My eleven lessons from
fundraising for Isha Vidhya during the Mt Everest Base Camp ( twice), 50kms
Bangalore Ultra, Mumbai Marathon, 100kms Nilgiris Ultra Marathon and Mt
Annapurna Base Camp, Ladakh trek, Bhutan Trek, Mt Kilimanjaro summit
1. PURPOSE: I chose Isha
Vidhya as a cause, because that was very dear
to me. I strongly believe
that real positive change can happen only when
we educate our
underprivileged children and empower them with life
skills. This purpose
resonated with many people in my networks.
When people clearly see your
purpose, they connect better with it.
2. PASSION: I engaged 110%
into the cause of Isha Vidhya, rather than
supporting various causes
or organizations. I went to a school in
Coimbatore to understand
first hand what is happening in the school,
its various challenges and
also the amazing positive result of all the
investments people are
making in it.
When you are passionate
about the cause, it shines through and
through, right from the
fundraising document.
3. PLAN: I always start
with a relatively small amount as a target and
gradually keep increasing
it, so that my network does not feel that it is
an impossible task. This
also ensured that I felt motivated when I saw
that a significant % of the
target had been met before I raised it again.
Keep achievable goals with a
little stretch rather than impossible goals.
4. PERSONIFY: Instead of
just mentioning the amount, I personified the
target in number of run or
trek kilometers that the donor would be
supporting. This metaphor
makes it more interesting as a pitch to
potential supporters.
Find your own way to make
the target amount interesting.
5. PROMISE: I created a
personal blog with all the previous fundraising
initiatives, my coverage in
various sites and publications etc. to create
credibility for the cause.
I also promised them that the trek or the run
expenses will be met out of
my own pocket, and that 100% of their
donation would go for the
cause.
Assure people that their
hard earned money is not being misused.
6. PROMOTE: I actively used
various social networks like Twitter,
Facebook and WhatsApp to
connect with the wider network. I learnt
that timing the fundraiser
appeal to the early morning on the weekend
or end of day on weekdays
works better, since people are in the right
frame of mind. Also Friday
morning appeals work well, since it puts
make-a-donation on people’s
weekend job lists.
Learn what social posts and
times work best for your community.
7. PAN OUT: I did not
request only for donations. I also requested
acquaintances and friends
to spread the message on their networks. So,
to people who had already
made a donation (or did not wish to make a
donation), this was another
easy way of helping me.
Go beyond your immediate
network and do not limit to known people
8. PERSONALIZE: I kept a
target of sending 10 personalized emails to
people in my mailing list,
each day for thirty days. This helped them
feel special, because of
which, these people are the first ones to donate
to the cause.
Interestingly, they also ensured that your fundraiser starts
with bigger individual
contributions, which puts subtle pressure on the
people who follow.
A call or an email works
best, if you know the person.
9. PRIZE: Over various
initiatives, I also understood that giving a small
token of appreciation
towards their contribution goes a very long way.
This was as simple as a
postcard from the mountains with a thank you
note or a small A4 poster
with names of contributors and Isha Vidhya
logo or a picture taken at
the end of the run or trek and emailing them
the same. This return
gesture made donors feel they were a part of my
journey.
Think about some unique, yet
practical token of your appreciation.
10. PAYOFF: I saw that it
made a difference when I gave the donors the
‘option’ of seeing the
impact that their donation has made. Many did
not wish to know, but were
reassured that they had that choice, if they
needed to know. For the
people who did wish to see the impact, it gave
them a feel-good emotion
that is important for future support.
Complete the feedback loop
of the result of the donation
11. PRACTICE: The first
time is always the toughest. After that, you keep
learning new tricks. Some
work, some do not, and that is the fun of the
process. And, after some
time, you actually look forward to the next
fund raising initiative.
Have fun in the process. This is not a JOB to be done