Boost your fundraising easily with our top tips for your online sponsorship page
Whether you are an experienced fundraiser or just getting started, here are some top tips for making the most of your online sponsorship page.
Your story matters. So whatever your reason for supporting Overcoming MS, your page helps spread the word that we are here to help people live well with MS.
Sponsorship pages with a fundraising goal raise 46% more than those which don’t, according to our friends at JustGiving. It provides a clear focus and gives you an unstoppable momentum!
We advise starting off with a realistic and achievable fundraising goal, and give yourself enough time. You can always increase your financial target later. Don’t forget to credit any cash or cheques you have received offline too.
Ask your closest and most generous friends and family to sponsor you first, before you share your page more widely. This is important because people are more likely to donate, and at similar levels, if they see that other people have supported you already.
The more you share, the more you raise.
The obvious place to start is on social media such as Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn. Your online sponsorship page will have share buttons to help you send out links.
Email your contacts too, as not everyone is active on social media.
Don’t be afraid to get in touch and send out reminders and updates. People are busy and can appreciate an occasional nudge. Not everyone will see your posts in their newsfeed either, so share and then share again.
Fundraisers who use pictures on their sponsorship page raise significantly more. The fundraising brains at JustGiving tell us that each photograph can boost your fundraising by 14%. So don’t be shy and take a selfie or two!
You can go even further and upload a video or livestream if that is your thing. If you have a JustGiving page, they share some advice on how you can embed a livestream using Twitch, Mixer or YouTube. Clever eh?
Keep your online fundraising page updated with your progress – are you physically training or learning a new skill? JustGiving reckon each update can boost your fundraising by 6%!
Share the highs and lows – it might even encourage friends to join you and form a fundraising team together. Sponsorship pages that are part of a fundraising team can raise 10% more on average, according to JustGiving.
If your company has a sponsorship page, make sure you add your page to it to help spread the word across the business. Your employer might even have a matched funding scheme.
We are a small team and always love to chat with our supporters who are all over the world. We can champion your fundraising page on Overcoming MS’s social media so the global OMSer community can cheer you on. You could write a guest blog or be featured on our website too. Email us [email protected] and say hello, it will make our day!
20% of the funds you raise will actually come in after your event. So don’t forget to send a huge thank you, and update everyone how it went and share your achievement.