Online Fundraising
In a day and age when there are a host of opportunities competing for everyone’s discretionary income, many ministries are finding it more and more difficult to find funds to underwrite their efforts. One new, effective tool has become prominent in the quest for funds. Unfortunately, there are many ministries who are unaware of its potential and/or how to master it. The phenomenon under discussion, of course, is Online Fund Raising.
Rules and Regulations do, in fact, allow a 501(c) (3) the opportunity to do Online Fund Raising. One of the most effective ways to utilize this avenue of approach is to supplement and complement traditional fund raising including, but not limited to:
- Direct Mail
- Telemarketing
- Person to Person (Major Donors)
- Events
- Grant Writing
As mentioned, this is an effective approach to the need to fund raise. To be most effective, however, one needs to take advantage of all of the avenues attached to the effort of Online, or Digital, Fundraising, which consists of:
- Social Media
- Monthly Partner Giving
- Mobile Fund Raising
- Crowd Funding
It is important to reiterate that these are meant to enhance Traditional Fund Raising, not replace it.
One of the things that is not often stressed enough in regard to this new medium is to ensure that you don’t put the cart before the horse. That being the case, the very first thing that must be accomplished is to establish that you have a way to accept funds on line. You need to set up a Merchant Account, such as PayPal or Payment Tec for example. Through this you will be able to accept VISA, AMEX, MASTERCARD and so on. As mentioned, there are a number of ways to accomplish this, but you must be able to accept either credit cards or debit cards. Typically your Merchant Account is either on your Website or at a Virtual Terminal.
If you find that your mind is already being boggled and you haven’t even begun yet, you can take solace in the fact that you need not be in this battle alone! Online Fund Raising is one of the areas of expertise for Pathmaker Marketing, LLC and is, in fact, one of our fortes! Here are the services we offer in regard to this endeavor:
- Establishing a Merchant Account - This allows you to get a foundation in place to accept your digital gifts.
- Building your E-Commerce Website - This includes the establishment of a storefront on the Web.
- Creating dedicated landing pages for giving - This provides “one up campaigns” to raise funds.
- E-mail fund raisers - Includes messages and the pages they go to to facilitate giving.
- Mobile fund raising - Accomplished through various mobile apps.
- Monthly giving via recurring donations - Establish partner pages where people can sign up.
- Crowd Funding Campaigns - Fundraising drives via KICKSTARTER et el for a cause/project.
- Content Marketing to raise funds - Developing content through various forms: Blogging, Articles, Press Releases.
- Premium & Product Development - Thank you gifts for those who donate, such as Books and E-Books.
If you have not yet delved into the world of Online Fund Raising, or feel that you are not doing so as effectively as you can be, feel free to contact us at Pathmaker Marketing LLC and we will get your Online Fund Raising project up and running and purring like a kitten!
