If you work for a non-profit, you know that fundraising can’t wait—and the populations you serve are more vulnerable than ever. But with in-person events still limited, you might be wondering how you can meet your Giving Tuesday and end-of-year fundraising goals.

Don't overlook your volunteers and activists as a source of contributions as 2021 draws to a close. Your volunteers already believe in the importance of your cause, and more importantly: they want to help.

Each of your volunteers has a network of people—friends, family, coworkers. By giving them the right tools and support, you can empower them to fundraise on your behalf. Peer-to-peer fundraisers raise four to six times more than what the average donor would give individually. This presents an opportunity to engage your volunteers more deeply and bring in new supporters for your organization.

Whether for this upcoming Tuesday, November 30th, or for your organization’s next fundraising effort, here are five steps you can take to mobilize your volunteers and raise precious dollars for your cause.

1. Recognize what your volunteers have already helped you accomplish

Your volunteers are a powerful asset for your organization, so remind them of all they've helped achieve. Through Mobilize’s messaging features, you might send a message like the following: 

Hi Jane!

First of all, thank you so much for being such an amazing volunteer. With your help, we’ve been able to complete over 4,983 calls to at-risk seniors across the state to ensure that they have access to essential services while self-isolating and social distancing. 

50 more ideas for showing your volunteers appreciation

2. Share your specific need 

Your volunteers may not even be aware of your need to raise funds for your work, or what their contributions would unlock. Showcase the work that these fundraising dollars enable you to accomplish. Ideally, keep these needs time-bound in your message, so that they can understand the urgency:

Before COVID-19, our organization had already been delivering 110 million meals to 1.7 million seniors each year. However, during this time of crisis, we’re seeing more seniors face food insecurity than ever.

The costs and efforts needed to protect seniors from COVID-19 require additional emergency funds, and we’re trying to raise $100,000 by December 10 so that we can deliver an additional 12,000 meals during the holidays.

3. Show them how they can help you fundraise

Now, get your volunteers excited about how they can help. They already believe in your organization’s work, so show them how they can take it further by fundraising for your cause: 

As a volunteer, you’re one of our most powerful voices for spreading the word about senior hunger. On November 30th, our organization is participating in #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving for those in need. We’re $10,000 away from reaching our goal, and we need your help to get the word out on Tuesday.

‍You can go even further by giving your volunteers intuitive tools to become your best fundraisers. With Mobilize's newest fundraising tools, empowering your volunteers to fundraise on your behalf is simple and seamlessly integrated into the volunteer experience.

4. Make sure that they feel equipped 

Your volunteers are busy people, and effectively sharing your organization’s mission & work can feel time-consuming – even for the most social-media savvy. Give your volunteers guidance by providing them with everything they need to fundraise successfully in your message: 

To help us reach our goal, we’ve made it really easy to share our fundraiser with friends and family. I’m attaching a link to some sample language that you can copy and paste for emails so that you can get started in under 5 minutes.

You might create a simple toolkit with: 

• Images of your organization’s work, sized for social media 
• Sample social media posts 
• Sample emails to friends and family 
• Sample text messages to friends and family 

Did you know? More than 18% of supporters on Mobilize have signed up through our baked-in social sharing and bring-a-friend asks. Read more about how we've optimized social sharing to help you find more supporters!

5. Celebrate every win together

Even after your fundraisers have launched their initial efforts, you’ll want to continue to follow up with them so that they can stay engaged and motivated. 

Congratulate them for hitting certain milestones, acknowledge them on social media, and share frequent campaign updates so that they’ll feel a sense of accomplishment around what you’re doing together. 

After your campaign ends, try hosting a fun virtual event or virtual fundraiser, like a happy hour or game night, where you celebrate your successes, have fun, and discuss what’s next on the roadmap. (Browse additional virtual event ideas here.)  

Especially during a time when your volunteers can’t always show up in-person, they will want to help. 

Your fundraising efforts enable your organization to do critical work, so don’t underestimate your volunteers’ desire to help you reach those goals. With the right tools and support, your volunteers can become some of the most seasoned fundraisers for your cause.