Membership dues account for a decreasing portion of association funding, meaning non-dues revenue is a must for today’s associations. With fundraisers, associations like yours can diversify their revenue sources to expand programs and deliver high-quality educational courses. In addition, fundraising can increase member engagement, recruitment, and retention.
However, fundraising for associations is nuanced. Asking for additional contributions on top of dues can confuse members, and you’ll need thoughtful strategies to appeal to donors since their gifts won’t benefit a charitable cause. In this guide, we’ll address these challenges by outlining the steps associations should take to plan a successful fundraiser.
1. Build your association’s tech toolkit.
Before launching your campaign, your association needs the right tools. With association-specific technology, you can evaluate members’ interests and determine what types of fundraisers will appeal to them. Here are a few tools that can boost your fundraising efforts.
Association Management Software (AMS)
Association management software (AMS) is software designed specifically for associations to assist them in running their organizations and maintaining strong member relationships. Protech explains that this software “can automate processes in your association such as membership management, payment processing, professional development events, and data analytics.”
A comprehensive AMS should also include dedicated fundraising features that all you to:
- Create donor profiles. Create individual donor profiles each time a member donates for the first time. Then, your association can track every interaction with the donor, helping you keep a detailed record of all their past involvement. Not only can you use this data to thank them and recognize their support, but your association can also identify opportunities to deepen the donor relationship.
- Automate administrative tasks. Tasks like sending invoices, donation and tax receipts, and thank you messages can take hours of your staff’s time. Fortunately, an AMS can automate these tasks, delivering scheduled messages to reduce staff workloads. Additionally, increased delivery speed leads to a positive, transparent donor experience.
- Accept different types of donations. With the right software, your association can accept contributions beyond basic one-time financial gifts. Give donors the freedom to choose how they support your cause by accepting one-time donations, recurring gifts, and in-kind donations (i.e., gifts of goods or services rather than money) through your AMS.
When you use your AMS to fundraise, you can also track overall fundraising progress and other analytics accurately. Quickly generate reports that reveal your association’s progress toward its goals and identify ways to adjust or improve your strategy along the way.
Community Management Software
As an association leader, do you wonder what members are saying about their experiences with your organization? With community management software, you can bring all of your members together in one place to find out while also continuing to engage them long after your event wraps up.
Tradewing defines community management software as solutions that “create an online interface similar to a social media platform like Facebook or LinkedIn” and give members “the ability to post content, comment on each other’s posts, and message one another directly.” With this platform, your association empowers members to interact with each other and share their perceptions of your organization.
For example, members could discuss key takeaways from your events or share their perspectives on donating to your organization. This provides your fundraising process with members’ direct feedback and allows you to promote new fundraising initiatives to members with ease. Plus, if your association integrates its AMS and community management software, the tools can work together to deliver meaningful insights into your members’ interests, behaviors, and priorities.
Fundraising Platforms
Depending on the type of campaign you plan to host, your association should invest in various fundraising tools. A few options include:
- eCard software, which raises donations by selling digital greeting cards to members
- Mobile bidding platforms, which enable members to participate in an auction fundraiser from their phones
- Text-to-give solutions, which allow members to donate by texting a keyword to your association’s unique shortcode number
- Point-of-sale systems, which manage online stores
Only commit to a solution once you’re sure you’ll host that type of fundraiser.
2. Choose a fundraising idea.
Equipped with the necessary technology, your association should choose a fundraising idea that engages members and makes participation irresistible! Use your AMS and community management software to evaluate member data and choose a fundraising idea that resonates with them.
For example, many of your association members are busy professionals who have little spare time. So, you should plan a fundraiser that makes participation and contributing as easy as possible.
Here are a few fundraising ideas that are appealing to on-the-go association members:
Crowdfunding
This fundraiser is one of the easiest to launch. It only takes three steps:
- Choose a focus for your campaign, like funding a new educational course.
- Center this need in your promotions and fundraising asks.
- During the fundraiser, supporters will contribute a one-time donation to your association.
Crowdfunding is the perfect campaign to run concurrently with other initiatives because of its simple setup and broad reach.
Product sales
Sell branded merchandise to incentivize donating. Popular items include:
- Tote bags
- Hats
- T-shirts or hoodies
- Pens
- Water bottles
- Coffee mugs
Design and order products well ahead of your fundraiser to ensure they arrive on time and are up to your association’s quality standards.
Fundraising events
Put together an event and sell tickets to members who want to support the association. Here are some popular ideas to try:
- Formal events: Offer ticketed conferences and workshops focused on industry-specific topics. To get even more creative, organize a gala or another event that’s less educational.
- Individual donations: Ask members who regularly purchase event tickets to consider also making a donation.
- Networking activities: Invite members to mingle with each other and industry experts at an in-person or virtual networking event.
Incorporate a progress tracker like a fundraising thermometer into your campaign to engage supporters. NXUnite by Nexus Marketing recommends setting your fundraising goal first and designing an eye-catching thermometer with your goal at the top. Then track data and update the thermometer throughout the campaign.
3. Plan your marketing strategy.
Once you’ve settled on a fundraising idea, develop an outreach strategy for each stage of the campaign: pre-launch, launch, and post-launch. A well-executed strategy ensures your fundraiser gets the attention it deserves and that your team follows up with donors afterward to secure their long-term support.
Your strategy should include the following tactics:
- Search engine optimization (SEO): Optimize your website to drive organic traffic to your fundraising pages and increase your visibility on search engines. Research SEO strategies to learn how to help your website rank highly on search engine results pages (SERPs) so members and prospective members can find your campaign.
- Online community platform engagement: Promote your fundraising efforts and keep your members in the loop about the latest updates by making regular posts to your community management platform. Create community posts to answer members’ questions, receive feedback, and highlight top member donors.
- Email marketing: With compelling subject lines and clear calls to action, emails drive donations. Invite members to give, provide updates on your fundraiser, and thank those who participated through an email marketing campaign.
During your campaign or after your event concludes, analyze the new member data you collected. Use this data to gauge which communication channels donors responded best to and focus heavily on those channels during your next marketing campaign or merchandise sale.
4. Organize logistics and hold the event.
While not every fundraiser requires an event to be successful, gathering your supporters to celebrate and support the organization can inspire generosity. Additionally, attending the event can be seen as a built-in benefit of donating. If your association chooses to host an event, make sure your AMS has the tools you need or invest in other event management tools.
Here are some of the items to consider to keep your event running smoothly:
- Choose a venue. Make sure the location is large enough for your event and has ample, convenient parking for members.
- Recruit and train volunteers. Give your most engaged and dedicated volunteers their own responsibilities, train them, and assign them specific tasks.
- Secure sponsorships. Offset event costs by securing sponsorships or donations from businesses. For example, a local bakery could contribute baskets filled with baked goods as prizes for a raffle.
- Organize virtual or hybrid elements (if applicable). If holding a virtual or hybrid event, create and share a guide to using your selected tech platforms for the event.
If your organization plans an elaborate event, consider pairing it with another smaller fundraiser. For example, you could promote a crowdfunding opportunity at your fundraising dinner or sell merchandise at a conference. These efforts can offset the costs of the event.
5. Monitor your fundraising progress.
Keep a close eye on your fundraiser to ensure it stays on course and identify opportunities to improve your future fundraising efforts. Depending on the type of fundraiser you host, you can monitor your progress in two ways:
- Manually track relevant metrics: Gather key performance indicators (KPIs), like total amount raised and average donation size, for insights into your campaign as a whole. Revisit these metrics over time to track your progress, as well as data relevant to your specific fundraiser, like the average bid count for an auction.
- Leverage data automation: Your association’s tech stack may include various functionalities to automate data collection and monitor your progress. For example, event management software can track attendance and participant engagement.
With insights into your fundraising efforts, you can adjust your strategy as necessary to increase participation. Use these findings to thank donors by leveraging personal details like greeting them by name, describing the support they gave the association, and even referencing the number of years they’ve been members.
Planning a successful association fundraiser requires a thoughtful approach. With the right tools and strategies, you’ll be well-prepared to hit your fundraising targets.
However, fundraising is about more than just increasing non-dues revenue—it’s about building lasting connections with your association’s community. Keep your members in mind to launch a meaningful fundraiser that inspires generosity and deepens member engagement!