How To Use Your Fundraising Goal to Maximize Donations
Step 1: Calculate a Strategic Fundraising Goal
How much money should you tell potential donors you’re trying to raise? Ask for too much, and you risk turning away donors because they won’t feel their donation will make a difference. Ask for too little, and you won’t raise as much as you could have because donors are more likely to stop giving once you reach your goal.
When setting your fundraising goal on AdoptAClassroom.org,
make sure the amount you set is specific, realistic, and urgent.
Setting a Specific Goal
What are you fundraising for? Whether it’s a single costly classroom item, or a collection of materials, make sure your fundraising goal is set to the exact cost of the supplies (and shipping fees) you need.
Calculating your exact classroom supply costs will show donors that you were thoughtful when setting your fundraising goal, and that you need the full amount you’re asking for.
Setting a Realistic Goal
If you struggle to fundraise for supplies, setting a large goal like $750 probably isn’t realistic. Even if you could really use the funds, you’re more likely to receive donations with a goal that’s realistic for now.
As you grow your network of donors over time and become a more experienced crowdfunder, the amount that’s realistic for you will increase.
Setting an Urgent Goal
When setting a fundraising goal for your classroom supply needs, make sure you’re only fundraising for the materials you need RIGHT NOW.
Rather than setting a fundraising goal of $600 so you can purchase basic supplies that will last the entire school year, lower your fundraising amount to $200 so you can purchase the supplies your students will need for the next few months.
You can always crowdfund again when you start running low on school supplies.
Step 2: Explain Why You Need the Amount You’re Asking For
How you communicate what you need is the key to driving donations. Just like when you set your goal, communicating your needs to potential donors in your fundraising ask should also be specific, realistic, and urgent.
Check out our examples below of fundraising asks that are specific, realistic, and urgent.
Writing a Specific Fundraising Ask
A specific fundraising ask includes a dollar amount, what’s needed, and the impact.
Example of a Specific Fundraising Ask
“This year, many of my students’ families don’t have the money to purchase all of the basic art supplies like colored pencils, sketch books, paint brushes, and paint they need to participate in class. In order to ensure everyone in my class of 25 students is able to express their creativity, I need to raise $200 in the next three days before the new semester begins on January 20th, so that no student of mine is left behind in the arts.”
Writing a Realistic Fundraising Ask
Make sure you ask for a realistic amount of funds to purchase what you need, and explain why you need that amount. Asking for $60 for pens and pencils may sound like an unrealistic amount to some people, but if you explain that you need to provide writing utensils to all 30 of your students for the semester it makes a lot more sense.
Example of a Realistic Fundraising Ask
“This year, many of my students’ families don’t have the money to purchase all of the basic art supplies like colored pencils, sketch books, paint brushes, and paint they need to participate in class. In order to ensure everyone in my class of 25 students is able to express their creativity, I need to raise $200 in the next three days before the new semester begins on January 20th, so that no student of mine is left behind in the arts.”
Writing an Urgent Fundraising Ask
Have you ever been asked to donate to a cause or organization and thought, “I’ll donate later”? Did you remember? Your AdoptAClassroom.org Classroom Page is always live, but you can create urgency with a deadline.
Tips for creating urgency:
- Set a limited period of time (usually a few days, but you can stretch it out if you need to), and include an end date
- Plan for timely events like holidays, birthdays, or back-to-school season
- Update potential donors with how much you still need as your deadline approaches
Example: I only need to raise $50 to reach my goal tonight!
Example of an Urgent Fundraising Ask
“This year, many of my students’ families don’t have the money to purchase all of the basic art supplies like colored pencils, sketch books, paint brushes, and paint they need to participate in class. In order to ensure everyone in my class of 25 students is able to express their creativity, I need to raise $200 in the next three days before the new semester begins on January 20th, so that no student of mine is left behind in the arts.”
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