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FUNDRAISING GUIDE
WHY WHAT YOU’RE DOING IS AWESOME Kids growing up in poverty are struggling to get to and through college. Everyone knows this. In fact, some of us are intimately familiar. The difference is, you’re doing something about it. Your campaign will help put dedicated teachers in schools that need them most – and ensure that all students have a shot at following in your footsteps by having a great education and someone who believes in them. This is part of your legacy as a PSP Brother and it’s awesome.
I. LET’S GET STARTED! For Organizers 1. SET UP YOUR PERSONAL FUNDRAISING PAGE: Visit the PSP-TFA homepage and click “Become a Fundraiser,” following the steps to sign up and name your own page with a personal goal and end date. 2. TELL YOUR STORY: Your page is how your supporters will connect to the campaign. It’s vital that it looks like you – and alive! Add a profile pic. Personalize the text. Upload a video. While we provide some boilerplate stuff, this really needs your personal touch. Be real with people why this issue matters to you. Flip it around and ask yourself: why would I support someone else’s campaign? 3. CREATE YOUR CHAPTER’S FUNDRAISING PAGE: Ok, now that your own page is more or less set up (you can keep iterating), it’s time to make one for the chapter. On your page, you’ll see a green button on the right-hand side that says “Create or Join Team;” click it. It’s straightforward from there, but here’s a cheat sheet just in case. 4. SPRUCE IT UP: Like with your personal page, the chapter page should look lived in. It’s where your Brothers and anyone else will go to sign up as team members. Add your logo. Share some rousing words about your chapter. And set a serious goal! Teammates will step up when they know you’re for real. 5. PICK A CAUSE: This is optional, but if there are areas of TFA’s work in low-income communities that resonate strongly with your chapter, you can pick one and make it the focus of your fundraising:
PSP: support fellow PSP Brothers teaching across the country Local impact: support the TFA region closest to your chapter Military: help bring military veterans into the classroom STEM: help bring more science, tech, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers into the classroom Early childhood education: help provide pre-K education so all children get an equal start Special education: help bring more special-ed teachers into the classroom Rural: help bring teachers to some of the most isolated, high-poverty areas of the country DACA: help bring teachers into the classroom who came to this country as undocumented children (DACA is a presidential order allowing such people to work for two years without fear of deportation. It stands for “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.”) Diversity: help support initiatives to recruit, train, and develop more people of color as teachers
Should you choose one, feel free reach out to
[email protected] for additional materials! 6. MAKE THE FIRST GIFT: You’re just about done with set-up. But before you go enlisting your Brothers and crushing it together, make the first gift via your own page. It doesn’t have to be big. Just take the initiative and show everyone how it’s done! Your friends and fam will be inspired when you challenge them to do the same. 2
II. COME TOGETHER AS A TEAM For Everyone 1. MOBILIZE THE CHAPTER: Organizers! Invite your Brothers to join as teammates by linking them to your chapter’s page. Brothers! Simply click the orange “Join Team” button on the left-hand side of the page and get started. You can do this individually or in small groups (if in groups, you’ll just share 1 account as if you were 1 person.) Whatever works to get each other going. There’s also a “Donate Now” button for anyone who wants to contribute without joining the team. 2. MAKE IT PERSONAL: As with #2 above (“Tell Your Story”), you’ll want to make the team member pages your own. Pics, vids, stories, goals – the more your fingerprints are on them, the better. Each page is its own mini-campaign, so you’ll be customizing the chapter story to reach your own networks. 3. MAKE ROOM FOR NON-PSP FOLKS: If you think others would want to get involved too – fellow frats, close friends, that nice stranger from class – invite them! They can join your chapter as a team member or follow steps 1-6 above to start their own team. We’re a big family. 4. TAKE THE INITIATIVE: As with step 6 above, make the first gift before you begin sharing the campaign. You can make it in honor of someone else, and then invite them to do the same and start a merry-goround. Or it can be a symbolic number. Whatever it is, start strong by leading by example.
III. SPREAD THE WORD For everyone 1. SHARE, SHARE, SHARE: Ok, your pages are beautiful. Now unleash them! All team members are going to need to use their networks for this one. There are tools on your pages for social and e-mail sharing.
Start with your close friends and family members. They love you already! Choose 5 and send them a personal e-mail with a simple ask. You can also use the e-mail button to target a wider audience through your personal inbox. Target friends and followers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and any other site where you’re active. Be creative! We've got more advice on how to successfully use your social networks for fundraising later in this guide. No matter where you go, be sure to tell the story of why you’re taking action and include a link to your page! This step is extremely important. 2. EXTRA TIP: Ask your parents to share your page at the office and invite their colleagues to get in on the action. You give them a lot of pride already – this will reinforce it! 3. BE PERSISTENT: The most successful fundraisers send at least three emails to their networks. Don’t be afraid to ask! When someone hears your genuine call to action, they’ll be thanking you for the opportunity to contribute. It’s not annoying. It’s inspiring. You don’t realize how contagious your enthusiasm can be. 4. SAY THANKS: When the donations start coming in, make sure you take time to thank each supporter. It also helps to thank people publicly (e.g., tag them on Facebook) – timely recognition goes a long way. 3
TIPS FOR PROMOTION I. ONLINE: MAXIMIZE SOCIAL MEDIA Using social media tools like Facebook and Twitter can increase the success of your fundraising by up to 40%! Read on – it pays to be social. FACEBOOK: Post status updates about your goals and progress with links and photos that direct users back to your own page. Call out certain friends who already got on board. DON'T BE AFRAID TO BE VISUAL: Change your Profile Picture or Cover Photo to further promote your campaign. If you’re campaigning around a specific TFA theme, we can help with photos – reach out! TWITTER: If you're active on Twitter, here's another network where you can reach more people, inside and outside of your network. Tweet at big personalities too – you never know who’ll respond, especially if you make it personal or clever. Create a dedicated hashtag with your chapter and use it widely. INSTAGRAM: A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Well, use one and pick an awesome filter (XPro II is a personal fav!) Share a picture or a video that will get people excited over what you’re doing. MORE THE MERRIER: Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+…the list goes on. Make sure anyone you're connected with knows about the important work you're doing. Keep them regularly updated about your progress and how they can tap in – attention spans are short! ASK FOR A SHARE: Not everyone is able to contribute financially to your campaign. That’s totally cool. But what they can do is share it with their own networks. Or take up a dare. This is how viral posts are born, and you want to reach the widest possible network as you can. So, if your close friend is in college and money is tight, ask him/her to post a link to your page or take an action! BE CREATIVE: Success on social media is about making people smile. Use your channels creatively. If you're a singer, try singing a song on YouTube to rally support around your efforts, and post update blurbs to a Facebook video album or to your Instagram. If you're running a marathon, take a cool video of a beautiful spot where you're training. See what you can share from behind-the-scenes of your campaign to keep your supporters clicking, smiling, and donating. USE YOUR TOOLS: You can set up a Facebook Page or Twitter account just for your campaign. If you're holding an event, offering a giveaway, or tracking your progress to a goal, be sure to put it on Facebook and invite your friends there. You can use a hashtag so people can follow news or share photos about it. There’s no 1 way. Do whatever comes naturally and maximize those tools – your audience is waiting!
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II. ON-THE-GROUND: ACTIVATE YOUR CAMPUS NETWORKS TELL YOUR HOUSEMATES, DORMMATES & ROOMMATES: Quickest way to get people involved is to tell your neighbors – you practically live with them! A quick face-to-face with a clear ask will gain support. PUT UP POSTERS: Make your classmates walk to class with a little more interesting scenery. Post campaign photos in stairwells, lounges, and elevators, but also be creative – nothing gets someone’s half-awake eyes to pay attention like a huge flyer posted on the ceiling! CAMP OUT!: Not really, but hosting a table in high traffic areas will add to your exposure, especially if you have something engaging on hand, like music or food. The campaign platform is mobile responsive, so you can collect donations with a phone, iPad, or computer (if you have wifi). Otherwise, cash is cool too – just record the names and emails of your donors and mail in a check in the end. TIP: High traffic areas will be different at every school, but think of places like your student union, library, and dining hall where people unwind. Parties, sporting events, and student performances are good too. Grab an iPad and get ‘em while they’re seated! STUDENT GROUPS: Being a PSP Brother is great, but if you’re involved with other groups on campus, share all the awesome things your chapter is doing and co-promote! Anyone can become a team member through the chapter’s home page. CLASSMATES: Education is very important. No doubt some of your classes will be address issues on educational opportunity and poverty. Share your campaign with your classes or professors – and enlist them in a real response to it. FRIENDS: Your besties are there for you for those late night snack runs or all-nighter study crams. Get them involved with this as well by giving them assignments to sign up others to the cause. THINK BIG: Is there a space on campus for public art? Or an upcoming event that’ll draw crowds? Think about doing something that’ll make a statement. Maybe install an artwork that’ll catch the eye, like a giant thank you card to teachers for people to sign. Or coordinate unusual outfits with your Brothers to wear to draw attention (jorts, anyone?). Going big doesn’t have to mean going expensive. There are lots of low-lift ways to make people sit up and take notice! BE RADICALLY SIMPLE: Let’s face it, everyone’s busy. A 30-minute disquisition on educational inequity will fall flat. Find the stat or image that hits home the most – and keep messaging it. It’ll ripple out faster than you think, especially with a crystal clear call to action and an uplifting theme.
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FUNDRAISING IDEAS Some of the most successful campaigns are creative and fun - but they all have something else in common: incentives. Whether you’re sacrificing something or giving something away, people enjoy feeling involved and having different reasons to participate. Here are a few examples of things people have done to get others on board (though we’re confident that you’ll take it to a new level): USE YOUR TALENT FOR A GOOD CAUSE: Artist, designer, chef? Or expert dog walker? Enter every donor into a random drawing for your services at the end of the campaign. Great at doodling or poetry? Offer to thank people with a custom piece of your work. Personal or quirky stuff can go a long way. ACHIEVE A PERSONAL GOAL: Are you training for a triathlon? Or conquering your fear of heights by bungee jumping? Find something really challenging, and have your network sponsor you to take it on. It could be small, like leaving a positive note for someone new every day for a month. Or big like aiming for Dean’s List. Challenge inspires support – especially when your personal story is at the center! GIVE UP YOUR BIRTHDAY: Instead of throwing a party or asking for gifts, ask for a donation to your campaign for your birthday. It could be any amount, the age you're turning, etc. People love to support your sacrifice! TRANSFORM REGULAR EVENTS INTO SPECIAL ONES: Those karaoke parties your house is legendary for throwing? Transform them into a charitable event. Have participants raise pledges for their commitment to lip-sync and sell tickets to the performance. Or simply add a theme and make it a costume party. If you treat regular events like special occasions, so will your guests – and donate for the privilege. COMMIT TO DOING SOMETHING IF YOU HIT YOUR GOAL: What would it look like if you recreated Beyonce’s Single Ladies video? That’s exactly what 1 person offered to do if she hit her fundraising goal – and her friends were determined to make that happen. (It was hilarious.) What would you be willing to do? Allow your supporters to vote on a few options once they’ve made a donation. The more unconventional, the better.
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✓ TIPS FOR ULTIMATE SUCCESS The best campaigns are the ones who go the extra mile and personalize the experience for all involved. It doesn't need to take a ton of time, but there are small touches you can add that’ll go a long way. TELL YOUR STORY: We said this before, but it's worth repeating. The personal connection you have to this cause is the thing that’s going to move your supporters. What experience did you have that made you care? Share it. You can be funny, sweet, or serious – just be real. USE VISUALS: We've got a photo library and a YouTube channel full of resources that are available to you: just ask. Pictures tell a story in a way words just can’t. But be sure to let positivity shine through while it can be tempting to tug at the heartstrings, we've found that people respond better to hope. SHOW IMPACT: Did you know that $4 sponsors a classroom lesson, and $1 sponsors a student for a day? Be concrete with your audience – describe what they’re helping to achieve with each dollar they donate. SET MINI GOALS: If you’re willing to do something big if you hit $500, set mini goals at $100 and $250 of smaller things you’ll do to motivate people to keep donating. RECOGNIZE YOUR DONORS - AND BE CREATIVE: A simple email will do the trick in thanking your donors, but how can you make it really special? Perhaps you can dash off a handwritten card. One really easy way to take this to the next level is to tag your donors via Facebook and other social media - most people love being recognized for their good deeds! SWALLOW YOUR FEAR: We understand it can sometimes be uncomfortable to ask for money, but remember why you're doing it. You're not asking for yourself, you're asking on behalf of teachers and children that could use the support. Most people will respect and admire you for taking real action – and be glad for the nudge to get more involved. BE RELENTLESS: It takes time. Your first efforts may fall short. Well, maybe even the second. That’s cool, because here’s the truth: you’re supporting a good cause. And you believe in it. That’s attractive. People will follow you – they want to do good things too. It’s just a matter of showing them the way and keeping them feeling valued. QUESTIONS? Contact us at
[email protected]. We’re here to help. More importantly, we’re amped up by what you’re doing.
On behalf of over 21,000 teachers and 600,000 students, THANK YOU!
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