Tips provided by: 9 Effective Facebook Fundraising Tips for More Donations (gofundme.com)
1. Make your fundraiser visually appealing
Before sharing your fundraiser, choose a catchy title and compelling images and videos that tell your story.
2. Share your fundraiser with your inner circle
It’s important to first share your fundraiser with family and close friends before sharing it with everyone else you know on Facebook. Once you’ve gained some momentum, you can start sharing your fundraiser with everyone. Acquaintances are much more likely to donate if they see that you’ve already received donations from other people.
Writing persuasive emails
Email is one of the most effective ways to raise awareness of your fundraiser and cause. Use the following best practices:
a) Make your subject line count
The subject line for fundraising emails is not only the reader’s first impression—it’s your first and last chance to get someone to open your message.
- Keep your subject line short but informative—the ideal length is fewer than 65 characters.
- Grab interest so people want to learn more. Don’t use all-caps and excessive punctuation.
- Create a sense of urgency that inspires donors to take action.
b) Personalize your messages
You’ll want to tailor each email to sound warm and genuine. Even adding the recipient’s name to the greeting can go a long way in individualizing an email.
c) Keep it short and sweet
Brevity is the key to an effective fundraising email. If you write too much, people will lose interest and give up reading. A clear and visually appealing format also plays an important role in an email’s readability.
- Break up large paragraphs to avoid overwhelming potential donors.
- Limit yourself to four short paragraphs.
- Use subheads and bolded text for easy reading.
- Include high-quality photos to help people connect with your cause.
d) Make the impact clear
How will donations be used? How will the funds change your life or improve the life of your beneficiary? Readers will want to know right away why you’re raising funds and exactly how the money will be used, so be sure to answer these questions within the first few sentences of your email.
e) Add visual content
A high-quality photo or video can help break up text and draw people into your email right away, so definitely insert at least one image into your outreach emails.
3. Write your first post
To begin, create a post on your page so people can get an overview of your cause and understand why it means so much to you.
The success of your fundraiser depends on consistently posting, sharing, and engaging with others on social media. Your Facebook posts and updates can capture your audience’s attention, encourage them to share with their friends, and motivate them to contribute.
4. Add your fundraiser link to all your posts
Simply copy and paste the link to your fundraiser in the status box. When people click the link in your post, they’ll be taken directly to your fundraiser.
Note: Facebook doesn’t like people leaving its site, so its algorithm deprioritizes posts that include a link in the status. To get around this, use plain text in your status update and add the link as the first comment.
5. Write captivating posts
Spend some time making your posts as interesting and compelling as you can. Hook people with the first sentence, or even the first couple of words. Write posts that capture the attention of friends, acquaintances, and even strangers. Inspire people to visit your fundraiser and donate to your cause.
A few examples:
- “Today is the 15th! We are asking everyone in this Facebook group to donate $15.”
- “If we can raise $1,000 in the next 24 hours, a generous donor has agreed to match it with another $2,000.”
- “My sister is $1,000 shy of raising the funds she needs for surgery. With everyone’s help, I know we can meet our goal!”
6. Try a unique hashtag
If your fundraiser is connected to a larger national movement, such as World Mitochondrial Disease Week add the same hashtags associated with that larger conversation to your post (e.g. @World Mitochondrial Disease Week, #WorldMitoWeek2024). This will make your post appear in feeds from the MitoCommunity that monitor for related news.
7. Thank donors by tagging them
A powerful way to thank and recognize donors is to tag them in your Facebook posts!
8. Post frequent updates
People love to know what’s going on with a cause they’ve donated to, so post fundraiser updates multiple times a week. Posting regularly about your cause and why it means so much to you will remind friends that you’re committed to reaching your goal.
9. Challenge your community to donate
Create a giving challenge. For example, write a post that compares a donation to a small daily purchase. For instance, challenge friends to skip their afternoon latte for one day and instead donate that money to your fundraiser.
Messaging examples: