Have a community project you want to get off the ground? Need funding to make it happen? Online fundraising might be your top priority. In recent years, online platforms have made it easy to collect donations from friends, family, neighbors, and even complete strangers. With the right amount of promotion and marketing, you may be able to collect a significant amount of money from individual donations.
However, soliciting donations from individuals isn't your only option. People collected money for community projects long before online fundraising existed. Many of those old-school techniques are still applicable and helpful today. Below are three such strategies you can use to compliment your online fundraising strategy.
Corporate matching
Is your city or area home to some large businesses? Many large companies want to be good citizens and neighbors. They participate in community projects and activities in order to develop goodwill and maintain a strong reputation. You may want to reach out to these companies to see if they would like to participate in your project. While some may decline, you'll probably be surprised by how many are open to the idea.
Their level of help may vary. Some companies may be willing to donate services or materials to help with the project, while others may give money outright. One creative approach is to ask the company to match individual donations. Some may do a dollar-for-dollar match or even more. That could spur online giving and give your fundraising a substantial boost.
Grants
There are thousands of grants made available each year to community and educational projects. Some of these grants are made by corporations while others come from non-profits and government agencies. The trick is finding the right grants for your project and then submitting a high-quality proposal. You may want to start at your local library; they often have resources available to quickly search grants, and may even have an in-house expert on writing a grant proposal.
Events
What did people do to raise money before the internet existed? They actually got together in the real world with an old-fashioned fundraiser. An in-person event could be the perfect way to raise money and also generate excitement about your project. Think of fun activities that would draw a crowd. For instance, you could rent your local rollerskating rink for a family fun day. Or you could have a bowling marathon to raise money. Even a 5k race at a local park could generate donations. Be creative and look for activities that will appeal to your target demographic.
Ready to raise money for your project? You may want to reach out to various nonprofit management services or consulting companies for advice. They could provide suggestions and guidance to get your project off the ground.
