Ways to Rescue a Failing Fundraiser
Watching fundraisers not live up to expectations can be stressful, frustrating and leave you with a sense of failure. It does not have to be that way. There are some ways to rescue a failing fundraiser.
1) Your fundraiser may be failing due to your volunteers and staff feeling unappreciated. They are performing their positions properly and giving it all they have, but still hear that they need to do more. Over time, they may start to believe they do not make a difference in your campaign. This decreases productivity. Counteract this by developing a reward program that awards prizes for accomplishing set goals. Otis Spunkmeyer has many free high-quality items like water bottles and motivational wristbands available.
2) Rescue your failing fundraiser by scheduling a day group outing. Sometimes your project will be on the skids due to low or nonexistent motivation levels of everyone involved. Since fundraisers can be a long and tiring process, your participants can easily lose interest if you do not take immediate action. Encourage a team environment and bond your group by scheduling a day trip to your local zoo, a movie or sporting event. Everyone will welcome the time off to reignite the fundraising fires. If you are uncertain about what to do, schedule a team meeting and take a poll of what participants want to do. Remind everyone that the event has to be local be budget friendly. Let everyone know that majority rules and have fun with it.
3) Increase your marketing sources to rescue your failing fundraiser. One of the most common reasons for a fundraising failure results from not getting enough exposure. Correct this by personally contacting as many sources as possible. This includes television stations, radio stations, newspapers and online sources. Resubmit your press release and call to follow up with editors, speak to networking groups or schedule a presentation.
4) Concentrating mainly on real-life, face-to-face contacts in your local community, can be a reason your fundraiser is failing. As important as real-life contacts are, you need to establish an online presence to get as many people as possible interested in your campaign. Using social media can connect local communities and spread the word fast about your fundraiser. Many people use the Internet to read their local newspaper, stay in touch with local businesses and read about business happenings of all kinds. Start a marketing blog to keep participants and potential buyers up-to-date about your campaign.
5) Analyze your participants' positions and see that there is a good fit. Sometimes fundraisers fail due to participants being mismatched with their positions. Placing an outgoing volunteer who is not detail-oriented or experienced with handling cash as the person responsible for your fundraising money can be a huge mistake, for instance. Schedule some time to meet with each participant and ask what they believe their strengths and weaknesses are. Use their responses to find positions that best match their abilities and watch your fundraising failure turn around.
Every fundraiser has its ups and downs, but spotting a failure during the initial stages allows you time to put these ideas to use and get back on the track to success.
