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JustGiving's fundraising tips for small charities 1

Fundraising | 8 Dec 2011

Earlier this week JustGiving revealed that 70 per cent of all donations through its service go to just 1.8 per cent of charities registered with it. JustGiving's managing director Anne-Marie Huby outlines some tips for small charities to boost donations through the fundraising platform.

1. Use a fundraising first

JustGiving has recently launched JustTextGiving in association with Vodafone, giving individuals and charities the ability to raise even more money in the quickest and easiest of ways.

You can easily create your own unique six-digit code, share it with your potential supporters and receive text donations to your JustGiving page. All text messages are free to send on any mobile phone network and 100 per cent of every donation (plus 25 per cent gift aid) goes to your chosen charity.

2. Utilise social media

Our research shows that the influence of social media is on the up when it comes to giving to charity. More and more people are donating after being asked through social media, and Facebook is having the biggest impact.

• By 2015, 50 per cent of donations on JustGiving will have come from Facebook
• There has been a 130 per cent year-on-year increase in donations on JustGiving that came through Facebook

Download the JustGiving Facebook charity app - allowing any charity to easily take donations through Facebook without leaving the site. Our research reveals that charity supporters increasingly prefer to give directly through social channels. Those who donate to charity directly through Facebook using an app donate an average of £26.45, over 44 per cent more than those who are asked to click through to another website.

3. App-ly some fundraising initiative

Download the free JustGiving app for iPhone, iPhone Touch and iPad and see who’s donated already and who you can still ask, then easily share your JustGiving page with your contacts.

You can also update your JustGiving page for the Great North Run with your latest news and photos to keep your supporters enthusiastic about your fundraising endeavor.

4. Tell your story

The best fundraising pages tell a really good personal story. Let people know why you're going to the trouble of raising money and running the distance and they're much more likely to take the time to donate.

5. Personalise your page

Personal photos make your page much more engaging. A colourful photograph of you sweating it out on a practice run will be so much more interesting than a difficult to read chunk of text. Even better add your own YouTube video to spark interest amongst potential donors. Add a bit of humour or tug on the heart strings and people will find themselves compelled to donate and may even forward the link to your video to their friends, colleagues and family.

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Directory: JustGiving