Here’s Exactly How I’m Fundraising $1,500 in 3 months
I'm training for my 4th half-marathon this March, the NYC Half, and I'm so excited! (I'm also a little terrified because I'm coming off of a running injury last December...if you have any tips for training post-injury, please reply to this email and let me know!)
As part of the NYC Half, I'm partnering with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to fundraise at least $1,500 by March. Depending on where you are in your fundraising journey, $1,500 might be nothing, or it might be everything!
Either way, I thought I'll walk you through exactly how I'm raising $1,500 (and more!) because the same steps and skills apply to raising $1,500 as it does $15k, $150k, and so on!
Let’s get into it.
Step 1: Raise awareness and grab the "low hanging fruit"
The first thing I did was share about this to my community of friends and family. For me, the best way to do that was on my personal instagram. Included over a picture of me (because psychology teaches us that faces and eye contact will retain people's interest) was about a paragraph of text that shared:
That I'm running a half and raising $1,500 - this starts the awareness and gives a concrete goal.
Why I'm partnering with IRC - I shared about my passion to support people displaced by conflict and why it's important to me. It's important to share personally and authentically!
What people can do to support me - I included a clear call to action with the link to donate to my fundraising page
Then as a bonus, the next photo I posted was a very embarrassing picture of myself with the text "as a thank you, here's a picture I swore would never see the light of day! You can also venmo me at ___". This picture got the most engagement - people loved to see my human side, and adding the venmo link got several donations because it lessened the burden to entry. A lot of people wanted to support me, but didn't want to deal with entering their credit card information on my fundraising page. Adding my venmo made it easy for them to transfer me the funds, and then I went and donated those funds directly to my fundraising page.
Objective for Step 1: Just start getting the word out, and get those easy initial donations usually from your closest friends who want to support you! This gives YOU the momentum you need, too.
Note: I just wrapped up this step, so now I’m working on planning for step 2. That’s why I’m switching into future tense, because the rest of these steps is what I plan to do!
Step 2: Host a Fun Community Event
Now that I have some momentum to build on (and people know what I’m fundraising for!), I’m planning to host a trivia or tournament-style game night! This event will give me the chance to engage with both friends and new supporters in a fun, community-driven way.
Here’s the plan:
The Event: A casual, welcoming game night open to friends and the public. I might do a trivia night, or some sort of board game tournament, it really depends on the venue that I end up securing and what works best for them/the space.
Keeping Costs Low: I’ll partner with a local venue and seek out auction or raffle items from local businesses. While I won’t be able to offer a tax receipt on behalf of teh organization, some businesses will still donate goods from a marketing perspective. From both a fundraising perspective and a “friend” perspective, I want to keep costs as low as possible so that more funds go to the organization than it would without the event. You don’t want to invite people to an event where they have to spend a lot of money…and then donate on TOP of that. If that were the case, it would’ve been better to not had an event at all and just ask people to donate! That’s why I’m thinking of a low cost way to give people a reason to come out, learn about IRC, and then donate.
Of course, I’ll use my Event Sponsorship Package to secure support from local businesses! Since I’m not doing sponsorship levels, I’ll modify it so that I show the different ways a local business can support (ex. providing in-kind goods/services or contributing financially).
Fundraising Opportunities: I’ll charge a small entry fee for participants and hold an auction or raffle with the items. All proceeds will go toward my goal!
This event will not only help me raise money but will also give me a platform to share my mission and connect with more people inside and outside of my immediate friends and family.
Objective for Step 2: Create an engaging experience that raises funds and builds community around the cause - push towards a goal by the end of the night so everyone is incentivized to help me beat my goal!
Step 3: Personalized Outreach
I’m expecting to beat my goal after the community event. But if I haven’t (and why it’s important to hold your event early!), I still have time to secure donations to hit it. At this stage, I’ve shared broadly on social media and I’ve invited those in my local community to support. The last step is to do personalized outreach to specific people.
Here’s what I’ll do:
Direct Messages: I’ll make a list of family, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances to contact one-on-one. Whether it’s through text, email, or a phone call, I’ll explain my goal, share why it’s meaningful to me, and invite them to contribute.
I’ll draw from language used in the Donation Request Letter found in the Fundraising Campaign Package to share about IRC and request their support. This way, I’m not starting with a blank page!
Highlighting Progress: I’ll let them know how far I’ve come toward my $1,500 goal and how close I am to achieving it. For example: “I’m 70% of the way there! Your support could help me close the final gap!” This makes their contribution feel both impactful and urgent.
Express gratitude regardless of their decision: When inviting someone to donate (particularly a close friend or family), it’s important to remind them that you’re just grateful for them considering, and explain how important a donation of any size is. One sentence I like to say is “you donation - no matter how big or how small - will help me get to my goal.”
Objective for Step 3: Conduct 1:1 outreach to specific individuals and invite them to be part of my fundraising journey.
Step 4: Follow ups and thank you’s
The last and most important step should be happneing THROUGHOUT steps 1, 2, and 3. As soon as someone donates, I’m immediately texting or calling them to say thank you. This is the most fun part - sharing your gratitude to others for helping me in my journey, AND those displaced by conflict through supporting IRC.
Once I reach my goal, I’ll also share an update with everyone again, thanking them for helping me get this point. And lastly, once I cross that half marathon finish line in Central Park (or more realistically, a few hours after once I’ve recovered), I’ll send one last thank you for helping me every step of the way (pun intended).
BONUS Pro Tips:
Here’s a few extra pro tips to help you in your fundraising journey:
Set an Internal Early Deadline: I’m planning to raise the majority of my funds well before the March deadline. This way, I’ll have time to adjust my strategy or make a last push if needed.
Step 1 Can Continue Throughout: I’m going to continue posting about my fundraising journey on social media with clear calls to action (i.e. donate to my fundraising page, or venmo me to donate). I’ll also use this awareness building to educate too, such as sharing relevant and timely information about refugees and the impact of IRC. This is an easy lead into a call to action (ex. “You can help refugees now by donating towards my fundraiser at _____”).
Continuously Share Your Goal and Progress: I’ll keep communicating my $1,500 goal and how close I am to reaching it with every ask. When people see the progress, it makes their contribution feel like a meaningful piece of the bigger picture. For example, a $20 donation isn’t just $20—it could be the gift that helps me close “the last 20% of the goal!”
Be Real and Relatable: I’m sharing my story authentically, from my passion for the cause to my embarrassing pictures. People connect with realness, and that connection inspires action!
That wraps up my plan! This is the same plan I would follow no matter if my goal was $1.5k, $15k, or more. If you need to raise a specific amount of funds in a short period of time, these 4 steps will help you get there, and the Event Templates in the Template Shop will save you time along the way. Have any questions about how to tailor this to your goals? Email me at kay@nonprofit-life.com, I’d love to hear from you!
PS: If you’re looking to take your fundraising to the next level, here are 3 extra resources just for you!
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