How to Boost Your CHIMP Giving Group

You’ve got a charity you—and others—want to support. And with CHIMP, you’ve got a platform to help make it happen. Once you’ve set up your account, all people need to do to support your cause is visit your Giving Group.

Now, you just need to get them, and anyone fundraising for your cause, there. In this post we’ll look at ways you can bring your friends, family and colleagues onboard with your fundraising project—and how you can organize events to raise more funds.

But first, let’s look at techniques to make your Giving Group page stand out and leave an impression.

Designing Your CHIMP Giving Group

Think about “why” people will arrive at your CHIMP Giving Group. Is it because you told them about it personally? Is it because they saw the link posted on social media? Or is it because they searched within CHIMP for a specific cause to support, and found your group?

In any of these situations, your Giving Group page needs to be clear, concise, and to-the-point—so visitors can quickly grasp what your mission is, and how supporting you will benefit that mission.

Group Name

For the sake of searchability, include the name of the cause you’re supporting.

For instance, if you’re raising funds for an MS charity by having people sponsor the marathon you’re running, don’t make the title “Jenny’s 2017 Marathon Fund.” Try “Jenny’s Marathon for Multiple Sclerosis 2017” instead.

Your Story

Here’s the essential info you need to share. Each of these items shows up as a text entry box when you create a Giving Group with CHIMP:

Description

This is a quick elevator pitch for your Giving Group. It should briefly explain to readers what your group aims to do, so they get a bird’s-eye-view of your mission before moving on to the finer details.

The Purpose

This is your chance to describe something you’re passionate about. Make that passion infectious. Talk about what charity you’re supporting, and why.

How to Help

Talk about what people can do to contribute. This may extend beyond simple one-time gifts, to pledges—a certain amount donated per month—or sponsorships of your activities, such as backing your marathon run or 24-hour fast.

About the Organizers

Tell visitors about yourself. Why do you care about the cause you’re supporting? How does it connect to you personally? Address your specific audience. For instance, if you’re using your group to raise money at work, talk about who you are as an employee, and how people know you.

Media

You’ve got a few options for making your Giving Group look visually appealing.

The Icon

A Giving Group without an icon looks sad and neglected. You don’t need to have killer Photoshop skills to make your page stand out. Consider hiring a graphic designer on Fiverr to make a logo for you. It doesn’t need to cost more than $20, and if it makes your group look more professional, it could be worth the cost.

Video

If you’ve got the resources at hand, a video—like the one CHIMP produced for TechPong 2017—is a great way to motivate people to give.

You may not have a film team at your disposal, but an earnest, thoughtful video can have a powerful effect on donors.

After all, award-winning movies have been filmed on the iPhone 5; there are free video editing programs available for, or built into, Mac OS, Windows, and Linux operating systems; and even most smartphones have video editing capabilities, if you download the relevant app.

A 30 second clip in which you talk about your cause can drive more donations to your group, and help people identify with your cause.

Picture Gallery

One picture tells a thousand words. Six pictures… you do the math. If you’re not sure what to put in your page’s picture gallery, try getting in touch with the charity you are supporting. They may have some photographs cleared for public use that you can share.

Goals and Causes

The goals you’re aiming for, in terms of dollars raised, and the cause you support, are both essential info. Consider them carefully.

The Charity

This is where you’ll be sending the funds you raise. Make sure you’ve selected the right charity for the right location; some, such as the Salvation Army, operate in multiple cities.

Goal Amount

Setting a goal amount is optional, but having one can make donors feel a greater sense of achievement when they give. Be realistic with your expectations, but also choose an amount that seems capable of making a serious, positive impact.

Goal Date

You don’t have to set an end date for your group goal, but having one lends a sense of urgency.

Promoting Your Giving Group

Once your Giving Group is live and looking good, it’s up to you to promote it.

Events

Holding an event is a great way to get people together and have them pledge support to your Giving Group. What kind of events you throw will depend on your resources, but here are some simple ideas to get you started.

Getting Support from Businesses

There’s a lot you can do on your own, like running events to raise money–but you can upgrade your fundraising power with help from businesses.

Never underestimate the generosity of business owners. Contact businesses in your area, and find out whether any of them would be willing to support your cause with a donation. Then trade that donation up by selling it for charity dollars.

Example: A great donut shop just opened in your town, and you suspect they’re looking to promote their product. You talk to the shop owner, and they donate two dozen donuts to your cause. You bring the donuts to work and set them in the break room for everyone to share—provided they donate five dollars per donut to your cause. By the end of the day, you’ve raised $120 for charity.

Be sure to give the donor a shout-out on your Giving Groups page and social media. Generosity is great, but it never hurts to get a little extra publicity.

Getting Support from Friends and Family

If you can get your friends and family onboard with your fundraising project, you’ve got a great resource at your disposal.

Often people will have an upper limit in terms of what they’re able to contribute monetarily to a fundraising project. Time and energy is harder to quantify, and especially if the event is a social occasion—a bake sale, or a fundraising dinner—you’d be surprised at what people are willing to contribute.

Draw on your social circle’s strengths and interests. If you have a lot of bookworm friends, try organizing a book sale; participants donate their used books, then buy them from each other using charity dollars.

Or piggyback on events that would happen regardless. If your family gets together once a month for Sunday dinner, and it’s your turn to host, you could bake an especially decadent dessert—and ask that they contribute to your fundraiser if they want a taste.

If you’re thinking about getting coworkers onboard, check out our article, Creative Fundraising Ideas for your Workplace.

Online Outreach

Newsletter Updates

Setting up a simple TinyLetter mailing list, and using it to update Giving Group supporters on your progress, can be a great way to keep people engaged. Use it to tell them about upcoming events, thank them for their support, and share links relevant to the cause you’re supporting.

Social Media

Facebook is a good tool for organizing events. Setting up a Page for your Giving Group can also make it more visible to people who aren’t yet using the CHIMP platform, and update followers on your progress.

Also, consider the people following your personal Facebook account. If you’ve been on Facebook for ten years, you’ve probably amassed a list of friends from far and wide. Even if you’re not super tight with your high school English teacher, you never know who might be inspired to donate money when they read about the cause you’re supporting.

Other channels—Twitter or Instagram, for instance—may be more or less useful, depending on how much time you can commit to keeping them updated.

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What’s your Giving Group story? Get in touch with us about how CHIMP’s Giving Groups have helped you support your cause, and you could be featured in a future blog post.