Are you new to the Community Fundraising Platform and eager to launch your first fundraising campaigns? Not sure where to begin? Don't panic! This article is here to help you.
From fundraising events to peer to peer and crowdfunding campaigns... This article presents 5 ideas for your first fundraising campaigns on the platform. Easy to implement, these ideas are accompanied by practical advice and are suitable for charities of all sizes using the Community Fundraising Platform.
1. Call on your supporters to collect donations during sporting events
2. Organise a charity sports challenge
3. Allow your supporters to create peer to peer fundraising pages
4. Organise a themed virtual fundraising challenge
5. Use crowdfunding to finance one of your charity's projects
In just a few steps, these fundraising campaigns can help you effectively mobilise your community and boost fundraising efforts! As a bonus, you'll find a valuable tool for optimising your campaign’s communication plan. Download your own ready-to-use content calendar template!
Take advantage of special occasions to collect donations easily!
The Community Fundraising Platform makes it easy for your supporters to raise money for your charity through online fundraising. The platform also makes it easy to organise charity events, so you can raise funds while mobilising your community!
If you are new to using the tool, you may be wondering what type of campaign or event you can create. You may also be wondering how to get started. Here are some ideas to help you begin.
1. Call on your supporters to collect donations for your cause during sporting events
The season of races, marathons, and cycling challenges is a good opportunity to gather supporters and raise funds for your cause. It is a time when people are motivated to participate in physical activities and support nonprofit organizations. This is a great chance to bring people together and inspire them to contribute to your cause.
Encourage your supporters to participate in events and fundraise for your charity. Here is how you can achieve this:
- Keep an eye on a local events calendar. Or be inspired by our seasonal fundraising calendar to find out about upcoming sporting events in your area.
- Go to the back-end of your Community Fundraising Platform and create your project in just a few clicks. Customise your platform easily with our Flex Editor feature that allows you to drag-and-drop content blocks.
Add a banner linked to the sporting challenge, as well as a description. Take this example of the Race for Life initiative run by the Swiss Cancer League. This charity race raised over €166,000 in 2023!
- Personalise the automatic communications sent to your fundraisers (who collect donations for you) and supporters. Prepare emails to thank them, activate them and keep them informed. On the platform, the content is pre-filled to make the process easier, you will find a wide choice of automatic emails.
Here's an example to inspire you. The Aviations Sans Frontières charity used the Community Fundraising Platform to raise funds for the Alpe d'Huez Triathlon. On its online fundraising platform, the organisation offers sportsmen and women the opportunity to spread the word, and raise donations on their behalf.
As a bonus, set up the Strava integration on your platform. It allows your fundraisers to record their activities on their fundraising page. With it, they are able to share their achievements with their friends and family, their local community and even the whole world!
2. Organise a charity sports challenge on your own scale
Charity sports events can raise awareness for your cause and rally like-minded generous people. We've already explored how a peer to peer fundraising campaign can be used to raise funds at sports events. But have you considered organising your own charity sports event?
To give you a concrete example, the "24h Saint Pierre - Osons pour les enfants" solidarity event began 6 years ago. At the time, they managed to raise €4,000. Over the years, the event has grown spectacularly! In 2023, it raised over €600,000 for children, bringing together hundreds of fundraisers and thousands of donors!
As you know, organising an event requires meticulous planning and a certain investment of time. Wondering where to start? Read our article and discover 5 easy steps to launch your fundraising event!
3. Allow your supporters to create peer to peer fundraising pages to celebrate milestones.
Your supporters can raise money for special occasions such as birthdays, wedding anniversaries, or another important moment. They can collect donations from friends and family in your honour. Wondering how to encourage people to start a fundraiser in your name? Here are a few tips:
- Provide your fundraisers with "practical guides". Share with them best practices for running their own successful online fundraising events. You can detail the steps they need to follow to create and manage a peer-to-peer fundraising page.
For example, show them how to personalise their fundraising page. How to add photos and videos relating to the event being celebrated and/or your cause.
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Explain to your supporters the importance of storytelling. Encourage your fundraisers to tell the story of why they decided to support your organisation for this special event in their lives. By inviting them to share their personal experiences, you open the door to authentic and inspiring stories that can touch hearts and leave a lasting impression!
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Invite your fundraisers to make the first donation to their online fundraising page. Explain that this first donation will serve as a guide for future donors, motivating them to contribute similar amounts. Also indicate the tax deduction terms and conditions, if applicable in your country.
For a concrete example, visit UNICEF France's "birthday fundraiser" project. The charity has also made a fundraiser for newborns available to its supporters. This allows them to create their own fundraising pages to finance the charity's missions and support vulnerable children. 
Note that it is also possible to set up an "in memoriam" project for peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns. For your supporters, this is a moving way of paying tribute to a loved one, while supporting a good cause. The same advice applies to this type of campaign, but be sure to use the appropriate tone.
4. Organise a themed virtual fundraising challenge involving your ambassadors or influencers
Other peer-to-peer campaign ideas can also include creative challenges. For example, a cooking competition or other similar challenges inviting individuals or team fundraising. These initiatives offer supporters a fun and engaging way to organise a fundraiser on your behalf, while putting their talents and passions to good use!
When collecting donations online, remember to involve your ambassadors by encouraging them! Find the "best fundraisers" who have a successful fundraising page and send them personalised messages, or even digital fundraising badges.
You can also contact influencers who are active in the field of your online challenge, to help you collect donations. For example, cooking influencers who are active in your region or country as part of a culinary challenge. An appeal to their online community via Instagram or TikTok could attract new and younger supporters. In this way, you can increase your charity's online visibility and take advantage of the viral nature of these social media posts!
Note that you need to communicate effectively with your supporters, fundraisers and contributors throughout your peer to peer campaigns. They are probably not familiar with this type of peer to peer fundraising. So you need to support them in their fundraising and in raising public awareness of your cause. To help you, read our article: 9 tips for boosting your peer-to-peer campaigns.
By following these tips, your supporters will be better equipped to run successful appeals and actively mobilise their network!
Fundraise online to finance your next charity projects!
Crowdfunding is a type of fundraising that calls on your supporters to raise funds to finance some of your specific projects. You can engage your supporters and turn them into valuable contributors! Here are some ideas ideas for crowdfunding campaigns for your charity.
5. Use crowdfunding to finance one of your charity's next projects
You are planning to launch a specific project in the near future. Depending on your charity's mission, this could be:
- The construction of an animal shelter,
- the creation of an educational programme for children,
- an environmental conservation initiative,
- the renovation of a space in your hospital or the purchase of medical equipment.
The possibilities are endless, so give your creativity free rein and come up with some original fundraising ideas!
To ensure the success of your crowdfunding campaign and improve the conversion of your potential donors, here are a few tips :
- Set a fundraising target, explaining what this amount would achieve for your not-for-profit.
- Use the "progress bar" widget to indicate when you've reached your fundraising goal. This makes the online fundraising experience engaging and fun, with real-time updates on the website!
- Give rewards to donors based on their contribution, to motivate them to support your project! Some ideas for rewards can be a symbolic object linked to the campaign, such as a seeded bookmark to plant. For a museum, it could mean a special invitation to see a new exhibition or artwork for free.
Now you're ready to launch your first campaigns! iRaiser's Community Fundraising Platform opens the door to a host of easy-to-implement campaigns to raise funds for your cause! Start using your platform confidently and mobilise your community right away with these ideas.
If you need an extra hand, we made a tool to help you stay organised with your campaign communication. A content calendar made specifically for charities. Click here to download your copy!
Looking for more community fundraising ideas and proven campaigns to inspire you? Look at these 13 fundraising campaigns that have already mobilised thousands of supporters!