Tips for Fundraising Success

We are so thankful that you have decided to join us in becoming a Community Champion. Your efforts will help us raise awareness for diabetes, and bring us a step closer to finding a cure. Now that you have decided on what kind of event you wish to have, we want to provide you with some tips to help make your fundraising easy and successful!

• Share your story with your community. Tell them why you chose to fundraise for Joslin Diabetes Center and how much their participation means to you. Don’t forget to share photos! Bring your donors on your journey with you so they can feel a part of the process.
• It is important to set a goal. Research shows the higher your goal, the higher your average donation. Donors also want to see you hit your goal and will be inspired to give to help you get there.
• Give yourself. Consider making a donation to your fundraising page. People will be encouraged to give seeing that you have given yourself.
• Start with a soft launch. Think about reaching out to a few donors you think may give sizeable donations first. Research shows that when donors see larger donations on your page the more they are likely to give higher themselves.
• Set a countdown. If your friends and family don’t know that you are fundraising for Joslin, try making it a surprise. Let folks know you have a big announcement and make it fun by counting down the days until you share the exciting news.
• Take a tip from the world of retail and consider offering a special gift to your first 10-20 donors. It can be something really simple or you can get creative!

Whether you already have an event in mind or need assistance, the Joslin team is always here to help. Contact a team member at communitychampions@joslin.harvard.edu with any questions.