Advertising
Think about who you want to get involved and how you’ll make them aware of your event. Do you need to make posters or flyers or can you use email? Can your local newspaper or radio station help? Maximise the use of social media.
Networking
The biggest source of support, help and guidance will be those around you. Your family, friends and work colleagues, local businesses you know, groups or clubs you are part of – this may be the time to call in a favour or two!
A story worth telling
Whoever you’re talking to, make sure you include a good story about why you are fundraising when you approach them for support. Show the impact of your fundraiser and why it’s so important.
Be creative
It’s important to get people’s attention. What can you do about promoting your even that will be different and will stand out. Perhaps competitions to win tickets, taking out an advert in your local paper and contacting relevant community groups – sport groups, parental groups or craft clubs.
Set up a fundraising page online?
We are set up on and use Virgin Money Giving. Just follow the simple on-screen instructions and create your fundraising page within minutes. Email the link to friends and family, and share it on social media. Your supporters can make a secure donation online, saving you time collecting the money after your fundraiser.
Social media can be the best tool at your disposal
Social media has revolutionised the way people fundraise and is all about engaging with people and sharing information. It’s a fast, free way to promote your event, and share your stories, news and successes. Keep your supporters posted about your progress, from the time you start preparing your fundraiser to the day you hand in your donations.
Here are some top tips to help you:
Facebook
• Tell your story on your Virgin Money Giving page, and use Facebook to share why you’ve chosen to fundraise for us.
• Update your status with your Virgin Money Giving link or news about your fundraising so that it appears on your friends’ Facebook timelines.
• Post photos or videos of your event or challenge on your wall.
• Thank everyone on Facebook after your event.
• Like our Facebook page– www.facebook.com/Paradance
• Create an event on Facebook if you are hosting an event to invite friends and followers.
Twitter
• Tell people what you’re doing to raise funds and when.
• Ask people to retweet you – posts that stand out spread faster!
• Include a link to your Virgin Money Giving page.
• Add photos or videos – everyone loves these!
• Follow relevant people, local businesses and important people in your community – if they follow you back it might open up new opportunities for help with your event or donations.
• Follow @paradanceUK on Twitter.
Instagram
• Share regular updates with your circle of followers, family and friends.
• Include your fundraising page link on your posts and in your profile description to encourage visitors to donate.
• Use hashtags so people can easily tag and search for images and videos from your event.
• Ask family and friends to share your posts through Twitter and Facebook, or using the Share URL.
• The more impact the better – Instagram is for everything visual – share images before, during and after from your phone.
YouTube
Whether it’s a face-to-camera personal message or your heroic attempts to train for a sponsored challenge to the Rocky soundtrack, an emotive or entertaining home video posted on YouTube is guaranteed to encourage donations.
This gives you the chance to be as creative and quirky as you like and to add your personal touch:
• Make a video and upload it to YouTube.
• Keep it original and short. You can also upload this to your online fundraising page so everyone can see what you are doing and why.
• Be emotive or entertaining – home videos posted are guaranteed to encourage donations and support.
• Post the links to this on your Facebook page and talk about it in your Twitter feed – You never know, you might go viral!
Get your local media involved
Publicising your event in the local media is a great way to attract support, while raising awareness of what we do. Contact their news desk and send in a press release – they also love a photo! Find your local papers contact details in your newspaper or online. It can often be useful to follow up your press release up with a phone call.
Don’t forget to tell us all about it!
We love to hear about our supporter fundraisers. Send your photos and fundraising stories to fundraising@paradance.org.uk
Getting sponsored
If you’re up for doing something, whether straightforward or wacky, people will sponsor you. Here are a few tips to help getting sponsored not be an additional challenge.
Start by downloading a Sponsorship Form here or setting up a fundraising page on Virgin Money Giving or do both, and then:
• Get sponsorship online.
• Start early.
• Go to your most generous sponsors first.
• Contact those you can’t see face to face.
• Ask about ‘matching gifts’ at work.
• Carry your sponsorship form at all times.
• Give copies of your form to friends and family to raise sponsorship on your behalf . • Make sure people complete the Gift Aid part on the form or online – it adds to the money raised.
Create a fundraiser on Facebook
Did you know you can set up a fundraiser on Facebook. You can do this on your own page or through our own Facebook page ( @ParaDanceUK ). All money raised via Facebook fundraising comes straight to us and there is no charge for their services. Either way the process is the same and it’s very easy:
- Click Fundraisers in the left menu of your News Feed, (or Create Fundraiser underneath the header on our page.)
- Click Raise Money.
- Select Nonprofit/Charity.
- Type in Para Dance UK into the search box. You can add a photo and fill in the fundraiser details (set a target and an end date, add a title and short description about why you are raising the money.)
- Click Create.
That’s it, all done, just remember to post about your fundraisier and invite family and friends to donate.
