12 Tips for Successful ODW Fundraising Campaigns

These 12 tips will ensure your online fundraising campaign with ODW reaches your goal and makes the biggest impact. (If you haven’t created your campaign page yet, just click here!)

1. Donate to your own fundraiser. Even a small amount lets people know that you believe in the cause and are committed to reaching your goal.
2. Create a great pitch. Think about YOUR story and why YOU care about the particular cause, and make sure to include that 100% of their gifts (minus transaction fees) go straight to the cause.
3. Collect inspiring stories, quotes, and statistics. Our website and social media are full of great resources about your cause that you can share.
4. Get creative with visuals. Upload a new header and profile pic to your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter profile. You could also create a short video or simple visuals to share.
5. Fill out everything on your campaign page. And make sure to set an end date to your campaign – having a timeframe to reach your goal will encourage donors to act fast.
6. Send personalized emails. Target your 5-10 closest contacts first and ask them for donations. Getting your “inner circle” to donate to your page will help you create momentum. Studies show that as you make progress towards your fundraising goal people become more and more likely to donate to you. And don’t be afraid to send follow ups! People are busy and sometimes need reminders.
7. Reach out influencers. You might have people in your community who have a lot of social media followers or a blog following. Ask if they’d share your campaign.
8. Promote promote promote! Once you have a few initial donations, start promoting your campaign on all your social media platforms. Successful campaigners typically post at least once a week the month prior, several times the week before and day of, and even a few times past their birthday/event for any belated gifts and donations.Share your Twitter handle with us so we can help you promote to the ODW network!
9. Make donating easy for your guests.
   • If you’re having a event, have a laptop/tablet set up for guests to donate on the spot.
   • Add your link to your invites/evites!
   • Offer to accept cash and make the online donation for them!
10. Get company matches. Mention to your donors that their gifts to you and your cause can be matched by their employers, such as Microsoft, Boeing, or others.
11. Update your campaign page throughout the campaign to keep people engaged. You can make updates right on your page which will notify your supporters via email about your progress. Also keep posting via your social media! You might even consider tagging your supporters to give them shoutouts as they give to keep up momentum.
12. After your campaign is finished, make sure to thank all of your supporters! Your campaign has email templates built in that you can use to say thank you.