Multiply Our Fundraising Efforts through Social Media

YouSaveNEW
by Kirk Walden, Advancement Specialist 

Just as Paul used a letter to expand support for those advancing the gospel message (II Corinthians 8 & 9 for example), in today’s world we have the web and any number of social media platforms to connect with those who have a heart for our work.

Through social media, we can multiply our own efforts to raise funds. What would it be like if one morning we opened our Facebook or other social media page to find 10, 25 or 50 friends of our ministry asking other friends to support our work?

Can we imagine 50 friends, each seeking to raise $1,000 in the next month toward saving lives and changing lives? That’s—you got it, math professionals—a $50,000 effort.

What’s fascinating here is that if we sat down to design a fundraising event or initiative to raise $50,000 we would need a lot of creativity, a lot of hands and this would take plenty of effort.

Yet by multiplying ourselves there is less effort, less stress and likely more funds.

One of the best avenues for multiplying our efforts is You Save Babies, a place where our supporters and would-be supporters can, in literally minutes, set up their own fundraising page. The page is user-friendly, gives ideas to those who might promote us and presents a positive, upbeat message for visitors.

There are two keys to success in this endeavor:

First, clearly explain how to use You Save Babies

We lay this out in our CEO Commentary, but it is important to leave nothing to chance. If we explain the concept first, our donors and friends will be more familiar with the idea once they connect with the actual You Save Babies site.

Second, remind our fundraisers to remind their friends

One post on a Facebook page is not enough in most cases. We need to be “lovingly vigilant,” reminding our friends on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and other sites a couple of times per week so that we are more likely to reach our goal.

We don’t need a Walk, or a similar event, in order to raise funds. Our friends can be helping us 365 days a year by asking on our behalf in honor of birthdays and other special events, or for particular needs we might have (“Help me raise $1,000 toward our center’s ultrasound machine”).

Utilize You Save Babies in regular communications with friends and supporters. Over time, we may find dozens of “development directors” who are ready to ask on our behalf.  


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