Fundraising for medical expenses doesn’t have to be daunting, especially when you have the power of social media at your fingertips. You likely have a network of friends who are willing and able to help. All they need is information and encouragement!
Facebook fundraising campaigns are an incredibly effective strategy for raising awareness about your cause. Whether you are launching your COTA fundraising efforts or trying to boost an existing community campaign, Facebook fundraising can make a big impact. Use these 5 tips to make your Facebook fundraising campaigns engaging, shareable and compelling.
#1 Make Your Facebook Fundraiser Achievable
You know the excitement when you’re close to reaching a goal? You’re so close! All you need is one more push — or one more donation — and you’re there! You can create that feeling of motivation and excitement for the people who see your Facebook fundraising campaign by setting an easily achievable goal. Once you reach your goal, your community will be energized — and you can raise your goal to continue the momentum.
When you partner with transplant fundraising organizations like the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA), you set a single, ultimate fundraising goal. However, your Facebook fundraisers are one part of that larger campaign, so you can set smaller goals and post more frequently, making it more attainable for people who would like to contribute. Consider planning a series of separate Facebook fundraisers over the course of several months or a year. A series of smaller goals will really add up!
Your goal is set, and your Facebook fundraiser for medical expenses is published. Now what?
If you aren’t an experienced fundraiser, it can be tempting to hope your friends come across your post on their own. But now isn’t the time to be shy. Remember, it’s very likely your friends want to help you, both by donating and sharing your fundraiser for medical expenses. Inviting your friends to donate makes it easier for them to find your fundraiser.
Consider sending invitations to those most likely to donate first. This has two benefits:
- Their contributions will get you closer to your goal.
- Other people are more likely to contribute if you have already received donations.
#2 Pin the Fundraising Link to the Top of Your Facebook page
You and your fundraising team can make it easy for donors to support your fundraiser for medical expenses by making your fundraising link visible every time they visit your Facebook profile. After you publish a post about your fundraising efforts, click on the three dots at the top right corner of your post. Select “pin post,” and your fundraising post will display at the top of your feed, keeping your cause top-of-mind with everyone who sees your profile.
#3 Post Frequent Fundraiser Updates
Your community wants to hear from you, especially if they are invested in your medical journey. Post regular updates that encourage your followers to engage with your posts. The more people that like, comment, and share your posts, the more frequently Facebook will share your content. There are several ways to engage followers, including:
- Donation requests. Although it may feel awkward at first, if you want to fundraise on Facebook, you must ask for money. However, repeated “give me money” appeals aren’t likely to get support. Your community wants to know why you’re fundraising, what the money will be used for, and other details that help them decide to help your cause and share it with their friends. Consider including a combination of:
- Pictures and videos
- Information about your medical costs and how COTA funds will help
- Links to your COTA website
- Unique content that grabs a reader’s attention
- Hashtags that link your cause to any associated causes, such as a transplant fundraising organization or larger national movement. This will make your post appear in feeds that use the same hashtag and help spread your updates.
- Thank you posts. An impactful way to thank and recognize your supporters is by tagging them in a Facebook post. A special shout-out lets them know how much you appreciate their donation and keeps you in their thoughts. Tagging them will also make your post appear in their feeds and further share the news about your Facebook fundraiser.
- Personal stories. Your friends, followers, and families are invested in YOU, and they want to know how you’re doing. If you are comfortable sharing the ups and downs of your medical journey, do so. If not, perhaps your medical or transplant fundraising organization has some success stories or exciting news about events that you can share with your followers. Engaging posts translate into reaching your fundraising goals faster!
#4 Create a Donation Challenge for your Community to Share
Everyone loves a challenge! Consider creating a giving challenge for your friends to share. Make it fun and easy, such as challenging your friends to skip the coffee drive-thru in the morning and donate the money to your fundraiser. Perhaps you can talk an organization into matching gifts on a specific day to boost donations or offer to share a funny picture, story, or video if you reach your challenge goal.
#5 Track Insights
Once you’ve established a presence for your fundraiser on Facebook and are frequently posting, it’s time to track insights about your efforts. By looking at data about your page’s insights, you can figure out which of your posts are most engaging, what time followers are responding to your posts, and what kinds of posts reach the most people. Creating content similar to your most interesting and successful posts will help you reach more donors and raise funds faster.
Work with COTA for Medical Fundraising Assistance (conclusion/CTA)
COTA is a recognized leader in fundraising for medical expenses for pediatric transplant patients. We offer a lifetime of support for transplant-related expenses, including costs incurred from related diagnoses. As a leading transplant fundraising organization, we understand how intimidating it can be to fundraise on social media, and we offer support every step of the way. Some of the ways we can help include:
- Facebook fundraising campaign development
- Event planning
- Local media leverage
- Social media expertise
- Free customizable fundraising website
Partner with COTA to learn how to create engaging Facebook fundraisers that will reach more followers than you ever thought possible. Get started today!
