This post follows on from yesterday’s, where we looked at 3 of the key factors behind the success of the Girl Scout’s cookie drive.

Today we want to look at some of the different ways you might be able to apply those success factors to your own fundraising drives.

1.  How can you give your donors an immediate result? 

If you are selling a product on the spot, you have nothing to worry about.  You are following the same model used by the Girl Scouts.  If your product is not tangible, or is due for later delivery, it might pay to look at some way of introducing immediacy to your transactions.

It might be something as simple as an email or an information pack which shows donors exactly how their money is being used.  Animal Sanctuary. Edgar’s Mission, sends out a kit by email (or post) telling you all about the animal you have sponsored, including pictures and stories of his or her life. It gives donors a sense of immediate involvement.

If you are doing something like a pie drive where you take orders in advance, perhaps you could create a way of showing how the donor’s contribution helps the cause.  For example, if you need to raise $400, that may equate to the sale of 100 pies.  Keep a tally board in your main area and mark a progressive total or come up with a way to show the tally on each receipt docket.

2. Create and offer a product that becomes linked to you.

The Girl Scouts cookie drive is an annual event that people are familiar with and even look forward to.  What can you do to create a fundraiser that is distinctly your own?  Don’t just think in terms of product.  You may hold an event, or develop a campaign which focuses closely on a narrow section of your cause. For example, if your NFP aids street kids, you might run a drive at the start of winter each year to buy blankets to keep them warm.

The quality of your product is important and it must be consistently high.  After all, it will be linked to you so the product must be good for your image.  If yours is not a product based campaign, inject the quality into the campaign itself, with superb customer service and contact.  Make the experience enjoyable and rewarding for your donors.

3. Boost your brand through your drive.

Your NFP might not have been around for as long as the Girl Scouts but your brand can become just as strong and well known. When you are choosing a fundraising product to sell, try to link it in some way to your overall message. The Oxfam Shop sells products created by the people they are supporting – the link is direct.  If you are trying to improve the diets of the underprivileged, don’t go for a chocolate drive!  Be sensitive to your cause and build a fundraiser that matches your message and shines a spotlight on your brand.

For many years, the Girl Guides have been successful with one simple fundraiser.  There is no reason that you can’t do the same.