THE ART OF VIRAL FUNDRAISING
By Adam Brandt
Copyright (c) 2011 Adam Brandt
Smashwords Edition
Smashwords Edition License Notes
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Video Incorporation into Mission
Using a Wesite to Connect with Donors
***Introduction***
Hello there and thank you for picking up a copy of The Art of Viral Fund-raising. I am excited that you are serious about raising funds for a great cause. Whether you are working with a large organization committed to the betterment of humanity, or a small grass roots campaign, I am going to show you some very powerful tools that will surely grow your giving base.
You may or may not have heard of me before now. My name is Adam Brandt and I founded a movement called Bloomsayer International. I am devoted to helping people create a better life for themselves and others. A major part of Bloomsayer is raising awareness and providing financial support for many causes. As I grew the Bloomsayer message, I was able to compile stacks of information pertaining to the practice of securing donations.
I have put the best information in this book with the hopes that anyone wishing to expand their philanthropic reach will be able to do so. Much of the information I provide will work for most organizations. I encourage you to create a plan that uses as much or as little of the information that I provide in order to help your cause.
I wish you all the best and I truly believe that you will find success by applying the techniques I share with you. Keep up the great work and remember the most important part of giving. Giving begins with you.
***What is Viral?***
What is viral? The best definition I have came across, is that viral in the term we are explaining is the rapid movement of information between people. Viral combined with fundraising can lead to amazing amounts of money or goods, raised for certain efforts in a very short time period. We have all witnessed this occurrence, most recently for the devastating wrath of nature that occurred in Japan.
Imagine if your organization could produce similar results for your campaign. I am going to share some techniques that any organization may put to use in their fundraising plans. I am not guaranteeing that you will raise millions of dollars in days or weeks. What I will guaranty, is that by putting together a viral fundraising program, your organization will be able to expand its goals while impacting society in a positive fashion.
When we think of charity, we often see a vision in our head of the Salvation Army bell ringers. We have all seen their program in action. The red tin bucket, the shivering person standing outside in the cold, patiently ringing a bell in hopes of diverting some of your Christmas shopping fund into a small slot located directly in the center of that bucket. Does the system work? You bet. I have an amazing number to share with you, according to Salvation Army. During the 2010 season over 13 million dollars were raised, ON the internet. What does this tell you? Salvation Army is doing more than ringing bells before Christmas.
Where does the money go that Salvation Army receives? Does the money stay in your local community? Do the bell ringers keep a portion of what they receive? The question I feel most comfortable answering, is that the bell ringers are mostly volunteer workers, while a portion of them are paid for their work. The bulk of the money goes towards services with a positive social impact around the globe.
Salvation Army thrives on name recognition and their history of providing assistance to many programs. Most organizations struggle to break even financially. The money is out there, I will show you how to get a bigger piece of the fundraising pie.
2010 was a record setting year for a certain group of fundraisers. Remember the mid-term congressional elections? Would you believe that a whopping 4 billion dollars were raised by politicians and their respective parties? I know, I thought to myself what an atrocious waste of donor funds. I wrote a piece highlighting the near 2 billion raised by the politicians alone. Where does this kind of cash come from? The large businesses that we spend a large chunk of our disposable income with. So in essence the money comes from our pocketbooks. I find it unbelievable that a portion of what I spend ends up being funneled to a politician that I may or may not support. I don't want to get side tracked here, as this issue belongs somewhere else, so let me get back on track.
Politicians and political parties are very successful fundraisers. Experts are predicting that President Obama will raise 1 billion dollars on his own for his reelection bid. So what are politicians doing that our local charities are not. Simple, they are viral with their message. Every commercial television break is bombarded with targeted ads to accomplish two things, raise money and earn votes. While most charities cannot afford to purchase advertising space on television or radio, I am going to show you later how to garner the same kind of attention towards your cause.
Another reason political contributions have risen, is due to the fact that technology has given politicians numerous low cost means of soliciting donations. Email, websites, online video posts, and even text messaging have generated millions of dollars in political fundraising. Is your organization building comprehensive lists of email addresses and phone numbers to further your reach? If not I have to ask, Why? In the next chapter I'm going to present to you some examples and facts to help you build an email fundraising plan.
One more aspect of viral fundraising that I'm going to cover, is for those of you that may not be a part of a non-profit organization. People who share a philanthropic spirit, who may enjoy supporting numerous organizations. Business owners and community leaders should feel an obligation to support numerous organizations. Giving back to the same people who have given them support, is not just the RIGHT thing to do, but also provides opportunities that most forms of advertising cannot buy.
***Is Email Dead?***
I do not believe for one minute that email is going the way of the dinosaur. I remember watching an interview on television with Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg. What he said about email was this, “It's too formal,” and it “adds a lot of friction and cognitive load” to the way people communicate. Tell this to the politicians. I will say, that I believe spam has done to email what pushy salesmen have done to used car lots. There are aspects of email communication that can become more than slight annoyances.
First thing you need to know about viral fundraising using email is the spam rule. Do not, I repeat do not send a potential contributor an unsolicited request. You must first request their email address in good faith. There are many ways of accomplishing this.
Lets first assume that you or your organization has a presence on the world wide web. The simplest way of building your email database is by offering a newsletter. By displaying a simple sign up form on your website and offering something of value to visitors, you will build an audience that in the future may become repeat donors. Of course this will take time to build, as well as the time needed to produce quality content to deliver to your subscribers. The investment into a newsletter will, with out a doubt increase the positive impact to your cause.
Next up you must decide whether or not your email service provider is the proper tool for mass email to your prospective donors. I know this sounds a bit complicated, but rest assured, the research and investment into a quality email service will save you many headaches as the size of your list grows. There are many services available that can assist you with implementing a mass email campaign.