Community Fundraising Tips

Each year, ELNOS allocates a portion of our budget to give back to our communities. We have had the pleasure of supporting a variety of clubs, organizations, events, and projects! While we continue to support the region through these various activities, we have heard more and more concerns from community groups on raising the funds they need to purchase supplies, equipment, or even to keep functioning. So, we thought we would put together some tips to help them out:

1. Have a specific goal: rather than fundraise for your group in general, have a specific project or item that you are fundraising for. This allows people to picture how their giving is going to help you and the community overall. ie. raise money for a structure, a certain number of equipment or supplies. Be as specific as you can.

2. Breakdown your goal: every person has a different amount that is feasible for them to give. Breakdown your goal so people can see how even the smallest contribution can help. ie. Let’s say you are raising $5,000. You’ll need the following donations to reach your goal:

   1 x $1000

   4 x $500

   10 x $100

   10 x $50

   20 x $20

   20 x $5 (breaking it down this small makes it reasonable for kids to get involved and use their own allowance to give back to their community)

3. Share updates: This not only will help raise awareness for your fundraiser, it will get people invested in what you’re doing. People may be more willing to give because they’re excited to see this accomplished, and businesses may get on board with larger donations because of the investment in the community — it’s great advertising for them and it makes everyone feel good too!

4. Reach out: Don’t be afraid to be direct. A lot of businesses are willing to give back to their community and even have the budget for it like ELNOS, but you have to reach out and explain why your cause is deserving. Consider the successful businesses in your area, or even successful professionals in your community (ie. lawyers, doctors, CEOs, entrepreneurs, etc.)

5. Thank your supporters: Have a way to thank those for donating to your cause. It can be as simple as thank you notes to an acknowledgement in your event program, or you may want to acknowledge your larger supporters with a plaque or banner. The key here is to not spend so much money on the thank you that you have to do extra fundraising just to say thank you.