How to raise money for a cause without losing your friends

The fundraising season is upon us. Every new year, people inevitably become interested in both improving their oxygen uptake and improving their world by raising money for variety of walks, races, triathlons and marathons coming up.

Yet asking people for money is awkward, unless you're a politician. Expect fundraising to be hard work, says Marc Pitman, author of Ask Without Fear! and founder of FundraisingCoach.com. You have to earn every dollar. Don’t think that people owe you or your cause anything. Rather, make people part of your cause. Draw them in and recognize what their contribution means.

Here are a few tips on how to raise money without hurting your cause.

Believe in your cause 

The key to hooking your donors is to make them care about your cause. Research it, make sure you believe the cause is worth contributing to, and then figure out how the money will help. This way, instead of sending out a formal email asking for money, you can make it sound like what it is: a chance for people to make a difference. It helps if you can share a personal experience.

“We live in a transactional society. So, asking for money without giving anything in return feels weird to the asker,” says Pitman. “But it doesn’t feel that way to the giver.”

People like contributing to a good cause. It makes them feel good. “Fundraising is emotional, just like shopping,” he explains. The main thing you should remember when making your pitch is to make donor the hero: “I’m not a hero for doing this walk/marathon. You are the hero, because of your generous donation …”

Be careful not to buy into the myth of donors fatigue, says Pitman: “People are not tired of being asked for money. They’re tired of being asked poorly.”

Try putting yourself in their shoes – you don't want to be just another person asking for money. Another mistake to avoid is lumping all your donors into one category by asking them all for the same donation.

“You don’t want to leave money on table with some people and overreach with others,” Pitman says.

Ask the right people

Most often, people begin fundraising by asking their friends and families. As you make your pitch, you should also ask if they know anyone else who would like to support your cause.

It is the next step, however, that can get tricky: asking your co-workers. Asking your co-workers for money can – and has – bring into question the issue of propriety. To avoid running into any trouble, you ought to “check your workplace policies. Don’t assume it’s okay,” says Pitman.

Some companies nurture a more charitable culture and even have corporate matching gifts programs. However, others do not. Rather than sending a company wide email, you might bring it up in conversation, face to face. Or you could talk to your boss about other ways to raise money within the office, such as holding a bake sale.

“The things you can offer are only limited by your imagination,” says Pitman. “The more fun you can have with it, the easier it will be.”

Take it online

If you are active on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, you might want to take your fundraising efforts online. Individuals have a better luck fundraising on social media, says Pitman.

If you do decide to go down this route, there are few things you need to keep in mind.

• Keep it simple. People have a very short attention span when it comes to internet, so donating money has “got to be easy”, says Pitman.
• Pick a magic number. Unlike with emails, you should set a specific amount when fundraising on social media.
• Take me straight there. All outreach – tweets and status updates – should include an easy link that takes potential donors directly to your donations page.
• Engage. “You should approach fundraising on social media like a special event,” recommends Pitman. Set a deadline. Organize a fundraising committee. Let your social community know your goal: We want to raise so many dollars in so many days. Help us reach our goal.

Give thanks

You should thank your donors for their contributions, says Pitman. "Just like Grandma said – always say thank you."

While the fundraising industry standard is 24-48 hours, personal campaigns have a more flexible grace period. You can thank your donors right after their contributions as well as after you reach your goal. Remember: Make hero of the donor. “Thanks to you, 30 children can go to camp this year.”

Not only is it simply polite to say thank you, but maintaining contact with your donors will make future fundraising easier, says Pitman. Next time around, all you have to do is to remind them how much they helped the first time around and ask if they could do so again.

Have you led a successful fundraising campaign before? What strategies worked for you? Share them with us in the comment section below.