Quick fix fundraising

Gah... there's no such thing, every bone in my body wants to scream that there is no such thing as quick fundraising. Fundraisers can't rustle up a £20k or £30k by next Tuesday because there's a hole in the budget and the charity needs money for a service, staff member or something urgent. Money doesn't grow on trees.

But it will happen at some point, it's inevitable, so instead of saying it's not fair, let's just think of ways to bring in cash double quick (while recognising that the best fundraising is considered and planned which means it takes time - thank you).

First of we need to talk about destruction, death and decay and I am being flippant but also serious. The problem needs to be articulated and needs to feel urgent, so that we when you provide the solution (the service, staff member or whatever it is) your audience will understand the problem and the misery that will happen without the solution. This is fundraising bread and butter, and in need of quick cash problem/solution plus timeline needs to be articulated really clearly. This can actually be quite difficult, if the issue is complex or you're working with other organisations. I'm thinking specifically of the Disaster Emergency Committee, their messaging is always good - they've had practice. But your organisation could follow their lead and practice, you could write an appeal template plan and wheel it out whenever your non profit needs quick cash, and you could refine the plan over time.

Right so you know you need a certain amount of money by a certain time, good. You've also articulated the problem and the solution, also good. Next you need to think about your audiences, I won't list them all here and depending on the amount you want you might not need to appeal to all audiences, maybe you've got a major donor who you, your CEO or Trustee could call or meet and ask them for the lump sum. Your CEO could reach out to a high worth donor or a celebrity who the charity doesn't know but maybe this appeal will be of interest to them. However the audiences I would exclude are Trusts (nothing quick about them), community and DIY fundraisers seem unlikely too but maybe it's worth doing a direct email to them and they might donate outside of the activity they're already committed to.

You'll need to tweak your message to suit your audience and reach out to them with a donation deadline, a totaliser is always effective, if there's time to create one (it could be part of the appeal plan and already 'pre loaded'). Right so you've done the 'normal' stuff (you've reached out to your individual givers, your corporate partners, possibly your legacy givers, your volunteers) what else can you do to increase your quick cash chances?

Crowdfunding is not as popular at it once was but is still a viable fundraising tool. JustGiving offer a crowdfunding platform with no fee, but there is a processing cost (2.9% + 25p per donation). Share the link everywhere and anywhere (staff email signatures, newsletters) and consider the use of a shopping list and the difference each amount can make, e.g. if we raise £40 we can buy a sleeping bag for a homeless person.

Social media, share everything on your platforms, use your message, shopping list and a link to the totaliser.

Trustees, (I can hear you laughing, I know many fundraisers don't rate their Trustees) but they are there to help. Do they know any high net worth individuals? Do they have any events coming up where a fundraiser could be organised? Can they at least share the message via their social media?

Bucket collections/silent auctions/raffles at big events (if there's time and the organisers are willing) You could try supermarket bucket collections but they're often booked in advance.

Fundraising is hard and quick fix fundraising is hard and stressful, but not impossible. Good luck!