How to promote your fundraising campaign - first steps

Use personal emails

Emails can feel a bit old-fashioned – but they work a treat. They are personal and direct, they cut through the noise of social media and they go straight to your supporters’ inboxes. While people may find it easy to ignore a fundraising appeal on social media, it’s harder to ignore an appeal that’s addressed to them personally. To drive up donations, choose a short and sweet subject line that hooks people in, avoid making the message sound like a cut-and-paste job, give your own unique reasons for fundraising, and remember to include a link to your fundraising page. Including links to photos from your fundraising efforts is also a nice touch.

Talk to people

While sharing your story on social media can make a big difference, nothing beats a one-on-one conversation when it comes to the awkward business of asking for donations. A real-life meeting is always going to be the best way to ask for a donation, not least because saying no is a lot harder when the person asking for a donation is sitting right next to you. During a pandemic, of course, an in-person meeting may not be possible, but a phone call is the next best thing. You’re still investing your time in appealing to your friends individually – and that personal effort will go a long way.

Getting your campaign press coverage

Identifying what’s unique about your campaign and promoting it to a public audience could see you reach new heights. To get your campaign in the press, prepare a press release – a single-page document that tells your story in a concise and impactful way. Focus on ‘the 5 Ws and the H’ (who, where, what, why, when and how) and include attention-grabbing quotes and a link to your fundraising page.

Next, seek the right editors and journalists to approach. A special-interest publication that covers your fundraising activity, such as a health and fitness magazine if you’re running the Virgin Money London Marathon, for example, is another angle worth exploring. Don’t overlook local newspapers and specialist websites, and remember that blogs, podcasts and social media influencers can reach large audiences. Start with the ones with a relationship with your charity and go from there.

See psychologist David Linden explain how tapping in to the brain’s reward system can help fundraisers raise even more money for their charity.