Unlock Fundraising for Associations 

Associations are a core point of connection for professionals, and membership dues fuel things that matter most to members: job opportunities, keeping up with industry technology, career advancement, professional standards, certifications, and training. 

But what about non-dues revenue? Associations participate in efforts that do not directly benefit members, such as lobbying for the field, community activism, grants, and scholarships. With civic and social associations raising nearly $1 million on Giving Tuesday 2024 via GiveSmart, driving non-dues revenue is becoming increasingly necessary so associations can serve beyond their members to their industries and greater communities. 

What are some impactful ways your association can find success in fundraising?  

Host Auctions and Sell Instant Buy Items  

Auctions are an excellent opportunity to raise funds for your association. They can also be a lot of work to solicit items, organize, and set up the auction.  

Hosting an auction online makes bidding easy for donors and allows you to capture payment information efficiently. Associations can still display physical items, but running the back-end auction logistics online benefits your bottom line. For example, soliciting bids from people outside your organization when hosting your bidding online can help your association raise more.  

Consider offering items targeted at your members, such as training courses, workshops, or custom, branded tools for your trade. Your association can also offer auction items that don’t cost a dime, or that you don’t have to solicit, such as prime parking spots, event space, naming rights, and more.  

Run Peer-to-Peer Campaigns  

Empower your biggest advocates to fundraise on your behalf with a peer-to-peer campaign. Peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraisers raise funds and spread awareness by creating personalized donation pages. These pages are shared via social media and email.  

Peer-to-peer campaigns offer unique, customizable ways for each volunteer fundraiser to share personal stories and connections to your association. Peer-to-peer fundraising is a simple way to generate revenue and elevate your association by: 

• Increasing engagement of your influential advocates 
• Attracting new donors  
• Boosting your social media mentions  
• Creating fun, engaging fundraisers  
• Empowering member donors  

Read more about these tips from GiveSmart partner Nimble AMS by Momentive Software. 

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Discover how peer-to-peer campaigns can enhance fundraising by driving growth, sustainability, and engagement. Watch our webinar on-demand to learn winning tips, planning essentials, creative success stories, strategies to empower fundraising ambassadors, and how the right partners can amplify your success. 

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Run “A-Thons” 

Hosting an a-thon is a fun, engaging way to host a peer-to-peer campaign at your association. In this instance, people raise money to complete a specific task. During this type of event, members can show off their skills (app design, animation, copywriting) or something entirely outside of their industry (reading, walking, baking).   

Text-to-Donate 

With nearly three out of 10 members preferring to engage with their association via text message, text-to-donate is a major opportunity to engage members as donors.  

Quickly and efficiently reach and engage more donors with outbound text-to-give campaigns. Text-to-donate is a mobile fundraising method that uses text messaging and keywords to encourage donors to give from anywhere, from their mobile devices. Pre-loaded templates make setup and scheduling easy, helping you raise funds for your association in no time.  

Gamification in Fundraising  

Gamification is used by employers, tech companies, and associations to increase engagement and promote loyalty. Companies and associations aren’t just deploying gamification for fun. The value of gamification is estimated to be $37 billion by 2027.  

Gamify your fundraising campaign and increase giving with the following:  

• A real-time campaign thermometer that shows the progress toward your goal, which can increase ‘in the moment’ donations by 35%. 
• Challenges, such as a scavenger hunt or the 50-state challenge, motivate supporters to work together to give (and for a reward!) 
• Raffles that feature visual moments or other theatrical elements, such as a balloon-pop raffle, to keep interest floating high!   
• A celebration on screen, such as confetti or fireworks, when a supporter places a winning bid 

Non-dues revenue is vital for associations to expand their impact. By incorporating creative fundraising strategies, such as auctions, P2P, text-to-donate, and gamification, associations can drive meaningful support.  

With the right tools and techniques, your association can achieve impactful fundraising success, ensuring continued growth and influence. Explore what fundraising features your association can implement to improve things for your members, industry, and community.