Let’s Play: How to Pull Off a Nationwide Giving Event

This post is by the admirable, kind, and awesome Ifdy Perez. Ifdy Perez is the community manager at Razoo, an online fundraising platform, to help create a community for nonprofits and individuals wanting to make a difference in the world. A believer in the power of social media to produce change, she helps nonprofits do the important good works they do. She’s also editor of Inspiring Generosity, a community blog that gives resources to nonprofits on how to succeed in their fundraising.

 

Pulling off a nationwide fundraising event where over 200 nonprofits are competing with each other requires a solid outreach strategy to guide the missile. Strategy and structure is what’s making the Twive and Receive clockwork run.

Twive pits local-serving nonprofits across the U.S. against each other to see who can fundraise the most within 24 hours. The top three orgs to fundraise the most win a share of $30,000, and all of the fundraising is online, driven by each nonprofit activating their social networks to rise to the top.

So to make a gamified fundraising event like this work, we knew the most important starting point was a commitment to make it all about helping the nonprofit.

Outreach: Inviting Them to Play

For people to join you in something they have to hear about it first, right? So reaching out to the target audience and inviting them to join is a great first step to recruitment but also developing personal relationships with each of them. Nonprofit staffers are already too strapped for time that a friendly invitation to play will be most welcome for those who are perfect for your fundraising campaign.

Communications: Showing Them How to Play

So the kids came over to your sandbox. What now? Show them how to play your game. Twive has specific though simple rules of engagement, so explaining in clear, concise, and consistent messages to them will help them get a hang of it. As soon as a nonprofit’s signed up to participate, you start communicating with them often—one on one if possible—to walk them through the new space.

Resources: Giving Them the Toys to Play With

Sometimes it’s not as fun playing pirate if you don’t have the props. A lot of nonprofits are getting the hang of social media and fundraising online, so prepping them with the tools they need will help them be successful in their fundraiser. Basic social media how-tos (like how to use Facebook as a page or how to organize a Tweet Chat) can be tremendously helpful to them in on the giving day, and in the long run.

Reward: Winning in the End

It doesn’t hurt to offer an incentive, so a prize in the end—a goal—will help nonprofit staffers who are already interested in your campaign give value to the time they spend on your event. A giving day like Twive is a win-win for all nonprofits who fundraise; they get to keep whatever they raise sans the 2.9% processing fee. They can also use a competition like this to secure matching grants from partners they want to build relationships with. And if they are one of the top fundraisers, they get an added cash bonus.

You can check out to see if your hometown or favorite local-serving nonprofit is participating in Twive and Receive here. If not, you can sign up to fundraise for the nonprofit serving your community! Spread the love!