Charity Event Tips To Help Bring Awareness
4 Highly Impactful Charity Event Tips To Create Awareness
If you are promoting a charity, there are lot of things to consider. One of the most important aspects is creating awareness and raising your charity’s profile because it can lead long term benefits with potential volunteers and benefactors. Here are four charity event tips to raise awareness for your cause and connect with potential donors.
Get the Word Out About Your Charity Event
Many national charities are well known enough to bring attention to themselves, while start-up charities will require a more aggressive strategy for awareness, both will benefit greatly from reaching out to as many potential donors as possible. While there are several proven strategies to promote your non-profit charity, you can expect some to be much more effective than others.
One of the best ways to promote a charity event is with the help of your friends, family, and advocates who are already onboard and familiar with the charity. Create a 60-second pitch about what your charity is all about and what it does, including who it benefits and how the donations are spent to advance its cause. Host regular events and encourage everyone you know to attend. Have those people tell their friends, family, and colleagues for a bigger outcome. Word of mouth continues to be one of the most powerful tools when it comes in the form of people you know.
Use Social Media to Improve Your Reach
Social media is the perfect place to start your fundraising promotions. It empowers you to reach a large audience quickly and cost effectively. Using social media may sound intimidating to some, especially if you only use Facebook or Twitter for personal updates. It’s important to remember that charities can greatly benefit from staying active on social media channels so be sure to use this to your advantage. The truth is social media is an easy, inexpensive to way to the word out, promote events, solicit volunteers and more. Also, be sure to follow your charity on their social networking pages and help by retweeting any posts tweeted by the charity.
Writing frequent, short blog posts on topics you are passionate about can help spread awareness among your social circle. Some topics include: Why is this charity important to you? Who or what does it benefit? How have others benefited? Consider asking someone who has benefited from your charity to share their story and the difference it has made to them. There is something very powerful about people sharing the ways in which the charity has benefited them or those they love, and the reasons they recommend promoting it to their friends and family.
Whatever you choose to share, social media is the place to do it. It doesn’t have to be time consuming or intimidating — you just need to do it.
Design and Distribute Branded T-Shirts
If you are tight on cash, you may be wondering if spending money on printed materials is a worthwhile investment. The truth is print marketing is one of the best ways to get your charity seen anywhere and everywhere. Its reach has unlimited potential if you use it properly. Signs, flyers, stickers and buttons are all low-cost effective ways to create moving advertisements for your charity and can generate dozens of “impressions” over time, keeping your charity in the spotlight.
If you have the budget, spend a small amount of money making personalized items, such as t-shirts or hats, to hand out at events. These items can be used as a giveaway or be sold to raise additional money for your cause. Consider designing a campaign where all the funds from purchased items will go to support your charity. Since donors will know exactly what their funds are going toward, they’ll be more likely to purchase an item to support your event. Many established screen printing & embroidery companies like ACU PLUS America have experience in creating products specifically for non-profits and charitable causes and can be a helpful resource for planning and ideas. Some companies like ACU PLUS also offer special discounted pricing for charities to help reduce cost.
Follow Up with Success Stories
Don’t forget the important step of following up with supporters and donors after your event. Nothing says thank you like a recap of what was collectively accomplished with all the help from your volunteers and donors. Set aside time to create and distribute thank you notes to vendors, sponsors, donors, etc. Doing this will make your existing supporters feel informed and valued and more likely to continue with their support.
Continue to post updates on your social media channels and don’t be afraid to brag about your success by sending press releases to the local media. This is the part where you get to brag a little so be creative and have a lot of fun.
Finally, remember to send a Christmas card at the end of the year, as well!
Charity Event Bonus Tip!
When choosing a charity, be sure to pick one you feel personally connected to. This will help you stay enthusiastic throughout the entire project. Maybe you have a close, personal connection with the cause or know someone who has benefited from the charity in the past. If you are starting a charity initiative at work, find a charity that resonates with a large portion of the company. Ask yourself what is the company culture most likely to get behind. Animal causes? Low-income families? Medical research? Take a poll or form a group to solicit ideas. Keep things relevant by creating a charter to fine tune the types of charities that mean the most to your team and funnel all requests through that lens. Ask yourself, will this charity garner the desired interest to carry it to your eventual goal. If people seem lukewarm to it, it may be time to consider a different charity to support. And, most importantly, make sure everyone is clear on the key milestones and ultimate goal of the project. Check in often to benchmark your progress and identify where you might need to adjust.
Following these charity event tips will ensure a successful campaign and long-term success. Good luck! Socialize with us on Facebook or Twitter.