Gamification—taking an everyday task and turning it into a game—can put the fun in fundraising. This creative fundraising idea creates extra engagement with your money-raising efforts by giving supporters ways to “win”—while providing additional incentives to donate. Read on to learn how gamifying your fundraiser can change your fundraising game. We also offer a few fundraiser giveaway ideas to boost your efforts.
Escalate engagement of your online challenges
Adding challenges to your fundraiser can get people engaged as they attempt to “win” your fundraising games. Some ideas include:
Offer achievement badges
Create fun badges that appear on supporter profiles every time they unlock an achievement. For charity walks, badges can be for anything from setting up a profile to enlisting team members who pledge to raise a certain amount.
Incentivize donations
Set up tiered donation levels that come with prizes to match each level. For example, all donors would get a thank-you note, while mid-level donors also get a T-shirt and significant donations are recognized with a high-end backpack.
Create competition
Offer teams bragging rights and fundraiser giveaways when they help you raise funds through friendly competition. Reward the team with the most donations—or the most donors—with a trophy. This can get them pumped to raise more donations.
Maximize your matching opportunities
If another organization is willing to match funds up to a certain amount, try gamifying the match. Letting people know that whatever money they donate will be doubled is a major incentive for 84% of donors. You can add extra levels of gamification to this creative fundraising idea if you:
- Make people aware that the matching funds will be made only through a specific date, and create a countdown clock.
- Add an extra progress bar to your website that shows people how the funds they’re currently donating will be doubled.
Boost social sharing to spread the word
Gamifying social sharing can turn supporters into likes and shares, and shares into more donations. Enlist some of your biggest fans to serve as social media ambassadors for your fundraiser. Set up a contest to see which one of them can get the most clicks on your donation page. Thank the winner with a special space on your website or a fundraiser giveaway like a logo hoodie.
Game on
A great game is fun, exciting and keeps people engaged. And trying one of these creative fundraising ideas can incite people to give more with every dollar raised.