectionWe cannot emphasize this enough Creating a personal connection with your audience is the best way to engage new donors and increase donations Sharing your compassion in your story and video will make donors more likely to join your cause
Keep It SimpleYou do not need a budget or videographer to make a great video The best videos feature the organizer speaking to the camera and sharing their story
When fundraiser videos include personal stories they often reflect the compassion of the organization Root Division included many community members in their video with each stakeholder sharing a piece of the overall story
The Parkinsonrsquos Institute worked with Bill Draper to create a video sharing Billrsquos story when his wife Phyllis was diagnosed with Parkinsonrsquos The results are very emotional and create a strong personal touch to the fundraiser
Parkinsonrsquos Wersquore in this together
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 7
The first thirty seconds of your fundraiserrsquos video should give viewers all of the information they need to make their decision in the shortest time possible
Foster TrustThe video is also a great opportunity to highlight your existing community If you are working with a team to run the fundraiser include them in the body of your video Your friends family and supporters can share their stories about your fundraiser too
If you have existing press coverage a good reputation in your field or a dedicated fan base donrsquot be afraid to put these on screen in the first thirty seconds
Technical tip Videos will need to be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo to add them to the campaign
Donation LevelsDonation levels (aka perks) are coming soon to Generosity and will be available in time for GivingTuesday In the meantime you can create incentives for potential donors and add them to the fundraiser story
On Indiegogo perks are benefits that you offer donors in exchange for their contribution Perks can include recognition (name on a website thank you letter) physical perks (stickers T-shirt) event voucher (tickets to a show opportunity to meet your organization) or digital downloads (mixtape ebook video) With donation levels you will be abel to offer a perk share the impact of the donation or create a suggested amount for donations Sharing the impact of the donation is a great way to motivate supporters For example if you are raising funds for a school you could say that $15 provides school supplies for one student
Until full donation level functionality is available you can offer perks or other incentives for donors right in the fundraiser story Create a list of incentives that you can offer to your donors through the campaign Then put the perks in the story of the fundraiser as a list or image showing the incentives with a donation amount Donors will see the perks associated with donation amounts on the page and donate the required amount to the fundraiser As the organizer you can download a CSV file with all of your donorrsquos information including email address and amount contributed on the fundraiser dashboard
Check out this great example (below) of an incentive breakdown by the San Francisco based nonprofit Root Division
Sign up now to be the first to know about donation levels on Generosity
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 8
Promoting Your FundraiserMake a PlanFundraising can be extremely rewarding for yourself and your organization When running a fundraiser you want to start building momentum as early as possible Planning your fundraiser promotion before you launch will help you make the most of your first 48 hours and set you up for success during the duration of your fundraiser
The best channels for promotion arebull Email bull Social Mediabull Updatesbull PRbull In personbull Telephone
To give you a timeline of how to plan execute and launch a fundraiser check out the GivingTuesday Prep Calendar
Email OutreachSending personalized emails to your donors friends and family is the best way to garner early support for your fundraiser We find that email is the best outreach method for a fundraiser and brings in more funding than any other outreach method
To help ensure your early email outreach is a success use the following steps
Identify Your Top DonorsBefore you launch your fundraiser identify your major donors and early supporters of the project A few weeks out you should start contacting your list of major donors to ask for early pledges of support This will help you set your goal in order to raise 30 in the first few days
That way when wider audiences visit your page theyrsquoll see your project already has a strong base of support and will feel more comfortable contributing to it themselves
Organize Your ListsOnce yoursquove identified your top donors make sure to organize your additional email lists Ask your team to identify their own networks of supporters as well Donrsquot forgot to create a list for friends and family too Leveraging contacts from Gmail Facebook Twitter and other social channels is a great first step toward building these lists
Craft Your MessageNext you should craft your message for each email list The best emails are personalized for your audience and give them a direct action Emails should includebull An inviting introduction Include the personrsquos
name an individualized greeting and one sentence explaining why they have a personal stake in your project Set the stage with a genuine tone
bull Your story This is your chance to get personal and explain why your project matters to you Including events or major turning points that led you to your campaign are great details for further investing your audience in your journey
bull An invitation Point out the values you share with your audience and then show how those values relate to your project Make your audience unable to deny its investment in your projectrsquos success
bull A call to action Clearly state one thing your audience can do to help your campaign and provide them with the single necessary link template or information to do so
bull A graphic While not necessary graphics go a long way toward conveying the more complicated information your campaign might entail
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 9
Promoting Your Fundraiser with Social MediaAfter direct personal emails social media is one of best ways to engage your communities and encourage your supporters to spread the word about the fundraiser
When it comes to social media keep a few important things in mind1 Take some time and invest in growing your
social media presence engagement and relationship with your followers before you launch your fundraiser
2 Be sure to go to where your audience is located Focus your efforts around social media sites with your largest numbers of followers
3 Make sure you are using good etiquette (crowdfunding and otherwise) Thank your donors for contributing or posting your project Engage with them and make them feel a part of the larger goal Respond to their questions and comments donrsquot ignore them Donrsquot spam them with the same post over and over again
4 Your posts should be frequent and varied in subject matter Posts should be engagement-driven and shouldbull Let your crowd know how their donations
can make a differencebull Share your fundraiserrsquos status
and milestonesbull Share new images or videos of your projectbull Provide a chance to get to know you
and your team
HashtagsHave a predetermined hashtag to rally your posts around and include it in each of your posts (not only on Twitter but also Facebook Instagram etc)
FacebookFacebook is a great opportunity to drive traffic to your fundraiser In fact after email Facebook is the most powerful ldquosharerdquo tool and is responsible for eliciting more donations to fundraisers on Indiegogo than any other social networking tool
Ask those who have already contributed to share your project on their Facebook walls Build this message into the ldquoThank Yourdquo email you send to your contributors Have a quick pre-written line or two linking to your fundraiser they can easily post to Facebook and be sure let them know how important Facebook is in helping you raise awareness and donations
Herersquos a great post from App Camp for Girls Facebook promotion
Find App Camp for Girls on Facebook
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 10
TwitterTwitter can be used for quick direct and casual interactions with your followers Be sure to share your short-link in your posts and answer questions or comments about your fundraiser
Twitter can also be a great way to connect with journalists bloggers and other influencers who may be interested in writing about or sharing your fundraiser Use Twitter to quickly thank your community as well
Kartma a program by Downtown Streets Team to create jobs for the homeless did a great job posting Tweets throughout their fundraiser see an example below
InstagramInstagram is a valuable social channel for image-driven fundraisers If your story can be told visually or has a strong visual component consider integrating Instagram into your Facebook and Twitter content strategies
Remember Instagram doesnrsquot allow clickable URLs to be posted with a post So be sure to add the fundraiser link to your Bio and direct people to the link in each post
Bring Visitors Back To Your FundraiserYour fundraiser page should serve as the central hub for all project-related content No matter how many social channels you leverage make sure each includes a clear path back home so that your audience can find your fundraiser mdash and donate mdash as easily as possible
Donrsquot forgot to tag us in your postsFacebookcomgenerositycom
Twittercomgenerosity
Instagram mdash generositycom
generositycom
Find Kartma Cafe on Twitter
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 11
How to Update Your DonorsUpdates are posts on your fundraisers that are sent as emails to all your donors We recommend posting updates often to keep your donors engaged and boost your fundraiserrsquos success
Organizers who provide updates once every five days tend to raise 218 more than those who update less often Yoursquoll help instill trust to grow your community (updating provides even more opportunities for donors to share your fundraiser creating new fans) and in turn increase funds
Why use Updatesbull Posts stay on your fundraiser much like a blog providing room to tell
your continued story Your donors can then be more aware of how their funds are used
bull Updates remain visible to all users informing those beyond your immediate social network
bull Updating your fundraiser boosts your likelihood of being promoted through Indiegogorsquos channels including our blog newsletter and homepage
bull Best of all updating your fundraiser is easy
4 Keys for Excellent Updatesbull Post something at least once every five daysmdashbut be mindful of your
donorsrsquo inboxes Create an update when there is something new related to your fundraiser
bull Share your latest campaign achievements Your donors can feel good knowing theyrsquove been part of these milestones and if they share your fundraiser can encourage others to donate too
bull Include videos and photos with your updates It can help your donors feel more closely involved
bull Include a call to action for your donors at the bottom of the update such as sharing the campaign
Evacuspots successfully raised funds to light the evacuation spots in New Orleans to aid disaster relief preparedness in the city They did a great job of posting updates throughout the fundraiser to share progress and thank their contributors This is an update they posted to encourage their networks to share the fundraiser
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 12
Suggested Schedulebull Create one update each week geared toward
forging a deeper connection with your followers Share news personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes photos and videos
bull Create a second weekly update encouraging contributors to share your campaign You can for example share your new stretch goals andor personally thank your community for its support
PR TipsPutting your fundraiser into the media spotlight can be a great way to raise awareness in your community and get the people around you excited about what yoursquore doing Itrsquos best to share your story with press after yoursquove raised your first 30 When the articles are posted the new visitors will be more likely to donate when they see that your fundraiser already has supporters
Here are a few key tipsbull Identify newspapers magazines bloggers
social media influencers and other press sources in advance You can create a list of writers and prioritize your options
bull Draft a press release that you can send out after yoursquove reached 30 of your goal
bull Helpful PDF Getting Local Press to Write About Your Fundraiser
ConclusionGivingTuesday brings together our global community to amplify social impact one day a year On Tuesday December 1st 2015 cause-driven organizations will join Generosity by Indiegogo to share gratitude without extra fees attached By utilizing the strategies in this guide we hope you will launch your cause fundraiser with strong momentum leading up to GivingTuesday
Sign up now to receive access to our Community Engagement Toolkit with tips for amplifying your impact and increasing your donations on GivingTuesday 2015
Questions Check out the Generosity Help Center
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 4
Check Your Community SupportUse the amount of support you already have to set a reasonable goal Attainable goals motivate donors to give whereas unattainable goals can dissuade donors by appearing far-fetched No matter how much you raise you can keep the funds
We recommend setting your goal to the smallest amount you need to reach This will help your fundraiser build momentum faster For example compare the two fundraiserrsquos goals below Both have raised $5000 but the one with the lower goal looks like it has more momentum because it has achieved a greater percentage of itrsquos goal
Raising the First 30We find that most fundraisers that hit their goals raise about 30 of their funds from their own communities Why is this bull When new visitors see that others trust you
with their money it gives them the confidence to donate
bull This initial funding also gives your fundraiser momentum that can be leveraged for marketing and press
bull You donrsquot need to raise all the funds you need with just one fundraiser You can always run a different fundraiser for each unique stage of your project if yoursquod like
Common Vision began reaching out to their community early and maintained communication up until launch Talking to their donors early secured early donations which helped inform their goal They organized small events such as barbecues to let people know they were going to run a fundraiser Then the team hosted fundraiser meetups for their close community of teachers volunteers and others ten to twenty days before the launch They shared the plans for the fundraiser a snippet of the video and their long term strategic vision for the organization The team asked its members to think through the target amount they could raise from their own communities and who would be able to donate right away A few days before they launched the team called up these early donors to ask if they would be willing to commit to donating at the start or end of the fundraiser
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 5
An easy way to calculate your goal is to create a list of your existing supporters friends and family with approximate amounts you think theyrsquod be willing to contribute This total amount should represent 30 of your goal Remember you can always raise more funds that the external goal you set on the page On average fundraisers that reach their goal also exceed it by 72
Creating Your FundraiserFraming Your MessageThe story is the heart of your fundraiser Crowdfunding is telling a story that resonates with your audience You are asking people to support and engage in a project you are proud of or a personal life event Present your cause in a way that will make others want to support Share a personal story from the founder a team member a major donor or someone you serve Providing as much information as possible also fosters trust and transparency among the visitors and potential donors to your fundraiser
Here are the top tips for sharing your storybull Tell a compelling story of why your community
cares about this cause from a personal perspective and keep it short
bull Explain exactly why you are raising money and create a sense of urgency
bull Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and provide context
bull Break long text into sections with headers and images
bull Make it meaningful and be authentic bull Ask someone else to proofread your pitch text
and give feedback
One of the great things about crowdfunding is that it helps you create a personal connection with your audience that can last well beyond your campaign Show your compassion and explain why this is important
Writing Your StoryKeeping the tips from ldquoFraming Your Messagerdquo in mind herersquos the format our Cause Fundraising Strategist recommend for your storyrsquos format and textbull Title Include your project or organizationrsquos
name for SEO purposes and describe your fundraiser in a few catchy words
bull Tagline Elaborate on the title and highlight the main goal of the fundraiser
bull Fundraiser summary at the start of your story Put the most important information first so donors have all the information they need to donate right away Answer the who what why and how of the project
bull The Project Present the problem that you are addressing and propose a solution Give us the facts and share your plan
Many fundraisers create amazing images and write engaging stories but two in particular stand out Orphan School raised funds across multiple campaigns to build a school in India Project Hyena Diorama asked donors to help restore a Hyena Diorama at the Field Museum in Chicago Both fundraisers have organized layouts including graphics and images
CLICK HERE TO START YOUR FUNDRAISER DRAFT
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 6
bull Press Highlight any press yoursquove received with an image showing major logos
bull About the Organization Share your organizationrsquos mission and history
bull Impact Emphasize the success of the work yoursquove done Share statistics or facts in an infographic and add stories from your community
bull The Team Introduce your team with short bios including their roles and credentials to build trust with your donors
bull The Budget Break down your budget and show how the funds will be used in a visual
bull Partners Show the logos of your organizationrsquos partners for recognition
bull Other Ways to Help Ask your donors to share the fundraiser and thank them for helping out
Remember to keep each section short Including headers with a larger font size and images between each section helps break up the text and make the page easier to read
Tool Tip You can use free sites like Piktochart or Venngage to create infographics for your story Fotoflexer or Pixlr are also great for photo editing
Putting Together Your VideoThe fundraiser video is a great opportunity to personally share your story with your community and wider audience Fundraisers with a video also raise four times more than fundraisers without video You should create a new video for your Generosity fundraiser mdash donors want to be a part of a unique opportunity and connect with your organization
Here are most important tips to create a good videobull Tell your story clearly and conciselybull The first 30 seconds count the most mdash explain
the main goal of the fundraiser and answer the basic details such as who what why and how
bull Include a strong call to actionbull Keep it under 3 minutesbull Express gratitude
Personal connectionWe cannot emphasize this enough Creating a personal connection with your audience is the best way to engage new donors and increase donations Sharing your compassion in your story and video will make donors more likely to join your cause
Keep It SimpleYou do not need a budget or videographer to make a great video The best videos feature the organizer speaking to the camera and sharing their story
When fundraiser videos include personal stories they often reflect the compassion of the organization Root Division included many community members in their video with each stakeholder sharing a piece of the overall story
The Parkinsonrsquos Institute worked with Bill Draper to create a video sharing Billrsquos story when his wife Phyllis was diagnosed with Parkinsonrsquos The results are very emotional and create a strong personal touch to the fundraiser
Parkinsonrsquos Wersquore in this together
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 7
The first thirty seconds of your fundraiserrsquos video should give viewers all of the information they need to make their decision in the shortest time possible
Foster TrustThe video is also a great opportunity to highlight your existing community If you are working with a team to run the fundraiser include them in the body of your video Your friends family and supporters can share their stories about your fundraiser too
If you have existing press coverage a good reputation in your field or a dedicated fan base donrsquot be afraid to put these on screen in the first thirty seconds
Technical tip Videos will need to be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo to add them to the campaign
Donation LevelsDonation levels (aka perks) are coming soon to Generosity and will be available in time for GivingTuesday In the meantime you can create incentives for potential donors and add them to the fundraiser story
On Indiegogo perks are benefits that you offer donors in exchange for their contribution Perks can include recognition (name on a website thank you letter) physical perks (stickers T-shirt) event voucher (tickets to a show opportunity to meet your organization) or digital downloads (mixtape ebook video) With donation levels you will be abel to offer a perk share the impact of the donation or create a suggested amount for donations Sharing the impact of the donation is a great way to motivate supporters For example if you are raising funds for a school you could say that $15 provides school supplies for one student
Until full donation level functionality is available you can offer perks or other incentives for donors right in the fundraiser story Create a list of incentives that you can offer to your donors through the campaign Then put the perks in the story of the fundraiser as a list or image showing the incentives with a donation amount Donors will see the perks associated with donation amounts on the page and donate the required amount to the fundraiser As the organizer you can download a CSV file with all of your donorrsquos information including email address and amount contributed on the fundraiser dashboard
Check out this great example (below) of an incentive breakdown by the San Francisco based nonprofit Root Division
Sign up now to be the first to know about donation levels on Generosity
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 8
Promoting Your FundraiserMake a PlanFundraising can be extremely rewarding for yourself and your organization When running a fundraiser you want to start building momentum as early as possible Planning your fundraiser promotion before you launch will help you make the most of your first 48 hours and set you up for success during the duration of your fundraiser
The best channels for promotion arebull Email bull Social Mediabull Updatesbull PRbull In personbull Telephone
To give you a timeline of how to plan execute and launch a fundraiser check out the GivingTuesday Prep Calendar
Email OutreachSending personalized emails to your donors friends and family is the best way to garner early support for your fundraiser We find that email is the best outreach method for a fundraiser and brings in more funding than any other outreach method
To help ensure your early email outreach is a success use the following steps
Identify Your Top DonorsBefore you launch your fundraiser identify your major donors and early supporters of the project A few weeks out you should start contacting your list of major donors to ask for early pledges of support This will help you set your goal in order to raise 30 in the first few days
That way when wider audiences visit your page theyrsquoll see your project already has a strong base of support and will feel more comfortable contributing to it themselves
Organize Your ListsOnce yoursquove identified your top donors make sure to organize your additional email lists Ask your team to identify their own networks of supporters as well Donrsquot forgot to create a list for friends and family too Leveraging contacts from Gmail Facebook Twitter and other social channels is a great first step toward building these lists
Craft Your MessageNext you should craft your message for each email list The best emails are personalized for your audience and give them a direct action Emails should includebull An inviting introduction Include the personrsquos
name an individualized greeting and one sentence explaining why they have a personal stake in your project Set the stage with a genuine tone
bull Your story This is your chance to get personal and explain why your project matters to you Including events or major turning points that led you to your campaign are great details for further investing your audience in your journey
bull An invitation Point out the values you share with your audience and then show how those values relate to your project Make your audience unable to deny its investment in your projectrsquos success
bull A call to action Clearly state one thing your audience can do to help your campaign and provide them with the single necessary link template or information to do so
bull A graphic While not necessary graphics go a long way toward conveying the more complicated information your campaign might entail
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 9
Promoting Your Fundraiser with Social MediaAfter direct personal emails social media is one of best ways to engage your communities and encourage your supporters to spread the word about the fundraiser
When it comes to social media keep a few important things in mind1 Take some time and invest in growing your
social media presence engagement and relationship with your followers before you launch your fundraiser
2 Be sure to go to where your audience is located Focus your efforts around social media sites with your largest numbers of followers
3 Make sure you are using good etiquette (crowdfunding and otherwise) Thank your donors for contributing or posting your project Engage with them and make them feel a part of the larger goal Respond to their questions and comments donrsquot ignore them Donrsquot spam them with the same post over and over again
4 Your posts should be frequent and varied in subject matter Posts should be engagement-driven and shouldbull Let your crowd know how their donations
can make a differencebull Share your fundraiserrsquos status
and milestonesbull Share new images or videos of your projectbull Provide a chance to get to know you
and your team
HashtagsHave a predetermined hashtag to rally your posts around and include it in each of your posts (not only on Twitter but also Facebook Instagram etc)
FacebookFacebook is a great opportunity to drive traffic to your fundraiser In fact after email Facebook is the most powerful ldquosharerdquo tool and is responsible for eliciting more donations to fundraisers on Indiegogo than any other social networking tool
Ask those who have already contributed to share your project on their Facebook walls Build this message into the ldquoThank Yourdquo email you send to your contributors Have a quick pre-written line or two linking to your fundraiser they can easily post to Facebook and be sure let them know how important Facebook is in helping you raise awareness and donations
Herersquos a great post from App Camp for Girls Facebook promotion
Find App Camp for Girls on Facebook
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 10
TwitterTwitter can be used for quick direct and casual interactions with your followers Be sure to share your short-link in your posts and answer questions or comments about your fundraiser
Twitter can also be a great way to connect with journalists bloggers and other influencers who may be interested in writing about or sharing your fundraiser Use Twitter to quickly thank your community as well
Kartma a program by Downtown Streets Team to create jobs for the homeless did a great job posting Tweets throughout their fundraiser see an example below
InstagramInstagram is a valuable social channel for image-driven fundraisers If your story can be told visually or has a strong visual component consider integrating Instagram into your Facebook and Twitter content strategies
Remember Instagram doesnrsquot allow clickable URLs to be posted with a post So be sure to add the fundraiser link to your Bio and direct people to the link in each post
Bring Visitors Back To Your FundraiserYour fundraiser page should serve as the central hub for all project-related content No matter how many social channels you leverage make sure each includes a clear path back home so that your audience can find your fundraiser mdash and donate mdash as easily as possible
Donrsquot forgot to tag us in your postsFacebookcomgenerositycom
Twittercomgenerosity
Instagram mdash generositycom
generositycom
Find Kartma Cafe on Twitter
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 11
How to Update Your DonorsUpdates are posts on your fundraisers that are sent as emails to all your donors We recommend posting updates often to keep your donors engaged and boost your fundraiserrsquos success
Organizers who provide updates once every five days tend to raise 218 more than those who update less often Yoursquoll help instill trust to grow your community (updating provides even more opportunities for donors to share your fundraiser creating new fans) and in turn increase funds
Why use Updatesbull Posts stay on your fundraiser much like a blog providing room to tell
your continued story Your donors can then be more aware of how their funds are used
bull Updates remain visible to all users informing those beyond your immediate social network
bull Updating your fundraiser boosts your likelihood of being promoted through Indiegogorsquos channels including our blog newsletter and homepage
bull Best of all updating your fundraiser is easy
4 Keys for Excellent Updatesbull Post something at least once every five daysmdashbut be mindful of your
donorsrsquo inboxes Create an update when there is something new related to your fundraiser
bull Share your latest campaign achievements Your donors can feel good knowing theyrsquove been part of these milestones and if they share your fundraiser can encourage others to donate too
bull Include videos and photos with your updates It can help your donors feel more closely involved
bull Include a call to action for your donors at the bottom of the update such as sharing the campaign
Evacuspots successfully raised funds to light the evacuation spots in New Orleans to aid disaster relief preparedness in the city They did a great job of posting updates throughout the fundraiser to share progress and thank their contributors This is an update they posted to encourage their networks to share the fundraiser
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 12
Suggested Schedulebull Create one update each week geared toward
forging a deeper connection with your followers Share news personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes photos and videos
bull Create a second weekly update encouraging contributors to share your campaign You can for example share your new stretch goals andor personally thank your community for its support
PR TipsPutting your fundraiser into the media spotlight can be a great way to raise awareness in your community and get the people around you excited about what yoursquore doing Itrsquos best to share your story with press after yoursquove raised your first 30 When the articles are posted the new visitors will be more likely to donate when they see that your fundraiser already has supporters
Here are a few key tipsbull Identify newspapers magazines bloggers
social media influencers and other press sources in advance You can create a list of writers and prioritize your options
bull Draft a press release that you can send out after yoursquove reached 30 of your goal
bull Helpful PDF Getting Local Press to Write About Your Fundraiser
ConclusionGivingTuesday brings together our global community to amplify social impact one day a year On Tuesday December 1st 2015 cause-driven organizations will join Generosity by Indiegogo to share gratitude without extra fees attached By utilizing the strategies in this guide we hope you will launch your cause fundraiser with strong momentum leading up to GivingTuesday
Sign up now to receive access to our Community Engagement Toolkit with tips for amplifying your impact and increasing your donations on GivingTuesday 2015
Questions Check out the Generosity Help Center
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 5
An easy way to calculate your goal is to create a list of your existing supporters friends and family with approximate amounts you think theyrsquod be willing to contribute This total amount should represent 30 of your goal Remember you can always raise more funds that the external goal you set on the page On average fundraisers that reach their goal also exceed it by 72
Creating Your FundraiserFraming Your MessageThe story is the heart of your fundraiser Crowdfunding is telling a story that resonates with your audience You are asking people to support and engage in a project you are proud of or a personal life event Present your cause in a way that will make others want to support Share a personal story from the founder a team member a major donor or someone you serve Providing as much information as possible also fosters trust and transparency among the visitors and potential donors to your fundraiser
Here are the top tips for sharing your storybull Tell a compelling story of why your community
cares about this cause from a personal perspective and keep it short
bull Explain exactly why you are raising money and create a sense of urgency
bull Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and provide context
bull Break long text into sections with headers and images
bull Make it meaningful and be authentic bull Ask someone else to proofread your pitch text
and give feedback
One of the great things about crowdfunding is that it helps you create a personal connection with your audience that can last well beyond your campaign Show your compassion and explain why this is important
Writing Your StoryKeeping the tips from ldquoFraming Your Messagerdquo in mind herersquos the format our Cause Fundraising Strategist recommend for your storyrsquos format and textbull Title Include your project or organizationrsquos
name for SEO purposes and describe your fundraiser in a few catchy words
bull Tagline Elaborate on the title and highlight the main goal of the fundraiser
bull Fundraiser summary at the start of your story Put the most important information first so donors have all the information they need to donate right away Answer the who what why and how of the project
bull The Project Present the problem that you are addressing and propose a solution Give us the facts and share your plan
Many fundraisers create amazing images and write engaging stories but two in particular stand out Orphan School raised funds across multiple campaigns to build a school in India Project Hyena Diorama asked donors to help restore a Hyena Diorama at the Field Museum in Chicago Both fundraisers have organized layouts including graphics and images
CLICK HERE TO START YOUR FUNDRAISER DRAFT
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 6
bull Press Highlight any press yoursquove received with an image showing major logos
bull About the Organization Share your organizationrsquos mission and history
bull Impact Emphasize the success of the work yoursquove done Share statistics or facts in an infographic and add stories from your community
bull The Team Introduce your team with short bios including their roles and credentials to build trust with your donors
bull The Budget Break down your budget and show how the funds will be used in a visual
bull Partners Show the logos of your organizationrsquos partners for recognition
bull Other Ways to Help Ask your donors to share the fundraiser and thank them for helping out
Remember to keep each section short Including headers with a larger font size and images between each section helps break up the text and make the page easier to read
Tool Tip You can use free sites like Piktochart or Venngage to create infographics for your story Fotoflexer or Pixlr are also great for photo editing
Putting Together Your VideoThe fundraiser video is a great opportunity to personally share your story with your community and wider audience Fundraisers with a video also raise four times more than fundraisers without video You should create a new video for your Generosity fundraiser mdash donors want to be a part of a unique opportunity and connect with your organization
Here are most important tips to create a good videobull Tell your story clearly and conciselybull The first 30 seconds count the most mdash explain
the main goal of the fundraiser and answer the basic details such as who what why and how
bull Include a strong call to actionbull Keep it under 3 minutesbull Express gratitude
Personal connectionWe cannot emphasize this enough Creating a personal connection with your audience is the best way to engage new donors and increase donations Sharing your compassion in your story and video will make donors more likely to join your cause
Keep It SimpleYou do not need a budget or videographer to make a great video The best videos feature the organizer speaking to the camera and sharing their story
When fundraiser videos include personal stories they often reflect the compassion of the organization Root Division included many community members in their video with each stakeholder sharing a piece of the overall story
The Parkinsonrsquos Institute worked with Bill Draper to create a video sharing Billrsquos story when his wife Phyllis was diagnosed with Parkinsonrsquos The results are very emotional and create a strong personal touch to the fundraiser
Parkinsonrsquos Wersquore in this together
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 7
The first thirty seconds of your fundraiserrsquos video should give viewers all of the information they need to make their decision in the shortest time possible
Foster TrustThe video is also a great opportunity to highlight your existing community If you are working with a team to run the fundraiser include them in the body of your video Your friends family and supporters can share their stories about your fundraiser too
If you have existing press coverage a good reputation in your field or a dedicated fan base donrsquot be afraid to put these on screen in the first thirty seconds
Technical tip Videos will need to be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo to add them to the campaign
Donation LevelsDonation levels (aka perks) are coming soon to Generosity and will be available in time for GivingTuesday In the meantime you can create incentives for potential donors and add them to the fundraiser story
On Indiegogo perks are benefits that you offer donors in exchange for their contribution Perks can include recognition (name on a website thank you letter) physical perks (stickers T-shirt) event voucher (tickets to a show opportunity to meet your organization) or digital downloads (mixtape ebook video) With donation levels you will be abel to offer a perk share the impact of the donation or create a suggested amount for donations Sharing the impact of the donation is a great way to motivate supporters For example if you are raising funds for a school you could say that $15 provides school supplies for one student
Until full donation level functionality is available you can offer perks or other incentives for donors right in the fundraiser story Create a list of incentives that you can offer to your donors through the campaign Then put the perks in the story of the fundraiser as a list or image showing the incentives with a donation amount Donors will see the perks associated with donation amounts on the page and donate the required amount to the fundraiser As the organizer you can download a CSV file with all of your donorrsquos information including email address and amount contributed on the fundraiser dashboard
Check out this great example (below) of an incentive breakdown by the San Francisco based nonprofit Root Division
Sign up now to be the first to know about donation levels on Generosity
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 8
Promoting Your FundraiserMake a PlanFundraising can be extremely rewarding for yourself and your organization When running a fundraiser you want to start building momentum as early as possible Planning your fundraiser promotion before you launch will help you make the most of your first 48 hours and set you up for success during the duration of your fundraiser
The best channels for promotion arebull Email bull Social Mediabull Updatesbull PRbull In personbull Telephone
To give you a timeline of how to plan execute and launch a fundraiser check out the GivingTuesday Prep Calendar
Email OutreachSending personalized emails to your donors friends and family is the best way to garner early support for your fundraiser We find that email is the best outreach method for a fundraiser and brings in more funding than any other outreach method
To help ensure your early email outreach is a success use the following steps
Identify Your Top DonorsBefore you launch your fundraiser identify your major donors and early supporters of the project A few weeks out you should start contacting your list of major donors to ask for early pledges of support This will help you set your goal in order to raise 30 in the first few days
That way when wider audiences visit your page theyrsquoll see your project already has a strong base of support and will feel more comfortable contributing to it themselves
Organize Your ListsOnce yoursquove identified your top donors make sure to organize your additional email lists Ask your team to identify their own networks of supporters as well Donrsquot forgot to create a list for friends and family too Leveraging contacts from Gmail Facebook Twitter and other social channels is a great first step toward building these lists
Craft Your MessageNext you should craft your message for each email list The best emails are personalized for your audience and give them a direct action Emails should includebull An inviting introduction Include the personrsquos
name an individualized greeting and one sentence explaining why they have a personal stake in your project Set the stage with a genuine tone
bull Your story This is your chance to get personal and explain why your project matters to you Including events or major turning points that led you to your campaign are great details for further investing your audience in your journey
bull An invitation Point out the values you share with your audience and then show how those values relate to your project Make your audience unable to deny its investment in your projectrsquos success
bull A call to action Clearly state one thing your audience can do to help your campaign and provide them with the single necessary link template or information to do so
bull A graphic While not necessary graphics go a long way toward conveying the more complicated information your campaign might entail
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 9
Promoting Your Fundraiser with Social MediaAfter direct personal emails social media is one of best ways to engage your communities and encourage your supporters to spread the word about the fundraiser
When it comes to social media keep a few important things in mind1 Take some time and invest in growing your
social media presence engagement and relationship with your followers before you launch your fundraiser
2 Be sure to go to where your audience is located Focus your efforts around social media sites with your largest numbers of followers
3 Make sure you are using good etiquette (crowdfunding and otherwise) Thank your donors for contributing or posting your project Engage with them and make them feel a part of the larger goal Respond to their questions and comments donrsquot ignore them Donrsquot spam them with the same post over and over again
4 Your posts should be frequent and varied in subject matter Posts should be engagement-driven and shouldbull Let your crowd know how their donations
can make a differencebull Share your fundraiserrsquos status
and milestonesbull Share new images or videos of your projectbull Provide a chance to get to know you
and your team
HashtagsHave a predetermined hashtag to rally your posts around and include it in each of your posts (not only on Twitter but also Facebook Instagram etc)
FacebookFacebook is a great opportunity to drive traffic to your fundraiser In fact after email Facebook is the most powerful ldquosharerdquo tool and is responsible for eliciting more donations to fundraisers on Indiegogo than any other social networking tool
Ask those who have already contributed to share your project on their Facebook walls Build this message into the ldquoThank Yourdquo email you send to your contributors Have a quick pre-written line or two linking to your fundraiser they can easily post to Facebook and be sure let them know how important Facebook is in helping you raise awareness and donations
Herersquos a great post from App Camp for Girls Facebook promotion
Find App Camp for Girls on Facebook
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 10
TwitterTwitter can be used for quick direct and casual interactions with your followers Be sure to share your short-link in your posts and answer questions or comments about your fundraiser
Twitter can also be a great way to connect with journalists bloggers and other influencers who may be interested in writing about or sharing your fundraiser Use Twitter to quickly thank your community as well
Kartma a program by Downtown Streets Team to create jobs for the homeless did a great job posting Tweets throughout their fundraiser see an example below
InstagramInstagram is a valuable social channel for image-driven fundraisers If your story can be told visually or has a strong visual component consider integrating Instagram into your Facebook and Twitter content strategies
Remember Instagram doesnrsquot allow clickable URLs to be posted with a post So be sure to add the fundraiser link to your Bio and direct people to the link in each post
Bring Visitors Back To Your FundraiserYour fundraiser page should serve as the central hub for all project-related content No matter how many social channels you leverage make sure each includes a clear path back home so that your audience can find your fundraiser mdash and donate mdash as easily as possible
Donrsquot forgot to tag us in your postsFacebookcomgenerositycom
Twittercomgenerosity
Instagram mdash generositycom
generositycom
Find Kartma Cafe on Twitter
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 11
How to Update Your DonorsUpdates are posts on your fundraisers that are sent as emails to all your donors We recommend posting updates often to keep your donors engaged and boost your fundraiserrsquos success
Organizers who provide updates once every five days tend to raise 218 more than those who update less often Yoursquoll help instill trust to grow your community (updating provides even more opportunities for donors to share your fundraiser creating new fans) and in turn increase funds
Why use Updatesbull Posts stay on your fundraiser much like a blog providing room to tell
your continued story Your donors can then be more aware of how their funds are used
bull Updates remain visible to all users informing those beyond your immediate social network
bull Updating your fundraiser boosts your likelihood of being promoted through Indiegogorsquos channels including our blog newsletter and homepage
bull Best of all updating your fundraiser is easy
4 Keys for Excellent Updatesbull Post something at least once every five daysmdashbut be mindful of your
donorsrsquo inboxes Create an update when there is something new related to your fundraiser
bull Share your latest campaign achievements Your donors can feel good knowing theyrsquove been part of these milestones and if they share your fundraiser can encourage others to donate too
bull Include videos and photos with your updates It can help your donors feel more closely involved
bull Include a call to action for your donors at the bottom of the update such as sharing the campaign
Evacuspots successfully raised funds to light the evacuation spots in New Orleans to aid disaster relief preparedness in the city They did a great job of posting updates throughout the fundraiser to share progress and thank their contributors This is an update they posted to encourage their networks to share the fundraiser
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 12
Suggested Schedulebull Create one update each week geared toward
forging a deeper connection with your followers Share news personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes photos and videos
bull Create a second weekly update encouraging contributors to share your campaign You can for example share your new stretch goals andor personally thank your community for its support
PR TipsPutting your fundraiser into the media spotlight can be a great way to raise awareness in your community and get the people around you excited about what yoursquore doing Itrsquos best to share your story with press after yoursquove raised your first 30 When the articles are posted the new visitors will be more likely to donate when they see that your fundraiser already has supporters
Here are a few key tipsbull Identify newspapers magazines bloggers
social media influencers and other press sources in advance You can create a list of writers and prioritize your options
bull Draft a press release that you can send out after yoursquove reached 30 of your goal
bull Helpful PDF Getting Local Press to Write About Your Fundraiser
ConclusionGivingTuesday brings together our global community to amplify social impact one day a year On Tuesday December 1st 2015 cause-driven organizations will join Generosity by Indiegogo to share gratitude without extra fees attached By utilizing the strategies in this guide we hope you will launch your cause fundraiser with strong momentum leading up to GivingTuesday
Sign up now to receive access to our Community Engagement Toolkit with tips for amplifying your impact and increasing your donations on GivingTuesday 2015
Questions Check out the Generosity Help Center
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 6
bull Press Highlight any press yoursquove received with an image showing major logos
bull About the Organization Share your organizationrsquos mission and history
bull Impact Emphasize the success of the work yoursquove done Share statistics or facts in an infographic and add stories from your community
bull The Team Introduce your team with short bios including their roles and credentials to build trust with your donors
bull The Budget Break down your budget and show how the funds will be used in a visual
bull Partners Show the logos of your organizationrsquos partners for recognition
bull Other Ways to Help Ask your donors to share the fundraiser and thank them for helping out
Remember to keep each section short Including headers with a larger font size and images between each section helps break up the text and make the page easier to read
Tool Tip You can use free sites like Piktochart or Venngage to create infographics for your story Fotoflexer or Pixlr are also great for photo editing
Putting Together Your VideoThe fundraiser video is a great opportunity to personally share your story with your community and wider audience Fundraisers with a video also raise four times more than fundraisers without video You should create a new video for your Generosity fundraiser mdash donors want to be a part of a unique opportunity and connect with your organization
Here are most important tips to create a good videobull Tell your story clearly and conciselybull The first 30 seconds count the most mdash explain
the main goal of the fundraiser and answer the basic details such as who what why and how
bull Include a strong call to actionbull Keep it under 3 minutesbull Express gratitude
Personal connectionWe cannot emphasize this enough Creating a personal connection with your audience is the best way to engage new donors and increase donations Sharing your compassion in your story and video will make donors more likely to join your cause
Keep It SimpleYou do not need a budget or videographer to make a great video The best videos feature the organizer speaking to the camera and sharing their story
When fundraiser videos include personal stories they often reflect the compassion of the organization Root Division included many community members in their video with each stakeholder sharing a piece of the overall story
The Parkinsonrsquos Institute worked with Bill Draper to create a video sharing Billrsquos story when his wife Phyllis was diagnosed with Parkinsonrsquos The results are very emotional and create a strong personal touch to the fundraiser
Parkinsonrsquos Wersquore in this together
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 7
The first thirty seconds of your fundraiserrsquos video should give viewers all of the information they need to make their decision in the shortest time possible
Foster TrustThe video is also a great opportunity to highlight your existing community If you are working with a team to run the fundraiser include them in the body of your video Your friends family and supporters can share their stories about your fundraiser too
If you have existing press coverage a good reputation in your field or a dedicated fan base donrsquot be afraid to put these on screen in the first thirty seconds
Technical tip Videos will need to be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo to add them to the campaign
Donation LevelsDonation levels (aka perks) are coming soon to Generosity and will be available in time for GivingTuesday In the meantime you can create incentives for potential donors and add them to the fundraiser story
On Indiegogo perks are benefits that you offer donors in exchange for their contribution Perks can include recognition (name on a website thank you letter) physical perks (stickers T-shirt) event voucher (tickets to a show opportunity to meet your organization) or digital downloads (mixtape ebook video) With donation levels you will be abel to offer a perk share the impact of the donation or create a suggested amount for donations Sharing the impact of the donation is a great way to motivate supporters For example if you are raising funds for a school you could say that $15 provides school supplies for one student
Until full donation level functionality is available you can offer perks or other incentives for donors right in the fundraiser story Create a list of incentives that you can offer to your donors through the campaign Then put the perks in the story of the fundraiser as a list or image showing the incentives with a donation amount Donors will see the perks associated with donation amounts on the page and donate the required amount to the fundraiser As the organizer you can download a CSV file with all of your donorrsquos information including email address and amount contributed on the fundraiser dashboard
Check out this great example (below) of an incentive breakdown by the San Francisco based nonprofit Root Division
Sign up now to be the first to know about donation levels on Generosity
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 8
Promoting Your FundraiserMake a PlanFundraising can be extremely rewarding for yourself and your organization When running a fundraiser you want to start building momentum as early as possible Planning your fundraiser promotion before you launch will help you make the most of your first 48 hours and set you up for success during the duration of your fundraiser
The best channels for promotion arebull Email bull Social Mediabull Updatesbull PRbull In personbull Telephone
To give you a timeline of how to plan execute and launch a fundraiser check out the GivingTuesday Prep Calendar
Email OutreachSending personalized emails to your donors friends and family is the best way to garner early support for your fundraiser We find that email is the best outreach method for a fundraiser and brings in more funding than any other outreach method
To help ensure your early email outreach is a success use the following steps
Identify Your Top DonorsBefore you launch your fundraiser identify your major donors and early supporters of the project A few weeks out you should start contacting your list of major donors to ask for early pledges of support This will help you set your goal in order to raise 30 in the first few days
That way when wider audiences visit your page theyrsquoll see your project already has a strong base of support and will feel more comfortable contributing to it themselves
Organize Your ListsOnce yoursquove identified your top donors make sure to organize your additional email lists Ask your team to identify their own networks of supporters as well Donrsquot forgot to create a list for friends and family too Leveraging contacts from Gmail Facebook Twitter and other social channels is a great first step toward building these lists
Craft Your MessageNext you should craft your message for each email list The best emails are personalized for your audience and give them a direct action Emails should includebull An inviting introduction Include the personrsquos
name an individualized greeting and one sentence explaining why they have a personal stake in your project Set the stage with a genuine tone
bull Your story This is your chance to get personal and explain why your project matters to you Including events or major turning points that led you to your campaign are great details for further investing your audience in your journey
bull An invitation Point out the values you share with your audience and then show how those values relate to your project Make your audience unable to deny its investment in your projectrsquos success
bull A call to action Clearly state one thing your audience can do to help your campaign and provide them with the single necessary link template or information to do so
bull A graphic While not necessary graphics go a long way toward conveying the more complicated information your campaign might entail
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 9
Promoting Your Fundraiser with Social MediaAfter direct personal emails social media is one of best ways to engage your communities and encourage your supporters to spread the word about the fundraiser
When it comes to social media keep a few important things in mind1 Take some time and invest in growing your
social media presence engagement and relationship with your followers before you launch your fundraiser
2 Be sure to go to where your audience is located Focus your efforts around social media sites with your largest numbers of followers
3 Make sure you are using good etiquette (crowdfunding and otherwise) Thank your donors for contributing or posting your project Engage with them and make them feel a part of the larger goal Respond to their questions and comments donrsquot ignore them Donrsquot spam them with the same post over and over again
4 Your posts should be frequent and varied in subject matter Posts should be engagement-driven and shouldbull Let your crowd know how their donations
can make a differencebull Share your fundraiserrsquos status
and milestonesbull Share new images or videos of your projectbull Provide a chance to get to know you
and your team
HashtagsHave a predetermined hashtag to rally your posts around and include it in each of your posts (not only on Twitter but also Facebook Instagram etc)
FacebookFacebook is a great opportunity to drive traffic to your fundraiser In fact after email Facebook is the most powerful ldquosharerdquo tool and is responsible for eliciting more donations to fundraisers on Indiegogo than any other social networking tool
Ask those who have already contributed to share your project on their Facebook walls Build this message into the ldquoThank Yourdquo email you send to your contributors Have a quick pre-written line or two linking to your fundraiser they can easily post to Facebook and be sure let them know how important Facebook is in helping you raise awareness and donations
Herersquos a great post from App Camp for Girls Facebook promotion
Find App Camp for Girls on Facebook
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 10
TwitterTwitter can be used for quick direct and casual interactions with your followers Be sure to share your short-link in your posts and answer questions or comments about your fundraiser
Twitter can also be a great way to connect with journalists bloggers and other influencers who may be interested in writing about or sharing your fundraiser Use Twitter to quickly thank your community as well
Kartma a program by Downtown Streets Team to create jobs for the homeless did a great job posting Tweets throughout their fundraiser see an example below
InstagramInstagram is a valuable social channel for image-driven fundraisers If your story can be told visually or has a strong visual component consider integrating Instagram into your Facebook and Twitter content strategies
Remember Instagram doesnrsquot allow clickable URLs to be posted with a post So be sure to add the fundraiser link to your Bio and direct people to the link in each post
Bring Visitors Back To Your FundraiserYour fundraiser page should serve as the central hub for all project-related content No matter how many social channels you leverage make sure each includes a clear path back home so that your audience can find your fundraiser mdash and donate mdash as easily as possible
Donrsquot forgot to tag us in your postsFacebookcomgenerositycom
Twittercomgenerosity
Instagram mdash generositycom
generositycom
Find Kartma Cafe on Twitter
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 11
How to Update Your DonorsUpdates are posts on your fundraisers that are sent as emails to all your donors We recommend posting updates often to keep your donors engaged and boost your fundraiserrsquos success
Organizers who provide updates once every five days tend to raise 218 more than those who update less often Yoursquoll help instill trust to grow your community (updating provides even more opportunities for donors to share your fundraiser creating new fans) and in turn increase funds
Why use Updatesbull Posts stay on your fundraiser much like a blog providing room to tell
your continued story Your donors can then be more aware of how their funds are used
bull Updates remain visible to all users informing those beyond your immediate social network
bull Updating your fundraiser boosts your likelihood of being promoted through Indiegogorsquos channels including our blog newsletter and homepage
bull Best of all updating your fundraiser is easy
4 Keys for Excellent Updatesbull Post something at least once every five daysmdashbut be mindful of your
donorsrsquo inboxes Create an update when there is something new related to your fundraiser
bull Share your latest campaign achievements Your donors can feel good knowing theyrsquove been part of these milestones and if they share your fundraiser can encourage others to donate too
bull Include videos and photos with your updates It can help your donors feel more closely involved
bull Include a call to action for your donors at the bottom of the update such as sharing the campaign
Evacuspots successfully raised funds to light the evacuation spots in New Orleans to aid disaster relief preparedness in the city They did a great job of posting updates throughout the fundraiser to share progress and thank their contributors This is an update they posted to encourage their networks to share the fundraiser
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 12
Suggested Schedulebull Create one update each week geared toward
forging a deeper connection with your followers Share news personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes photos and videos
bull Create a second weekly update encouraging contributors to share your campaign You can for example share your new stretch goals andor personally thank your community for its support
PR TipsPutting your fundraiser into the media spotlight can be a great way to raise awareness in your community and get the people around you excited about what yoursquore doing Itrsquos best to share your story with press after yoursquove raised your first 30 When the articles are posted the new visitors will be more likely to donate when they see that your fundraiser already has supporters
Here are a few key tipsbull Identify newspapers magazines bloggers
social media influencers and other press sources in advance You can create a list of writers and prioritize your options
bull Draft a press release that you can send out after yoursquove reached 30 of your goal
bull Helpful PDF Getting Local Press to Write About Your Fundraiser
ConclusionGivingTuesday brings together our global community to amplify social impact one day a year On Tuesday December 1st 2015 cause-driven organizations will join Generosity by Indiegogo to share gratitude without extra fees attached By utilizing the strategies in this guide we hope you will launch your cause fundraiser with strong momentum leading up to GivingTuesday
Sign up now to receive access to our Community Engagement Toolkit with tips for amplifying your impact and increasing your donations on GivingTuesday 2015
Questions Check out the Generosity Help Center
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 7
The first thirty seconds of your fundraiserrsquos video should give viewers all of the information they need to make their decision in the shortest time possible
Foster TrustThe video is also a great opportunity to highlight your existing community If you are working with a team to run the fundraiser include them in the body of your video Your friends family and supporters can share their stories about your fundraiser too
If you have existing press coverage a good reputation in your field or a dedicated fan base donrsquot be afraid to put these on screen in the first thirty seconds
Technical tip Videos will need to be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo to add them to the campaign
Donation LevelsDonation levels (aka perks) are coming soon to Generosity and will be available in time for GivingTuesday In the meantime you can create incentives for potential donors and add them to the fundraiser story
On Indiegogo perks are benefits that you offer donors in exchange for their contribution Perks can include recognition (name on a website thank you letter) physical perks (stickers T-shirt) event voucher (tickets to a show opportunity to meet your organization) or digital downloads (mixtape ebook video) With donation levels you will be abel to offer a perk share the impact of the donation or create a suggested amount for donations Sharing the impact of the donation is a great way to motivate supporters For example if you are raising funds for a school you could say that $15 provides school supplies for one student
Until full donation level functionality is available you can offer perks or other incentives for donors right in the fundraiser story Create a list of incentives that you can offer to your donors through the campaign Then put the perks in the story of the fundraiser as a list or image showing the incentives with a donation amount Donors will see the perks associated with donation amounts on the page and donate the required amount to the fundraiser As the organizer you can download a CSV file with all of your donorrsquos information including email address and amount contributed on the fundraiser dashboard
Check out this great example (below) of an incentive breakdown by the San Francisco based nonprofit Root Division
Sign up now to be the first to know about donation levels on Generosity
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 8
Promoting Your FundraiserMake a PlanFundraising can be extremely rewarding for yourself and your organization When running a fundraiser you want to start building momentum as early as possible Planning your fundraiser promotion before you launch will help you make the most of your first 48 hours and set you up for success during the duration of your fundraiser
The best channels for promotion arebull Email bull Social Mediabull Updatesbull PRbull In personbull Telephone
To give you a timeline of how to plan execute and launch a fundraiser check out the GivingTuesday Prep Calendar
Email OutreachSending personalized emails to your donors friends and family is the best way to garner early support for your fundraiser We find that email is the best outreach method for a fundraiser and brings in more funding than any other outreach method
To help ensure your early email outreach is a success use the following steps
Identify Your Top DonorsBefore you launch your fundraiser identify your major donors and early supporters of the project A few weeks out you should start contacting your list of major donors to ask for early pledges of support This will help you set your goal in order to raise 30 in the first few days
That way when wider audiences visit your page theyrsquoll see your project already has a strong base of support and will feel more comfortable contributing to it themselves
Organize Your ListsOnce yoursquove identified your top donors make sure to organize your additional email lists Ask your team to identify their own networks of supporters as well Donrsquot forgot to create a list for friends and family too Leveraging contacts from Gmail Facebook Twitter and other social channels is a great first step toward building these lists
Craft Your MessageNext you should craft your message for each email list The best emails are personalized for your audience and give them a direct action Emails should includebull An inviting introduction Include the personrsquos
name an individualized greeting and one sentence explaining why they have a personal stake in your project Set the stage with a genuine tone
bull Your story This is your chance to get personal and explain why your project matters to you Including events or major turning points that led you to your campaign are great details for further investing your audience in your journey
bull An invitation Point out the values you share with your audience and then show how those values relate to your project Make your audience unable to deny its investment in your projectrsquos success
bull A call to action Clearly state one thing your audience can do to help your campaign and provide them with the single necessary link template or information to do so
bull A graphic While not necessary graphics go a long way toward conveying the more complicated information your campaign might entail
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 9
Promoting Your Fundraiser with Social MediaAfter direct personal emails social media is one of best ways to engage your communities and encourage your supporters to spread the word about the fundraiser
When it comes to social media keep a few important things in mind1 Take some time and invest in growing your
social media presence engagement and relationship with your followers before you launch your fundraiser
2 Be sure to go to where your audience is located Focus your efforts around social media sites with your largest numbers of followers
3 Make sure you are using good etiquette (crowdfunding and otherwise) Thank your donors for contributing or posting your project Engage with them and make them feel a part of the larger goal Respond to their questions and comments donrsquot ignore them Donrsquot spam them with the same post over and over again
4 Your posts should be frequent and varied in subject matter Posts should be engagement-driven and shouldbull Let your crowd know how their donations
can make a differencebull Share your fundraiserrsquos status
and milestonesbull Share new images or videos of your projectbull Provide a chance to get to know you
and your team
HashtagsHave a predetermined hashtag to rally your posts around and include it in each of your posts (not only on Twitter but also Facebook Instagram etc)
FacebookFacebook is a great opportunity to drive traffic to your fundraiser In fact after email Facebook is the most powerful ldquosharerdquo tool and is responsible for eliciting more donations to fundraisers on Indiegogo than any other social networking tool
Ask those who have already contributed to share your project on their Facebook walls Build this message into the ldquoThank Yourdquo email you send to your contributors Have a quick pre-written line or two linking to your fundraiser they can easily post to Facebook and be sure let them know how important Facebook is in helping you raise awareness and donations
Herersquos a great post from App Camp for Girls Facebook promotion
Find App Camp for Girls on Facebook
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 10
TwitterTwitter can be used for quick direct and casual interactions with your followers Be sure to share your short-link in your posts and answer questions or comments about your fundraiser
Twitter can also be a great way to connect with journalists bloggers and other influencers who may be interested in writing about or sharing your fundraiser Use Twitter to quickly thank your community as well
Kartma a program by Downtown Streets Team to create jobs for the homeless did a great job posting Tweets throughout their fundraiser see an example below
InstagramInstagram is a valuable social channel for image-driven fundraisers If your story can be told visually or has a strong visual component consider integrating Instagram into your Facebook and Twitter content strategies
Remember Instagram doesnrsquot allow clickable URLs to be posted with a post So be sure to add the fundraiser link to your Bio and direct people to the link in each post
Bring Visitors Back To Your FundraiserYour fundraiser page should serve as the central hub for all project-related content No matter how many social channels you leverage make sure each includes a clear path back home so that your audience can find your fundraiser mdash and donate mdash as easily as possible
Donrsquot forgot to tag us in your postsFacebookcomgenerositycom
Twittercomgenerosity
Instagram mdash generositycom
generositycom
Find Kartma Cafe on Twitter
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 11
How to Update Your DonorsUpdates are posts on your fundraisers that are sent as emails to all your donors We recommend posting updates often to keep your donors engaged and boost your fundraiserrsquos success
Organizers who provide updates once every five days tend to raise 218 more than those who update less often Yoursquoll help instill trust to grow your community (updating provides even more opportunities for donors to share your fundraiser creating new fans) and in turn increase funds
Why use Updatesbull Posts stay on your fundraiser much like a blog providing room to tell
your continued story Your donors can then be more aware of how their funds are used
bull Updates remain visible to all users informing those beyond your immediate social network
bull Updating your fundraiser boosts your likelihood of being promoted through Indiegogorsquos channels including our blog newsletter and homepage
bull Best of all updating your fundraiser is easy
4 Keys for Excellent Updatesbull Post something at least once every five daysmdashbut be mindful of your
donorsrsquo inboxes Create an update when there is something new related to your fundraiser
bull Share your latest campaign achievements Your donors can feel good knowing theyrsquove been part of these milestones and if they share your fundraiser can encourage others to donate too
bull Include videos and photos with your updates It can help your donors feel more closely involved
bull Include a call to action for your donors at the bottom of the update such as sharing the campaign
Evacuspots successfully raised funds to light the evacuation spots in New Orleans to aid disaster relief preparedness in the city They did a great job of posting updates throughout the fundraiser to share progress and thank their contributors This is an update they posted to encourage their networks to share the fundraiser
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 12
Suggested Schedulebull Create one update each week geared toward
forging a deeper connection with your followers Share news personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes photos and videos
bull Create a second weekly update encouraging contributors to share your campaign You can for example share your new stretch goals andor personally thank your community for its support
PR TipsPutting your fundraiser into the media spotlight can be a great way to raise awareness in your community and get the people around you excited about what yoursquore doing Itrsquos best to share your story with press after yoursquove raised your first 30 When the articles are posted the new visitors will be more likely to donate when they see that your fundraiser already has supporters
Here are a few key tipsbull Identify newspapers magazines bloggers
social media influencers and other press sources in advance You can create a list of writers and prioritize your options
bull Draft a press release that you can send out after yoursquove reached 30 of your goal
bull Helpful PDF Getting Local Press to Write About Your Fundraiser
ConclusionGivingTuesday brings together our global community to amplify social impact one day a year On Tuesday December 1st 2015 cause-driven organizations will join Generosity by Indiegogo to share gratitude without extra fees attached By utilizing the strategies in this guide we hope you will launch your cause fundraiser with strong momentum leading up to GivingTuesday
Sign up now to receive access to our Community Engagement Toolkit with tips for amplifying your impact and increasing your donations on GivingTuesday 2015
Questions Check out the Generosity Help Center
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 8
Promoting Your FundraiserMake a PlanFundraising can be extremely rewarding for yourself and your organization When running a fundraiser you want to start building momentum as early as possible Planning your fundraiser promotion before you launch will help you make the most of your first 48 hours and set you up for success during the duration of your fundraiser
The best channels for promotion arebull Email bull Social Mediabull Updatesbull PRbull In personbull Telephone
To give you a timeline of how to plan execute and launch a fundraiser check out the GivingTuesday Prep Calendar
Email OutreachSending personalized emails to your donors friends and family is the best way to garner early support for your fundraiser We find that email is the best outreach method for a fundraiser and brings in more funding than any other outreach method
To help ensure your early email outreach is a success use the following steps
Identify Your Top DonorsBefore you launch your fundraiser identify your major donors and early supporters of the project A few weeks out you should start contacting your list of major donors to ask for early pledges of support This will help you set your goal in order to raise 30 in the first few days
That way when wider audiences visit your page theyrsquoll see your project already has a strong base of support and will feel more comfortable contributing to it themselves
Organize Your ListsOnce yoursquove identified your top donors make sure to organize your additional email lists Ask your team to identify their own networks of supporters as well Donrsquot forgot to create a list for friends and family too Leveraging contacts from Gmail Facebook Twitter and other social channels is a great first step toward building these lists
Craft Your MessageNext you should craft your message for each email list The best emails are personalized for your audience and give them a direct action Emails should includebull An inviting introduction Include the personrsquos
name an individualized greeting and one sentence explaining why they have a personal stake in your project Set the stage with a genuine tone
bull Your story This is your chance to get personal and explain why your project matters to you Including events or major turning points that led you to your campaign are great details for further investing your audience in your journey
bull An invitation Point out the values you share with your audience and then show how those values relate to your project Make your audience unable to deny its investment in your projectrsquos success
bull A call to action Clearly state one thing your audience can do to help your campaign and provide them with the single necessary link template or information to do so
bull A graphic While not necessary graphics go a long way toward conveying the more complicated information your campaign might entail
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 9
Promoting Your Fundraiser with Social MediaAfter direct personal emails social media is one of best ways to engage your communities and encourage your supporters to spread the word about the fundraiser
When it comes to social media keep a few important things in mind1 Take some time and invest in growing your
social media presence engagement and relationship with your followers before you launch your fundraiser
2 Be sure to go to where your audience is located Focus your efforts around social media sites with your largest numbers of followers
3 Make sure you are using good etiquette (crowdfunding and otherwise) Thank your donors for contributing or posting your project Engage with them and make them feel a part of the larger goal Respond to their questions and comments donrsquot ignore them Donrsquot spam them with the same post over and over again
4 Your posts should be frequent and varied in subject matter Posts should be engagement-driven and shouldbull Let your crowd know how their donations
can make a differencebull Share your fundraiserrsquos status
and milestonesbull Share new images or videos of your projectbull Provide a chance to get to know you
and your team
HashtagsHave a predetermined hashtag to rally your posts around and include it in each of your posts (not only on Twitter but also Facebook Instagram etc)
FacebookFacebook is a great opportunity to drive traffic to your fundraiser In fact after email Facebook is the most powerful ldquosharerdquo tool and is responsible for eliciting more donations to fundraisers on Indiegogo than any other social networking tool
Ask those who have already contributed to share your project on their Facebook walls Build this message into the ldquoThank Yourdquo email you send to your contributors Have a quick pre-written line or two linking to your fundraiser they can easily post to Facebook and be sure let them know how important Facebook is in helping you raise awareness and donations
Herersquos a great post from App Camp for Girls Facebook promotion
Find App Camp for Girls on Facebook
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 10
TwitterTwitter can be used for quick direct and casual interactions with your followers Be sure to share your short-link in your posts and answer questions or comments about your fundraiser
Twitter can also be a great way to connect with journalists bloggers and other influencers who may be interested in writing about or sharing your fundraiser Use Twitter to quickly thank your community as well
Kartma a program by Downtown Streets Team to create jobs for the homeless did a great job posting Tweets throughout their fundraiser see an example below
InstagramInstagram is a valuable social channel for image-driven fundraisers If your story can be told visually or has a strong visual component consider integrating Instagram into your Facebook and Twitter content strategies
Remember Instagram doesnrsquot allow clickable URLs to be posted with a post So be sure to add the fundraiser link to your Bio and direct people to the link in each post
Bring Visitors Back To Your FundraiserYour fundraiser page should serve as the central hub for all project-related content No matter how many social channels you leverage make sure each includes a clear path back home so that your audience can find your fundraiser mdash and donate mdash as easily as possible
Donrsquot forgot to tag us in your postsFacebookcomgenerositycom
Twittercomgenerosity
Instagram mdash generositycom
generositycom
Find Kartma Cafe on Twitter
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 11
How to Update Your DonorsUpdates are posts on your fundraisers that are sent as emails to all your donors We recommend posting updates often to keep your donors engaged and boost your fundraiserrsquos success
Organizers who provide updates once every five days tend to raise 218 more than those who update less often Yoursquoll help instill trust to grow your community (updating provides even more opportunities for donors to share your fundraiser creating new fans) and in turn increase funds
Why use Updatesbull Posts stay on your fundraiser much like a blog providing room to tell
your continued story Your donors can then be more aware of how their funds are used
bull Updates remain visible to all users informing those beyond your immediate social network
bull Updating your fundraiser boosts your likelihood of being promoted through Indiegogorsquos channels including our blog newsletter and homepage
bull Best of all updating your fundraiser is easy
4 Keys for Excellent Updatesbull Post something at least once every five daysmdashbut be mindful of your
donorsrsquo inboxes Create an update when there is something new related to your fundraiser
bull Share your latest campaign achievements Your donors can feel good knowing theyrsquove been part of these milestones and if they share your fundraiser can encourage others to donate too
bull Include videos and photos with your updates It can help your donors feel more closely involved
bull Include a call to action for your donors at the bottom of the update such as sharing the campaign
Evacuspots successfully raised funds to light the evacuation spots in New Orleans to aid disaster relief preparedness in the city They did a great job of posting updates throughout the fundraiser to share progress and thank their contributors This is an update they posted to encourage their networks to share the fundraiser
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 12
Suggested Schedulebull Create one update each week geared toward
forging a deeper connection with your followers Share news personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes photos and videos
bull Create a second weekly update encouraging contributors to share your campaign You can for example share your new stretch goals andor personally thank your community for its support
PR TipsPutting your fundraiser into the media spotlight can be a great way to raise awareness in your community and get the people around you excited about what yoursquore doing Itrsquos best to share your story with press after yoursquove raised your first 30 When the articles are posted the new visitors will be more likely to donate when they see that your fundraiser already has supporters
Here are a few key tipsbull Identify newspapers magazines bloggers
social media influencers and other press sources in advance You can create a list of writers and prioritize your options
bull Draft a press release that you can send out after yoursquove reached 30 of your goal
bull Helpful PDF Getting Local Press to Write About Your Fundraiser
ConclusionGivingTuesday brings together our global community to amplify social impact one day a year On Tuesday December 1st 2015 cause-driven organizations will join Generosity by Indiegogo to share gratitude without extra fees attached By utilizing the strategies in this guide we hope you will launch your cause fundraiser with strong momentum leading up to GivingTuesday
Sign up now to receive access to our Community Engagement Toolkit with tips for amplifying your impact and increasing your donations on GivingTuesday 2015
Questions Check out the Generosity Help Center
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 9
Promoting Your Fundraiser with Social MediaAfter direct personal emails social media is one of best ways to engage your communities and encourage your supporters to spread the word about the fundraiser
When it comes to social media keep a few important things in mind1 Take some time and invest in growing your
social media presence engagement and relationship with your followers before you launch your fundraiser
2 Be sure to go to where your audience is located Focus your efforts around social media sites with your largest numbers of followers
3 Make sure you are using good etiquette (crowdfunding and otherwise) Thank your donors for contributing or posting your project Engage with them and make them feel a part of the larger goal Respond to their questions and comments donrsquot ignore them Donrsquot spam them with the same post over and over again
4 Your posts should be frequent and varied in subject matter Posts should be engagement-driven and shouldbull Let your crowd know how their donations
can make a differencebull Share your fundraiserrsquos status
and milestonesbull Share new images or videos of your projectbull Provide a chance to get to know you
and your team
HashtagsHave a predetermined hashtag to rally your posts around and include it in each of your posts (not only on Twitter but also Facebook Instagram etc)
FacebookFacebook is a great opportunity to drive traffic to your fundraiser In fact after email Facebook is the most powerful ldquosharerdquo tool and is responsible for eliciting more donations to fundraisers on Indiegogo than any other social networking tool
Ask those who have already contributed to share your project on their Facebook walls Build this message into the ldquoThank Yourdquo email you send to your contributors Have a quick pre-written line or two linking to your fundraiser they can easily post to Facebook and be sure let them know how important Facebook is in helping you raise awareness and donations
Herersquos a great post from App Camp for Girls Facebook promotion
Find App Camp for Girls on Facebook
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 10
TwitterTwitter can be used for quick direct and casual interactions with your followers Be sure to share your short-link in your posts and answer questions or comments about your fundraiser
Twitter can also be a great way to connect with journalists bloggers and other influencers who may be interested in writing about or sharing your fundraiser Use Twitter to quickly thank your community as well
Kartma a program by Downtown Streets Team to create jobs for the homeless did a great job posting Tweets throughout their fundraiser see an example below
InstagramInstagram is a valuable social channel for image-driven fundraisers If your story can be told visually or has a strong visual component consider integrating Instagram into your Facebook and Twitter content strategies
Remember Instagram doesnrsquot allow clickable URLs to be posted with a post So be sure to add the fundraiser link to your Bio and direct people to the link in each post
Bring Visitors Back To Your FundraiserYour fundraiser page should serve as the central hub for all project-related content No matter how many social channels you leverage make sure each includes a clear path back home so that your audience can find your fundraiser mdash and donate mdash as easily as possible
Donrsquot forgot to tag us in your postsFacebookcomgenerositycom
Twittercomgenerosity
Instagram mdash generositycom
generositycom
Find Kartma Cafe on Twitter
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 11
How to Update Your DonorsUpdates are posts on your fundraisers that are sent as emails to all your donors We recommend posting updates often to keep your donors engaged and boost your fundraiserrsquos success
Organizers who provide updates once every five days tend to raise 218 more than those who update less often Yoursquoll help instill trust to grow your community (updating provides even more opportunities for donors to share your fundraiser creating new fans) and in turn increase funds
Why use Updatesbull Posts stay on your fundraiser much like a blog providing room to tell
your continued story Your donors can then be more aware of how their funds are used
bull Updates remain visible to all users informing those beyond your immediate social network
bull Updating your fundraiser boosts your likelihood of being promoted through Indiegogorsquos channels including our blog newsletter and homepage
bull Best of all updating your fundraiser is easy
4 Keys for Excellent Updatesbull Post something at least once every five daysmdashbut be mindful of your
donorsrsquo inboxes Create an update when there is something new related to your fundraiser
bull Share your latest campaign achievements Your donors can feel good knowing theyrsquove been part of these milestones and if they share your fundraiser can encourage others to donate too
bull Include videos and photos with your updates It can help your donors feel more closely involved
bull Include a call to action for your donors at the bottom of the update such as sharing the campaign
Evacuspots successfully raised funds to light the evacuation spots in New Orleans to aid disaster relief preparedness in the city They did a great job of posting updates throughout the fundraiser to share progress and thank their contributors This is an update they posted to encourage their networks to share the fundraiser
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 12
Suggested Schedulebull Create one update each week geared toward
forging a deeper connection with your followers Share news personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes photos and videos
bull Create a second weekly update encouraging contributors to share your campaign You can for example share your new stretch goals andor personally thank your community for its support
PR TipsPutting your fundraiser into the media spotlight can be a great way to raise awareness in your community and get the people around you excited about what yoursquore doing Itrsquos best to share your story with press after yoursquove raised your first 30 When the articles are posted the new visitors will be more likely to donate when they see that your fundraiser already has supporters
Here are a few key tipsbull Identify newspapers magazines bloggers
social media influencers and other press sources in advance You can create a list of writers and prioritize your options
bull Draft a press release that you can send out after yoursquove reached 30 of your goal
bull Helpful PDF Getting Local Press to Write About Your Fundraiser
ConclusionGivingTuesday brings together our global community to amplify social impact one day a year On Tuesday December 1st 2015 cause-driven organizations will join Generosity by Indiegogo to share gratitude without extra fees attached By utilizing the strategies in this guide we hope you will launch your cause fundraiser with strong momentum leading up to GivingTuesday
Sign up now to receive access to our Community Engagement Toolkit with tips for amplifying your impact and increasing your donations on GivingTuesday 2015
Questions Check out the Generosity Help Center
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 10
TwitterTwitter can be used for quick direct and casual interactions with your followers Be sure to share your short-link in your posts and answer questions or comments about your fundraiser
Twitter can also be a great way to connect with journalists bloggers and other influencers who may be interested in writing about or sharing your fundraiser Use Twitter to quickly thank your community as well
Kartma a program by Downtown Streets Team to create jobs for the homeless did a great job posting Tweets throughout their fundraiser see an example below
InstagramInstagram is a valuable social channel for image-driven fundraisers If your story can be told visually or has a strong visual component consider integrating Instagram into your Facebook and Twitter content strategies
Remember Instagram doesnrsquot allow clickable URLs to be posted with a post So be sure to add the fundraiser link to your Bio and direct people to the link in each post
Bring Visitors Back To Your FundraiserYour fundraiser page should serve as the central hub for all project-related content No matter how many social channels you leverage make sure each includes a clear path back home so that your audience can find your fundraiser mdash and donate mdash as easily as possible
Donrsquot forgot to tag us in your postsFacebookcomgenerositycom
Twittercomgenerosity
Instagram mdash generositycom
generositycom
Find Kartma Cafe on Twitter
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 11
How to Update Your DonorsUpdates are posts on your fundraisers that are sent as emails to all your donors We recommend posting updates often to keep your donors engaged and boost your fundraiserrsquos success
Organizers who provide updates once every five days tend to raise 218 more than those who update less often Yoursquoll help instill trust to grow your community (updating provides even more opportunities for donors to share your fundraiser creating new fans) and in turn increase funds
Why use Updatesbull Posts stay on your fundraiser much like a blog providing room to tell
your continued story Your donors can then be more aware of how their funds are used
bull Updates remain visible to all users informing those beyond your immediate social network
bull Updating your fundraiser boosts your likelihood of being promoted through Indiegogorsquos channels including our blog newsletter and homepage
bull Best of all updating your fundraiser is easy
4 Keys for Excellent Updatesbull Post something at least once every five daysmdashbut be mindful of your
donorsrsquo inboxes Create an update when there is something new related to your fundraiser
bull Share your latest campaign achievements Your donors can feel good knowing theyrsquove been part of these milestones and if they share your fundraiser can encourage others to donate too
bull Include videos and photos with your updates It can help your donors feel more closely involved
bull Include a call to action for your donors at the bottom of the update such as sharing the campaign
Evacuspots successfully raised funds to light the evacuation spots in New Orleans to aid disaster relief preparedness in the city They did a great job of posting updates throughout the fundraiser to share progress and thank their contributors This is an update they posted to encourage their networks to share the fundraiser
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 12
Suggested Schedulebull Create one update each week geared toward
forging a deeper connection with your followers Share news personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes photos and videos
bull Create a second weekly update encouraging contributors to share your campaign You can for example share your new stretch goals andor personally thank your community for its support
PR TipsPutting your fundraiser into the media spotlight can be a great way to raise awareness in your community and get the people around you excited about what yoursquore doing Itrsquos best to share your story with press after yoursquove raised your first 30 When the articles are posted the new visitors will be more likely to donate when they see that your fundraiser already has supporters
Here are a few key tipsbull Identify newspapers magazines bloggers
social media influencers and other press sources in advance You can create a list of writers and prioritize your options
bull Draft a press release that you can send out after yoursquove reached 30 of your goal
bull Helpful PDF Getting Local Press to Write About Your Fundraiser
ConclusionGivingTuesday brings together our global community to amplify social impact one day a year On Tuesday December 1st 2015 cause-driven organizations will join Generosity by Indiegogo to share gratitude without extra fees attached By utilizing the strategies in this guide we hope you will launch your cause fundraiser with strong momentum leading up to GivingTuesday
Sign up now to receive access to our Community Engagement Toolkit with tips for amplifying your impact and increasing your donations on GivingTuesday 2015
Questions Check out the Generosity Help Center
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 11
How to Update Your DonorsUpdates are posts on your fundraisers that are sent as emails to all your donors We recommend posting updates often to keep your donors engaged and boost your fundraiserrsquos success
Organizers who provide updates once every five days tend to raise 218 more than those who update less often Yoursquoll help instill trust to grow your community (updating provides even more opportunities for donors to share your fundraiser creating new fans) and in turn increase funds
Why use Updatesbull Posts stay on your fundraiser much like a blog providing room to tell
your continued story Your donors can then be more aware of how their funds are used
bull Updates remain visible to all users informing those beyond your immediate social network
bull Updating your fundraiser boosts your likelihood of being promoted through Indiegogorsquos channels including our blog newsletter and homepage
bull Best of all updating your fundraiser is easy
4 Keys for Excellent Updatesbull Post something at least once every five daysmdashbut be mindful of your
donorsrsquo inboxes Create an update when there is something new related to your fundraiser
bull Share your latest campaign achievements Your donors can feel good knowing theyrsquove been part of these milestones and if they share your fundraiser can encourage others to donate too
bull Include videos and photos with your updates It can help your donors feel more closely involved
bull Include a call to action for your donors at the bottom of the update such as sharing the campaign
Evacuspots successfully raised funds to light the evacuation spots in New Orleans to aid disaster relief preparedness in the city They did a great job of posting updates throughout the fundraiser to share progress and thank their contributors This is an update they posted to encourage their networks to share the fundraiser
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 12
Suggested Schedulebull Create one update each week geared toward
forging a deeper connection with your followers Share news personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes photos and videos
bull Create a second weekly update encouraging contributors to share your campaign You can for example share your new stretch goals andor personally thank your community for its support
PR TipsPutting your fundraiser into the media spotlight can be a great way to raise awareness in your community and get the people around you excited about what yoursquore doing Itrsquos best to share your story with press after yoursquove raised your first 30 When the articles are posted the new visitors will be more likely to donate when they see that your fundraiser already has supporters
Here are a few key tipsbull Identify newspapers magazines bloggers
social media influencers and other press sources in advance You can create a list of writers and prioritize your options
bull Draft a press release that you can send out after yoursquove reached 30 of your goal
bull Helpful PDF Getting Local Press to Write About Your Fundraiser
ConclusionGivingTuesday brings together our global community to amplify social impact one day a year On Tuesday December 1st 2015 cause-driven organizations will join Generosity by Indiegogo to share gratitude without extra fees attached By utilizing the strategies in this guide we hope you will launch your cause fundraiser with strong momentum leading up to GivingTuesday
Sign up now to receive access to our Community Engagement Toolkit with tips for amplifying your impact and increasing your donations on GivingTuesday 2015
Questions Check out the Generosity Help Center
GivingTuesday Fundraiser Creation Toolkit bull 12
Suggested Schedulebull Create one update each week geared toward
forging a deeper connection with your followers Share news personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes photos and videos
bull Create a second weekly update encouraging contributors to share your campaign You can for example share your new stretch goals andor personally thank your community for its support
PR TipsPutting your fundraiser into the media spotlight can be a great way to raise awareness in your community and get the people around you excited about what yoursquore doing Itrsquos best to share your story with press after yoursquove raised your first 30 When the articles are posted the new visitors will be more likely to donate when they see that your fundraiser already has supporters
Here are a few key tipsbull Identify newspapers magazines bloggers
social media influencers and other press sources in advance You can create a list of writers and prioritize your options
bull Draft a press release that you can send out after yoursquove reached 30 of your goal
bull Helpful PDF Getting Local Press to Write About Your Fundraiser
ConclusionGivingTuesday brings together our global community to amplify social impact one day a year On Tuesday December 1st 2015 cause-driven organizations will join Generosity by Indiegogo to share gratitude without extra fees attached By utilizing the strategies in this guide we hope you will launch your cause fundraiser with strong momentum leading up to GivingTuesday
Sign up now to receive access to our Community Engagement Toolkit with tips for amplifying your impact and increasing your donations on GivingTuesday 2015
