News

06 April 2017 Ben

Innovative ways for sports NFP’s to raise cash

Whenever you think about NFPs or charities raising money you probably either picture bright jackets and oversized lanyards of 20 somethings in shopping centres, monthly direct debits that the consumer almost never actually engages with or TV drives littered with comedy and musical performances. Each are effective enough, but how can you make increasing revenue for your organisation fun and infinitely more rewarding?

Fundraising through your members

Fundraising doesn’t have to be a chore; it’s something that gets better the more people you involved. Encouraging your local groups and communities to get involved in supporting your organisation is always a good idea, as it shows potential backers you’re worthy of their time and money, and it will generate engagement with your current members and donors. One of the primary goals of sports NFP’s is promoting the industry and encouraging the younger generation to learn more about the industry. Use fundraising events to get the public involved, and understand what the organisation is doing and why that’s important.

Social sharing is one of the more effective ways to spread an idea and although it’s not guaranteed you’ll ‘break the internet’ with a viral campaign, you could massively increase exposure and potential support from the public through sport. A recent success of virality is the ALS ice bucket challenge; resulting in more than $220 million donated to ALS charities worldwide.

Don’t neglect your current membership or donors

Alongside getting revenue from new sources, you have to ensure your current sources of revenue know you appreciate their support. Increasing member retention is a primary objective for most membership organisations, and we’ve put together some tips on how to reduce membership churn that explores this in more detail. Here are some quick tips to give you a good starting point:

  • Make the renewal process simple: If you don’t need extra information (e.g. CPD records), maybe look at automated renewals.
  • Highlight membership value: The more benefits a member receives the more likely they are to want to continue their membership.
  • Send regular updates and ebulletins through email marketing to promote your fundraising activities and upcoming events – even giving praise for the hard work for others currently supporting your organisation.

Shout about the industry through an awards evening

Who doesn’t love the glamour of an awards evening and the chance to give individuals and organisations the exposure and recognition they deserve. What makes an awards night even more fitting for sports NFP’s is awards are a big part of grass roots sports. From football to korfball there is always time for an end of season awards night.

Members or key stakeholders who want more involvement in your organisation could sponsor the night or an award, giving them valuable exposure. If you think about, an awards night is just a variation on an evening event. Some organisations’ awards evenings have grown so much that they warrant their own awards microsite, where sponsors, tickets and fundraising opportunities. As with all events, the main challenge is bringing in the crowd – for help with this check out our recent article on how to increase event attendance.

Don’t overcomplicate it

The key to success - as any good sportsperson will know - is a solid strategy. Think about budget, ideas and target market and formulate a marketing plan. But most importantly, don’t overcomplicate it!

There are a couple of really quick wins for increasing revenue through your current website, or other online platforms. You could add a ‘donate’ button into the header and footer of your website that offers quick ways to donate to the organisation, or add gift aid forms onto all donations or purchases, or make fundraising packs and information about fundraising and supporting the organisation easy to find. Once you’ve got the basics, move onto a slightly bigger campaign or get a digital agency on board to give you a push in the right direction. Why not give us a call and see how an award winning agency can help you?

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