So you’ve decided to organize a Matching Campaign. Now what?
Why should you host your campaign on The Chesed Fund?
Email Marketing – We will help you prepare an email blast that you can send to your contact lists. Email blasts are an effective way to spread the word about your campaign. You’ll want to schedule a few emails in advance of Campaign Day, so make sure you have your contact list ready to go at least a week in advance. We have arranged email marketing campaigns for many of our campaigns in the past, and we have found it to be a very strong fundraising tool.
Free Graphic Design – A picture is worth a thousand words, they say, so make sure your graphics are modern and impressive. The Chesed Fund has partnered up with designers from the Jewish Content Network who will design the graphics for your campaign for free!
Automated Tax Receipts – Donors will receive tax receipts via email immediately after they donate. No need for your accounting team to worry about sending out tax receipts manually!
Commission Free – TCF doesn’t take any commissions, and there are no fees for any of our services. The credit card processing fee is 2.9% + 30 cents on each donation, and this is taken off by Stripe (the company who processes the credit cards on our site).
Round-the-Clock Support – Our support team is available around the clock and can be reached via phone, email, live chat, and Facebook messenger. Their first priority is making sure you have the help you need so you can feel confident that you are in good hands throughout the whole campaign.
Transfer of Funds – All funds go directly into your Stripe account which is then transferred automatically to your bank account. The funds never touch our hands, and you have total control of the incoming donations.
All-or-Nothing – We don’t host all-or-nothing campaigns. We feel that creating a 24-hour campaign generates enough buzz that it isn’t necessary to add that extra factor which can potentially create a loss for your organization.
What can you do to boost your success?
Create a Video – Hire someone to create a professional video about your organization and its goals. This video should be short and impactful – people want to see your organization in action, but they don’t have 10 minutes to spend on it. Keep your video to under 3 minutes (and keeping it shorter than a minute or two will be even better), and make sure it focuses on your organization and your campaign goal.
Social Media – With the number of users who frequent social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, it’s very important to not only encourage people to donate, but to also share the campaign with their friends and followers on their social media platforms. Set up Facebook ads for the duration of the 24-hour campaign. They are inexpensive and can reach a ton of people who would not otherwise know about your campaign.
Reach outside the donor base – Being able to connect with donors outside of your regular donor pool is what makes matching campaigns so powerful. Market your campaign as a community fundraiser and not just as fundraiser for your organization’s members. It’s crucial to not only articulate the impact the organization has on its own constituents but also the impact that extends outside of them. Show your potential donors that the organization’s value is not limited to the work it does on paper.
Call centers – We encourage campaigns to set up call centers to contact donors directly. It should be an exciting event with food, refreshment, and perhaps a small event for children so the volunteers can stay focused. And have incentives for your volunteers. Maybe a prize for the person who helps bring in the most donations (get some friendly competition going!) or a pizza or ice cream party if/when the campaign goal is met.