Reach out to close friends and family to receive the first donations and support! It will legitimize your campaign for the rest of the world.
Many of us don’t like to ask for help. There are many reasons why we are afraid of it. We don’t want to seem helpless and needy. We may have been taught that it’s a sign of weakness, so we stick to the belief, “I can handle everything on my own,” even if it’s no longer the case.
In most difficult situations we think we will place a burden on our friends and family if we ask them to do something for us. Sometimes we feel unworthy of being helped by others. Or maybe we have a fear of rejection.
We are all humans. We have doubts, even about our family’s willingness and ability to help us. A good starting point to change the way you think is to remind yourself of all cases when people were helpful to you. Obviously, they thought you were worth it. How many times have you supported a friend or a family member in need? You probably had situations when you helped them and didn’t consider it as a burden. Each time you felt that it was the right thing to do. It feels good when you know that your friends respect you enough to ask for help.
Each of us needs help and care. We should remind ourselves that where we are today is because of help, kindness and care of others. Asking for help is a part of human nature. There is nothing wrong with that. We too, give back in different ways, so it’s a full circle.
Don’t be ashamed of asking for help from your family and following-up! Chances are high that a person you have called or emailed seeking for help will be glad to do it.
Personal Fundraising Takes a Village!
Ask for help! It sounds easy, but it’s actually hard to do.
Here’s what you should do:
- Ask your Friends & Family for Help – Think about an experience when you were in a position to help them. Give it a try!
- Follow Up on Your Request – The responsibility to follow-up falls on you, not on them. If your friends agreed to help you, they meant it. Sometimes they don’t follow up because they get distracted or think they might be bothering you. Follow-up!
- Be Specific! – The best way to respond to friends’ and family’s offer is to give them a specific task to do. They can’t read your mind. You need to tell them what to do exactly. Be direct!
Follow the above steps and we make it easy for you, your family and friends to spread the word and raise money for your cause.
Two Personal Fundraising Features to Help You Reach Out to Your Family on FundRazr:
- Send an Email from your campaign page. Your contacts will get an email with your campaign details and the ability to view/share/give to your campaign directly from your email. Learn more about our Email Embedding here.
- Send a Facebook “Ask a friend for help” request from you campaign page. Your friends will receive a Facebook notification that drives them to your campaign. It’s a great way to ask for help and remind them about your cause.
Ask your family and close friends for first donations. People are more likely to donate if they see others supporting your cause.
If your friends can’t donate, then ask them to promote your campaign:
- share on their social networks;
- embed a code of your campaign on their websites and blogs;
- send an email to their friends from your campaign page.
When you are done with the most critical step to jumpstart your personal fundraising campaign, check out our Personal Fundraising Success Guide.
Get some inspiration from one of our success stories and learn how it became a success.
