Get ready for fall fundraising! 10 ideas for your nonprofit

‍This webinar recording includes:

• Top tips for fall fundraising to help you start planning now 🍂
• 10 inspiring fall fundraising ideas from nonprofit fundraising success stories 🎃
• How you can use Givebutter to raise more this fall 👀
• Common nonprofit questions answered 📣

You'll walk away from this webinar recording READY to start your fall fundraising planning. Don't have time to watch the full recording? No problem! 

Keep reading to get an overview of everything we chatted about, including how to create your fall fundraising campaign game plan and 10 fall fundraising theme ideas from successful campaign examples.

How to create your fall fundraising game plan

Follow these 10 steps to create your ultimate fall fundraising game plan, including what you should do before, during, and after launching your fall fundraiser.

1. Evaluate last year’s fundraising ✅ 

Before you begin planning your fall fundraiser, reflect on how you raised funds last autumn. Ask yourself:

• What worked?
• What didn't?

Looking back at past years' successes (and mistakes) will inform the strategy you come up with for this year.

2. Establish your fundraising goals 🎯 

Based on last year’s fall events, set a SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound) goal for this year. There are several different types of goals you can set for your fall fundraiser, including: 

• Raise $$ in total
• Gain ## new supporters
• Recruit ## of team fundraisers
• Reach ##% of staff and Board participation

Choose a goal (or goals) that align with and help fulfill your nonprofit's mission.

3. Brainstorm creative ideas 🧠 

Gather your team and get those creative juices flowing in a fall fundraising brainstorming session. Don't be afraid to think outside the box. Invite input from other key stakeholders like VIP volunteers, major donors, or board members. Look at what other nonprofit’s are doing for inspiration, but always consider themes and formats that best compliment your mission and target audience.

‍

More to explore

Discover 13 fall festival ideas every age group will love →

4. Choose a fundraising platform 💻 

The fundraising platform you choose can make or break your fall fundraiser. Here are some important things to consider when selecting a fundraising platform:

• Pricing and budget: Look at your fundraising budget for the year and how much you expect to raise from your fall fundraiser. Select a platform that suits your organization's needs without breaking the bank.
• Must-have features: Choose a fundraising platform that has all the features you'd expect (e.g., ability to accept multiple payment methods and customizable fundraising pages) and specific features you'll need to make your fall fundraiser a success (e.g., option to livestream your event or multi-team fundraising).
• Ease of use: Some fundraising platforms are more complicated to use or take longer to set up. Others charge extra for access to their customer support team. The level of support and resources you'll need when setting up your fall fundraiser could be the deciding factor between one fundraising platform over the other.
• Optimal donor experience: You'll want a fundraising platform that is not only easy to set up and manage, but one that donors will actually enjoy using. Especially if you are running a peer-to-peer or team fundraising campaign, make sure donors will be able to fundraise on behalf of your organization and easily share your campaign with their networks with little to no training.

Of course, we recommend Givebutter! With Givebutter, you can raise funds with modern donation forms and fundraising pages, host in-person, virtual, and hybrid events, track donor data, and engage supporters via text, email, and video—all in one place and all completely free.

‍

‍📝 Note: Givebutter hosted this webinar on August 18, 2021 before announcing the biggest update in Givebutter history. On September 1, 2021, Givebutter launched the world's first completely free, end-to-end fundraising platform. Custom branding on everything, our very own nonprofit CRM, the ability to send targeted messages to supporters, and a lot more—all free, forever. Sign up for your free account today to start exploring Givebutter ->