What Will Motivate Support for Your Issue or Organization?
Every organization needs support to be a success and
fundraising is no exception. One of the most important
factors in motivating support is how you present - or
market - the need. If a need is presented as something that
touches the person's life in a personal way, then that is a
strong motivating factor. If it is also presented as
something that will fill the need or fix it, then that is
good too, but it depends on what the need is.
As has been mentioned before, many people don't like to
think that they are pouring funds into a black hole that
will never fill. That is, that the need will always exist
no matter how much is given to support it. They prefer to
think that their contribution will play a part in becoming
an answer to the problem, to the point that the need may be
filled at some date in the future.
For instance, to take a simple example would you like to
support a deprived, third world person all of their life -
and remember they will have children who will also require
support - or would you rather help them attain the means of
supporting themselves? If a campaign for supporting third
world persons is aimed at the latter, then many more people
will be motivated to give to it.
Careful strategies must be applied to the fundraising
advertising and media campaigns to motivate people in the
correct way. Another important factor is emotional appeal,
but for the ordinary raffle perhaps the biggest motivator
is to have fantastic prizes.
While some people will be motivated to support your
fundraiser simply because it is a good cause, most people
like to have the chance to win something that they would
never buy for themselves, usually because they can't afford
it. That's why the trailer load of groceries - plus
trailer- is such a good raffle prize. Other good prizes
these days are trips away, even overnight or for the
weekend. The location need not be exotic, but it does need
to be somewhere else than local.
Cars and boats are also prizes that will have people
snapping up tickets, but there are rules and regulations in
each state to govern these kinds of prizes, so be sure you
find out what they are before you start.
Finally, encouragement is a good motivator for your
sellers. Pick a leader who knows how to keep in close
personal contact with your team and encourage them to go
their hardest.
How Will You Communicate Your Message?
A compelling message will communicate your ideals and goals
not only to your helpers but also to the wider community
from which will come your sponsors. Decisions are usually
taken based on emotion rather than logic, so your message
needs to appeal to the emotions and create a compelling
reason why people should act and act now. In these busy
days, you need to be able to present your goals in a clear
and concise way that people can understand with a minimum
of effort.
There are many ways to communicate your message in these
days of modern technology. While a telephone or cell phone
is essential, it is limited because you can only reach one
person at a time with it. You have email with which you can
keep everyone abreast of all developments and any changes
that might occur. Email can be sent to a great many people
all at once, if you have their email addresses.
Snail mail has a part to play also, with real life
addresses much easier to get hold of if you don't know a
person's email address. You can certainly make use of
newsletters, brochures, leaflets and flyers and if you can
get visual aids to go in them, so much the better. Graphics
play an important part of any message and most people will
look at the picture before they read the words around it.
If the picture interests them they will read on.
What about a website? The Internet is often under-used in
this way. Once you have a website dedicated to your cause,
it is simple matter to place the website address on all
your communications. You could even have badges advertising
it.
CDs and videos will also help get the message across. Many
people who have no time to read can listen to a CD on their
way to and from work. Visual learners much prefer to see
something on a video than read about it. Those who work
with computers would find it a simple matter to go to a
website.
How you communicate your message may depend a great deal on
your perceived target market. Students prefer email, but an
older age group may rather receive snail mail. Not everyone
has the time or the will to go to too much trouble to
access your message, so make it as easy as possible. Try
and communicate it in only one action. For instance if
someone receives a letter asking him to go to a website, he
may decide to put that off until there is more time - which
never comes. Had the letter adequately explained the
message, he would have no need to go to the website.
How to Attract Media Attention to Your Fundraiser
Every fundraiser will be the better for a spot - or big
splash - of media attention. How to get media attention
will need to start right back in that brainstorming session
you have to find an unusual or innovative way of making
money. While the local carwash may be of interest to those
with dirty cars, it's hardly likely to be considered a
juicy media piece.
On the other hand, if you can get a celebrity to do it for
the first hour and maybe give away his autograph at the
same time, then that is big news. It doesn't have to be a
national film star of course; you may have a homegrown
celebrity in your district that would help out. Otherwise,
a popular or well-known businessman could lend your event a
bit of weight and 'newsworthiness' in some way.
The first step is to write a media release and send it off
to the local paper. In your press release, you need to
state your mission and your goal, while making it all sound
very exciting. But keep it professional at the same time.
It should be no longer than one page, shorter if possible.
Editors are usually short of space and time.
Don't just email it to 'the editor'. See if you can find
out the name of the events editor and send it to him by
name - by snail mail as well as email. A lone email can
easily get lost amongst all the others. Don't forget to
include your contact information in both, and an invitation
for the press to attend the event. After about a week,
follow up with a phone call if you haven't heard anything
from the editor.
The local radio is also part of the media; so don't forget
to alert them to your function. If you have several in the
area, send the same kit to them all. With luck, you may be
given a few free plugs, or offered an onsite live remote
broadcast on the day, if it is considered newsworthy
enough. And if you have a local television station, so much
the better. They may decide to give you some attention,
depending on their own needs of the day.
Online media attention is a good advertising too. PRWeb.com
is a good place to start with free submissions, or for a
nominal fee you can have your event on Yahoo News or other
online news outlets. It's definitely worth looking into.
More to come in Part 4...
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