When NYC Event Planners are putting together a charity event to raise funds for any cause, they have to dig deep into their bag of tricks to come up with the top ways to raise money. You must come up with creative and unique ways to build a following and keep participants interested in helping your cause. Using social media to promote your charity event will be a crucial tool for your hard work. Make sure to keep it fun and engaging to increase your chances of going viral.
The key is to attract as many potential donors as possible so that they’re willing to donate to and attend your charity event. Sounds easy enough, right? Not always. So to give you a bit of encouragement, here are some of The Best Ways to Raise a Lot of Money at Charity Events:
- Social Media Fun: Take a look at your list of followers and imagine how much you can start off with if each follower donated a $1. Now the trick is, to find a fun way to get them to donate $1 each. Try our “Dare for Dollars” game. Create a list of dares you’re willing to do and challenge your followers to donate a dollar for a dare. In your post, mention that you will post a video of the completed dare which will excite your viewers and entice them to donate. You can also create a separate list of “bigger dares for bigger bucks” where you’re willing to record video of a more complex dare for a higher dollar amount.
- Sponsor Power: If you can get entertainment, catering, gift bag items, and venue sponsors it will cut back on your event costs, and you can charge an entrance fee instead. When you promote an event that will have free food and entertainment, people won’t mind spending a “suggested donation price.” Recommend a low donation amount and you’ll have a better turnout than if you shoot for higher ticket costs.
- Text Donations: You can invite people to donate a certain amount via text and instead of having it billed to a credit or debit card, the amount will be charged to their phone bill.
- Sell Raffle Tickets At The Door: Try to collect donated items that can be used as prizes, and sell raffle tickets at the door while everyone has their wallet out. Announce a winner each hour to keep guests excited and to make the people who haven’t purchased a raffle ticket run to get one so that they can have a chance at winning the next round. If you’re unable to collect donated prizes for the raffle, offer 50 percent of the amount raised from the raffle ticket sales to one winner at the end of the event.
- Crowdfunding: Don’t underestimate the power of crowdfunding. Create a page dedicated to your charity event and provide as much content as you can so that your request for donations is impactful! Use crowd funding websites to bring your campaign to a new level.
- Active Support: Many people enjoy getting out there and being active to support causes and raise funds. Try to organize an activity like a 5-mile walkathon, swimming 100 laps, or a dance-a-thon so that people who would like to help out can sponsor your event.
- Family Event: Children have a lot of influence when it comes to raising a lot of money at charity events. Create an event where you can involve children in a talent show, recital, or block party and have the entire neighborhood join in on the fun. Their children will be eager to be involved and perform, and you can charge an entrance fee and announce that proceeds will go towards your charity.
- Tea Party: Private events can bring in a good amount of money so long as your guest list is influential. Organize a tea party where you can speak one on one with guests and talk about your cause. You should put together an informative brochure that’s not long and tedious but direct and impactful so that your invitees don’t lose interest quickly.
- Multiple Donation Options: Don’t limit your audience to one form of payment. Everyone has different preferences with how they spend their money, especially when it comes to donating to a charity. Some may prefer a cash donation, others may prefer to pay by credit or debit card, and many will choose to write a check for you. Be prepared to accept all forms of payment and make the donation process easy for them. You may want to consider creating a Go Fund Me page for your charity event so that you can include the donation link on all of your digital marketing efforts.
Raising a lot of money at charity events can be a creative and fun process. Try different tactics and don’t limit your outreach. Reach out to everyone you know like friends, family, colleagues, and of course your social media followers. The more, the merrier but really focus your efforts online because people who like what you’re working on tend to share your posts on their own social media pages and that increases your audience effortlessly.
