Are your church’s fundraising efforts falling short? Are you looking for a way to boost donation rates without spending more money on marketing and advertising? If so, then virtual fundraising might be the answer. Virtual fundraisers are online campaigns that allow donors to donate over the phone or through an email link. This article will walk you through how to set up a successful virtual fundraiser in four easy steps.
How Can A Church Raise Money Online?
As the global pandemic continues to change and affect our lives, fundraising events, especially for churches, have increased. Churches are struggling with balancing their need for fundraising and the demand of people who want to help in any way they can.
A church fundraiser is an opportunity for a church, congregation, or religious organization to seek donations from its members and others outside the faith community. Fundraisers often include traditional activities such as dinners, bazaars, concerts, auctions, and raffles, which aim at raising money through funds collection boxes by donation cards on tables during these events.
Other more modern methods are used, including online e-mail solicitations where one may donate either anonymously, text giving for churches publicly, or through another electronic payment system. Most churches that use this method have found it very effective because donors feel safe donating without giving away too much personal information.
A church’s office must have a sense of what is going on in the world to know how best to tell people about its needs and then use this “campaign” as an opportunity for outreach and recruiting members. How can you persuade someone who has never stepped inside your doors?
You need a story that will catch his or her interest, something that will get them curious enough to see for themselves. This brings us back to the point we started at: communication is vital for fund-raising efforts. Without compelling content, there won’t be any donations coming into those collection boxes – no matter how many ways you try asking people for donations.
Whether soliciting online through social media platforms, on the street corners, in church lobbies, or through traditional methods like emails to your congregation members and newsletters sent out by mail – it’s all about telling a good story.
Tips for Fundraising Success:
- Know who you are talking to. What is their life like? Why should they care about what you’re doing?
- Tell them something unexpected, tell them why this matters now more than ever.
- Keep it simple — make sure that anyone can understand what your organization does and how they can help from as many entry points as possible – including various social media platforms.
- Connect with people where they already are so that when someone wants to learn more about your cause, he or she has a one-click, easy way to connect with you.
- Create an experience for your donors by providing them with updates and pictures of their funding in the field.
- Be authentic—express gratitude for any donation, no matter how large or small. And make sure donors know that they are making a difference through their gift.
What Are Good Fundraisers Ideas For Church?
If you are searching for practical ideas for your next fundraising event for your church, consider hosting a virtual fundraiser.
Virtual fundraisers are easy to set up and execute. You can raise money just by asking people you know for donations in person or online. It is as simple as sending an email with the link, posting updates on social media sites, or even taking out an ad in the community newspaper announcing your event when it starts.
A Sponsored Virtual Walk has been done many times before; this idea requires participants to donate $25 per mile walked (or run), and sponsors offer pledges of $200 each time someone completes another mile – at the end of their walk, they have raised more than what they started with!
Another excellent fundraising opportunity would be a sponsored bike ride where riders pledge $25 each time they bike a certain distance – at the end of their ride; they will have met or exceeded their goal!
You can also advertise your fundraiser in advance. Announce to all who care about you and others that this is happening, so people know how important it is/when it starts. This builds hype before the event even begins and helps with pre-sales for items such as t-shirts and other merchandise to help support your cause.
You could opt for a simple thank you card signed by everyone. You can also choose from many other options, like making sure plenty of refreshments are available onsite during your walkathon. Holding an auction where donors can bid on items and volunteer opportunities to host the event.
Other types of virtual fundraising for your church are as follows:
Virtual bake sales – Bake goodies at home and post pictures of them with the recipe on social media. Set a goal amount you would like to raise, then share it! You can also earn money by asking people to donate in advance by purchasing items from your menu. If someone orders five cupcakes, they will pay for four, and you’ll get their fifth one free!
Host an “auction” online or offline where donors bid on goods (dinners), volunteer opportunities, artwork, etc.) that have been donated to help support this cause/event; keep track of what was auctioned off, so everyone knows how much has been raised.
You can also ask participants to give a percentage after each donation made online (i.e., 20% of every $50 donated). This will allow supporters to contribute more than once if they choose without feeling like they’re “tied” down with larger commitments. We recommend offering tiered levels rather than fixed amounts; different giving goals would carry different benefits for the parish but would allow for more personalized giving.
You’ll want to have a goal amount in mind so that you can track how well your campaign is going and make adjustments as needed. This might be something like $1000, or it could depend on what type of project you’re fundraising for.
Perhaps there’s an item-specific need at your church (like building repairs) where you know roughly how much money will be required to purchase those materials outright- then set your goal accordingly. It’s also important to keep things reasonable because some people may not donate if they feel pressured into doing so or if they think the goals are too high.
Final Words
The main goal of your digital fundraising event is to raise awareness about what your church is doing for the community and connect with potential donors. But if you don’t have a concrete ask, then people might not understand why they should donate or how much money will be needed to make it happen- so start by figuring out precisely what needs funding.
