Let all your friends, family, colleagues or school mates know that you’re doing the Big Sleep Out at Reading Abbey Ruins to support Launchpad and prevent homelessness in Reading – and maximise your fundraising!
Kick off your fundraising yourself
After you’ve set up your JustGiving fundraising page, you might want to think about making a self-donation to get the ball rolling. It shows your supporters that you are so committed to your cause that you are donating your own money to it.
Email and text/WhatsApp your contacts – but the closest ones first!
It’s a great idea to get in touch your family and closest friends first – and the best way is sending them a link to your JustGiving page via email or text/WhatsApp. As your most ardent supporters, they are most likely to support you. An empty page might be intimidating for some donors, so having a couple of donations on the page should encourage other supporters.
People also tend to match the amounts already listed on the page, and your family and close friends are more likely to get you started with some generous donations. Then, move onto work colleagues, members of sports teams or clubs, etc.
Use social media
Social media is a great way to get and stay connected, and to share what you’re doing with lots of people in a quick and efficient way. Post the link to your JustGiving fundraising page and explain why you’re taking part – and encourage your followers to re-post, share, re-tweet and help expand your reach!
Put your fundraising page in your email signature
We all send dozens of emails every day, why not put a link to your JustGiving fundraising page in your signature so you are sharing your fundraising journey with every email you send?
Using a donation form? Take it with your everwhere!
If you’re taking donations for your Big Sleep Out via our form, don’t forget to take it with you to family gatherings; your school, college, university or place of work; and any sport or social clubs you go to.
Thank you
Saying thank you is super important and there are plenty of ways you can say thank you to your supporters. You can update the story on your page, send emails out to your donors, tweet a thank you and update your Facebook status. Let people know how your fundraising went, just what their support has meant to you and what a difference it will make to people in need in Reading.
Send a follow up
We are all busy people and get bombarded with emails every day. Be persistent. Sometimes, someone might miss your first email, text or WhatsApp and need a gentle reminder! Don’t be shy!
Contact your local press
A bit of exposure such as a few lines in the local paper or an appeal on your local radio station can really help so it’s worth getting in touch with your local press to tell them about the Big Sleep Out at Reading Abbey Ruins. Don’t forget to ask the paper to include your JustGiving page link so people can donate.