Ways to Ask for Donations Online

Wikimedia Foundation roughly collected USD 35 million through an online fundraiser in 2012! The fundraiser ran for 9 days on the English-language Wikipedia in the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Donations are no longer a door-to-door affair. It is easier and faster to collect donations on the Internet. Several organizations host banners and advertisements on their website to attract potential donors to contribute to a cause they support. Remember, you're just one of them.

When seeking donations, always give the donor a clear picture of the work you do. If you're supporting a specific social cause, say world hunger, you need to speak elaborately on how you're working to diminish the extents to which this problem has crippled the world.

Talk about the cause in detail, but do not keep from talking about yourself intricately as well. People should know why they should help your organization in particular when there are a hundred others they can aid. Remember, you have an impression to make.

Most people already know the extent to which a situation (the cause you are fighting for) needs mending, but they might not know how good you are in tackling the situation. Use simple language to explain your plan of action. Avoid jargon as far as possible.

Also, never lie about the work you do when asking for money. Not only is it fraudulent in nature, but also completely capable of erasing your goodwill.

The 6 easy and legal ways to ask for donations online are mentioned below. It is advised that you try your hand at all of them to collect as much donation as possible.

The first thing you need to do is create an identity on the Internet in the form of a website. Provide detailed information to all your visitors. Don't keep it short and ambiguous. Have photos, articles published in newspapers, information on tie-ups with well-known organizations, and also information about the team. People always like to know who's in charge of their money.

Once you've placed yourself on the cyber map, you need to continuously expand your domain and update your data. Having outdated content can work very negatively for your brand. Always put up information in the form of photos and content about recent activities, such as conferences, celebrations, or drives.

If you have a dedicated team taking care of e-mail notifications, make sure they send out this information regularly. If you wish to be noticed, it is very important to be an active member on people's cyber radar.

Social media channels are fast replacing connectivity that was earlier entirely handled by e-mails. It is easier to reach out to people via Facebook and Twitter.

These channels also help in expanding your client base. And what's more? You get all this for free! Once you sign up on these websites, it is very important that you keep posting/tweeting status messages to continuously make your presence felt. The easiest way to do this is by sharing content you update on your website.

In spite of the ever-expanding reach of the social media, there is a seriousness associated with sending exclusive e-mails via webmail that is yet to be enjoyed by the social networking sites. Send e-mails to your existing clients and request them for donations.

This way you won't miss out on clients who are not a part of social networking sites and, therefore, miss out on your social media campaigns. If these people have been associated with your organization till now, chances are thin that they won't oblige again.

If you have got access to another database (basically people you don't know), draft a different e-mail for these people and also add your organization's biodata.

Advertising can greatly change the impact of your campaign. Search for websites that have huge traffic and request them to host your donation campaign banner or advertisement on their website. If you are supporting a social cause, the website may host your advertising material for free or with a nominal charge.

This will benefit them in their CSR activities. Websites like Facebook even have paid advertising options where you can reach out to people who are currently not following you.

If your donations are not strictly monetary, you can tie up with other organizations and ask for donations in kind through their online platform(s). You can request them to host your advertising material on their website, Facebook page, or in their e-mail campaigns and then both parties can share all the donated goods that come in.

★ The donation button must be easily visible. It should not be surrounded by unnecessary information and should not be equivocal.

★ Always show where the money is going. Testimonials, photographs, and previous events should justify the optimum utilization of the money that is collected.

★ Always save contact details of donors. They've favored you before and are usually the people you can expect goodness from again.

★ Always have multiple payment options available. You don't want to lose out on donors because of these essentials.

★ Focus on 'call to action'. Your donation button should be designed in such a way that users are prompted to click it.

★ In a few words, explain how donating to the particular cause is a moral duty of every citizen and how it helps society as a whole.

With these essentials in mind, it shouldn't be very difficult for you to design your campaign. These simple ways to ask for donations through online channels can increase your chances of gathering more money. Last but not the least, provide a number and an e-mail ID where people can contact you in case of any doubts.