4 Marketing Ideas To Promote Your Charity Fundraising During COVID-19

COVID-19 has affected a lot of companies of all different sizes. We have seen high street brands disappear and industries struggling due to restrictions and regulations. But one of the industries most impacted by the pandemic has been charities.

According to a Guardian article, COVID-19 has lead to 1 in 10 charities facing bankruptcy by the end of the year which is a staggering figure.

Now more than ever charities need our support to help those in need; especially during these challenging times.

We may not be able to hold big public events or balls but there are lots of fundraising activities you can plan and execute during COVID-19.

My business is struggling as it is, why should I be focusing on fundraising ideas during COVID-19?

There are several reasons why fundraising should still form a part of your business plan during COVID-19.

Firstly, if your brand has a strong link to the community then fundraising will help cement this value and help consumers resonate with your brand.

Interacting with and engaging with charitable endeavours is not just fantastic PR, but can also provide an emotional connection with your audience which may not be achieved through a simple email campaign.

In a world of marginal gains in marketing, being seen as the supportive brand could be the difference between your business and your competition in consumer thinking.

Secondly, fundraising for charities can also help raise staff morale and improve their mental health. With remote working becoming the norm for the foreseeable future many employees are being affected by the lack of human interaction.

According to a study conducted by Wildgoose, 47% of employees asked stated their mental health has been affected due to the isolation of working from home.

By hosting a fun fundraising event it will not only support your chosen charity but could also help your staff more than you realise.

How to market your fundraising activities during COVID-19?

Share your fundraising on social media

Using social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter is not only a great way of promoting your fundraising event but also a good method to encourage other local businesses to donate to the cause.

Why not reach out to local businesses to see if they will spare an hour of their time to do a ticketed masterclass in their talent whether it is cocktail making or something musical.

Alternatively, you could hold a virtual raffle and ask for donations.

Include your fundraising in your marketing newsletters

When you are writing up your weekly/fortnightly/monthly newsletter make sure you include your fundraising event.

Not only will this let all your clients know that you care about charities and your community, but it will also give them a chance to take part and help towards your event.

Ask your clients to get involved

Why not go one step further and directly ask your clients if they would be interested in sponsoring the event or help with the promoting it.

Not only will your customers get more exposure, but it’ll help relationship building and increase networking opportunities, which may have seen a knock this year due to the lack of business events.

If you have a few clients involved get them altogether on a video call to meet and discuss what they are happy to do. More companies involved means potentially a bigger budget to play with and a bigger audience to promote the event to. This can, in turn promote your business to a wider market as well.

Don’t forget to add it to your website

This might seem like the obvious marketing idea for your fundraising event, but it is easily overlooked. To get maximum exposure for you and your chosen charity make sure you add your fundraising event to your website.

This is a great place to show all visitors to the page that you are strongly involved in the community and care about fundraising even when business may not be as booming as usual.

Advertising your event in a key location on your site may even be that last push needed to help persuade potential clients to contact you.

Stuck for fundraising ideas during Covid-19? Here’s some inspiration:

Take up a virtual run/walk

This year the London Marathon still went ahead but not as we know it.

Participants from all over the UK ran their 26 miles in a location and time of their choice and tracked their progress using a GPS application.

You could recreate this on a smaller scale, set the distance and get people to sponsor you to run/walk. To make it even more fun, make the event into a fancy dress fun run.

Virtual happy hour

If you’re missing your weekly office drinks, why not hold a virtual happy hour?

Get those involved to donate a small amount to your charity of choice for each drink. You could play games and even hold a virtual raffle. You could also get your your clients involved as well to make it a larger event that could be shared on social media.

To support those in coming together during lockdown, Guide Dogs hosted the Great Guide Dogs Virtual Tea Party. The event was a smash hit, with thousands of people joining in on Facebook and enjoying videos and photos of all things Guide Dogs.

To top it off they even set a new Guinness World Record title for the world’s biggest virtual tea party!

Virtual pyjama ball

Right now big galas and events are out of the picture but why not hold your own ball right in your front room.

Get everyone to dress up in their best pyjamas, set up your best Spotify playlist and arrange some entertainment virtually which could be a stand-up comedian or quiz master. Sell tickets to this event and make it an evening to remember!

For more advice on marketing ideas for your next fundraising event speak to us today. We can assist you in all aspects of marketing from content writing and SEO to social media.