How many times have you walked out of the grocery store and looked up to see the cutest 5-year old girl in pigtails asking you to buy some cookies? We all love supporting kids and their organizations. Whether it's their school, scouting troop, sports team, dance team, or the roller derby club – who doesn’t mind spending a few bucks to help out a child’s cause? Having bought our fair share of cookies and cookie dough, we’ve given the cookie fundraiser a lot of thought. Here are five things you should do before you launch one of your own.
- 1. Measure the Return on Investment (ROI)
Ensure a full understanding of the percentage you will receive from the cookie sales. Weigh that cost against the sales effort. How are you planning to ask people to buy? What are the resources and hours required? Cookie fundraisers can be fun and engaging, but the financial gain needs to outweigh the cost of the effort involved.
- 2. Remember the Donor
Approach your cookie fundraiser with the donor in mind. People don’t carry cash and checks any more. You will raise more money if you have a way to accept mobile payments with a mobile giving app. It will be hard for your donors to say no if giving is as easy as snapping a picture and a couple of taps of the phone screen. You may be thinking that you don’t have enough funds to incorporate a mobile app into your fundraiser. That’s why it’s important that you understand the fees associated with any app platform.
3. Rise Above the Noise
If you want people to support your organization, you need to promote why it’s so important. When every other organization in town is trying to raise money, find a way to differentiate your cause and help it rise above the noise. Put a plan together to determine how you will promote the fundraiser and reach new donors. Social media can provide great tools.
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Share information about the cookie sale via social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others. Mobile app giving enables your donors to promote your cause easily via their own networks. It’s the way modern-day word of mouth advertising works.
A mobile app that has social integrated into the communication platform can make it easy for you to promote the fundraiser and for your donors to share information and updates about their participation.
- 4. Create a Receipt Plan
One of the benefits of supporting a fundraiser is the ability to write off the donation come tax time. As we said, your donors are getting hit up frequently to support organizations. These smaller donations add up, but it can be cumbersome to keep up with all the receipts for your tax documentation at the end of the year. Make it easy for your donors to report their donations with electronic receipts. This added value will help you cultivate repeat supporters.
5. Build Support After the Fundraiser
Who doesn’t want to support organizations that make a difference? It’s just that selling things for a cause isn’t always the best way to use time and resources. To harness support that truly makes an impact, you need people invested in your organization. How can you build support for your organization over time?
A mobile app can help you take your nonprofit fundraising to the next level by providing a way for you to promote, communicate, and enable donations via a mobile channel. Who doesn’t have her mobile phone with her at all times? If you can align your fundraiser with the way we share information and perform business transations all the time—using tablets and smart phones—then you’ll bring more awareness to your cause and ultimately raise more money. If it’s easy for donors to give, they won’t hesitate to support your important cause.
Learn how a mobile app can drive the results you want for your organization.
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