How Parkinson’s Foundation doubled their fundraising goal with their first Facebook Challenge
Parkinson’s Foundation’s fundraising team felt wary before launching their first ever Facebook Challenge. As a small team with limited resources, they worried: How would they manage engaging all their new supporters? Who would fulfill hundreds of incentives? Was this the right fit for their community?
At over $200,000 raised later, we think you’ll agree it was the right move. We caught up with Francesca Villa, National Director of Fundraising Events at Parkinson’s Foundation, to find out about their pilot Challenge, Jog 60 Miles in April, and what they learned along the way.
The Story of Parkinson’s Foundation
Parkinson’s Foundation is a non-profit organization supporting those affected by Parkinson’s disease. They operate in North America and have done so for over 60 years. Through their work, they “provide life-changing support to people living with Parkinson’s and their caregivers, fund game-changing research on treatment and care, and convene the best minds… to find new approaches that enhance care and move us closer to a cure.”
Facebook fundraising was a relatively new venture for the non-profit. The team saw recent growth in organic and birthday fundraising. Consequently, they had to pivot their Facebook strategy. This pivot included higher levels of stewardship and engagement. Having recently partnered with GivePanel and keen to explore new areas, the team launched their first Facebook Challenge.
What is a Facebook Challenge?
You might wonder what a Facebook Challenge is. Simply put, it is a virtual peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising event held entirely on Facebook. It uses Facebook ads for acquisition, Facebook Groups for community and stewardship, and Facebook fundraisers for the actual giving. At GivePanel, we have been perfecting this method for a while. In fact, last year our charity customers raised over $226 million using Facebook fundraising tools. We also helped them run a whopping 363 Facebook Challenges. Our guide to planning the perfect Facebook Fundraising Challenge has everything you need to know to get started.
Jog 60 Miles in April: The Pilot Results
Running a Facebook Challenge is typically a straightforward choice. The Facebook Challenge model, compared to traditional events, means lower acquisition costs, more fundraisers, and new audiences. Over 80% of Challenge participants are new to the charity.
The Parkinson’s Foundation was wary of taking on a sizable event with limited team resources. To be sure Challenges were the right fit, the team tested various forms of Facebook fundraising. They found more success encouraging P2P fundraisers than direct donations. In addition, their audience used Facebook as their primary social media platform. The exercise theme tied directly into their cause. In other words, the Facebook Challenge model was ticking all of the right boxes.
5 Things You Really Need to Know
Before the key results for Jog 60 Miles in April, here are five things to note about their pilot Challenge:
- This was the Parkinson’s Foundation’s first-ever Facebook Challenge. Their goal was 1,000 people in the Facebook Group. Of those, they aimed for 700 to set up a fundraiser, raising $100,000.
- The team offered a T-shirt as their incentive. They worked with PromoSpark to fulfill and distribute the incentives. They sent 750 T-shirts and spent $10,000 on the incentive and shipping.
- They worked with Nonprofit Megaphone for Facebook ad targeting and management. They used Canva to create imagery for ads and Facebook group posts.
- Their Challenge had incredible group engagement. Fundraisers shared stories and encouraged one another. Their top fundraiser was new to the charity and raised $10,000. Remarkably, another fundraiser even got engaged during one of their walks!
- The team wanted to reach areas of North America they couldn’t reach physically. This helped them engage potential supporters and offer their digital services.
Okay, ready for the numbers? Jog 60 Miles in April resulted in 1,003 Group Members and 375 Active Fundraisers. The incredible average raised was $533, with a cost per dollar of $0.11. You should be picturing us dancing right now, because that’s what we’ve been doing non-stop since these results came in.
Top Tips for Managing a Facebook Challenge
These results do not happen by themselves. If your non-profit is considering entering the world of Facebook Challenges, here are six things to consider first:
- Consider Your Resourcing Capabilities: Maximize your time, especially as a small team. By outsourcing incentive fulfillment and getting ad support, Parkinson’s Foundation spent more time where it mattered most: in the group.
- Know What’s Right for Your Audience: Parkinson’s Foundation provided a Challenge that suited its supporters. Fran suggests looking at your demographics, including age and location. This should happen before deciding on your Challenge format. Our Facebook Challenge quiz will also help determine if you are the right fit.
- Get Your Fundraisers Fundraising: Try out different ways to engage your fundraisers. Get the ball rolling! Ask them to skip a coffee a week and donate instead. Alternatively, provide content they can share with their donors.
- Be Wary of Outliers: The top Challenge fundraisers did an incredible job. However, not every Challenge will have $10,000 fundraisers! Be cautious of these stand-out figures when forecasting your next event.
- To Messenger or Not to Messenger? Parkinson’s Foundation tested Messenger for onboarding. But they decided to keep this space free for those who needed to talk about their Parkinson’s experience. Consider where your supporters need you most when planning your strategy.
- Use Email for Segmented Stewardship: We saved the best tip for last. Steward fundraisers with a thank you via email. Ask them to share their story or connection to your cause in return. Then, use those stories on Facebook. This encourages others to create their own fundraisers, creating an email journey cycle. Simple but effective.
How Can GivePanel Support?
Prior to joining GivePanel, Parkinson’s Foundation found that their growing number of Facebook fundraisers was becoming unmanageable. Messaging, stewarding, and supporting those fundraisers was a laborious, time-consuming process.
By joining GivePanel, the team used the dashboard for a simple, quick overview of their Facebook fundraising. The ability to match fundraisers turned what was once a manual task into an efficient process. This let the team focus their efforts on vital stewardship and engagement.
For their Jog 60 Miles in April Challenge, the Parkinson’s Foundation found GivePanel most useful for our advertising and event advice, the email journey tool for stewardship, and our sector expertise. Fran said:
“GivePanel was a great option for us. We could directly be on page with our fundraisers, and be able to communicate in the space where they’re fundraising. If you want Facebook fundraising to be active, if you want to grow that revenue, and you want to actually invest in those fundraisers, then that’s when you want to start considering a product like GivePanel.”
Find out more about Parkinson’s Foundation’s awesome Facebook Challenge by reading their success story in full.
Ready to Explore Facebook Challenges?
Take a look at our guide to planning the perfect Facebook Fundraising Challenge. There, you can download our free Calculator Tool. Enter what you think you can spend on resourcing your Challenge and generate meaningful ROI projections.
Book a GivePanel Demo
Book your 30-minute demo with one of our awesome Facebook Fundraising specialists today. See if GivePanel could help you supercharge your Facebook fundraising.
🔗 Related Resources
Parkinson’s Foundation Success Story: [Link to Parkinson’s Foundation success story]
Guide and Calculator Tool: [Link to planning guide and calculator tool]
Book a Demo: https://givepanel.com/demo/
5 secrets of hyper-engaged social communities (with results!): [Link to hyper-engaged social communities blog]
Quiz: Is your nonprofit the right fit for a Facebook Challenge?: [Link to Facebook Challenge quiz]
Change the Game with Facebook Challenge Events: [Link to Change the Game with Facebook Challenge Events blog]