Four ways to use incentives in fundraising
Howard Lake | 9 December 2013 | Blogs
Fundraising might be getting harder, but there are ways in which fundraisers and charities can try to counter this. Having spent the whole of 2013 trying to do one thing every day for charity, I have seen plenty of examples of where incentivised fundraising has been done well.
Do it for the total
I first saw incentivised fundraising used to encourage people to raise £200 or more for the YMCA’s Sleep Easy event. Anyone who raised this amount or more would be automatically be entered into a prize draw to win one of several prizes provided by local businesses. Having participated in this event, I don’t actually think people needed an incentive to donate, as the event itself (which required participants to sleep rough for the night) is certainly in the category of “I’d rather you than me”, which can make it easier for people to dig deep.
I believe the incentive helped, as the YMCA raised over £23,000 from 180 people taking part in Exeter alone.
Do it for the publicity
This year I saw Tanzanian charity Orphans in the Wild, set up by a couple from Tavistock and partnered by Foxes NGO, providing the incentive of a ten-day trip to Africa for two. Their aim is to raise a substantial £100,000 to buy four ambulances to assist in the life changing work Foxes NGO is undertaking in the Tanzanian community of Mufindi.
Appreciating that this is no small sum and they needed to do something to help the campaign gain momentum, they have gone for a prize draw approach. There are 5,000 tickets available to anyone who donates £20 or more to the appeal. Allocated on a pro rata basis, their example of incentivised fundraising makes it clear to donors that the more they give, the more likely they are to win the trip of a lifetime.
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Do it to improve
Both Children with Cancer UK and the Live Below the Line campaign offered entry to a prize draw as an incentive for people to give feedback on their events. Knowing response rates to surveys can be particularly low, an incentive to increase participation in these surveys becomes a must for charities hoping to run the same or similar events.
Do it to get your donations in
CLIC Sargent offered a £100 House of Fraser voucher to everyone who submitted their total raised by a certain cut off date. This incentive communicates a sense of urgency on the part of the charity, and a recognition that gathering donations can be a time-consuming process.
These are just a few examples that I have come across in 2013, which is the first year in which I’ve noticed charities providing incentives to engage supporters. I’m sure we will see more in 2014 and it will be interesting to review how well these incentives increase participation.
Ashley Petrons is a freelance marketeer, focusing on helping charities with their communications. An active volunteer for a wide range of charitable organisations over the last decade, Ashley has undertaken a mission to do one thing for charity every day for a whole year, just to prove how simple it can be to give back.
Photo: carrot and stick by AJT on Shutterstock.com
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.