DOOR TO DOOR FUNDRAISING: BEST PRACTICES
Door-to-door fundraising can be daunting for your fundraisers. They’ll likely get plenty of rejections but it can be highly effective — both for driving donations and raising awareness of your organization’s cause
HERE ARE SOME BEST PRACTICE TIPS FOR GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR DOOR-TO-DOOR FUNDRAISING
GET PERMISSION Look into the requirements your organization will need to satisfy for this. Without prior permission, it may not be legal for your fundraising team to engage in door-to-door fundraising.
WHEN OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ARE DOING DOOR-TODOOR FUNDRAISING You’ll be able to check when other organizations are doing door-to-door fundraising in certain areas at the time that you plan to approach people.
START CONVERSATIONS Building personal connections around your cause can be more effective than a big ask for donations. Your fundraisers can look for ways to build rapport and an emotional connection with potential donors — the key is to make sure that they listen carefully and appear authentic in their efforts
HIGHLIGHT YOUR PROGRESS Social proof can be an important factor in securing donations. If you’ve already secured funds towards your goal, let residents know about this
PREPARING YOUR FUNDRAISERS Preparation is key — think about what your fundraisers will say, the type of questions potential donors may ask them, the materials they’ll have with them, and which areas they’ll visit, for example
TRAINING YOUR FUNDRAISERS Training your door-to-door fundraisers gives them confidence and makes them a stronger representative of your organization. With the right training, your team can feel comfortable in a door-to-door fundraising role
INSPIRING TRUST Gaining the trust of residents is one of the biggest challenges of door-to-door fundraising. People can be naturally cynical about it, which makes it harder to gain their trust and successfully secure donations
WHEN TO KNOCK This is where research and preparation can serve you well. If you know a lot about the average income and lifestyle in the neighborhoods you’re visiting, it can help work out the best time to call on them
READING THE SIGNS As your fundraisers become more confident in their roles, they’ll likely get better at reading these cues and making judgment calls on whether a potential donor is genuinely interested in giving
Don’t Go Inside the Home
WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN DOOR-TODOOR FUNDRAISING
Don’t Spend Too Much Time At Specific Homes
Don’t Push Too Hard For The Sale
Don’t Overcomplicate the Sign-Up Process
DONORBOX Here at Donorbox, we’re supporting organizations like yours to achieve fundraising success. For more tips and advice on how to get more from your fundraising activities, check out the posts on our nonprofit blog
Read the entire blog https://donorbox.org/nonprofit-bl og/door-to-door-fundraising/