Top 5 Tips on How to Organize a Successful Fundraising Team
It seems like every time you turn around someone is asking you to support their cause. Fundraisers for hospitals, community groups, sports teams, charities, and school initiatives—they’re all worthy causes and you’d support each one if you could! But, sometimes, you feel tapped out and close the door with a quiet ‘no, thank you’ when yet another team comes knocking.
In other cases, you’re the one raising funds; maybe you offered to help your kid’s school and suddenly you’re asked to coordinate the next great fundraising initiative… and now the tables have switched. It can be a lonely, lonely place standing there with your hand out along with all the other good causes but don’t worry – you don’t have to do it alone.
Successful fundraising coordinators build a team. After all, it’s about coming together as a community as much as it is about raising money! A team helps shoulder the responsibility and effort required to pull off a successful campaign. It invites a mix of individual strengths and expertise while expanding the network of potential donors. But…
Let’s be honest. Life gets in the way, and volunteers who start off with good intentions can be hard to chase down when you need their help. Fortunately, we’ve got some great ideas for coordinating a profitable fundraising team.
- Assign volunteers to specific tasks or roles. Define key tasks like social media marketing, handing out flyers, picking up orders, making phone calls, managing the treasury, and record keeping. Sure, everyone usually pitches in with what is needed, but sometimes giving someone a dedicated role gives them a feeling of ownership during the process.
- Make the mission the key talking point. You’re raising funds not just for the sake of fattening a bank account—you’re trying to move the needle on something important to everyone involved. There’s a bigger cause uniting all of you and that’s why you’re a team. Support the mission, and the money will follow.
- Involve team members in decision making. They’ll feel more invested if they’ve had a say in the design of the plan and setting goals. Your team’s early buy-in is key to sustaining their participation throughout the whole process.
TIP: Letting someone else make a few critical decisions helps take the heat off of you. - It takes money to make money. Ask your organization if there are funds, marketing assets, or staff available to help support the team’s efforts. It’s tempting to try to run a fundraising campaign for free, but smart allocation of money and resources can actually help spread your message without burdening your volunteer teammates.
- Arm your team with training and encouragement. Asking for money can be incredibly awkward, even for a good cause. Be ready to answer why you need the money, how much, and what the big picture benefits are. Always bring the messaging back around to the fundraiser’s mission so everyone sees the value.TIP: Consider role playing or providing some loose scripts for people to fall back on when making cold calls or knocking on doors.
By building an engaged team, coordinating a top-notch fundraiser becomes less daunting and more enjoyable. To make it even simpler, consider partnering with experienced fundraising experts at Stawnichy’s. We’ve been coordinating profitable campaigns in Alberta since 1971.
The Stawnichy’s family knows successful fundraising campaigns are thanks to the time, energy, and vision of dedicated volunteer coordinators just like you—people who care about their community while also dealing with the hustle and bustle of daily life. With Stawnichy’s, you can reach your organization’s goals and feel good about partnering with a local company who understands you.
And besides, our food practically sells itself! Our range of famous sausages, beef jerkys, pepperonis, perogies, and other Ukrainian delicacies are guaranteed to set mouths watering and wallets opening. If you’ve partnered with us before, you know how setting up an account takes just a few minutes. Other than an initial minimum order of sausage, your team can pick the products that suit your target market best. You can even set your own prices!
Even if you’ve never done anything like this before, your team will love you for making the process smooth and enjoyable.
Fundraising is about the community, and that’s something we can all get behind.
Download our Ultimate Fundraising Guide below and get even more tips and tricks for your next fundraising campaign!