Maximizing your CausePage

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Urgency

A lack of urgency is one of the biggest flaws with many fundraising campaigns. Although people want to help, they often don’t jump at the first chance they have to support your cause. People often check email and social media on mobile devices when the timing is inconvenient to make a donation or purchase. They may think they’ll come back later when they have more time. You have to create a sense of urgency to overcome that natural human tendency.

Ways to create urgency:

• CausePage End Date: Use concrete, real, deadlines, when possible, to create urgency. (Read about how to create your Timeline.)

 

• Bulk Free Shipping Code: The interim end date of a free shipping code can be a great way to get people to act. (Read about Free Shipping Codes) 

 

• Weekly Promotion: We’ll help with this one. Visit your CausePage Dashboard to see all our CAUSETEAM product categories. Promote a different one every week, or more often if you'd like. Sometimes, we’ll even throw in a special deal, just for your supporters!

 

Quantity Matters

One single “notice” about the existence of your CausePage will not lead to a successful fundraising campaign. Nope. Sorry, that won’t do the trick. Oftentimes, supporters need to hear from you, and your team, several times before they take action.  Never let a week go by without at least one post/update about the cause you are raising money for.

 

Direct Communication is Always Better.

The more direct your communications, the better your communications perform. Even though we recommend all types of communication, generally these forms work the best:

• Direct Facebook messages work better than a Facebook post
• Direct emails work better than a social media post
• Personal letters work better than emails
• Face-to-face conversations work better than…anything else

 

Be Explicit

Being bashful and afraid to advocate for your cause and explicitly ask for financial support is a bad recipe for fundraising. With all your fundraising communications, always remember to ask for support, tell them how they can help, and be sure to say how the funds will be put to use.

 

Be explicit and ask for:

• Donations
• Product purchases (Remember, your cause gets 40%!)
• Shares
• Prayers

 

Consider doing some math for people.

For example, let’s say you need to raise $2,000... Consider saying, “I need to find 40 people willing to donate $50 to support my CausePage.” Or, pick your favorite CauseTee and say, “I only need to sell 80 of these great shirts to make my fundraising goal!” Whatever you do, be specific about your call to action so they understand that what they buy is truly meaningful to your cause.

One final note, always, always, always include your link to your CausePage on your social posts, emails, letters, etc.

 

Use Images

As the old saying goes, a picture is worth 1000 words. Use images or videos to tell the story of the lives that are changed by your work. Sometimes, the most engaging images are individual shots of a person directly affected by your work.

Also, get creative!!! If you order yourself a CauseTee, take a photo of you wearing it. Post-it with a fun caption to your social outlets. Have your friends or core supporters post pictures of themselves wearing or enjoying their CAUSETEAM products. Create a little bit of hype around the products! It will encourage others to purchase, too!

 

Email Basics

Email is one of the very best ways to spread the word about your CausePage, tell your story, and ask for support. Here are some best practices for using email:

• Send multiple emails throughout the CausePage Timeline: You have to email people at least twice. Best practice would be to email at the beginning, 1 week later, and 1 week prior to closing (3X)

 

• Include a PS: Always include a PS in your email and letters where you re-state your call to action.

 

• Telling Your Story: Remember that your supporter is the hero.

 

• Ways to Support: Remind people that you need donations, purchases, shares, and prayers.

 

• Include Your Link: Always include a link to your CausePage.

 

 

Facebook Basics

Facebook is a great place to not only tell the world about your CausePage but it’s also a great way to start a conversation. Here are some tips for using Facebook effectively:

• Include an image (Remember image basics above)

 

• Include the link to the CausePage (show an image of the profile page and circle where you find the link)

 

•  Post at least 3 times per week and try different times of the day to post

 

•  Engage and comment on every comment on your posts

 

•  Publicly thank supporters

 

•  Tag important people in your Facebook posts

 

• When possible, post images of yourself, or your family with the products…same goes for your core supporters.