Home / Winspire News / Promote Your Fundraiser with a Facebook Event: Step-by-Step Guide
As fall fundraisers pick up steam, many charities are finalizing their marketing campaigns. What strategies do you have in place?
✓ Email? Check.
✓ Direct mail and postcards? Check.
✓ Flyers around town? Check.
✗ Facebook Event? Hmmm...
Facebook Events are customized pages nonprofits can use to invite supporters to their fundraising events (plus any private events or meetings year round).
If you don't have an Event for your fundraiser set up, you might be missing out on additional attendees and critical revenue. Fortunately, Events are simple and free to create.
What we'll cover today:
Let's get started!
1. Simply put, everyone's on Facebook! More than 1.4 billion people around the world and 72 percent of online American adults use Facebook, according to Pew Research Center. That means, regardless of your organization's experience level with social media, the majority of your supporters regularly checks Facebook.
Having a dedicated Facebook Event to post all updates, logistics, details and promotions is a must in today's ever-connected social media landscape.
2. Easily share Events with entire social networks. The annual school silent auction or black tie gala is the best time to expand your donor base. The reason: Long-time supporters and new guests alike are interested in fun activities like playing golf, socializing and winning prizes.
So you don't want to waste a prime opportunity to expand your reach.
With the push of a button, attendees can share the Event on their timeline with their entire list of connections.
3. Access event details at a glance.
Once a user is invited to an Event, they will receive periodic notifications for the Event until the day of. This keeps your event top of mind.
Notifications include reminders to RSVP ("Going", "Not Going" or "Interested") and when the event is one week and one day away.
4. Mass invitations retain a personal touch. While the Event may have dozens or even hundreds of followers, invitations and notifications come from a specific friend ("Let Sally know if you can make the Black Tie Gala"). This keeps the invite personal - a key to positive RSVPs.
5. Easily showcase photos and graphics. Pictures say a thousand words, and posting multimedia graphics from past events and of big-ticket auction items sets the event up for success.
6. Build social proof. When someone confirms their attendance Event, friends and followers see it in their News Feeds. This can nudge participation from those on the fence.
Now that we've discussed just a few advantages of this free tool, see how simple it is to create a sleek, inviting and vibrant Facebook Event page.
1. Create the Event. From your organization's Facebook Page, click "Offer, Event +" in the post box. Then, select "Event" from the dropdown list.
A pop-up appears prompting you to fill in details about your event.
Note: You can save the Event as a draft and come back any time to edit or publish, by pressing the arrow next to the blue Publish button (then select "Save Draft").
2. Name the Event. Keep the name descriptive, catchy and concise.
3. Add the venue location. You can use a location that corresponds to the venue's Facebook page, which will automatically include images from the venue's own page and directions to the site. If the venue does not have its own page, use the direct address and Facebook will still include a map of its location.
4. Input the time and date.
5. Click "Change Event Photo" to upload an Event photo. Some things to keep in mind when choosing a photo:
Photos of the venue, last year's attendees having fun, smiling volunteers and more work well, as do images that generally represent your nonprofit or mission.Here's an easy way to check and change the size of an image to fit these requirements.
(Mac users, try a simple online photo editor tool like ImageResize.org.)
Once you upload the image, check to make sure the image is not squished, resized or out of focus. Reposition as needed.
6. Choose a category. For our sample "Winspire Gala and Charity Auction", we went to Causes, then selected Fundraiser.
7.
Include a detailed Description. In the Description section, describe the event and explain why people should attend. Give some background on your mission or cause; history of the organization; description of the event; fundraising goals; a link to the organization website and more.
8. Include search keywords (up to 3). Words like "charity", "auction", "golf tournament" and "fundraiser" help people discover your event via Facebook's search function and related recommendations.
9. Add the registration or ticket purchasing link. Link to the primary site you want users to visit, such as the registration and ticket purchasing page, general event site or online auction catalog.
10. Assign co-hosts. Add co-hosts such as the event, auction and publicity committee chairs. These people will be granted access to edit the Event details, moderate the guest list and post updates.
11. Now you're ready to hit Publish! I suggest allowing all guests (non-admins) to post on the Event page. This creates a sense of community and makes it easy for donors to ask questions or give feedback.
Come back to the page any time to make edits as needed.
Congratulations on making your Facebook Event! The hard part is over, and you now have a page guests will likely reference countless times before the big day.
It's time to promote the Event and spread the word as far and wide as possible. Consider the following tips:
qr-code-generator.com. You can customize the look, colors and even add a logo. Check out the free QR code we created directing you to Winspire's Facebook page!To see who has responded to invitations, click Interested or Going in the Event guest list on the right.
As mentioned, Facebook Events are a good opportunity to keep the fundraiser fresh and top-of-mind with supporters. But if you post too often, viewers will start ignoring or even hiding new posts.
The best way to keep readers engaged is consistently posting new content, and big-ticket auction items make social media posting a breeze.
Each week before your event, head to your page to highlight one of your terrific auction items: a tropical getaway to Bermuda, home theater system, dinner for 4 couples at a five-star restaurant, 6-night golf adventure in Ireland...the possibilities are endless.
Check out this real-life example from the Young Actors' Theatre in San Diego. They leveraged an incredible meet-and-greet package of smash Broadway hit Hamilton (see: Winspire's "Ultimate Hamilton Experience") to generate plenty of pre-event buzz and prime the pump for higher bids.
Simple, eye-catching, effective.
To publicize an auction item on your Facebook event, head back to your page and click "Add Photo / Video" next to Write Post.
Next, paint a picture with words and sensory details to activate readers’ imaginations. For intangible items like travel, describe the most unique and extraordinary aspects of the package.
Rather than “Travel to Italy”, use phrases like “Walk the cobblestone streets” and “Enjoy a private cooking class and exclusive winery tour.” Winspire users, feel free to copy text straight from your display materials.
Finally, upload an image or video of the item. All Winspire packages come with beautiful hi-res images and display materials for your nonprofit's promotional use.
Do your big-ticket items have enough sizzle? Check out our catalog of over 200 once-in-a-lifetime Experiences sure to get donors' attention and capture bids.
So there you have it: your comprehensive guide to Facebook Events. Take advantage of a simple and free opportunity for more guests, higher bids and more revenue toward your mission.
Your turn: How has social media changed the way you promote your fundraising events? What strategies have you adopted to get the most out of Facebook Events? Or, what is keeping you from taking event promotion online? Let us know in the comments below!
And if you liked what you read today, see Facebook in action - be sure to LIKE Winspire on Facebook for more helpful content by clicking Like Page below!
Using Facebook to spread the word about your fundraiser is one of the most effective fundraising strategies out there.
Whether you’re looking to gain a lot of initial support for your fundraiser or you’re trying to gain more momentum after a slump, Facebook fundraising can make a real difference. This comprehensive guide explains key Facebook fundraiser tips that can help you take your crowdfunding efforts to the next level.
From using hashtags to tagging supporters in your posts, these tips cover the best ways to get your fundraiser seen on Facebook and reach more donors.
It’s important to make sure your fundraiser looks its best before sharing it far and wide. People are drawn to catchy titles and vibrant images, so start by brainstorming a fundraiser title and adding compelling images and videos to your story.
In the description area, tell your story honestly and directly. For detailed tips on how to write a compelling story, take a look at our blog post Writing Your Fundraiser Story: A Comprehensive Guide.
Acquaintances are much more likely to donate if they see that you’ve already received donations from other people. That’s why it’s important to first share your fundraiser with family and close friends before sharing it with everyone else you know on Facebook. Once you’ve gained some momentum, you can start sharing your fundraiser with everyone. For ideas on how to reach out to your network, try using these email templates to reach your goal.
Beyond posting news of your fundraiser on your Facebook timeline, you should create a dedicated Facebook business page for your cause. Start by creating a unique Facebook page URL by defining it in the page settings.
To start off, you’ll need at least one post on your page so people can get an overview of your cause and understand why it means so much to you.
Much of your fundraiser’s success will depend on frequently posting, sharing, and connecting with others on social media.
Your Facebook posts and updates will get your audience’s attention, give them something to share with their own friends, and inspire them to donate.
Once you complete your page and write a post or two to set the tone, invite your Facebook friends to like and follow it. Then, once you’ve built a sizable following, encourage followers to invite their own Facebook friends to like and follow your page.
Facebook is full of like-minded people who have created pages for causes similar to yours. Connecting with them can help you build a supportive online community and bring in more donations. Search for pages and groups that share similar interests, then like and follow their pages. When you comment and engage with other posts on Facebook, it can lead people to find out more about your cause.
Simply copy and paste the link to your fundraiser in the status box.
When people click the link in your post, they’ll be taken directly to your fundraiser.
Facebook doesn’t like people leaving its site, so its algorithm deprioritizes posts that include a link in the status. To get around this, use plain text in your status update and add the link as the first comment. Use this technique only for updates you don’t pay to promote. If you’re paying to boost a post, add the link in the status.
Spend some time making your posts as interesting and compelling as you can. Hook people with the first sentence, or even the first couple of words. Write posts that capture the attention of friends, acquaintances, and even strangers. Inspire people to visit your fundraiser and donate to your cause. Here are a few examples.
”If your fundraiser is connected to a larger national movement, such as breast cancer awareness month, add the same hashtags associated with that larger conversation to your post. This will make your post appear in feeds that people monitor for related news. For more tips on creating and using hashtags on social media, see our post How to Create a Fundraiser Hashtag That Inspires Donations.
A powerful way to thank and recognize donors is to tag them in your Facebook posts. Not only will they feel special, but this can lead to increased donor retention. Their friends might see your fundraiser this way, and you’ll reach a whole new audience of potential donors. For more ideas on how to show gratitude, read our post 20 Affordable Ways to Say Thank You to Donors.
Post updates frequentlyPeople love to know what’s going on with a cause they’ve donated to, so don’t be shy about posting fundraiser updates multiple times a week. Posting regularly about your cause and why it means so much to you will remind friends that you’re committed to reaching your goal. Provide updates about your fundraising journey, including both progress and setbacks.
Asking for donations on Facebook can be as simple as creating a giving challenge. To start, write a post that compares a donation to a small daily purchase. For instance, challenge friends to skip their afternoon latte for one day and instead donate that money to your fundraiser. Use ideas that can help your fundraiser go viral.
With over a billion active users, Facebook includes interest groups, organizations, businesses, and more. Imagine the possibilities when you tap into Facebook users outside of your network.
So how exactly do you reach those potential donors outside of your Facebook friend circle? These best practices explain how to promote a fundraiser on Facebook for the best results.
To create a News Feed ad, you’ll want to choose the ‘Send people to your website’ option. This type of ad is best for a new fundraiser that you’d like to get donations for right away.
You can then create this ad from scratch and follow the next three steps for a seamless and profitable process.
Now that you have a goal, who should you target? On Facebook, you can target people who have ‘liked’ your page, or focus on audience characteristics, such as gender, age, and interests.
In the budget and scheduling section, decide how much you want to spend on your ad and how long it will run. You can also choose whether to pay per day or set a lifetime budget for your ad fundraiser.
One of the most important Facebook fundraising tips is to create an ad with images that bring your cause to life.
High-quality images are more likely to catch someone’s eye and get them to click on your ad.
For example, Gunnar’s Wheels, a nonprofit that began as a GoFundMe fundraiser, regularly posts photos and videos on its Facebook page of dogs who have received wheelchair carts. This increases the number of people engaging with your cause, resulting in more “likes.” Gunnar’s Wheels now has over 12,500 likes and still gets donations.
Once you’ve created and run your ad, it’s time to monitor the response. The most efficient way to tell if your ad is performing well is to head to your Facebook Ad Manager page. Here you can see the data collected from each ad you’ve run.
Analyze your ad performance most effectively by testing different ads that link to the same fundraiser. This way, you can find which picture, text, or audience generated the most clicks to your fundraiser. Then you can begin honing your ad strategy.
Whether you’re fundraising for out of pocket medical expenses or you’re trying to pay down your student loan debt, crowdfunding combined with social media can be a powerful solution.
GoFundMe offers fundraising, which helps you keep more of the funds you’ve raised. Our comprehensive blog offers fundraising tips and ideas to help you reach your fundraising goals faster. If you haven’t already, sign up to create your donation page today.
Start a Fundraiser
Social media is good for more than just posting memes and vacation photos. They can be effectively used not only for leisure and career development, but also for charity events and collections. We tell how
There are three main types of philanthropists who are active in social networks:
According to the Global Trends in Giving Report, more and more people around the world are choosing to donate online, with 40% of those surveyed in the US and Canada at least once using Facebook and 12% using Instagram.
In Europe, similar figures: 44% and 12% respectively. In Russia, according to the Higher School of Economics, 85% of NGOs use their own social networks in their work. In recent years, the importance of social networks for Russian charitable organizations has grown markedly. And here's why:
First, charitable NGOs are generally unable to spend large budgets on advertising and marketing. Therefore, social networks for them are a relatively inexpensive and very effective promotion channel. Publications gain tens of thousands of coverage, especially if they are real stories of living people who need help. Users actively interact with such content, and as a result, more and more new people learn about the organization. Here is an example of such a post from the Vera Hospice Assistance Fund:
Facebook post by user hospicefund.ru
Social networks help make charity popular and accessible to everyone. Any user can send a donation, share a post, launch their own campaign or charity event.
Invite them to congratulate you by sending money to the specified details. Facebook post by daria.zagvozdina
In VK, in addition to posting in the profile and public groups, you can use the special Goals tool. To do this, you need to click the "Collect" button in the VK Pay menu, enter the name and description of the goal.
After that, the publication will appear on your wall, and everyone will be able to transfer money through the built-in payment system. You can also connect the Yandex.Money and CloudPayments payment systems for collection. NCOs can also use a special payment widget as part of the "Charity" direction. nine0003
Instagram does not have a built-in fundraising function, but you can do it in other ways:
You can also post short videos with hashtags on TikTok, leaving links and details in the profile header.
For those over 16 who have over 1,000 subscribers, live streams are available where you can post a link.
To do this, click on the "+" icon at the bottom of the profile, scroll down, select Live, and then - "On Air".
You can also collect funds using the wallet linked to your profile and then exchange them for real money. nine0003
In Russia, it is not yet possible to organize a collection within the framework of the special "Donation Collection" option. But you can share such a post and make a donation using Facebook Pay. To do this, go to the settings menu, scroll down and click on "Donation Collection".
You will see active campaigns in different countries, you can select the desired post and deposit any amount in the window that opens.
You can also post posts and stories with links to payment services and details for donations, as well as create special pages for charity campaigns. nine0003
All this requires resources, which are very limited for philanthropists. Part of the problem is solved by volunteers. Charity is flourishing today. More and more people agree to help financially or non-materially (as volunteers), and this is wonderful.
There are many charitable foundations, and these are not only organizations that collect money for treatment or help the poor. Foundations can function in various fields, for example, art, politics, culture, sports, science. They can be supported by local authorities and have a small size, or they can be promoted at the state level and have a truly huge reach. nine0003
It is clear that with so many colleagues in the industry (I don’t want to call funds competitors, because they all pursue noble goals and coexist peacefully with each other), it is obvious that you want to stand out and make sure that as many people as possible hear about your fund, who in the future may actively help or promote charitable initiatives.
What are the ways to promote a charity fund?
These are primarily social networks and email newsletters, as well as field events and online events (webinars, festivals, conferences).
Regardless of the field of activity, social networks and email newsletters play a big role in increasing the visibility of the fund.
When it comes to charitable organizations (NPOs), these communication channels are central to an audience engagement strategy.
Below we have prepared five tips for you on how to build an NPO's presence on the Internet and how email marketing services can help with this. We will guide you through all the steps involved in creating an effective digital marketing strategy. nine0003
Hubspot identified 7 reasons why NGOs use social media and email marketing:
Once you've decided what your email marketing or social media marketing is for, it's important to choose a KPI to track progress. KPIs should reflect success in building long-term relationships with the audience, so it is recommended to pay attention to metrics such as conversion and customer retention .
For example, the number of views of an email newsletter may indicate an increase in interest in a particular topic that you touched upon, and the number of clicks may reflect interest in the mission of an NGO.
Even publishing a harmless picture should be done with the image of the end user in mind.
NPOs with a long history most likely have no problem identifying their audience. Organizations that are just starting out can find it difficult to know who to contact. nine0003
How do you know what type of audience your NPO has? Make a survey among the subscription base.
So you know your target audience. Now you must find out the places where you can meet her. It is important not only to find portals where it is easy to reach the audience, but also to identify the most active and popular of them.
Choose two or three platforms and put all your efforts into developing social profiles there.
It's better than registering wherever possible and doing all the profiles badly. Worse than not being on social media. The platform can only have an inactive profile where they do not respond to subscribers' comments. nine0003
To the most popular social networks. platforms include Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube, VK, Odnoklassniki (in the post-Soviet space).
Without a clear plan and schedule for posting, you risk confusing your audience or causing them to ignore you.
Secret #1: Voice of the Brand
You are a non-profit organization and therefore you work for a specific idea. Your task is to voice this idea and clearly convey it to the audience in every post and publication. The tone of your statements should be about the same and should fit into the image that you create. nine0003
Secret #2: Posting Calendar
Having a calendar of where you plan to post what and when will make your audience's interaction with the NPO more streamlined.
Agree, it is much more pleasant when mailings come with a certain frequency. In addition, regular posts and publications indicate that the fund is active.
Automation tools make the whole process easier because now you don't have to personally control the release of publications.
Secret #3: Audience Behavior
Why should your audience follow or like you? What type of person would definitely click the donate button, leave a comment, or share your content with friends? You must analyze the actions of subscribers and visitors in order to create relevant content in the future.
It is important to talk to the audience on the same level, not down. Ask questions, encourage comments, tell stories. In general, be the initiator of discussions. nine0003
Visuals often work much more effectively than words, evoking real emotions in the audience. Use high-quality photos, images, videos and the right hashtags.
Secret #4: Audience Problems
The specifics of NGOs is that they often make requests to their audience: tell about the NGO, sign a petition, become a volunteer or make a donation.
It is difficult to force an outsider to part with money or spend personal time helping the foundation. To do this, you must be able to choose the right words to touch the pain points and reach the heart of the audience. nine0003
Secret #5: The Truth and Nothing but the Truth
This is the biggest secret. The key to successful audience engagement is sincerity and genuine emotions. Readers always feel a lie, so speak and write the truth and stay true to your mission, and then the audience will repay you with loyalty and will willingly recommend you to friends and acquaintances.
There is no ROI in social media without engagement. Be sure to think about the content and do not publish just for the sake of publications. You need to capture the attention of readers and motivate them to read the text to the end, react and share your content. nine0003
#1: Identify Trigger Points
The first step to engagement is identifying the type of content your audience is responding to.
You must do research. Find out how similar organizations are successfully engaging with their audience.
Using keyword search and hashtags, you can identify popular topics and content that grabs your audience's attention.
Once you know what your audience is looking for, research that area in detail. Test different content formats, themes, and headlines to understand which text generates clicks and conversions. nine0003
#2: Encourage discussion
As in the real world, people are more likely to interact when asked questions and invited to comment. Whenever you post a poll, ask for advice, start a conversation, or announce a contest, invite your audience to participate.
Create content that is easy to share by adding pictures, infographics, and short links. Be sure to respond to subscriber comments.
#3: Measure results to repeat success in the future
There is no point in trying different strategies if you are not tracking progress and you do not know which strategies help to successfully engage the audience and which do not.
While it's important to keep track of your followers and likes, other metrics are just as important. If you ignore them, then the chance to improve work efficiency will decrease many times over. nine0003
1. Brand Sentiment
When it comes to social media, it's important to understand that black PR is bad PR. The rule of show business “better bad than nothing at all” does not apply here. A negative audience attitude can quickly destroy your foundation's reputation. Be sure to keep track of the public's comments and how they share your posts. Think about how you will respond to negative comments. It's better than just ignoring them. nine0003
2. Inbound links and tracking codes
When using links in SMM campaigns, it is important that they lead to your website, donation page or blog post.
After successful campaigns, website traffic increases, and if you can identify the source of growth and link it to social media activity, you will have information about which campaigns were the most effective.
1. Email-mailings
To get acquainted with the fund, you can start a welcome series, where you tell what you do, what goals you pursue.
Standard newsletters are great for informing about the current affairs and news of the foundation.
2. Marketing Automation
The aforementioned emails can be scheduled in the Automation Builder, so that emails will arrive at a certain frequency or in response to certain user actions without your participation. Subscription segmentation allows you to send content in different languages or to different target groups depending on gender, age, geographic region, occupation, etc.
3. Webinars
A webinar is another platform for communication with the audience. The undoubted advantage of this format is personal contact, which means that your speech is able to make a stronger impression on the audience than ordinary printed text.
4. Integrations
In your newsletters, you can place links to your social media profiles for greater coverage.
5. Landing pages
With the help of landing pages, you can invite subscribers to various events (online and offline events) or webinars. nine0003
6. Analytics
As we wrote above, you must analyze the indicators in order to understand whether you have chosen the right strategy. With analytics functionality, you'll always have the data you need to make informed decisions at your fingertips.
7. Advertising
Promotion is advertising. Of course, such an option as Advertising on Facebook, Google or Instagram, offered by the mailing service, will come in handy.
Let's look at examples of how charitable organizations skillfully maintain profiles in various social networks. nine0003
