Getting your Online Fundraising off to a Great Start!

Online fundraising is not only easy to do, but it can also be extremely profitable! Some statistics have estimated that the average internet buyer will spend at least $1000 per year on internet purchases.* If you have just 100 members purchasing the yearly $1000 average, and each purchase earns an average of just 4%, that means an extra $4000 for your cause. When you add in the fact that you have no expenses and no selling, that makes online fundraising one of the easiest and most desirable ways to earn money out there.

So, the question becomes “how do we make this online fundraiser as successful as possible?” The good news is, success with online fundraising may be just as easy as you think.

Free Online Fundraising Success in Three Easy Steps

Step 1 – Sign up. This may seem a little obvious, but your first step is to register your fundraiser. There are a couple of things you can do during the registration process that will make a big difference later. First, think about whether you want your fundraiser to be “public” or “private”. If you want to gather your supporters only by personally inviting family and friends, private may be for you. Examples of fundraisers who prefer this option might be “Johnny’s college fund” or “The Smith Family Vacation Drive.” A private fundraiser isn’t viewable by the general public and members may only support it through a personal “invitation link” emailed by the organizer. For instance, mom and dad may want to invite the grandparents, aunts, uncles and godparents to support “Johnny’s college fund” even though the fundraiser isn’t viewable by anyone else.

On the other hand, the “Johnson County Cancer Society” may be more suited for the “public” option. Not only can this organization personally invite members to support them through a personal invitation, but others from the general public may choose to support them as well. Anyone can sign up on iFunddrive.com, look through the list of public fundraisers, and choose the one he wishes to support. This brings us to the fund drive description. Having a powerful, well-worded description may be the thing that brings your public fundraiser support from people you didn’t even know. A good description shares your purpose and helps create a sense of “doing good” among your members.

Step 2 – Spread the Word. As mentioned earlier, iFunddrive.com provides each online fundraiser with its own personalized invitation link. One of the best things you can do right away is send an email inviting members, friends and family to support you. And to help you out, iFunddrive.com also provides sample emails. You can simply use one of the samples, or write something yourself. But always remember to include the custom invitation link so that your members will automatically be assigned to support your cause. You can even place the invitation link on your facebook page or twitter tweet.

Another great way to spread the word is to place the iFunddrive.com “support badge” on your organizations website. The support badge works just like the link. When your members click on it and sign up for their free iFunddrive.com membership, they will automatically be signed up to support your cause!

Step 3 – Remind and encourage. Lastly, you want to make sure to periodically remind your supporters to start each online shopping experience at iFunddrive.com, because each and every purchase means more money toward your cause.

Online shopping is on the rise, and people are always looking for a great deal. With iFunddrive.com, that doesn’t change – same great shopping, same great deals. Why not help a great cause at the same time? With a great online fundraiser through iFunddrive.com, you can!


* "eMarketer defines an online buyer as any individual age 14 or older, who has purchased within the past year. Most individuals who shop online eventually take the leap to become online buyers. Last year, 83% of online shoppers made a purchase on the Internet. By 2012, 89% of online shoppers are expected to convert into online buyers. On average, US online buyers are expected to spend $1,243 in 2008, growing to $1,549 in 2012. " June 2008: US Retail E-Commerce, emarketer.com