How to Use Facebook to Raise Funds with PlayRaise in three easy steps
- by Michael Conrad
- 7 min reading time
In this blog post, we will share how to successfully raise funds for your team, school or non-profit using the PlayRaise Marketplace and Facebook in three easy steps.
You're looking to raise funds for your team, school, non-profit or organization with PlayRaise by utilizing Facebook as a tool. Here are three simple steps to get you started:
- Register to create a PlayRaise Fundraising Dashboard account.
- Customize the PlayRaise Marketplace Landing Page for your cause.
- Promote your PlayRaise Fundraising Campaign on Facebook.
Step One: Register to create a PlayRaise Fundraising Dashboard account
Register your campaign to create your PlayRaise Fundraising Dashboard. Click here to start your own Fundraising Campaign.
This Dashboard gives you access to your management settings, including contact details, unique campaign code, financial goals, progress tracking, and preferences for payout of funds once raised.
Be sure to include a description of your cause, as well as a compelling message to your supporters including detailing why you're raising funds, and what the funds will help you accomplish. For instance:
- Are you raising funds for a special event or tournament?
- Are your campaign needs ongoing, such as a Food Bank or lunch program?
- Will the funds raised help one or two people (i.e., a team member with health challenges), or something specific (i.e., building a therapy center), or be directed towards a larger group (i.e., a classroom of students who will collectively benefit)?
Specifics like this will help your followers feel good about shopping for everyday items to support your goal because they have connected with your cause.
Once your campaign is approved, login to your Dashboard and head over to the Campaign Guide in the left menu*, then watch the videos to familiarize yourself with the available Tools and Resources, including:
- Setting up payment preferences and manage payouts
- Creating a custom campaign code for shoppers to enter at checkout
- Access done-for-you promotional material to easily share on social, text and email with your friends, family, followers and supporters
- Notifications enabled, so that we can contact you with valuable information regarding your campaign, referrals, fundraising progress, and payouts!
*Note: our support team is happy to walk you through this on a call.
**Note: this account is different than the PlayRaise Marketplace Landing Page.
Step Two: Customize the PlayRaise Marketplace Landing Page for your cause
Once you’ve finished setting up your Dashboard account, the next step is to follow the instructions emailed to you (within the Dashboard approval email) and customize your Fundraising Landing Page on the PlayRaise Marketplace.
- Add logo, videos and/or photos to further highlight your cause
- Find and share your customized campaign link - when you share this link with your supporters, they’ll instantly recognize your brand and know they are in the right place
- Allow supporters to view and track financial progress of your Campaign
From your PlayRaise Marketplace, your supporters can shop from 15,000+ everyday products, shipped right to their door.
Alternatively, if your cause is a Food Bank or lunch program, you can identify items on your Wish List, and your supporters can purchase and ship these items directly to your location.
Either way, your cause will earn between 5% and 25% of the purchase price for every item sold.
**Note: this account is different than the PlayRaise Dashboard.
Step Three: Promote your PlayRaise Campaign on Facebook
This is where the fun begins. Promote your Fundraising Campaign on Facebook by including a link to your Campaign Landing page in every post.
Ideas to include with your posts:
- Encourage supporters to shop and share for your cause
- Showcase your favorite products
- Updates on how much money you've raised so far, and your overall financial goal
- Shoutouts to supporters for purchases and shares
- Behind-the-scenes photos of your team, school, or non-profit preparing for games and/or special events
- Do a Facebook Live update on your fundraising progress or to thank your supporters
Encourage your followers to shop for everyday items, share your posts, and the PlayRaise Marketplace pays your cause anywhere from 5 to 25% for every product sold.
Make sure to post regularly on Facebook to keep your followers engaged and up-to-date on your progress.
Gamify your interactions:
Consider creating a competition for players, participants, different teams or classrooms, or non-profit organizers using both Facebook and PlayRaise. This will not only motivate your team to work harder towards your fundraising goal, but also create a sense of friendly competition and community spirit. Make sure to promote your competition on Facebook and encourage your followers to remain engaged with your Campaign.
Get creative with your fundraising ideas and keep your followers engaged by posting regular updates, including:
- Offer a prize to the individual, classroom or team that raises the most funds through their PlayRaise Campaign
- Incentivize based on likes and/or shares
- Reminders to shop and share for a cause
- Info around your deadline (such as a tournament or other upcoming special event)
Some ideas for team competitions include:
- A "battle of the grades" competition between different classrooms or grade levels at a school. You could offer a prize to the class that raises the most funds, or even have a friendly competition between different teachers to see whose class can raise the most.
- A "friendly rivalry" competition between different team members or even a different sports team.
- A "department vs. department" competition between different departments at your non-profit. This can be a great way to promote team building and collaboration within your community, while also raising funds for a great cause.
- A “parents vs. kids” or “sibling rivalry” between older/younger siblings can be a fun way to bring people together.
- Partner with local businesses to offer additional prizes or incentives.
- Compete to see which team member(s) can get the most views, likes or shares.
- Do a “LIVE Face-off” where you challenge your supporters to promote your cause LIVE on their Facebook feed (since the algorithms favor LIVE feeds, this can help to raise awareness and funds very quickly).
Leveraging Facebook in conjunction with your PlayRaise Marketplace, can maximize your fundraising efforts and engage your community in many fun and interactive ways. You could also consider using Facebook Ads to promote your fundraising campaign to a wider audience.
Additional Tips and Ideas for Fundraising with PlayRaise on Facebook
- Create a Facebook Group and or Page dedicated to your team, school and/or non-profit. Be sure to include links back to your PlayRaise Marketplace Landing Page
- Consider creating a custom banner or image to announce your PlayRaise Fundraising Campaign through your Facebook Page
- Strategize with a content calendar to align important dates, events and milestones with your message
- Use hashtags!! When you share content using a unique hashtag for your cause, it helps people identify your cause while searching for similar information. There was a time when hashtags didn’t have much relevance on Facebook, however, at this moment in time, the use of hashtags is strongly encouraged. It is a good idea to use one or two additional hashtags along with your custom hashtag, for example: #nonprofit #playraisefundraiser #hockey #middleschool or even a local hashtag such as #cityname
- Diversify your content formats. Use Graphics, videos, and/or Reels to promote your Fundraising Marketplace on Facebook. A video can be a great way to showcase your team's passion and commitment to your cause
- Interact with your followers. Ask questions or do a survey to turn likes into comments and shares
- Use Facebook LIVE for real-time updates on your fundraising progress or to thank supporters for shopping and/or sharing
Remember, we know fundraising can be challenging, but with the right tools and strategies, you can make a big impact for your cause. The PlayRaise platform was designed by people with 20+ years of fundraising experience and we are here to help.
Good luck and have fun with your PlayRaise Fundraising Campaign!
In Summary
In this blog post, we shared how to successfully raise funds for your team, school or non-profit using the PlayRaise Marketplace and Facebook in three easy steps. Let’s Begin Now. Click here to start your own Fundraising Campaign.
