JustGiving hints and tips
To create your very own sponsorship webpage, simply go to SPANA's JustGiving page and follow the online instructions.
Here are some tips that will help you meet your fundraising target:
- Personalise your message
- Add photos and video
- Personalise your thank-you
- Tell everyone about your page
- Put a link in your email signature
- Contact your local media
- Keep your page up-to-date
- Send a follow-up email
- Keep fundraising after your event
Personalise your message
The best fundraising pages tell a really good story. Let people know why you're going to the trouble of raising money, and they're much more likely to take the time to donate. You should also explain why SPANA deserves support and what their donations will buy.
A sample message you could include is:
In the past year SPANA has directly helped around 400,000 animals, providing free veterinary treatment and advice for owners across Africa and the Middle East. SPANA’s work doesn’t just provide a lifeline for working animals; it also helps the thousands of people who depend on those animals for a living.
- £5 will buy a pair of hoof cutters, giving relief from painful feet to hundreds of hard-working horses and donkeys
- £15 will cover the cost of feed and bedding for a five day stay for an injured donkey recovering at one of our animal hospitals
- £25 will pay for a visit to an animal hospital by local school children, where they will learn to respect and value animals and their environment.
By sponsoring me to run the XXX you will be helping working animals in the marathon journeys they often complete every day of their lives.
Please email us if you would like to receive this text as a document.
Add photos and video
A personal photo makes your page much more engaging. Even better — add your own Flickr photos and YouTube video. It gives you lots of scope to be funny, imaginative and compelling and gives your supporters a good reason to send your page on to their friends.
Personalise your thank-you
You can edit the thank-you email that is automatically sent to your donors by going to your account and clicking on 'Do some basic page editing'. Make sure you encourage people to send your page on to friends who might be interested in sponsoring you.
Tell everyone about your page
Before you email your entire address book, ask your closest friends and family to donate first. An empty page can be a bit intimidating, so having a couple of donations on the page should encourage other sponsors. Also, people tend to match the amounts already listed on the page, so ask those most likely to give generously first!
Email your other contacts in groups — colleagues, running club, friends overseas, etc - personalising your message each time. You may wish to include the JustGiving helpdesk email address when contacting those overseas, help@justgiving.net, so anyone who has difficulty donating can contact them directly.
Put a link in your email signature
Add your page's web address, or one of JustGiving’s 'sponsor me' badges, to your email signature. That way, every email you send raises awareness of your fundraising and attracts more donations.
Contact your local media
A few lines in the local paper or an appeal on your local radio station can really help. By going straight to your JustGiving page, readers and listeners can sponsor you easily.
Keep your page up-to-date
Post regular updates on your progress and upload new photos. It gives people a reason to come back to your page and encourages them to donate again or to send your page on to their friends.
Send a follow-up email
Be persistent. It takes more than one round of emails to reach your target. You know what it's like - people mean to donate, but sometimes they don't quite get round to it on the first request. Remember to thank the people who've already supported you, and to ask them to send your page to their contacts.
Keep fundraising after your event
Around 20% of donations through JustGiving come in after people finish their event. So keep fundraising once you've crossed the finish line - it's a good chance to email an update and a final appeal!
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