Tips & Resources
Top tips for making your fundraising a success, plus downloadable resources to get you going!
Ready to get involved and raise funds to light with the world? We've got plenty of tips, ideas and resources to get you started and see you through to a successful fundraiser.
Fundraising Tips
Top tips for making your fundraising a success
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Make a plan
Spending a few minutes creating a plan will make your fundraising simpler and more successful. Think about what you’ll need to make your fundraising a success: What activities are you going to do? Check out our Fundraising Ideas here for some inspiration. Where can you hold it? When do you want to carry it out? Who do you want to invite/ask to donate? How much are you aiming to raise? Having a realistic target is proven to make fundraising more successful. |
Use your contacts
While you’ll want to share your fundraising campaign with friends and family for donations, think about who might be able to help with your fundraising itself.
For example, do you know someone who works at a bar that could hold a quiz night for you, or someone who’d let you hold a bake sale in their office?
Contact local businesses
Equally, reaching out to local businesses can be a great way to boost your fundraising – you might be surprised by how many people are willing to help.
Could you contact local restaurants to see if they’d be able to host a fundraising dinner for you at a reduced rate, or speak to shops and businesses to ask for prizes for a raffle?
Promote your Flipcause or Facebook page
It’s normal to feel nervous asking people for money, but remember you’re doing it for a great cause. It helps to have confidence in why you’re fundraising for Unite to Light – check out ‘What to say to donors’ for some facts and inspiration about our work.
While you don’t want to share your fundraising page every day, sending weekly updates on social media or email can be key to engaging people and reminding them of the cause you’re supporting.
Remember: it will often take people several views of your efforts before they actually donate – have a look at our Using the Press and Social Media on the Get Started page for tips.
Setting a budget
If your fundraising plan requires you to spend money, make sure you budget correctly – we don’t want you going out of pocket for this.
It can help to breakdown what you’re going to need to pay for (e.g. ingredients for a bake sale/upfront payment for a charity dinner party). In general, if you raise $3 for every $1 spent you’re doing well.
Paying in funds
The simplest way to pay in any funds is to ask people to donate online to your Flipcause page or Facebook Fundraiser. However, if people give you cash at an event or for a raffle ticket, you can simply bank it yourself and transfer it into your page, or mail in a check (you can leave a note thanking those who’ve donated when putting the money on your page). Please see our Getting Started page for more tips.
While you’ll want to share your fundraising campaign with friends and family for donations, think about who might be able to help with your fundraising itself.
For example, do you know someone who works at a bar that could hold a quiz night for you, or someone who’d let you hold a bake sale in their office?
Contact local businesses
Equally, reaching out to local businesses can be a great way to boost your fundraising – you might be surprised by how many people are willing to help.
Could you contact local restaurants to see if they’d be able to host a fundraising dinner for you at a reduced rate, or speak to shops and businesses to ask for prizes for a raffle?
Promote your Flipcause or Facebook page
It’s normal to feel nervous asking people for money, but remember you’re doing it for a great cause. It helps to have confidence in why you’re fundraising for Unite to Light – check out ‘What to say to donors’ for some facts and inspiration about our work.
While you don’t want to share your fundraising page every day, sending weekly updates on social media or email can be key to engaging people and reminding them of the cause you’re supporting.
Remember: it will often take people several views of your efforts before they actually donate – have a look at our Using the Press and Social Media on the Get Started page for tips.
Setting a budget
If your fundraising plan requires you to spend money, make sure you budget correctly – we don’t want you going out of pocket for this.
It can help to breakdown what you’re going to need to pay for (e.g. ingredients for a bake sale/upfront payment for a charity dinner party). In general, if you raise $3 for every $1 spent you’re doing well.
Paying in funds
The simplest way to pay in any funds is to ask people to donate online to your Flipcause page or Facebook Fundraiser. However, if people give you cash at an event or for a raffle ticket, you can simply bank it yourself and transfer it into your page, or mail in a check (you can leave a note thanking those who’ve donated when putting the money on your page). Please see our Getting Started page for more tips.
What to say to your donorsTips for encouraging people to contribute to your fundraising
Making people aware that their donations are going to a great cause is a crucial way of making your fundraising a success, so it really helps if you can inform them of the work Unite to Light does. Feel free to use this section below on your Flipcause page or Facebook fundraiser, or in any emails or press releases you send out: ‘Unite to Light works to increase access to clean and affordable light and energy, with the aim of helping to improve health, education and prosperity globally. As a not-for-profit 501(c)3 we manufacture and distribute efficient, durable, low cost solar lamps and solar chargers to people without access to electricity. Since 2011 we have delivered 115,000 solar lights to people in 77 countries. We focus on projects that help children learn to read and study at night, equip midwives with the tools they need to do their job, and to offer relief to those suffering from disasters. Read here about the incredible impact that our lights have had in Nkomo Primary School, South Africa.’ |
Downloadable Resources |
