The strain of managing a crisis and catastrophe response for a disaster relief nonprofit can be lessened with an emergency fundraising plan. By and large, this allows your organization to draw in sympathetic donors and inform them of the immediate impact of their contributions. Although calamities can’t always be predicted, being prepared will help your nonprofit handle the next crisis fundraiser with ease.
- The difficulties faced by emergency and disaster relief personnel can be effectively addressed with a strategy in place.
- Thoughtful touchpoints are often appreciated by donors, and this is particularly true in times of emergency.
Top five strategies for disaster relief fundraising
Without a doubt, setting priorities for your objectives and actions can help you make the most use of the resources available to your organization. There is always a smart place to start when creating a strategy. However, there is no predetermined format for creating a fundraising plan. As a disaster relief nonprofit, you can follow these steps to help you organize your ideas for effective disaster relief fundraising.
1. Create an Emergency Fundraising Communications Plan
To begin with, it is best to plan your nonprofit’s response even before the occurrence of any disaster. This is by creating a strategy that describes how your nonprofit will get in touch with donors in the days, weeks, and hours after an emergency.
2. Embrace simplicity
Secondly, you should note that simple and unambiguous fundraising tactics work best. Through the use of a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats), you can understand what’s feasible and realistic. Not to mention, there are a ton of SWOT analysis examples available online if this is something you have never done before.
Your plan needs to be continuously examined to be successful. Also, it shouldn’t be filed away in an office drawer and forgotten about. All in all, the secret to monitoring and evaluating success is to set goals and create an activity schedule.
3. Be Empathetic
Thirdly, be compassionate in your request when soliciting funds. Donors should be made aware that the mission is to assist those most in need. Also, no matter how significant your cause may be, steer clear of giving the impression that you expect donations from others. Having donors believe that you are taking advantage of their sorrow to generate funds is the very last thing you want. Regardless of the size of the donation, make sure you express sincere gratitude.
4. Leverage Traditional Media and Peer Networks
Usually, a disaster always makes headlines. You can take advantage of this to benefit the impacted areas by contacting your neighborhood news outlets to request fundraising publicity. Your campaign will gain momentum even with a brief appearance on the local news or a brief article in the newspaper.
Additionally, you should use your personal and professional networks to launch a peer-to-peer campaign.
5. Follow Up
There might be an increase in first-time contributors to your organization. In this case, ensure you get every donor’s details so you may thank them and get in touch with them later. Whether you generate money through your website or a crowdsourcing platform, the rationale is the same.
Thoughtful touchpoints are often appreciated by donors, and this is particularly true in times of emergency. Let them know who benefited from their donation and how the funds were used. When another crisis occurs in the future, you can be confident about asking them for a follow-up donation.
6. Encourage Recurring Donations
All things considered, disaster relief is a continuous process rather than a quick remedy. Hence, you can urge your supporters to contribute regularly such as monthly. This ensures continual support both during and after a crisis.
Conclusion
Unpredictability is what characterizes a crisis occurrence. The difficulties faced by emergency and disaster relief personnel can be effectively addressed with a strategy in place. Hence, having an actionable plan before a disaster happens is essential to successful fundraising.
If this article resonates with you, we welcome your thoughts, suggestions, and questions at the bottom of this post.