October 16, 2019
6 Tips on How to Promote Your Charity Events
If you work in the charity sector, you’ll know that promoting a successful event is no mean feat. Yet, you rely on a steady stream of donations and charity events are one of the best ways to connect with donors.
With 56% of worldwide donors regularly attending a fundraising event, organising an event is an important part of running your charity.
Luckily, business networking platforms, like Collude, are making it easier for organisations to instantly release campaign information of upcoming events like agendas and venue details. We explore some top tips for promoting a successful charity event to help you get it right.
1. Focus on your goal
When planning a charity event, it’s important to not lose sight of your ultimate goal and focus on your reasons behind fundraising.
Whether you’re organising a marathon or launching a viral awareness campaign, take a step back and think about how your energy can be best applied to reach your goal.
It’s far too easy to distract yourself with the complexities of organising a great event and forget why the event is happening in the first place.
The secret to success is agreeing on a clear mission statement during the initial planning stages and think about what kind of support your organisation requires. You can then organise your team and volunteers around this central goal and encourage donors to participate.
2. Communicate the purpose of your event
Successful charity events tend to be those with a clear purpose. If you want people to empty their pockets and support your charitable cause, you need to give them a good reason to do so.
Transparency is key when it comes to incentivising donors — people like to know exactly where their money is going.
Individuals won’t part with their hard-earned cash if they think a big chunk of it is going into someone else’s pocket. Publish a clear breakdown of what you intend to do with all donations and explain what positive impact this investment could have.
Social media sites and business networking platforms, like Collude, are handy tools to broadcast the purpose of your charity event to a targeted audience. You can use these online platforms as your very own lecture hall to explain why potential donors should support your event.
Transparent reporting
For charities with annual incomes above £500,000, the UK government provides an online tool which allows donors to check where their cash is being spent. This simple check gives donors control and helps them make more conscious decisions over which charities they wish to support.
3. Take donors on a journey
The hard work doesn’t stop once you’ve convinced someone to click that ‘donate’ button.
Successful charity campaigns take donors on a journey of discovery as they keep them in the loop with behind the scenes insights.
Running a charity event should be like writing a story.
Get people talking and send excitement levels through the roof by publishing engaging content that makes donors feel part of a shared journey.
Use social networking platforms as an opportunity to give back and say thank you to your donors. This is a great way to get people talking about your event, increase awareness, and incentivise more donations.
4. Progress your people
Professional networking platforms make it easier than ever for event organisers to build a loyal support network and manage members of their charity like volunteers, team members and even donors.
It’s important to develop lasting relationships and keep them engaged for future fundraising campaigns. Keep your network up-to-date with Collude by sharing agendas and important venue information at the click of a button. Collude also lets you provide people with all the information, tips, and training tools they could possibly need in one easy-to-find place.
5. Find your audience
Before you waste big chunks of your marketing budget on fancy Facebook ads, think about who’s attention you’re trying to catch.
Knowing your audience is key to organising a successful charity event.
- What kind of people will support your charity?
- How can you plan an event that is engaging for these people?
- Why would they choose to support your event over others?
Asking these questions helps you to tailor your event to the right people, keep costs down, and increase conversions.
Example: Targeting the right people
If you were running a campaign which aims to raise money and awareness for suicide in young males, you should ask two key questions:
“How can I design an event that young males are likely to attend?”
“How can I target our marketing efforts towards young males?”
Failure to plan your campaign around these two questions will result in a poorly attended event with fewer donations and little engagement for future fundraising efforts.
6. Collaborate with your community
There’s no ‘I’ in ‘team’.
Running a charity event should be a collective effort for everyone involved. Online networking platforms are a great way to collaborate with individuals in your network and support one another as you work towards making a positive difference.
Successful event promotion is all about building a valued community of people who will support you and your mission in return for your mutual support.
A shining example
In 2012, a Brazilian football team made headlines with their unique campaign which encouraged fans to donate blood using an ingenious football-focused ploy.
The four red stripes on their traditional red and black football jerseys were replaced with white stripes for the 2012/2013 season.
Fans were encouraged to donate blood samples, and in return, the club would give them back their red strips. Every time a milestone was reached, the fans were one stripe closer to their beloved full-colour jersey.
Thousands of litres of blood later, the loyal fans had won back their stripes. This creative campaign is a shining example of how charities can use the power of community spirit to bring people together and achieve a shared goal.
Share the love
Here at Collude, we believe organising and promoting a successful charity event is all about finding the right people.
Discover individuals who will endorse your mission, spread the word, and lend a helping hand along the way.
Networking platforms provide a space to connect with exciting people and take them on a journey of discovery as you create engaging content and build meaningful relationships.