If there's one constant in this world, it's change -- and that includes your fundraising methods. Throughout each year, you and your team need to reevaluate your sickle cell awareness goals and how much money is needed to achieve them. Of course, you'll always have that group of loyal donors who are down for your cause, but solely relying on them and not appealing to new supporters is a fast way to stagnation.
This year, expanding your group of givers will require you to embrace mobile technology. Implement the fundraising trends below and see your troupe of donors diversify and grow.
1) Stay Social
Most people access social media -- think Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook -- on their mobile devices, so the updates you share on these platforms should be mobile-friendly. Encouraging them to click through to your website? Make sure your site is optimized for mobile. Downloading those social media apps to your phone is also imperative. You want to be able to respond to potential fundraising supporters quickly and efficiently, and if you're out and about and not near your computer, doing that will be difficult. To really ensure your messages are seen even if you don't have a large following yet, purchase social media ads that show well on computers and mobile devices.
2) Crowd Source
Once you've begun to establish a solid social media presence, take that another step forward and do some fundraising through online channels. Not only does this help save money you would have spent on a venue, promotional materials, entertainment, catering, and other incidentals, it will also help you reach a new demographic of prospective supporters -- people who may not want to or have time to attend an event, but would still like to give toward sickle cell research and awareness. Our top three favorite mobile-friendly crowdsourcing platforms? Booster, Pear, and GoFundMe.
3) Recurring Donations
If gyms, magazines, and Netflix can do it, so can you -- it's called an automatic renewal. Much more efficient than chasing down past contributors for another round of giving, only to have more than half of them not respond, recurring donations are the best way to ensure money stays coming in on a regular basis. Begin by setting up a recurring donation program (that donors can opt out of at any time) on your website -- using PayPal is a quick, mobile-friendly, and easy way to get started. To keep things simple, make the fundraising recurrences monthly. That way, as soon as someone signs up to donate a certain amount, that same amount will automatically be deducted from their accounts and sent to you each month.
Have you tried any of these fundraising trends? Tell us how it went in the comments below!
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Fundraising Trends to Watch for and Implement in 2017
March 28, 2017 by AndreaCategory: Fundraising, Sickle Cell Education Tags: fundraising trends, mobile optimization, sickle cell, sickle cell awareness, social media | Comments Off on Fundraising Trends to Watch for and Implement in 2017
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5 Social Media Tools to Turn Your Sickle Cell Awareness Month Campaigns Up a Notch
September 7, 2016 by Andrea
Photo: CreateHer Stock
As an advocate for sickle cell awareness, you already know the importance of being on social media. But, sending out a random tweet, Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat post every now and then isn't going to help grow your follower count, and thus, spread your message. To help you determine the best tools for your chosen platform, we've rounded up a few of our favorites below:
1) Buffer
This easy-to-use website allows you to schedule posts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook in advance, freeing you up to actually interact with your followers, as well as devote more time to researching current news about sickle cell research. Buffer also provides analytics, so that you can easily see what types of posts perform the best.
2) Later
Formerly known as Latergramme, this website and phone app also lets you schedule posts ahead of time -- but only for Instagram. If you're mode of raising awareness centers primarily on visual content, this is a must-have.
3) Mention
Sure, you could continue to search Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for mentions of your name/nonprofit/company, but Mention makes this process so much easier. Simply sign-up and this tool will begin monitoring your name and will send you an e-mail round-up of online mentions each day. Knowing what others are saying about you -- good or bad -- gives you a chance to respond, and if necessary, rethink your messaging.
4) Buzzsumo
With this tool, you can set up alerts to keep you aware and up-to-date on the latest SCD news. You can then share this news with your audience, furthering more awareness. News can come in the form of infographics, articles, videos, and more.
5) Quotes Cover
Ever wonder how other people create those gorgeous quote pictures? Well, now you, too, can transform your favorite motivational quotes (perfect for #MondayMotivation), into beautiful, shareable content. If you're looking for easy ways to also edit photos and create collages, check out PicMonkey and Canva.
Now that you're armed with these new tools, you can really take your sickle cell awareness to the next level.Category: Sickle Cell Disease, Sickle Cell Education Tags: sickle cell, sickle cell awareness, sickle cell awareness month, social media | Comments Off on 5 Social Media Tools to Turn Your Sickle Cell Awareness Month Campaigns Up a Notch
