How to ask for donations with crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is one of the best ways to ask for donations to support your cause.
One of the reasons why crowdfunding works is the power of social sharing. In the past, it would’ve taken months to ask every person you know for a donation, however, now because of huge social networks it has become easier and quicker.
Determine the type of donations you need
To start asking for donations, you should determine what kind of donations you need. They can be of several kinds:
1. Money donations
Monetary donations are the first thing that comes into mind when you think about crowdfunding for a cause. If you’re trying to support a cause you are likely to need funds, and donations are the best way to get them.
2. In-kind donations
The contribution of products and services for a cause is called in-kind donations. These can vary from food donations for a charity event or supplies for a project building, which can be extremely helpful in some cases.
3. Volunteering
Spare time can also be a donation. You ask people to volunteer their time to your cause. The help of the community can be very handy, for example, for completing a large and difficult task.
Decide who you are going to ask for a help
Ask your inner circle
Ask for help from those who already trust and care about you. Many nonprofits have problems with fundraising because they don’t how to build trusting relationships with their donors. You won’t have this problem if you ask for donations from your friends and family members. You can also seek help from your colleagues.
Probably this does not worth mentioning, but you should always be honest when asking your friends or family members to donate to. Let them know where the funds will be transferred and why you’re asking for their help.
Nevertheless, not everyone can be ready to support your cause. So, make sure that you have prepared yourself for denials even from family and friends.
Asking businesses
Many businesses have departments or special employees who are in charge of corporate social responsibility. They can be responsible for donating the part of the company’s revenue for good charity causes.
Companies can also donate in-kind products and services that can help you raise funds. For example, if you are raising money to help poor and uneducated children in Africa, the company may donate some educational equipment to schools there.
If you are lucky enough to establish strong and long-lasting relationships with the board of directors, you can talk them into more donations in the future.
Search for companies that share your core values. You’ll more likely have success in fundraising if you are reaching someone who has the same views.
Asking the government and various foundations
Search for grants from different foundations and apply for those that your cause matches. Grant is usually a large sum of money. It works pretty much the same with governmental funds.
Most grants have strict guidelines for how this money should be spent. While this might seem too strict, it’s really a great way to show that your organization is eligible.
However, applying for a grant requires a lot of effort. You need to find a grant that perfectly matches your particular fundraising need and convince its owners that you really need it.
There are also a lot of organizations and individuals who might support your cause. For, example, you can ask a celebrity for help. To know more about it, read this article.
Tips for nonprofits
If you’re running a nonprofit and looking for how to improve your approach to asking for donations, read these simple tips:
- Tell your story. Stories can be very inspiring, so tell the donors the story of your project.
- Make research. Perform a prospect screening and learn important information about your possible donors.
- Combine different types of communications. Vary your communication style so that you will be able to appeal to as many people as you can. For example, some people like receiving emails while others prefer reading posts on their social networks.
- Try Peer-to-Peer. You can try to ask supporters to fundraise on your behalf, naturally growing your network.
- Be grateful. Do not forget to thank those who already made a donation. Thank those people publicly.
There are more useful tips, that you can search for. For example, this article includes some great ones.
To sum up:
Now you know some tips on how to ask for donations while crowdfunding for a cause, so you are fully prepared to start your donations campaign.
