6 Pointers to Prepare for a Germ-Free GivingTuesday
In March things changed drastically for schools across the country. We went from being face-to-face with students, faculty, and staff to only seeing people through a computer screen. With this shift in the ability to be face-to-face in order to prevent the spread of germs, other things need to shift and change as well.
One of the more important shifts in format within a school is the fundraising process. Schools that have successfully been able to fundraise have done so through online giving. However, there are many schools that have not made the shift yet. Regardless of which side of the spectrum you fall into, the Givedot Program would like to provide you with some tips and pointers when it comes to choosing the right online platform for your school or organization.
Tips and Pointers for Germ-Free (Online) Fundraising!
- Story Telling
- Choose a platform that allows you to share the story behind the needs of your school. Telling the story allows your community to invest in the story and see it through to the end.
- Donor friendliness
- Choose a platform that is simple and easy to use for both you as an admin, but even more importantly, for your donors. The simpler the system is for your donors, the more likely they are to continue donating and supporting the needs of the school or organization.
- Reporting
- Choose a platform that allows you to pull reports on the donations and the donors. This is critical for being able to accurately create and provide year end giving statements to your donors.
- Online and Offline gift tracking
- While this one isn’t as important, it makes the accounting and tracking of donations much simpler. Try to find a platform that allows you to enter and track cash or check donations that may be mailed, in addition to the online donations received.
- Admin Support
- Choose a platform that offers quick and easily accessible support for the administrators managing your platform and reports. Having someone to call and ask questions of and able to assist with pulling and interpreting reports is something that can be extremely stress relieving in the midst of learning a new platform and continued maintenance of the platform.
- Make the most of focused times of giving!
- As with any project or forward motion, you want to be able to have as much momentum as you can so that your efforts are maximized. One way to do this in fundraising is to use things such as year end giving or #GivingTuesday as a launching pad or even as an accelerator for your existing efforts. This year GivingTuesday is December 1 and is a day when the world focuses on giving and looks for ways to give back. Make sure you have a plan in place to harness this momentum for your school or organization!
Knowing that the current pandemic and health advisories are not likely to ease for another several months, it’s always a good idea to reevaluate your current online fundraising presence.
As you are reevaluating, allow The Givedot Program to be one of the options you consider in this endeavor. Even if you just need someone to look at your current fundraising situation and offer some ideas and thoughts, we are here for you! Contact us today!
