The landscape of the US nonprofit fundraising is showing a growing trend towards giving in the healthcare sector. Out of the institutes surveyed in a report, $6095 billion was the funds raised by healthcare institutes in 2004 and it stood at $9651 billion in 2015. According to the report, out of the total hospital giving a major chunk (28.7%) came from corporate and foundations. This clearly shows how vital are nonprofits and charitable organizations in healthcare fundraising.
Organizations and charities who do medical fundraising for a larger cause have to juggle with many things. It’s even more challenging to raise funds on medically important days such as World Lupus Day, World Anti-tobacco Day, World Blood Donor Day since you are not alone raising funds out there. Standing out among others is a real concern.
The approach we are about to mention can be applied effectively by nonprofit organizations to run a successful medical fundraising campaign. Also, for a nonprofit organization, donor management software will be of great use as it helps maintain all your database.
Apart from the primary reason for covering medical expenses, some other necessities a healthcare organization require funds are for:-
- staffing cost
- maintaining existing equipments
- upgrading and purchasing new equipments
- facility and infrastructure renovations
- maintaining and improving patient care services
As pressure mounts to raise more funds for the medical expenses the need is to take a more strategic approach for fundraising. Here, we have delineated a few points that may turn out to be valuable. The following can be incorporated well into your online giving strategy as well.
Run a personalized campaign:-
Don’t just run a campaign instead run a “personalized campaign”. As the overall number of medical fundraising is on the rise one needs to stand out from the rest. One cannot expect people to donate with blast messages. Tell them your story by running a personalized fundraising campaign. Show them why you need the funds. Let them know the seriousness of the illness or disease for which you are raising funds for and the fighting journey of yours.
Update your supporters frequently:-
Since the backbone of the campaign is your supporters, they have the right to know how things are progressing. Update them regularly about the status, setbacks, and milestones. To hold the attention of your donors and supporters you need to create an interactive experience instead of just posting the disease and the treatment cost.
Get in touch with organizations and communities they know:-
The person for whom the funds are being raised must be a member of a community such as churches, club or sports team. Appeal directly to these organizations and communities. Ideally, you should begin from this step, since they are the people who know the ailing person personally. Driven by the emotional connect that weaves them together, raising funds from these organizations can be much easier.
Use social media platforms effectively:-
Social media platforms are powerful tools that can help you spread the message to your supporters and help you reach out to more audience. Look for the platform that your supporters use. While planning a fundraising social media strategy, a significant amount of research is required. Given the time constraints, carrying out intense research is near to impossible. We suggest you go for a platform that is most common in your region. To make it more rewarding, try posting and sharing at a time when people are more active on the platform.
Start a t-shirt fundraiser:-
Design and sell custom shirts through an online t-shirt fundraiser to raise awareness and money for your medical cause. These types of fundraisers are great for awareness months and days that your organization leans on for big donations and support. For example, if your medical organization focuses on helping people with lupus, you could design a lupus awareness shirt and launch a t-shirt fundraiser for World Lupus Day. The shirts could help spread awareness and raise money for those people affected by the disease.
Organize events such as walkathons:-
Set a small-scale fundraising walk. Ask a family member or a friend of the ailing to organize a walkathon. Ask them to send out invites to friends, community circles, organization where they work, and clubs they are a member of to join in the event.
Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is an easy and effective way to raise money to cover the cost of expensive medical treatments and unexpected health emergencies. Due to the current coronavirus crisis, it’s more important than ever to be able to generate revenue incredibly quickly.
Additionally, with a crowdfunding campaign, you can regularly update your supporters on the progress of the medical recovery and relief efforts that they’re funding.
