10 tips to increase donations from online campaigns

Do you remember walking around your neighbourhood for primary school fundraisers, knocking on doors to collect donations and signatures? Today, there are so many more options to crowdfund and raise money for different initiatives. Online platforms like GoFundMe and Backabuddy are still relatively new, but the ease of online donations is quickly catching on. 

The world we live in is changing, and that means the way charitable organisations raise funds has changed too. Thanks to the rise of social media, the number of people you can connect with has risen exponentially. By using social media platforms, you can increase your organisation’s visibility as well as connect with people who share similar interests. 

Over time you can convert your followers on social media into active donors. 

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We’ve created a list of tips that you can incorporate into your social media posts, to encourage people to contribute to the amazing work you do.

1. Include a Payment Link in your post, so people reading your post on their mobiles can easily take action and support your organisation. Learn more about our Payment Links here.

2. Make it easier for your community to donate to your cause, by enabling the Pay with Card feature on your Payment Link. When customers click on your Payment Link, they’ll be able to choose to donate to you using their SnapScan app or donate using their bank card. This means you can collect donations from anyone, regardless of whether or not they have the SnapScan app installed on their phones.

3. Include images of your QR Code in a picture that shows the work you do, this will help grab people’s attention when they’re scrolling on social media. 

3. Tell people about the work you do, and make the way they can help more tangible. If they were to donate R100 a month, how would that help your organisation? Can you turn that financial contribution into something they can see and understand? For example, every R100 donated means 5 blankets are given to those in need. 

4. Let people know that their donations can be ongoing, and tell them what consistent, monthly contributions would mean to your organisation. If you’d like to enable the recurring donations feature, get in touch with our team at help@snapscan.co.za.

5. Create content that explains the importance of your organisation’s work. Connect your work to a larger societal issue to show your audience why your work matters. For example, providing menstrual hygiene products to girls in underprivileged communities helps them manage their periods safely and with dignity, and in turn, ensures they don’t miss out on school.  

6. Reach out to people with a large following who have shown an interest in your cause. Ask them to be a brand ambassador and to spread awareness about the work you do. This is a good way to increase your organisation’s visibility on social media and gain new followers. 

7. Attract new followers by running ads on social media. Most social media platforms allow you to target people with specific interests. Target those whose interests align with your organisation’s.  

8. Include a clear Call to Action on your posts. Ask your followers to donate or to share your posts on their page. This gives them an easy and obvious way to make a contribution to your cause. 

9. Share your milestones on social media. Determine what your goals are and let your followers know when you meet them. This could be the number of people you’ve helped or the amount of money you’ve raised. Create infographics to illustrate how you’re meeting your goals. Tools like Canva make this super easy, and you won’t need to hire a designer. 

10. Create engagement opportunities for your followers. The more they interact with you online, the more connected they’ll feel to your organisation. Use the ‘Question and Answers’ feature on Facebook and Instagram to find out what they want to know or create a poll for them to vote on changes you want to implement. 

Use these tips to increase donations during your online campaigns. Remember, you don’t have to do everything in one post (and you shouldn’t!). Pick an objective for each post and then make sure it sends that message clearly, a variety of content is always better to get people’s attention and keep them interested. 

You’re doing important work, and it’s vital that people get to know about it so that they can contribute to your mission. Share your story, and make it as easy as possible for people to donate to your cause. 

Don’t have SnapScan yet? Sign up for a SnapScan merchant account to make use of our nifty payment features so your community can donate to you in a snap. Get started here.