My Direct Change

Promoting Your Fund

Quick Tips

  1. Donate to your own Fund. If you are asking people to join you, you need to show them that others have donated. 
  2. Ask. Friends, family and people you know will only donate through your Fund if they are asked.  Send a personal email to the people you know and explain why the projects you chose are important to you.
  3. Customize your Fund page. Adding a description on why you care about the projects will go a long way in helping to get support.  To edit your fund visit http://my.directchange.org/user/mypages , choose your fund and then click on "Edit this page."  You can either just type text into the box or you can use some HTML (see the tips on the edit page if you need help) to give it some style and even add your own picture (currently you need to link to images on your own web site)
  4. Promote on your own site.  If you have a website, a blog, a myspace or facebook account you can get HTML code generated from the links on the top of your page.

Different ways to ask

  1. E-mail: It's the easiest way to tell lots of people about your page. But resist the temptation to send out one massive e-mail, because it's much more effective to e-mail people individually even if you say the same thing to everybody. Most importantly, don't be a spammer! And be sure to include a link to your page.
  2. Phone and face-to-face: These are the most compelling ways to ask because you're making a direct personal connection. Try to get a commitment, and follow up by sending a reminder e-mail with a link to your page.
  3. Websites and blogs: If you have a website or a blog, post an appeal for readers to contribute to your projects. You'll need to be especially convincing because you're not making a direct personal connection. Don't let this be your only method.
  4. House parties and fundraisers: These take a bit more work, but are a lot of fun! We talk more about holding events below.

What to say

Make it Important.
Make it Simple.
Make it Personal.

  1. Explain why it's important to support the project(s)you've chosen. Just have one or a few simple, direct reasons.
  2. Explain how each contribution will help the targeted community.
  3. Explain why you personally are supporting the project(s) you've chosen. And if you can, tailor your pitch to the person you're asking.
Example: "The single most important thing we can do for African children is to help keep families together. When families are faced with economic strife the children are often forced to work, thus separating them from their family and depriving them of the basic care, education, and support they so desparately need. I adopted my son from Ethopia last year. He was one of these children torn from his family and any hope of a normal life. Please join me in helping to keep families together."

Closing the deal

  1. Ask for a specific amount, by a specific deadline: "I'm trying to raise $500 for The Sudan Project this week, and it would make a big difference if you could contribute $50."
  2. If your prospective donor says you've asked for too much money, ask for a smaller amount. Both of you will feel better if they make a contribution, even if it's smaller than what you had hoped for. (Generally people feel guilty if they refuse outright to contribute even a little bit to a cause their friends care about—and you don't want your friends to feel bad about themselves.)
  3. Always stay cheerful and express your appreciation, regardless of whether you got a contribution: "Thanks for your time!" or "Thanks for letting me practice my pitch!"

Follow up

Send thank-you notes to contributors! Tell them that they're making an important difference in the world, and that their contributions mean a lot to you.

Ask contributors if they know of others who might be interested in contributing as well. If they do, ask for an introduction.

How to ask

People who haven't fundraised before often think this the hardest part, but once you've done it a few times you'll find it easy, and even fun. Besides, not many people just show up at Direct Change looking for good fundraising pages, so it's your job to get people to visit your page.

If you're uncomfortable asking people for money, here are a few things to remember:

  • Here's a pitch to try on people who haven't contributed to African charities before: "We all want to help the many African people, and particularly the children, who so desperately need it. But often the challenge seems too daunting that we feel that our small donation will make no difference. Direct Change is designed to remedy this. By donating directly to legitimate projects on the ground you can personally impact people's lives."
  • You're not asking someone to throw their money away—or even to give it to you. You're asking them to use their money to support a cause they believe in.
  • Money is only one of the valuable things in our lives. You probably wouldn't be uncomfortable asking a friend to drive you to the airport or to spend an afternoon volunteering. And for many working people, time is just as valuable as money—so don't sweat it!

Fun fundraising: House parties and ticketed events

  • Throw a house party in honor of the projects on your fundraising page. At the party, make a short speech about how great the projects are and how they are going to help, and ask people to contribute to your fundraising page. (It always helps to have a plant in the audience who loudly asks if they can donate immediately after you finish talking!)
  • At a ticketed event, you require people to contribute a certain amount to your projects in order to attend, and you combine a pleasant time with music, food, etc with a speech or discussion about why your projects are important and how much you appreciate everyone's contributions.

We thank ActBlue for many of the ideas on this page.