1. Building your Community
Bianca Crocker

2. Key Learning Outcomes
Understand why community building is important for your non-profit
Learn some key tips for:
Community events
Peer to peer fundraising
Crowd funding

3. It’s all about people Governance Staff Volunteers Donors Community
Successful fundraising takes place among many people
Community
Governance
Staff
Volunteers
Donors

4. It’s all about people Engagement with prospects and donors is key
Building community builds connection
Reach more people = Raise more money
Digital is important, but engagement in real life is key

5. Your community is important
Community fundraising is a great way to foster community spirit
Grows your organisation’s profile
Enables you to connect with new people
Hopefully start them on the donor journey
The Donor Pyramid
Bequests
Major Gifts
Regular Giving
One-off Donations
Prospects

6. Building your community
Fundraising or marketing?
Building brand or raising funds?
It’s a bit like…

7. Building your community
Community fundraising can take many shapes and forms:
Community events
Outdoor events
Intimate functions
DIY fundraising
Peer to peer fundraising
Crowdfunding

8. Community Events
Nothing simple or low cost about these types of fundraising activities
Build brand awareness
Attract new supporters
Some examples...
Nothing simple or low cost about these types of fundraising activities – lots of time, planning and an expense budget is required
Build brand awareness – Great opportunity to do this – and often should be one of your key objectives
Attract new supporters – funnel them through to the – remember the donor pyramid?

9. Community Events – Top Tips
Allow suitable planning time
Set your objectives
Consider target market and suitability of type of event
Point of difference
Volunteers
Budget
Market, market, market!
Plan your follow up
Allow suitable planning time – 3,6,12 months
Set your objectives – Be clear about this from the beginning. Let them guide your event.
Consider target market and suitability of type of event – Who will come? Will they be interested? Can they afford it?
Point of difference – It’s a busy space nowadays so be sure to do something unique where possible
Volunteers – Committee members, for actual event
Budget – Do you have one? Work backwards from desired income goal
Market, market, market! – Promote save the dates, tell everyone!
Plan your follow up – Full benefits not realised if you do not follow up attendees (thank yous, survey monkey, eNews)
Group discussion: What community events does your charity currently run?
Can anyone share with the group an example of a time when they were involved in a community event that went really well. What do you think made it go well? What about an event that had some challenges? What went wrong? Let’s discuss any pros and cons – Make a list on the whiteboard / flip chart

10. What is peer to peer fundraising?
Individuals act as champions for a charity
They seek donations from their friends and family on behalf of charity
Often whilst participating in a challenge or event

11. Benefits of peer to peer fundraising
Lower cost to run and operate
Engages your supporters
Builds connections to cause
Helps build brand profile in the community
Opens new networks for your group
Some examples….

12. One Girl 2011 > $36,000 raised over one week
Today > Up to $500-$800k in October
Tips from One Girl…
Make sure your campaign has a good fit with your organisation
Utilise your networks
Bring people along the journey

13. Movember 2003 - 30 friends grew moustaches
Today – 5m+ inspired to join the global men’s health movement across 20 countries and have supported more than 1200 men’s health projects
Tips from Movember…
The power of Movember is community
“Rockstars and Roadies” We are the roadies. They are the rockstars and we support them.
You can’t be everything to everybody

14. Other examples of peer to peer fundraising

15. Additional tips for peer to peer
Harness the power of online giving
Empower others
Utilise social media
Motivate and encourage participants
Harness the power of online giving by using online platforms; i.e. GoFundraise or Everyday Hero, etc
Empower others - Tool kits, information about your organisation, templates
Utilise social media – to promote but also to mobilise
Motivate and encourage participants regularly – these individuals are your greatest advocates

16. What is crowd funding?
Another type of fundraising, but not strictly in the community fundraising arena
Raising funds through a group of individuals; a ‘crowd’
Growing in Australia
Online platforms:
Pozible
iPledg
Chuffed
Start Some Good

17. Crowd funding case study - Foster Care Association
Specific project
Achievable target
Their own crowd
Personal connections
Online platform - chuffed
5,800+

18. Online platform
Your case
Rewards
Videos

19. Video is king

20. Video is king

21. Video is king

22. Media support

23. Media support

24. Caring for Carers - Outcomes
Dollars raised
Engagement
$5 new donors
Individual donors
Agency support
Positivity and buzz generated

25. Crowd funding – top tips
You need your crowd
Suits projects or one-off expense items
Plan, plan, plan
Use digital methods to connect potential supporters to your cause
Video is king
Support from media (especially local) is great
Suits projects or one-off expense items – build something, buy something, start small – don’t go too big!
You need your crowd – Whilst the online platforms do have members and subscribers, you cannot expect your money to come through those contacts alone. You need to have your own supporters too (eNews, Facebook, etc is okay)
Bring your campaign to life through digital methods (video, photos, interviews, music)

26. Remember...
“Fundraising isn’t about asking for money. It’s about inspiring people to believe they can make a difference – then helping them to make it.” - Ken Burnett

27. Questions…

28. Get in touch… @TheFishChick bianca@fishcommunitysolutions.com.au
facebook.com/FishCommunitySolutions
linkedin.com/in/thefishchick

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