Blog How to build the perfect Facebook Challenge squad

Tom Borrett

October 11, 2023

How to build the perfect Facebook Challenge squad

In today's digital age, nonprofits have an incredible opportunity to boost their fundraising efforts by harnessing the power of social media. One strategy that's been making waves in the world of online fundraising since 2018 is the Facebook Challenge virtual event. But, to take these social fundraising campaigns to the next level, investing in building the perfect Facebook Challenge squad is a must.

Read on to find out:

Why you should invest in Facebook Challenges
The key players you need in your squad, and how they can support
Top tips for a successful Facebook Challenge event

Watch the webinar

Prefer to watch and listen? Catch up with our latest Stacks webinar where we cover the Facebook Challenge squad members you're going to want on your team!

Why Facebook Challenges?

Facebook Challenges are like a turbocharge button for your fundraising efforts. They bring excitement, engagement, and a sense of community to your cause like never before.

Picture this: your supporters, energized and motivated, rallying their friends and family to support them on a fun Challenge, all in the name of your nonprofit's mission. There are no geographical limits, the Challenge can be inclusive and adapted to your supporter’s needs and you can build an online community of like-minded fundraisers in a matter of minutes.

If that ain’t enough, Facebook Challenges also:

Boost engagement: Facebook Challenges are interactive and shareable, creating a buzz around your cause. Supporters are encouraged to share their Challenge experiences, spreading the word about your nonprofit and its mission far and wide.
Expand your reach: As Challenges grow, your nonprofit's reach extends exponentially. There are now 2.95 billion monthly active users on Facebook, so the opportunities to find and connect with new supporters are endless.
Encourage fundraising: Challenges are also an awesome opportunity to raise vital funds for your organization as supporters are encouraged to ask for donations from friends and family across the Challenge timeline. And the funds aren’t slowing down; American Cancer Society raised a whopping $633,000 in their recent 62 Miles in August campaign.
Build a community: Challenges foster a sense of belonging and camaraderie amongst your supporters. It's not just about fundraising; it's about building a passionate community of long-term advocates for your cause.
Drive better decision-making: With GivePanel, you can track the impact of your Challenges, learn from each one, and refine your strategy over time. This data-driven approach ensures you're always improving and can react to any curve balls thrown your way.

The perfect Facebook Challenge squad

Okay, you're on board with running a Facebook Challenge; now let's talk about the dream team you need to ensure it's a resounding success. Just like assembling a team to reach the Super Bowl final, your Facebook Challenge squad plays a pivotal role in achieving your fundraising goals. But who are these essential players? Let’s introduce the key roles that will make your Facebook Challenge shine:

1. The GivePanel Expert

The GivePanel Expert is the go-to guru who understands the ins and outs of GivePanel, the tool that empowers your online fundraising efforts. They know how to navigate the platform efficiently, optimizing your campaigns and ensuring every detail is taken care of. Their mission? To build all of the essential elements required to run a Facebook Challenge within GivePanel. Think of them as the strategic quarterback, orchestrating the plays that lead to victory.

What sets the GivePanel Expert apart is their unparalleled attention to detail and organizational prowess. They are the ones who thrive on precision and are always eager to learn how to best utilize GivePanel, including:

Building the Facebook Challenge event, custom fundraisers, and event registration form: The GivePanel Export is the architect of the Challenge; creating the event itself, crafting custom fundraisers tailored to your nonprofit's mission, and designing the event registration form that supporters will interact with.
Building email journeys, on-page messaging templates, and creating labels: Communication is key to your Challenge's success. They craft engaging email journeys that keep participants informed and motivated, design on-page message templates that reflect your nonprofit's branding and values, and create labels to efficiently categorize and manage data within GivePanel.
Overseeing delivery of the stewardship journey: This role extends beyond the Challenge's launch. They are responsible for overseeing the delivery of the stewardship process, ensuring that your fundraisers receive the support and recognition they deserve for their efforts.

2. The Digital Marketing Genius

In today's digital landscape, you need someone to help make your Challenge stand out from the very first ad. The Digital Marketing Genius specializes in crafting compelling ad campaigns, understanding audience behavior, and making data-driven decisions that boost engagement and drive results. They are experts in Facebook Ad campaign management and delivery and, most importantly, they follow GivePanel's recommended ads best practice to maximize results.

To hit the ground running with your Facebook Challenge, the Digital Marketing Genius needs to get buy-in from relevant teams, such as Marketing, Communications, or Digital, and collaborate closely, as well as understand the importance of your recruitment strategy and why following the GivePanel ads journey is key to achieving recruitment goals. They also need to be communication experts; giving wider teams a heads-up about advertising plans and reporting on them regularly. Planning is vital, so they must provide a clear project delivery timeline to keep everyone aligned and informed.

3. The Community Fundraising Champion

Enter the heartbeat of your Facebook Challenge – the Community Fundraising Champion. Their job is to cultivate a hyper-engaged Facebook Group, brimming with supporters who are not just participants but fervent advocates willing to go to great lengths for your cause by the end of the Challenge. Easy, right?

This person should be a natural motivator and communicator and be generally awesome at rallying the troops and fostering a sense of community. Ideally, they are someone willing to lead by example, taking on the Challenge themself and openly sharing their progress within the Group.

Seek out colleagues, no matter which team they belong to, who fit the mold and encourage them to take on the role. And don’t just stop at one! Building a thriving community requires a team effort, so if there are multiple people who can lead the Group to success, all the better for your Facebook Challenge.

Make sure to equip these people with the knowledge and tools they’ll need to succeed by sharing GivePanel’s best practices and organizing a rota to ensure that the Group is well monitored (and that your Champions can take a break!).

4. The Fulfillment Maestro

This squad member ensures that everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. From handling logistics to managing incentives, the Fulfillment Maestro is there to keep your Facebook Challenge on track.

The Fulfillment Maestro will be a master of organization who can coordinate seamlessly with various teams to ensure a smooth delivery of incentives to supporters. Their tasks include:

Sourcing incentives: Finding the right incentive to fit with the Challenge activity and motivating supporters to fundraise is crucial to the success of the campaign. Nobody wants a wooly hat at the height of summer!
Develop an efficient system: Create a streamlined process for packaging and posting incentives. If you decide to do this in-house, you may want to think about involving volunteers to help you.
Track incentives in GivePanel: Consider using labels within GivePanel to categorize and manage data efficiently, ensuring incentives reach the right hands at the right time.

5. The Unsung Heroes - Creative Designer, Database Manager, and Compliance Expert

Behind every great Challenge are individuals with specialized skills, and there are three more that need consideration when building the perfect Facebook Challenge squad. These unsung heroes are the pillars that uphold your Facebook Challenge; from captivating visuals to seamless data management and regulatory compliance, without them, the show couldn’t go on.

First up, the Creative Designer. This is the artist responsible for crafting visually captivating assets for your Facebook Challenge. They breathe life into your Challenge with creations like Group banner images, ads, e-badges, and certificates. Whilst we generally recommend keeping Facebook Challenges on the simplistic side of design, having a squad member with design skills will help your campaign cut through the noise.

Second, is the Database Manager. Since generating leads and bringing in new supporters to your organization is one of the main goals of running a Facebook Challenge, the Database Manager is crucial to its success. Think of them as the engine behind this mission. They ensure that the registration and fundraiser data collected from GivePanel is extracted and meticulously uploaded to your database, enabling you to nurture and engage with new supporters effectively.

And last but not least, the Compliance Expert. Compliance teams play a vital role in ensuring that your Challenge adheres to regulations and industry standards. This includes navigating transitions, such as the recent move to PayPal Giving Fund, and managing data capture forms for marketing opt-ins.

More expert tips to supercharge your Facebook Challenge

Whilst having the perfect squad will support your nonprofit in finding Challenge success, there are a few other actions you can take to make sure you get off to a flying start.

Choose the right Challenge: Challenge activities will perform differently depending on the time of year and your audience. Remember to consider the difference between self-sacrifice and self-actualization, and use our 4-step process to find the activity that suits your nonprofit and its audience best.
Utilize the GivePanel Playbook: Our fundraising experts have curated a go-to guide with everything you need to run a Facebook Challenge. Our advice? Use it!
Follow our ads journey: We’re constantly testing the best ways to get quality leads into your Facebook Group and trust us, it works! Ads not performing the way you expected? Check out these 10 reasons why your Facebook Challenge isn’t hitting the right note, and how to fix it!
Be the inspiration your fundraisers need: It may seem simple, but this one thing can make or break a Facebook Challenge. You are the host of this party so make sure you show up, engage, and make this an experience your supporters will remember.

Get started

Read our guide to running the perfect Facebook Challenge for the A-Z of Challenge management, and check out our helpful resources in the GivePanel Playbook, designed to support your nonprofit every step of the way. If you’re a GivePanel customer and don’t have access to the Playbook yet, check out this help article to get started.

Let's talk

Keen to find out more about how GivePanel can support your Facebook fundraising efforts? Book a 30-minute call with one of our experts and learn more about supercharging your social fundraising.

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