Recruiting Fundraisers

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Leveraging the peer-to-peer model of Give OUT Day is critical to your organization’s success. But how do you recruit fundraisers, the main drivers of your campaign?

Consider these target groups from which to recruit fundraisers for your campaign:

• Board members, volunteers, and staff. Arguably the closest to your work, your board members, volunteers, and staff are prime candidates for fundraisers and the best place to start recruiting. They often can provide some of the best testimonials that can convince your friends, family, and colleagues to give.

• Existing donors. Your existing donors, whether large or small, already support your work financially, so you can encourage them to take their support to the next level by creating a fundraiser.
  
  
• Followers and subscribers. Whether on social media or your email list, these folks are already familiar with your work. Though they might not yet support your organization financially, they may be willing to fundraise for your organization. Plus, while someone might not be in a position to give themselves, they may be in a position to ask for donations from their network.

Although the campaign starts June 1 – when donations begin counting toward the prizes – individuals can set up their fundraisers for your organization as soon as you complete your profile. (But they shouldn’t solicit donations until June 1.) It’s never too early to start recruiting fundraisers!

Connecting with Prospective Fundraisers

How should you connect with these groups to recruit fundraisers?

• One-on-one message. Often the most effective way to recruit fundraisers is to ask them directly. If you know someone personally, reach out with an individualized phone call, email, direct message, or text message.
  
  
• Email blast. Send an email to your list inviting email recipients to become fundraisers for your Give OUT Day campaign. Consider segmenting your email to include a variation for previous donors and non-donors – or whatever categories make sense for your organization – so you can adapt the message to these various audiences.
  
  
• Social media post and/or ad. Make a post on your social media channels encouraging your followers to create fundraisers. You could even consider creating a Facebook/Instagram ad using Custom Audiences, targeted at your existing network, namely your website visitors, email file, and social media followers.

You can use these templates in your outreach for fundraiser recruitment. These templates reference the Give OUT Day Fundraiser Toolkit, a customizable guide to share with fundraisers to support them in their fundraising. We’ll cover this toolkit more in the next lesson.