Igniting inspiration: top fundraising ideas for non-profit organisations

Coming up with new ideas can be a challenge – even for those extremely well-versed in the art of fundraising. If the constant need to secure more revenue is starting to dim the spark of your enthusiasm, these ideas should help reignite the flame.

Lotteries and raffles

Chances are you’ve come across a lottery or raffle at some stage during your fundraising career – even if it was to simply admire another organisation’s success from afar. But have you ever stopped to really think about how a lottery can tap into the unfulfilled potential of your existing database – and attract new supporters along the way? 

When it comes to generating sustainable and predictable revenue, lotteries are second-to-none. They provide your audience with a fun and engaging way to support your cause over the long term via a subscription-based model. With the aid of a lottery provider like StarVale, the entire process – from ticket sales to prize fulfilment and more – is completely seamless.

Individual memberships

Individual memberships are another brilliant way to cultivate your community and generate recurring funds for your cause. They achieve this by offering members exclusive opportunities and experiences that are not available to the general masses, in exchange for an annual fee. A tiered approach is often used to encourage a higher investment from supporters; the more someone contributes, the more perks they receive. 

While memberships are relatively commonplace, one aspect that is often overlooked is the importance of providing a feedback mechanism so members can contribute to the future of their program. This takes the burden off your team, as they don’t have to come up with all the ideas, and will help ensure your members renew year after year.

Corporate memberships

Corporate membership programs are ubiquitous in the arts, but are often not leveraged by non-profits of other kinds, despite the fact that they can yield significant results in terms of income. Organisations of all kinds can join forces with those in the business world to co-create mutually-beneficial opportunities.

While a suite of benefits such as events and networking opportunities are appealing, the real benefit is the ability for corporations to strengthen their reputation as a socially-responsible entity by demonstrating their support for your mission. The most successful programs are proactive rather than reactive; non-profits should dedicate resources specifically to generating new opportunities and pitching to prospective members; even a few hours per week can yield strong results.

Gift-matching initiatives

When every pound counts, the potential to transform a single pound into two is highly compelling. Gift-matching often occurs on an ad-hoc basis, when an employee asks their employer to match their donation to a specific cause. Sometimes, an employer might take the initiative, with gift-matching built into their social responsibility frameworks and actively promoted to employees. Either way, the employee is ultimately the driving force behind gift-matching.

Encouraging donors to have the conversation with their employer around gift matching is key, whether it’s a one-off for a single donation or as part of a business-wide approach to contributing to the community. Email campaigns are an ideal way to help educate supporters around the potential; by inspiring the right conversations you can help make gift-matching a reality in their workplace.

Design challenges

Merchandise can provide a strong source of revenue for many non-profits, but it doesn’t always fly off the shelves as quickly as it could. If this is true in your organisation, consider a design challenge to help ramp up sales and spark supporters’ interest in a specific campaign.

Your community can unleash their creativity by submitting their best designs for your upcoming merchandise line. You can hand-pick the winner, or empower your supporter base to vote for their favourite. The result? A merchandise line crafted by, and for, your vibrant community – which they will be more motivated to buy.

Have we ignited your inspiration for a fundraising lottery? Reach out to StarVale today.