There are multiple effective approaches to fundraising, and this guide serves as a template to help establish a personalized fundraising strategy. It includes tips for fundraising during live events, creating content around fundraising efforts, and best practices gathered from experience over the years.
Fundraising online effectively is an ongoing cycle of...
- Repetition
- Information
- Donation
- Inclusion
- Freestyle
In doing so, you are effectively providing all of the information and interest needed to maintain your audience while informing new viewers popping in.
1. Repetition
Continuous repetition of key points is incredibly important. Consider the most well-known language learning software. Fifteen years ago, many might recall the Rosetta Stone commercials that aired repeatedly. Today, the image that likely comes to mind is the green owl frequently appearing on TikTok's FYP. Duolingo has become synonymous with language learning software largely due to repetition.
Repetition creates association. By reinforcing key points, viewers will clearly understand where their donations are going, why they matter, and who benefits. These factors are crucial for fundraising—people are contributing to a cause, and it’s essential that they know, without a shadow of a doubt, the who, what, when, where, and why.
2. Information
Here are some resources, including flashcards, statistics, recipient stories, and information about the organization and what it does. Giving people tangible information as well as a place to follow up on that information is paramount. It lets users know what their donations go toward and who they're helping.
3. Donation
A call to donate: Is it in the link in bio? Is it by texting TRANSJOY to 44-321? Is it by going to pointofpride.org? However you have it set up, let them know where to go!
4. Inclusion
Include the audience. Tell them to share the live, tap the screen, or screenshot you in the live and post their own video. (If they have five followers, those are five people who can donate, make their own videos, or simply become aware that this is happening.)
Find an action your audience can take to help advance this cause.
5. Freestyle
This is where you have fun. This is where you throw in your own flair. Share a talent, a joke, a moment of levity—something that makes this your own.
- Do you play games? Play them on stream.
- Do you cook? Make something on stream!
- Do you juggle? Set a goal for you to show off that talent.
- Do you have a joke about the fundraiser, your life, or the comments in chat? Share that comedy.
If you don't have anything, say things that come to mind and see what sticks. A lot of the time, the audience will also provide banter for you to go back and forth on. That keeps people entertained while you work collectively to make this happen.
Types of Videos
Straightforward
This method is intended to give action and solutions in the most direct way.
1. Open Up with a Call to Your Community
- “If you care about the trans community...”
- “If you're worried about the future of trans people in this country, watch this video...”
- “If you want to help trans people access gender-affirming care...”
This will help distinguish the audience you're trying to reach. It allows the initial users from the algorithmic push to self-select and ultimately helps the video land on the For You Pages of those who care about our cause.
Defining an audience has long been used by creators to curate the target audience of their videos by benefiting from the algorithm and allowing viewers to know the subject matter.
2. Set the Layout of the Video
In this portion of the video, you are going to lay out the contents of the video quickly. Generally, you want to follow up with some information about what you're fundraising for and remind viewers that you will give them a solution to the problem posed. This way, they are aware that there is both a problem and a solution.
3. Informing the Audience
Here is where you can take the time to pose the problem at hand and its solutions. You can include things like the election results, the onslaught of attacks on trans rights restricting care, the financial limitations faced by the community, the lack of coverage a lot of transgender people face in regards to getting care or any other point that speaks to you in regards to the trans community. You can then offer what solutions your cause will bring to them. Lack of binders and gaffs? Here’s how many we offer. Lack of funds for surgery? Here’s what Point of Pride does to provide surgery. Lack of HRT access? Here is how Point of Pride has not only set up their initial 1 year grant but extended it to a multi year grant. What is the problem and ultimately what is the solution.
4. Call to Action
The call to action is a crucial last step that allows you to define different ways in which people can help.
- If they can help financially, direct them to donate.
- If they can help by donating their time, engagement, or attention, ask them to do that!
Make it as simple yet comprehensive as possible by breaking it down into free and financial actions that they can take to help the cause. Not everyone can help financially, but many more people can help when you give them something they can do.
Rage Bait
This method captures the emotional response people have to rage-bait content and utilizes that method for something constructive rather than purely selfish engagement.
Please note: Rage-bait content should be done with care, and it should be readily apparent that it is not genuine rage-bait.
1. Ruffle Some Feathers
There are many ways to capture trending videos about trans people or current discourse. For example, a major discussion right now involves whether trans people should disclose their transness to prospective dating partners. Instead of engaging in endless think pieces, frame the conversation around what actions can be taken to protect and support trans people. For this, you could stitch a video, pose an opinion, and then move on to the next step.
2. Harness the Rage
“Now that I’ve got your attention, here is a solution.” Remind people that words without action are hollow. Redirect their misplaced anger into something beneficial by driving them toward real solutions.
3. Redirect into Action
Now that you have captured the audience, give them a clear call to action:
- Do you want them to donate?
- Do you want them to engage with the fundraiser?
- Do you want them to make their own videos?
Whatever you think will push the needle forward, define it succinctly and quickly to harness that rage into something beneficial.
Educational
This method turns educational videos into something also actionable. Many people provide updates on recent news surrounding politics, culture, or wins and losses for our community. But what if we also found a way to turn that into real-world impact?
1. Educate, Inform, Empower
This method is simple: Take any content you want to make about the queer community and make it as you normally would.
2. Add to the Conversation
“This is all great/terrible/interesting, but...” Then, add an action viewers can take to support the community: "We love that X celebrity came out as trans. To continue helping the community, here’s what we can do to give trans people access to care.” The idea is that no matter the news, good or bad, there is always something we can do. The algorithm loves educational, informative, and empowering (or even discouraging) content. So take that, and use it to further the cause by adding actionable steps to that content.