The Volunteer's Guide to Online Fundraising

THE VOLUNTEER’S GUIDE
TO ONLINE FUNDRAISING
HOW TO RAISE MORE AND STRESS LESS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
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EVENTS MADE EASY
TRYBOOKING.COM

Foreword
DEAR FUNDRAISERS,
When I started publishing the Fundraising Directory more than 12 years ago, I thought that the
growth of the world wide web was likely to completely transform the fundraising landscape.
I wondered what the future of ‘traditional’ fundraising might be.
What has transpired, though, is that instead of ‘taking over’, technology instead works
to streamline and enhance traditional fundraising. What was once a walk around the
neighbourhood is now a call around the globe, where grandma in Scotland can support your
efforts as easily as if she lived next door.
All committees should be aware of how they (and their communities) can benefit from the
technologies now available, in particular facilitating increased participation and easing the
administrative burden on time-poor volunteers.
I am pleased to partner with Trybooking.com - an Australian platform - to bring you this helpful
guide.
Happy Fundraising!
xMandy
Mandy Weidmann aka the Fundraising Whisperer
Mandy Weidmann is Australia’s ‘Fundraising Whisperer’ – publisher of the Fundraising
Directory and author of the Practical Fundraising Handbook for School and Club Volunteers.
Mandy believes that parent volunteers shouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel all the time and is
passionate about providing resources to make fundraising easier (and more fun).
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Contents
FUNDRAISING FOR TODAY’S WORLD 4
ONLINE FUNDRAISING: VOLUNTEER BENEFITS 5
ONLINE FUNDRAISING: COMMUNITY BENEFITS 6
HOW TO RAISE MORE WITH YOUR ONLINE FUNDRAISER 7
EVENT IDEAS FOR ONLINE 8
EVENT DESIGN EXAMPLES 9
GETTING STARTED ONLINE 10
PROMOTING AND REPORTING ON YOUR EVENT 11
GET IN TOUCH 12
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Fundraising for
today’s world
A MODERN APPROACH FOR CHANGE
The importance of fundraising events
needs no explanation - especially amongst
Australians. Whether a simple movie night
or a big gala event, we’re all driven by a
common fundraising goal: to better our
local communities and bring together the
resources needed for change.
Sometimes it feels like there’s not enough
time in the day to acheive all of our
fundraising ideas or targets. Modern
volunteers don’t just sit around all day - we’re
all juggling other priorities like work, school,
kids, and life in general.
Don’t let the admin side of fundraising
cause volunteer or community burnout. In a
perfect world, paperwork, flyers, invitations,
donations and receipts would complete
themselves.
But since we don’t live in a perfect world,
let’s talk about the next best thing: online
fundraising.
ONLINE FUNDRAISING AND YOU
Online fundraising is about more than just
doing away with paperwork, or having a single
system where you can manage everything
from start to end..
Online fundraising can empower you with the
insight needed to take your fundraiser to the
next level.
It can give you quick, precise answers to the
kinds of questions that’d normally take ages
to research - like how people are discovering
you, where they’re donating from and more.
And if you’re running an event, it’s an easy
way for guests to purchase tickets 24/7, enter
raffles in advance and fill out their own RSVPs.
Ultimately, online fundraising gives you time to
focus on your top fundraising priorities whilst
streamlining everything else. And it’s one of
the biggest reasons why our fundraising sector
has such a bright future ahead!
WITH A LITTLE HELP...
If you haven’t yet considered online fundraising or just want more tips on hitting your online
goals, this guide from TryBooking and the Fundraising Directory will show you everything you
need to get started. We’ll share with you some of the major benefits and secrets to success, so
that you can become your own online fundraising expert.
Sound good? Let’s get started!
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Online fundraising:
volunteer benefits
BOOSTING YOUR TIME AND ENERGY
When it comes to running fundraising events, there is a “tried and true way” of traditionally
managing everything.
While it seems reasonable to collect cash payments or handle all your event management
with spreadsheets and paper forms, there are lots of volunteer benefits you miss out on when
you don’t take advantage of online fundraising.
Here’s how going online can transform your volunteering workload:
TRADITIONAL FUNDRAISING
Print out and issue paper forms and/or
event tickets.
Call, email and chase people for RSVPs
and donations.
Manually collect other information (like
dietary requirements, if you’re holding a
dinner).
Manually process cash payments, one
by one, issue change and write receipts.
Promote your cause through multiple,
fragmented channels i.e. flyers, a
Facebook post, phone calls and
separately track each.
Fill out separate spreadsheets for
RSVPs, revenue/donations, unsold
tickets and more.
Needing at least one volunteer to
manage the process of tracking and
spreadsheets - costing plenty of time.
No technical or coding knowledge
required.
ONLINE FUNDRAISING
Simple to complete, 24/7 forms online -
taking tickets off your list of jobs.
Get RSVP upfront, early and via mobile or
desktop at any time.
Automatically collect dietary requirements,
email addresses and more during the online
checkout process.
Securely take payments online 24/7 with
automatic receipts and revenue reports.
Get a custom fundraising webpage
and share the link anywhere you want,
directing everyone to the same place while
automatically tracking traffic sources.
Generate real-time sales and marketing
reports so that you can easily view results and
keep on improving.
Quick to set up, promote events and watch
the bookings roll in automatically.
Also no technical or coding knowledge
required. All of the hard work is already done
for you!
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Online fundraising:
community benefits
MANAGING EXPECTATIONS
Just as modern fundraisers have evolved to become more reliant on technology, so have the
wider community. Guests, donors and ticket buyers are becoming increasingly expectant of
having quick, flexible payment and booking options.
It’s important to note that transitioning to online doesn’t just change things at a volunteer
level. Here’s how making the switch can also make a difference for your audience and
community:
TRADITIONAL FUNDRAISING
Donate via cash, cheque, physical gifts
or by phone.
Call or mail in their RSVPs, seating
requests and payment for tickets (if they
are attending an event).
Wait for paper receipts and tickets to be
delivered in person. No automatic resend
option if they are lost.
Call or email you asking for updates
about the event, or updates about the
fundraising status.
Line up at the door on the night to pay
for entry.
Limited opportunities to discover your
fundraiser.
ONLINE FUNDRAISING
Can donate instantly from desktops,
mobiles or tablets from any location.
Can choose their seats/tables, purchase
tickets and provide dietary requirements in
a single transaction.
Receive tickets and confirmations instantly
via email, which can be automatically resent
if they are unable to locate.
Stay updated with emails that you can
automatically send to your entire guest or
donor list online.
Enter quickly by presenting pre-paid ticket
for scanning, which then automatically
updates your door list records.
Can discover your fundraiser through your
website, social media, digital ads and more.
One of the biggest benefits unlocked by online fundraising is the ability to make donations
on-the-go via mobile. When your audience is feeling especially inspired or generous, you can
make the most out of those moments by giving them a 24/7 platform to donate at any time.
Plus, it’s no secret that people are on their phones all the time - so you might as well turn
them into a medium for giving!
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How to raise more
with your fundraiser
TIPS FOR INCREASING ATTENDEES AND DONATIONS
Creating your fundraiser online opens up new opportunities to play with the design of your
invitation, promotional channels, ticketing strategies and community engagement. It’s also a
good chance to add more value to your sponsors. Here are some of the proven tactics that you
can use to increase attendee bookings, awareness and fundraising revenue:
——
Add an opportunity to donate.
Rather than charging more for tickets,
see if you can add a donations step at
checkout instead. You could see a lot
more generosity that way!
——
Make your event page unforgettable.
Customise your event page and ensure
you’re making a great first impression for
your brand.
——
Create different ticket types such as
individual, couple or group bookings.
Fundraisers are often a social/family
friendly event so you’ll want to have
everyone covered with a range of ticket/
booking types. (This also include tickets
like VIP or staff only).
——
Offer a discount for group bookings.
Encourage larger groups or entire tables
to attend by offering a discount on the
total price, or a 12-seats-for-the-priceof-10
type deal.
——
Set early bird pricing.
Early bird is the perfect way to kickstart
sales and to generate initial exposure for
your event.
——
Learn more about your guests/donors.
Let your audience know that you
value their feedback. Ask meaningful
questions before checkout or simply
check how they discovered your
fundraiser. TryBooking have flexible
data collection tools to help you.
——
Promote the event on your website.
Raise awareness and kickstart the
buying process by adding widgets (like
TryBooking’s event/ticketing widgets)
to your website.
——
Promote the event on social media.
Interact and increase engagement
with your followers by talking about
the event on social media or providing
updates on fundraising goals. Event
pages on TryBooking have social
sharing buttons so anyone can spread
the word.
— — Create sponsorship opportunities.
Finding the perfect sponsors can take
time, but you can fast track the process
by having a detailed plan, packages
and outreach method. Learn more
about getting event sponsorship.
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Event ideas
for online
It’s easy to get started online, and TryBooking offer many creative options. The platform lets you
take bookings and payments 24/7 and is also packed with features to compliment any kind of
fundraiser. These include (but are not limited to) some of the most popular categories:
Fundraising
SEATED EVENTS
GENERAL ADMIN
THEATRE SEATING
WORKSHOPS
Tables, dinners, balls,
galas, trivia nights
Add table plans based
on your venue and let
guests choose where
they want to sit.
Film screenings,
functions, parties
Create events with
general admission or
free standing space.
Community plays and
concerts. Add interactive
seating plans so that
your guests can pick
seats as they book.
Workshops, classes and
fun runs. For activities
with different sessions,
let guests choose which
time suits them best
when they book.
Merchandise sales
PRIZES & DRAWS
Special draws/prizes
Your ticket can double
up as your entry for the
draw. Check on
permits you need to
add.
SPECIAL ITEMS
Sock sales, wine drives,
cards & gifts, calendars
Turn each ticket/
booking into a
merchandise order.
Donations
DONATIONS ONLINE
Create a custom page to collect donations online
and meet your fundraising goals. Add a donations
step. Encourage attendees to be extra generous by
donating an amount prior to checkout.
These are just some of the fundraisers you can set up on TryBooking. If you would like to get
creative with it yourself, simply jump onto the platform and take it for a test drive today.
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Event design
examples
CREATE CUSTOM PAGES FOR YOUR FUNDRAISER
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Getting
started online
SETTING UP YOUR FIRST EVENT
To have your first (or test) event up and
running on TryBooking, you only need a few
minutes.
You can sign up for a TryBooking account
for free and then:
1. Create an event and set the time, venue
and ticket types/prices.
2. Customise your event page with your own
logos, images, backgrounds and links.
3. Enable donations for your event so that
guests can make extra contributions.
4. Get promoting! Choose from a wide range
of promotional tools including widgets,
social media sharing, tracking and more.
5. Review and manage your progress with
helpful and reports.
We recommend creating a page with a unique
design that also stays true to your branding.
This helps guests to make bookings or buy
tickets with confidence, and also gives you an
advantage when promoting the event.
You can also customise your event to contain
the ticket types that you want. For example,
child, adult, a ticket + popcorn package - there
are infinite options.
The same flexibility applies for your data
collection forms, seating plans, sections,
donations message and whatever else you wish
to add.
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Promotion
and reporting
PROMOTING YOUR FUNDRAISER
TryBooking have promotional tools for you to
choose from once your fundraiser is ready and
published.
——
Your event has it’s own unique URL that
you can add to your social media, emails,
newsletters or online flyers.
——
Your event page has social media sharing
buttons so that you can encourage guests
to spread the word on Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn or Google+.
——
Embed TryBooking’s ticketing widgets
to help kickstart the purchasing process
straight from your own website (if you have
one).
Don’t forget, the earlier you start to promote
your fundraiser the more chance it will have to
take off. Setting your event up online is a quick
process, so this will leave you with more time to
focus on boosting sales.
REPORTING AND ANALYTICS
Moving to online reporting is not only a cleaner,
more accurate way to keep records, it’s also
completely automated. You get the reports in
real-time and on demand. This makes it easier
than ever to share information with your team,
sponsors and anyone else requiring an event
recap.
Once your event goes live you can track your
sales using the reports available on
TryBooking. You can export the information
in a number of formats.
Some of the most popular reports for
fundraisers include revenue, donations,
attendee details and various summaries.
EXAMPLE FUNDRAISER
Take a look at an example fundraiser that you
can create on TryBooking. You can also book
a demo ticket to see the experience for patrons
and donors:
www.trybooking.com/TCDB
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Get in touch
today
GET IN TOUCH TO LEARN MORE
Thank you for reading this guide. If you would
like to learn more about how TryBooking can
help your fundraiser, or more information on any
of these:
——
Suite of features.
——
Setting up your first fundraising event.
——
Charitable Donations Program.
——
Community commitment/Australian owned.
Get in touch with a friendly team member
today: fundraise@trybooking.com
USEFUL LINKS:
——
Sign up
——
About TryBooking
——
Our pricing commitment
——
Contact us
——
Setting up a basic event
——
Setting up a tabled event
——
Setting up to sell merchandise
——
Adding a donations option to your event
——
Fundraising blog
Or sign up for an account here.
HAPPY FUNDRAISING,
THE TRYBOOKING TEAM
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TryBooking are committed to providing
you with an affordable and powerful
booking system, so that all your
fundraising efforts can be a success.
We’re here to help whenever you need.
Contact us: fundraise@trybooking.com
Or visit www.trybooking.com
Events made easy.
MELB – (03) 9012 3460 SYD – (02) 8064 3600 BRIS– (07) 3173 1570
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