Social media as a fundraising tool
Social media can be a brilliant tool for fundraising, but not everyone knows how to use it effectively. This blog post has a few top tips on how to engage your followers and make the most of your online presence, along with some example posts you can use to share your challenge online!
Introducing your challenge
The best way to kickstart your online fundraising is with a quick introduction post outlining who you are, the charity you are raising money for and the challenge you are taking on. This post should also include a link to your fundraising page so it is super easy for people reading it to donate, and a photo of you to make it feel more personal.
For example, a good introductory post could say:
Keeping the momentum!
After your first post, keep the momentum going by posting regular updates on how your fundraising and training have progressed. Celebrate milestones such as reaching £100, £500 and the halfway mark! Be sure to thank everyone who has donated so far, and remind those who haven’t about the challenge you are taking on.
Here are some examples of posts you can use to keep your supporters updated:
Advertising your events
Every event you plan can be advertised on social media! This will help bring more people to your event (which will help you raise even more), and show people who have already donated that you are putting in the effort and committing to your fundraising. Post regularly in the run up to your event with reminders and sneak peeks to keep people interested! After your event you can write a follow up post to thank everyone who attended and let them know how much you raised.
Physical challenges
Taking on a physical challenge such as a half marathon, tough mudder or hike gives you a great opportunity to post several times online and share the link to your fundraising page. Start with another introductory post to announce your challenge, for example: “Hey everyone! Next month I will be taking on [your challenge] as part of my fundraising and training for Kilimanjaro this summer!”. Include some information about Dig Deep and share the link to your fundraising page.
You can then post a countdown to your challenge, with updates on your training and preparations. If you use an app such as Strava, you can screenshot your training runs or practice walks and share them to Facebook or your Instagram story to show everyone how your training is going (however, if you do this be sure to screenshot the version that hides your start and end points so you aren’t sharing your location online).
On the day of your challenge, post regularly throughout the day with updates on how your challenge is going and the link to your page so people can donate. This is especially effective for long distance challenges such as marathons or Ultra challenges, where you can post updates every few miles! This helps build a sense of camaraderie and allows your supporters to feel involved in your challenge, which in turn makes them more inclined to donate. This may be difficult to do while running, however, so it may be worth asking a friend or family member to take over your socials for you and share your progress while you run!
Reaching out to companies
A great way to reach an even wider network is to reach out to companies and ask them to share your challenge with their followers. Approach companies that may be interested in the challenge you are doing, such as fitness or adventure pages, or businesses that you have personal connections to. Send them a message or an email explaining your challenge and why you would like them to share it - make sure you highlight how it will benefit them as well as you. You could even offer to make a video for their channel after the challenge, or a blog about your experience.
Remember that Instagram pages cannot share links in their captions. If you are comfortable, you can ask companies to tag your own account and post a link to your fundraising page in your bio. If you are not comfortable sharing this information on a public page, ask the company to post a story with the link to your page instead.
For example, if messaging a company Instagram page you could say:
Things to remember
It’s important to be completely transparent about what your fundraising is for. Make sure you let your supporters know that your target will be split 50:50 between your trip costs and a charity donation - it’s important that they know what their donations are going towards!
While social media can be a fantastic fundraising tool, it does also have its dangers. Everything you post on social media has the potential to be misinterpreted or taken out of context, so make sure your posts are clear and consistent. When talking about the charity, only use text taken from our website or fundraising resources so you can be sure your information is correct.
You want your posts to reach as many people as possible; after all, more people means more donations! However, be aware that your posts could be read or shared by people you don’t know. Don’t share any personal information such as your full name, contact details or location, and make sure any pictures you share of your training or events don’t give this information away either.
The takeaway
Social media is a great way to create excitement around your challenge, promote your events and increase your donations! Use it effectively and stay safe, and you’ll be at your fundraising target in no time!
If you have any concerns or questions about using social media, feel free to get in touch with one of the team at support@digdeep.org.uk.