How to start a fundraiser: 6 steps to success for nonprofits

Creating, promoting, and collecting funds for a campaign may seem daunting, especially if you’re new to fundraising. But with over 50,000 organizations launching fundraising campaigns on Givebutter, anyone can learn the ropes and set up a successful fundraiser in just six simple steps.

We’ll walk you through everything you need to know—no matter what kind of campaign you’re launching.

1. Set a clear, realistic fundraising goal 🏆

So, how do you set up a fundraiser? Easy—you start by mapping out where you want to end up. One of the best ways to approach this is by creating a SMART fundraising goal. 

That means your goal should be:

• Specific 💡 Clearly define what you’re seeking to accomplish. Is your goal to bring in 20 new recurring donors? Raise $20K to fund new programs? Cover operating expenses for the next year?
• Measurable 📏 Set concrete, numerical targets to track your progress. If you’re raising money for an educational initiative, specify how many books, computers, or scholarships you aim to fund.
• Achievable 💪 Take an honest look at your resources and budget. Is your goal realistic given your constraints?
• Relevant 💛 Ensure your goal aligns with your organization’s mission. How will your fundraiser make an impact?
• Time-bound 🕜 Create deadlines for hitting key milestones. Be precise—will it take you two weeks or two months? 

🎬 See it in action: If you’re a pet rescue charity looking to start a fundraising campaign, your SMART goal might be to raise $4K by August 15 to support free instructional classes like “Responsible Pet Care” and “So, You Think You’re Ready for a Dog?” Another example goal might be to raise $1K in 30 days. 

💪 Pro tip: Don’t forget to share your goal with supporters by adding a fundraising thermometer to your online donation form. 

I love the fundraising thermometer and the ability to embed it on our website. It’s a great visual tool that keeps our supporters engaged and excited as we progress toward our goal!” — Givebutter review, Abe C. 

2. Craft a compelling idea 💰

You need a campaign idea that will hook your target audience and build momentum. Luckily, there’s an endless number of ways to raise money effectively. 

Let’s dive into some of the most popular fundraising strategies:

• Crowdfunding campaign 👥 One of the quickest ways to raise money for your cause is running a crowdfunding campaign on social media—the average nonprofit crowdfunding campaign raises over $9K! 
• Matching gift campaign 💸 Partner with a donor, institution, or local business to match your supporters’ gifts. A donation-matching campaign can help you raise funds twice as fast without much additional effort. An estimated $2.86B is donated through matching gifts each year.
• Team fundraising 🤝 Ask your friends, family, coworkers, and community members to raise money for your organization through peer-to-peer fundraising. Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns are a powerful way to expand your reach and introduce new supporters to your cause—an impressive 75% of these contributors are first-time donors. 
• Corporate philanthropy 🧑‍💼 Many companies, both large and small, offer charitable giving programs. For example, if you’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Amazon will donate 0.5% of your supporters’ eligible purchases to your organization. 
• Fundraising events 🥳 Introduce a little friendly competition with an athletic event or mix and match ideas, like a virtual bake sale and cookbook giveaway. You may even consider adding a raffle or silent auction to your event!

 When it comes to events, it’s all about community. People give to people. If we’re not connected to each other, if we’re not in community together, if we don’t feel connected to the missions we care about, then we’re not giving. —Samantha Swaim, Fundraising events expert 

💪 Pro tip: Planning a fundraising event might seem overwhelming, but with effective nonprofit event planning, it can cultivate invaluable connections, leading to increased giving in the long run. 

More to explore

Top fundraising event ideas for your cause →

3. Assemble your dream team 👋

A successful fundraiser starts with a strong team. Before launching your charity fundraiser, build an effective team by:

• Identifying necessary roles 🧑‍💻 Define the specific, essential roles for running a fundraiser, such as a fundraising coordinator or marketing and communications specialist.
• Defining responsibilities ✅ Clearly outline responsibilities and expectations so every team member understands their role inside and out. 
• Recruiting your team 👋 Bring in additional help like volunteers, new staff, or board members as needed. 

💪 Pro tip: One of the most effective ways to simplify event logistics and make your fundraiser run smoothly is to assign a lead manager to welcome your guests the day of. 

Make sure your volunteers are trained, friendly, and connected. Include a separate help station to troubleshoot anything unexpected. — Samantha Swaim, Fundraising events expert 

4. Choose the best tools ⚒️

Running a successful fundraiser starts with the right tools. When choosing a fundraising platform, look for one that offers:

• Mobile-friendly donation forms 💰 Make it easy for supporters to contribute to your fundraiser. Choose a platform with custom donation forms that accept popular payment methods like Venmo, Google Pay, Apple Pay, and PayPal. 
• Event management tools 🎊 Whether your nonprofit organization is looking to host a P2P campaign or run an auction, your fundraising software should help you from start to finish with essential features like event ticketing and livestreaming.
• Donor management 💸 Great fundraising requires a deep understanding of your donor base. Find a platform with a built-in nonprofit CRM to automatically track donor behavior and improve future initiatives.
• Marketing and engagement 💌 Use a platform that offers plenty of donor engagement tools like social sharing, texting, and mass emailing. Be sure that it offers automatic receipts for every donation, too. 

With a robust suite of fundraising features, donor management tools, and seamless donor communications, Givebutter has everything you need to host fundraising events, engage supporters, and exceed your fundraising goals—all at no cost to you. 

Givebutter provided everything we needed—CRM, online fundraising, and auction tools—all in one platform. Its flexible payment options helped us share costs with donors while allowing us to retain maximum dollars for our mission to support breast cancer research. — Givebutter review, Stephanie L.

5. Spread the word 📣

For nonprofits, promotion is key—people can’t donate or attend if they don’t know about your cause.

The good news is that the right fundraising platform allows your organization to easily harness the power of multiple promotional channels like:

• Social media sharing (Facebook, Instagram, etc.)
• Email marketing
• SMS text campaigns
• Direct mail

Freebie alert!

Download a free social media strategy plan template to share with your team →

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Once you’ve chosen your channels and planned your messaging schedule, it’s time to start crafting your donation appeal. Remember these key principles:

• Be consistent 📝 No matter which channels you choose, your call to action should stay the same. For instance, include a mobile-friendly donate button with a clear message like “Give $1, save a life” that links to your fundraising page.
• Make it clear 🧐 Be specific with donation suggestions. For example, “Donating $25 will pay for one child’s lunches for a week.” 
• Be creative 🎨 A powerful video, silly gimmick, funny name, or urgent deadline could be the factor that gets people buying tickets, donating, or inviting others to participate. Creativity can pay off—57% of people donate after watching a nonprofit’s video. 

6. Follow up (and celebrate!) 🎉

Now it’s time to ask, “What did we accomplish?” Gather your team to evaluate your fundraiser’s success by answering questions like:

• Did we meet or exceed our goal?
• Did we fall a little short? 
• Where could we improve?
• Where did we excel?

Regardless of whether you met your goal, always show gratitude to your donors. A sincere thank you goes a long way—whether through social media posts, donation thank you letters, or direct phone calls.

💪 Pro tip: Consider turning your most successful event into an annual fundraiser. The second (and third, and fourth!) time around, it’ll be easier to streamline planning, increase turnout, and elevate the experience for attendees. 

Freebie alert!

Download the fundraising calendar template and simplify fundraising →

Launch a successful fundraiser with Givebutter 

Givebutter has everything you need for a successful fundraiser. With useful tools like text-to-donate, scan-to-donate, and a live display screen of incoming donations, it offers versatile options to engage donors. It’s a great option for nonprofits looking to raise funds effectively. — Givebutter review, Leonie T.

Learning how to start a fundraiser for your cause doesn't have to be stressful. With Givebutter—a free, all-in-one fundraising solution built for nonprofits—you can streamline your fundraising efforts and avoid the headache of manual fundraiser planning. 

From custom donation forms and built-in marketing tools to a powerful nonprofit CRM, discover why Givebutter is the most-loved fundraising platform in the industry. 

Sign up for a free Givebutter account today to get your fundraiser off on the right start.

More to explore

How to raise more with nonprofit fundraising →

FAQs: Top questions about running a fundraiser 

How do I start a fundraiser for charity? 

To start a charity fundraiser, first set clear fundraising goals. Based on your goal, choose your fundraising campaign type—such as a fundraising event, peer-to-peer campaign, or corporate sponsorship outreach. Once you’ve assembled your team and selected your fundraising tools, you can begin promoting your fundraiser. 

What do I need to start a fundraiser? 

All you need to get started is a mission and a SMART fundraising goal. From there, you can choose the type of fundraising campaign you’d like to run. 

Signing up for a platform like Givebutter can simplify logistics and help get your fundraiser off the ground. 

What’s the best website to create fundraisers? 

Givebutter is an all-in-one nonprofit software that makes fundraising events easy—from selling tickets to checking in guests and collecting data for future campaigns. 

What types of fundraisers make the most money? 

The most profitable fundraisers vary depending on your organization. Commonly, some of the most successful fundraising ideas include:  

• Peer-to-peer campaigns
• Auctions
• Charity runs 
• Raffles
• Donation drives
• Bake sales 
• Concerts
• Crowdfunding campaigns

What is the 3 to 1 rule of fundraising? 

The 3-to-1 rule means that for every ask you make for donations, you should interact with donors in three other non-monetary ways. This type of donor communication could include thank you notes, nonprofit impact reports, or a request for feedback.