Most of us would rather attend a charity event than market one, but promoting your next fundraiser doesn't have to be difficult. By using the proven effective marketing tactics below, you'll be able to accomplish your goals in a memorable way.
Find Your Target Audience
Before you start marketing your charity event, you'll need to select a target market segment. It's all too easy to define your audience as "whoever will come", but it's difficult to create an effective marketing plan if you have such a wide target. Even if you aren't choosy about the origin of your donations, it doesn't mean that your event will appeal equally to everyone.
Define your audience as the segment of the population most likely to attend your event. If you wish, you can allow others to participate, but you should narrow your marketing focus to those most likely to help. For instance, holding a casino night fundraiser would mean a target audience of those old enough to gamble and consume alcohol.
Create Your Message
Once you've chosen an audience for your fundraiser, your next step is to put together a promotional message; it involves creating a catchy slogan and memorable tone that encourages people to participate in your event. Your message should tell people what your event is about in a positive, appealing way, and it should tell your audience how participation will benefit them and the charity you're helping.
Fundraising Event Marketing Ideas
Now that you know who you're marketing to and the message you're going to give them, it's time to get the word out. Below are some charity marketing ideas that can be adapted to your message and the nature of your event.
• A promotional webpage: on your company's website, put up a page to promote your event, being sure that links to that page are prominently displayed on your home page.
• Selling tickets online or in stores: If you're not selling tickets directly from your site, consider using one like Brown Paper Tickets to market them. You can also ask local stores to serve as ticket agents.
• Putting up signs: Spread the word the old-fashioned way by putting up flyers or posters in the windows of buildings around town.
• Creating a public service announcement: Call or email the community affairs departments of local radio and TV stations to ask about running announcements for your upcoming event.
• Gaining a media sponsorship: Offer title sponsorships to media outlets; in return, you get promoted on-air.
• Scheduling guest appearances: Call local news producers and ask about scheduling an interview with a company representative ahead of your event.
• Emails: Use your marketing list to tell customers about your fundraiser.
• Snail mail: Send invitations to certain segments of your audience.
• Social media: It's more important than ever to establish a strong social media presence for your company and your event. Get the word out on sites like Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.
The ideas and tips above are a great foundation on which to build a strong marketing campaign for your charity event. When you're planning your next fundraiser, be sure to save energy and time to devote to its marketing. Regardless of how well your event is organized, without effective marketing, it won't be a success.
