Valentine’s day is, as you know, all about love. It is the one day of the year when the whole world stops and makes sure their loved ones feel as loved as they are. We think your nonprofit and important cause deserves all the love in this world. These 10 heart-wrenching fundraising tips will have Cupid sending your cause the biggest, brightest bow!
The world wakes on February 14th to expressions of warmth and love with cards, roses, grand and small gestures, and gifts: all gifted in the name of the divine St. Valentine. The exact history of this romantic holiday—and the story of St. Valentine himself—is veiled in mystery. Some are under the impression that its origins contain remnants of both ancient Roman and Christian traditions. Others believe we have the glorious English poet, Geoffrey Chaucer, to thank for this day of love. Whatever the exact origin, there is much to be giddy about on this day.
As we all prepare to express our love, Valentine’s Day thrones as one of the top consumer-spending holidays in the world. Valentine’s Day 2022 in the United States saw an estimated $23.9B spent on gifts for loved ones, friends, pets, family members, teachers, colleagues, and more. Such luscious spending is the perfect opportunity for your community to send some of that love to your charity and cause of choice.
These creative fundraising tips will have your supporters and the world fall (even more) in love with your cause:
Tip #1: Find your excuse for love
Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to give the gift of love to your favorite nonprofit organization! It is a grand time to encourage your community to, instead of spending money on chocolate and flowers, donate in honor of the cause they love. On average, people spend around $160 per person for Valentine’s Day, imagine securing even a small portion of that for your nonprofit and the significant impact it could have on your cause.
Valentine’s Day is a superb time to launch a love-themed fundraising campaign. It is the perfect excuse to put together a fun event for a great cause. Host your event in person, online, or go hybrid with a cutting-edge fundraising platform that lets you do it all. If your loved ones are far and wide, a virtual event is the perfect way to bring everyone together on this day.
Your Valentine’s Day fundraiser can be loosely or fully based around the theme of love. You can create a virtual store and sell Valentine’s Day’l-themed items, like cards, chocolates, and flowers. If you are not a bigger lover of the day, you can focus your fundraising experience on self-love, friendship, community, or different ways in which your community loves.
There are endless ways to set up the perfect Valentine’s fundraiser. Here are some detailed creative Valentine’s Day fundraiser ideas.
Tip #2: Keep it on theme
Most of the world will be celebrating in the name of love, in one way or another, so why not join the party? There are plenty of creative Valentine’s Day fundraising ideas that can be used to raise money for your important mission.
Here are some quick themed Valentine’s Day fundraisers that are sure to be sweet:
- Host an online bake sale with heart-themed delicious desserts
- Auction off romantic items like jewelry and beauty baskets.
- Raffle a romantic dinner for two or tickets to the latest blockbuster.
- Host a Valentine’s dance. This can be in person or a virtual Livestream!
- Organize a scavenger hunt around your neighborhood with love notes as clues leading participants back to your event location.
Tip #3: Focus on the details
Hosting something like a date night is a great way to bring your donors together in the spirit of love. Partners can enjoy a romantic evening and your single attendees can be single and ready to mingle (as the saying goes). For those who prefer to stay warm and cozy at home, you could host a virtual date night and send over charcuterie boards paired with the perfect bottle of wine. For events that appeal to your younger donors and families, you could host a sweetheart trivia and games night. A movie marathon featuring romantic comedies is also always a family favorite.
No matter what type of event you choose, it’s important to make sure you focus on the details so that it is enjoyable for everyone involved. Offer food, snacks, drinks and activities that will keep people entertained and engaged. If your event is virtual, perhaps you could send gifts to those participating stacked with popcorn, games, cheese, and wine. You could also offer run raffles to incentivize and entertain those attending and donating to your cause. By paying attention to the details, you will leave your donors feeling all that love that is going around.
Tip #4: Pull on heartstrings
Valentine’s Day is immanently linked with the heart.
So why not stick to the heart? Organize a heart-healthy 5K park walk or city run. This is a great way to raise support, awareness and donations for cardiovascular charities and bring the community together. Not only will this event get your donors fit and healthy and donating to your cause, but it will also help burn off all those delicious chocolate calories.
You could even go one step further and invite your supporters to dress up in red or give their best rendition of a Cupid costume. This will create a fun and fabulous energy, drawing on an atmosphere of childlike fun and celebration. Remember to stand at the finish line with flowers, cards or chocolates to all those who participated. I mean, everyone deserves a treat after a hard workout!
Tip #5: Offer gift matching
Finding a match is something many people are focused on in the spirit of Valentine’s Day. Why not offer them the perfect match?
Gift matching is an effective way to increase donations for your organization. Let your supporters know that they can double the impact of their donation by taking advantage of employer gift matching. Studies reveal that 84% of donors are more encouraged to give if gift match is offered. One in three donors are said to give more when their donation is matched. Studies also show that 38% of people shop for their Valentine’s Day gifts online, so it’s smart to focus your fundraising on online donations.
When it comes to gift matching, be sure to explain the entire process to your donors and provide all the necessary forms they will need to utilize the program. Once the donation comes through, don’t forget to thank your donors for giving and making a huge difference in the community.
Tip #6: Unwrap donor dedications
$175.41 is said to be what the average consumer plans to spend on Valentine’s Day. Twenty-seven percent of those that are not even celebrating still plan to mark the occasion. That means there’s a whole lot of people showing up in different ways to spread the love. Encourage all those looking to dive into their pockets to donate to your organization on behalf of someone they love, instead of, or along with, spending their money on chocolate and flowers.
Find an online giving platform that simplifies and assists the process of donating in honor or memory of someone you love. Once a supporter chooses to dedicate their donation, set up automated virtual cards to be sent to the honoree to notify them that this donation was made in their honor. It would be especially special if it is a cause close to their heart.
Tip #7: Match with the perfect partner
Valentine’s Day is a sure reminder that being in a partnership is a beautiful thing. It is also a great opportunity for local businesses like florists, candy shops, and restaurants to gain from all the spending. Partnering with these businesses is a sure way for you to increase your fundraising game. With these partnerships, everyone wins. You can help drive people to these local businesses as opposed to going to a competitor. How do you get the information of your cause out there, you wonder? Find ways to put your cause in the local business. Include a note with a delicious dessert or on each bouquet that shares information about your charity. You could even encourage supporters to order from your chosen restaurant that raises money directly for your organization.
These are the kind of partnerships we love to see. The businesses attract more customers and can increase their sales and income during this beautiful day of love. The charities can raise funds for their cause while bringing people together. And who knows? You may even put a local business on the map and send it #trending.
Tip #8: Make sure it feels right before you spread the love
Keep your heart and voice soaring high on Valentine’s Day. Design custom landing pages on your organization’s website for all Valentine’s Day donations that stay true to the theme of the day. Find a fundraising solution that allows you full creative control. This way you can make sure you customize your fundraiser to look and feel the way you want it to.
Once your fundraiser looks and feels right, it is time to blast it to the world. There are several simple ways to do just that. As a free marketing tool, social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter are your best friend. Jump to each platform and share information about the campaign you are running with your followers. And don’t be shy – people love to see and hear all about what their favorite charity is doing in the world!
Tip #9: Write your own love story
No one knows about your cause better than you do! So, who better to write about it? Write a blog post about your nonprofit or organization’s mission to remind your community about the important work that is being done. Additionally, you should write about the impact that even a small donation could make on your those your organization is helping. Include testimonials and case studies if you can. Really get into the details of what your organization stands for, and the change it is making in this world. This will help remind your community why it is such an important cause and how even the smallest donation can spread a lot of love this Valentine’s Day.
Tip #10: Send sweet notes to your donors
What’s Valentine’s Day without the valentines? History suggests that Americans first began exchanging dear valentines as far back as the early 1700s. Today, a whopping 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year! We believe it is of vital importance to remember the people who have continuously supported your organization – also known as your valentines. These are the people that have shown your charity a lot of love and have helped make your mission possible. They definitely deserve some recognition for their efforts.
We suggest writing love letters to your supporters to show them how much you appreciate them and all they do for your mission. These messages can be physical mail, personalized “thank you” emails, video shoutouts and of course, nothing is sweeter than handmade cards. If you can’t send all your supporters physical mail – send them a virtual card or a (virtual) rose and let them know you care.
While you are reaching out, remind your community of current fundraisers you are running. This way you can appreciate your donors while exciting them with new experiences they can participate in.
This is not goodbye but see you later,
With these fundraising tips you can make sure your community and charity know just how much you love them, not loves them not. We have come to the end of our 10 magical tips, but it is not goodbye, but rather, see you later. For now, all that’s left to do is find the perfect fundraising solution that can help you put these tips into action and execute the fundraiser of your dreams.
In the spirit of being coy and mysteriously sweet, we’ll leave our final tip to you in this little love note that reads:
Valentine’s Day + RallyUp – a match made in fundraising heaven. See you there.
