It’s summertime, and it’s a great time for any organization to really push their fundraising efforts! Car washes, walk-a-thons, chicken bbq’s… all of these are great ideas and they can really aid in bringing in a few dollars; but wouldn’t you rather they bring in a few hundred dollars? Any organization can easy walk away from a simple summer fundraiser with well over $1,000, if they go the extra mile to publicize the event. 

This does not mean you have to spend a ton of money on paid advertising.  There are actually many ways to promote your organization’s event that will cost you just about nothing but time. The following tips will help you get the knowledge and understanding of simple promotional tactics that can get you on your way to a successful summer fundraising event!

Promotional Tactics that won’t Bust the Budget!

Send out a Press Release: Having a press release for your event could possibly be one of the most important things any organization should do.  Not only can you submit your event’s press release to your local media (TV stations, newspapers, radio stations etc.), but you can also use it to find donors and vendors for the event at local grocery stores for supply stores.

Use your Social Networking Skills: Social Networking has added new ways to conduct business and build your organizations awareness. By utilizing it, you have the ability to form communities, groups and events with others interested in your cause.

Go Back to the Roots of Marketing, Word of Mouth: Mixing new methods of marketing and PR with more traditional methods will highly benefit the results of any campaign.  Still today, over 90% of customers identify word of mouth as the best, most reliable and trustworthy source about ideas and information on products, services and events. So tell everyone one you know, then tell them to tell everyone they know.

Update Current Constituents with an Email Blast: By maintaining a constant stream of communication with your current members and donors, not only will you form a better relationship with them, but you will keep them on the radar with your current happenings!

The importance of Public Relations is often under-minded as something only for large organizations and corporations.  The truth is, PR comes in many shapes and sizes for everyone, and any organization with a message to share should be using PR to promote that message.

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going” Will your organization rise to the top or will it buckle under the pressure of an unstable economy?  Most likely, you would prefer the latter, but in order to “get going” it’s imperative that an organization utilize strategies that are both low cost and effective. 

Social networking, press releases, blogging and article writing are all ways to spread your brands image across a variety of mediums without breaking the bank.  If you take the time to learn and then execute each of these marketing strategies, they can provide any organization a maximum return on little investment.

Does your organization “RT” the latest tweets in your industry? If you have an upcoming event, do you update your “wall” with the details? Is your nonprofit “In” the network with other fundraisers, charities and donors? If the previous three questions went completely over your head, it is what you call social media and it has completely re-shaped the realm of marketing. Currently, there are well over 50 different of social networking sites including: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Plaxo, Mixx, LinkedIn, Tribe, Ryze, Digg, Reddit, Squidoo, Flickr, Freindster, Bebo, YouTube, Tagged, Xing, and the list goes on and on and on.  The key is to gain a presence on as many sites as you can maintain; meaning regularly capable of adding fresh content, interesting updates and organizational news.  Ideally and realistically, this will be around five to ten sites. If your organization does not already have a presence on at least three of the top social networking sites then now is the time to “get going” on the social media wave.

Press releases are more effective than ever and, if done right, can deliver better pick-up with traditional media outlets, new media outlets and even get directly to consumers. How would you like your annual Gala event to be plastered in front of 200,000 eyes in color, in sound and in action?  Accomplishing this means providing your local media with a newsworthy press release.  Local reporters are constantly on the prowl for the latest happenings in the area that will generate interest from the community.  While you may not be guaranteed a feature package every week, a few sound-bites and video on the evening news would get you free publicity that reaches thousands.  Additionally, to stay competitive in the market today you need to be searchable, believable and credible.  Press releases help you to promote these goals.

An organization’s blog can provide commentary or news on your specific organizations interests, beliefs, positioning on current news.  As a nonprofit it is important to start your blog early because this can be one of the most cost effective ways to reach followers of your organization.  As your organization grows so will your number of followers and those who become faithful will appreciate your information and possibly become a future donor. One of the best characteristics of a blog is that it’s not necessary to be a professional author or a multi-million-dollar company to have a blog.  All you need is opinions, information and insight in your cause.  If you prove to be genuine and knowledgeable your readers will notice and your blog will become one of the most cost effective marketing tools your organization could invest in.  If you have a sincere message, as most nonprofit organizations do, now is the time to “get going” on an organizational blog.

Spreading your organization’s passion to others is what builds the foundation for most nonprofits.   Writing articles for your organization is a great way to disseminate your mission to current and future donors, plus it will build your organizations credibility as an expert source for your cause.  Furthermore, blasting these articles out to websites, directories and news outlets will increase link-backs to your website, making your organization easier to find on the web.  Writing an effective article requires an understanding of professional writing and AP standards along with the capability to merge SEO tactics throughout the body of your article.  To “get going” with writing articles may be a bit trickier than writing for a blog, but with a little practice or help from a professional writer, your organization can be on its way to expert article status.

“When the going gets tough, will your organization get going?” Using the above strategies will give you the tools to get started; it is how you execute them that will determine the results you will receive.  Finally, keep in mind that every method will not deliver results right away, but not giving up and pushing forward through the storm is what will set you apart from other organizations.