Facebook Birthday Fundraisers: How to generate more fundraisers
Since Facebook’s Giving Tools launched, users have raised over $\mathbf{\$ 1}$ billion for good causes globally! Donating your birthday is one of the most popular methods. In fact, over $\mathbf{\$ 300}$ million has been raised this way. And it’s still early days for this trend!
Facebook’s Giving Tools are a fantastic income source for charities. Furthermore, they offer a unique chance to build relationships with new supporters. But how can you strategically market Birthday Fundraisers?
Here are five effective ways to market your Facebook Birthday Fundraisers:
1. Add Facebook Birthday Fundraisers to Your Website
No doubt your website already features suggestions on how people can support your cause. For instance, you likely have a Fundraising $\text{A-Z}$ or a ‘Get Involved’ section. Make sure you add Facebook Birthday Fundraisers to this content. Include details on what they are and how people set them up.
If you have the resource, create a toolkit. Supporters can download images and suggested copy. This copy should explain how donations help your non-profit. Also, include advice on reaching their fundraising goal. See this post for tips on creating compelling copy for Facebook Fundraisers.
2. Include Fundraisers in Your Email Newsletter
Include Facebook Birthday Fundraisers in every newsletter you send. This applies whether your newsletter is monthly, weekly, or printed. A top tip is to send this promotion as part of a larger campaign. Use a milestone event as the hook. Be sure to mention that people can still set up a Fundraiser even if it’s not their birthday. We recommend including two links: one to your website resources and the other to take them straight to Facebook to set up a Fundraiser.
3. Post Your Fundraisers on Facebook (Obvious But Effective!)
This is simple, but it works. Post directly on your Facebook Page. Encourage people to set up a Birthday Fundraiser. Give them a compelling reason why. Use a great photo or even a video. You can also share examples of successful Fundraisers in the comments. This shows what they look like and how easy they are to create.
And of course, if budget allows, run adverts too. This encourages people to donate their birthdays. For example, Breast Cancer Care has done this successfully.
4. Promote Fundraisers in Your Email Signature
Just as you promote treks or marathons, promote Facebook Fundraisers in your email signature.
Simply create a banner image. You can use a free tool like Canva for Nonprofits. Add the image to your Outlook signature (or whichever email provider you use). Then, send it around your organization. Ask your colleagues to include it in their email signatures too.
5. Create a Strategic Acquisition Strategy
Here’s an amazing strategic example of successfully marketing Birthday Fundraisers. Susan G. Komen Florida, a breast cancer non-profit, launched a birthday campaign on May 1st. They used supporters’ dates of birth to create a targeted strategy. This encourages people to create a Birthday Fundraiser for their cause.
Josh Hirsch, Director of Mission and Communication, shared their method:
“We send our supporters an email $\mathbf{30}$ days before their birthday. It includes an animated $\text{GIF}$ that sends them to a landing page. A video encourages them to start a Birthday Facebook fundraiser. Then, one week before their birthday, they receive a second email with an animated $\text{GIF}$. This takes them to a different landing page with another video. This strategy has been really successful for us, and people love the video!”
They also assembled a toolkit. It includes a recommended timeline and sample Facebook posts. Furthermore, it provides images for the Fundraiser page, showing the impact of the donation.
Josh even donated his own birthday. He set his initial target at just $\text{\$200}$. Crucially, every donor received a personalized video thank-you using CauseVid. Josh also kept updating his Fundraiser with mission-driven content. He connected the fundraising directly back to the cause. His initial $\text{\$200}$ target eventually increased to $\mathbf{\$ 1,200}$!
So there you have it – five ways to market and encourage more Facebook Birthday Fundraisers!
🔗 Related Resources
Facebook Birthday Fundraising: How do they work and can you get more of them
https://givepanel.com/blog/facebook-birthday-fundraising/
How to target Facebook Ads to potential Birthday fundraisers
https://givepanel.com/blog/how-to-target-facebook-ads-to-potential-birthday-fundraisers/
Case study: How one charity increased birthday fundraising income by 400% with Facebook Ads
https://givepanel.com/blog/case-study-how-one-charity-increased-birthday-fundraising-income-by-400-with-facebook-ads/
How to create compelling copy for Facebook Fundraisers (Relevant ad creative guide)
https://givepanel.com/blog/best-practice-for-facebook-challenge-ad-creatives-and-the-common-pitfalls-to-avoid/