Do You Need Help Raising Money? Here Are the Top Fundraising Tips

Do you need to raise money for an important cause? At GoFundMe, we’ve seen fundraisers meet and beat their goals using our unique fundraising tips. Whether you’re a seasoned fundraiser or an absolute beginner, here are some pro fundraising tips for making your fundraiser a success.

Start a fundraiser

How to create a successful crowdfunding fundraiser

  • Begin with a realistic goal

    Launch your fundraiser with an achievable fundraising goal, create momentum, then aim for more! Don’t worry – you can always increase your goal later.

    • Launch the fundraiser and let it hit its stride
    • If your financial needs grow, it’s fine to keep increasing your goal
    • Make sure that you share a detailed cost breakdown to show potential donors exactly where their money will go

    For more fundraising tips, read our blog posts:

  • Use your title to tell a shareable story

    Your fundraiser title may be the most important aspect of your fundraiser as it’s usually the first thing people see.

    • Choose a name that makes people want to find out more about and share your cause
    • Make it short, descriptive, inspiring and easy to find when people search for it online. If appropriate, also make it funny and personable
    • Include the first and last name of the beneficiary in the title as that’s usually the first thing donors search for. Here’s a great example Shaun McCarthy’s Brain Battle
    • Create a unique hashtag for your fundraiser that makes it easy for people to find and follow it on social media. Pair it with hashtags associated with your cause or event
    • Bear in mind that fundraiser titles with four to eight words raise more funds
    • Customising your fundraiser URL makes it easy for friends and family to identify and share the link to your fundraiser

    For more tips, read our blog posts:

  • Tell a unique story that’s easy to skim through

    Successful fundraising requires being open about your financial need. Tell your story in honest and heartfelt words that you’d use to explain your cause to a friend.

    • Highlight details that paint a personal and compelling picture
    • Answer basic questions, such as who the fundraiser is for, what happened, where, when and why it’s important to you, how you know the beneficiary and how the funds will be used
    • Break down the costs that make up your fundraising goal. For example, “How the funds will be used: $1,000 will be used for transport costs and $9,000 will cover Jennifer’s unpaid leave from work to care for her children”
    • Read your story out loud so that you can hear how it might sound to potential donors. Which details will inspire empathy and make readers care enough to make a donation?
    • Find similar fundraisers that have successfully reached their goal. Use their approaches as a guide for your own fundraiser
    • Use headings and subheadings in your fundraiser description to break up the text and make it reader-friendly. Give an overview of your story to make it easy for readers to skim
    • Include a postal address so that people can send offline donations if they want to
    • Fundraiser descriptions of 400 words or more receive more donations

    For more tips, see:

  • Upload high-quality photos and videos

    High-quality images can instantly evoke empathy for your beneficiaries and have a dramatic impact on fundraising success.

    • Choose a clear, high-resolution feature photo that will attract donors and help persuade them to lend support. This is the first image people will see on social media
    • Fundraisers with five or more photos raise more than those with fewer. Add more images to broaden your appeal or show different aspects of your cause. Post updates that include photos
    • Use video – GoFundMe fundraisers with videos raise more than those without. Videos are a great way to communicate with supporters and potential donors. You can add videos from YouTube or Facebook

    For more tips on images and videos, see these posts:

  • Build a community around your cause

    Get the most out of social media by posting inspiring messages, photos and videos to create interest in your fundraiser.

    • Use the social media buttons on your fundraiser to share on Facebook, Twitter and by email
    • Click on the button with the “+” sign below your fundraiser story to get an embeddable widget for easy placement on your website or blog
    • In every message you send, include a link to your fundraiser page and ask others to share it. Include a hashtag to make your fundraiser easier to find
    • Offline fundraising events are a great way to build connections, especially for crowdfunding fundraisers that affect a whole community
    • Create a website or blog about your fundraiser to help build a community around your cause

    For more tips on creating a community around your cause, see these posts:

  • Get press coverage

    Getting your fundraiser in the local news will help more potential donors see your cause (and it’s not as hard as you might think!).

    • Search for news stories about causes similar to yours and seek out the journalists who covered those stories
    • Give journalists a newsworthy hook. Why will their readers care?
    • Share your contact details so that journalists can contact you
    • Use a low-cost press release service to share your story and fundraiser URL; this gives you an excellent chance of being picked up by both local and national press

    For more strategies for getting media coverage, see these pages:

  • Update your fundraiser regularly

    The more frequently you update your supporters on your progress, the greater your chances of fundraising success.

    • Post text, photo or video updates at least once a week. Share good news, challenges and setbacks Take your supporters with you on your journey
    • Share your updates on the social media platform you use (Facebook, Twitter or others) and use relevant hashtags
    • Encourage people to sign up to receive your updates through the “Subscribe to Updates” button on your GoFundMe page

    For more tips on updates, see these pages:

  • Adjust your goal as necessary

    It’s important to set an achievable fundraising goal to create momentum.

    • If circumstances change or progress is slower than expected, think about adjusting your fundraising goal
    • Let your supporters know about your updated goal and encourage them to take action to help you achieve it

    For more on fundraising goals, see:

  • Follow up on your fundraiser

    Achieving your fundraising goal is not where your story ends. Donors want to find out what happened and how the beneficiary’s life has changed.

    • Share the success of your fundraiser with your community by following up with updates including photos, videos or links to news coverage
    • Show your gratitude by thanking your donors

    For more tips on following up on your fundraiser, see these pages:

  • Fundraising tips by category
    • Sports team fundraising tips
    • Classroom fundraising tips
    • Pet fundraising tips
    • Medical fundraising tips
    • Charity fundraising tips
    • Cancer fundraising tips
    • Funeral and memorial fundraising tips

Free fundraising ideas

Simple ways to skyrocket your fundraiser’s reach. 

Fast fundraising ideas
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Are you new to crowdfunding? 

Learn how to make it a success with our best practices. 

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