FlipGive is a free online fundraising platform that combines ecommerce with fundraising - friends and family support your cause by shopping online for products they actually want and need. This step-by-step guide will take you through the process of planning, launching, and promoting a fundraising campaign on the FlipGive platform, with plenty of tips and fun facts along the way. Download the FlipGive Online Fundraising Guide to ensure your next fundraising campaign is a success. Learn more about us at www.flipgive.com

1. ‘Get Ready’Kit
Planning for a Successful Online Fundraising Campaign
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2. 2
Table of Contents
Introduction 3
Phase 1: Planning Your Campaign (2 Weeks) 4
Create your Fundraising Campaign ........................................................ 5
Build your Team ........................................................................................ 9
Plan out your activation ........................................................................... 10
Phase 2: Fundraising (3 Weeks) 11
FlipGive Tools for Running your Campaign ............................................. 12
During your Campaign ............................................................................. 13
The Three Part Plan ................................................................................. 14
Phase 3: Closing Your Campaign (1 Week) 17
Say Thanks ................................................................................................ 18
Use the Funds and Share the Impact! .................................................... 18
Plan, Launch, and GO! .............................................................................. 19
Online Fundraising
A FlipGive Guide to Planning a Successful Campaign
www.flipgive.com

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Tips & Tricks
Facts
Checklist Items
Look for these symbols throughout the guide:
Welcome to your ‘Get Ready’’ Kit! In this guide, we’ll take you through the process of planning a successful
online fundraising campaign: Create. Invite. Activate. If there is one thing to take away from this guide, it is that
planning your fundraising campaign ahead of time is just as important (if not more important) than running the
campaign itself!
You may be wondering: What is online fundraising? Why create a campaign? Should I adopt this new way of
fundraising? Simply put, online fundraising can be more profitable and much easier to manage if done properly.
This guide will take you through the tools FlipGive provides to set your fundraising campaign up for success
before it even begins!
Introduction
Prologue: Online Fundraising
Think about traditional fundraising programs, say a chocolate bar sale. You ask your brother, Shawn, to purchase
a chocolate bar to support your organization. He agrees, so you drive to his house, sell him the chocolate bar, and
record the sale. Repeat with your friends Becky, Trish, and Rob.
But what if Shawn, Becky, Trish and Rob are not only your supporters, but fundraisers with you? What if they can sell
chocolate bars to their network of family and friends? And what if their networks live accross the country? Enter the
new age of fundraising called peer-to-peer (P2P), which uses technology to make it easier for fundraisers to reach
more people and raise more money.
Today, online tools allow you to create fundraising campaigns that leverage the benefits of peer-to-peer fundraising.
An online campaign is the hub for your fundraising program. It is a website that is accessible to anyone, from
anywhere. It is a place where you can manage and track your fundraising progress. And most importantly, it is a tool
for marketing and sharing your fundraising program with a large network of people.
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2. Set Your Goal
Setting the right goal is a crucial part of setting your fundraiser up for success — you don’t want to be unrealistic, but
you also don’t want to sell yourself short! Ask these three questions when deciding what your goal should be:
1. How much might you and/or your group need? For example, if you are raising money to build a playground
that costs $3500, it would make sense to make your fundraising goal about $3500.
2. How long is your fundraising campaign? Make sure your goal is realistic within the timeframe you choose.
3. How many people will be helping you raise money? When you have an idea of how many
people will join your team, it is easier to set a realistic fundraising goal.
Step 1: Create
Remember, the planning phase for fundraising is crucial to setting your campaign up for success, and it starts with
creating your customized Campaign page. Creating a Fundraising Campaign with FlipGive is simple and quick.
3. Set a Campaign Period
In our experience, 3 weeks is the ideal amount of time to run a fundraising campaign. This is just enough time to
reach your fundraising goal without exhausting the momentum of the campaign.
1. Craft your Campaign Name
Your title is the fist line of text people will see when they land on your campaign page and when it is shared
through social media, so it is super important to make it simple and catchy. Keep these three tips in mind:
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1. Describe your fundraising campaign
2. Demand attention through catchy words and/or an emotional appeal
3. Keep it simple!
It’s better to show supporters that you’re close to reaching your goal or have
attained your goal, than to show a long road ahead. While balancing attainable
vs. lofty goals, err on the side of attainable.
The most successful fundraising campaigns are 20-50 days long.

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Pitch
“Mygoalistoraise$1,000forourkids’
schoollibrarybysellingGoodCogiftcards.
Thisway,youcansupportusbybuying
stuffyoualreadyneed!”
Mission
Activity
Benefit
What is the cause or issue you
are trying to support?
How are you trying to advocate
for you cause?
What is the benefit to those who
support your campaign?
Pitch Formula = Mission + Activity + Benefit
4. Tell Your Story
Make sure to answer the following questions: Why are you raising money? What are you raising money for?
Make it personal. People can tell when you are speaking from the heart, and they’ll want to support you.
Be clear and specific about where your money is going so that potential supporters have absolute confidence in your
intentions and understand that their support is yielding tangible results.
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5. Upload Media
Your photos and videos will be the first thing people see when they arrive
on your fundraiser page or see a shared link on social media. Choose a
photo or video that will pull at heartstrings or make someone look twice.
cat in the hat
tintin in america
babar
winnie the pooh
paddington
cat in the hat
cat in the hat
tintin in america
babar
winnie the pooh
paddington
cat in the hat
catinthehat
www.flipgive.com
Your story should exhibit your enthusiasm and passion for your cause. If you’re
not passionate, no one else will be!
Campaigns with a video are twice as likely to
reach their goals.

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Step 2: Build your Team
Achieve your goals faster and more effectively by inviting fundraisers. Recruiting volunteers can be the most
honorous task in the fundraising process, so make sure to build your fundraising team at the beginning of your
planning process. That way you have support from the start. Use this checklist to build your team on FlipGive:
www.flipgive.com
Campaigns with team members raise 38% than single fundraisers.
1. Brainstorm people who share your fundraising goals. They can be fellow parents, teachers,
or coaches; the people who are most likely to commit to your cause right away. Start by listing 5
people you want to join your team:
2. FlipGive will prompt you to invite team members to join your fundraising team. You can
do this easily via email, directly from your Campaign page. Recruiting volunteers with FlipGive is
as easy as a click of a button!
In addition to the simple invite tool, you can also chat in person or over the phone with
prospective team members, so that when they receive your invitation to join, they will know what
it’s about and how easy fundraising/volunteering can be with FlipGive.
3. Give each team member a concrete goal to work toward. By giving them a tangible number
of offers to sell or number of dollars to raise, team members will feel more motivated to achieve
that goal. Healthy competition between team members is a great motivator!

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When we talk about activation, we mean, “How am I actually going to get people to come to my fundraiser page and
support me?” If you create an activation plan before you launch your campaign, you will have the tools to activate
supporters as soon as your campaign launches.
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30s
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3.
Step 3: Plan Your Activation
2. Attract seed supporters before your campaign begins.
They will be your first supporters on day 1 of your Campaign. Other potential supporters will be more
compelled to contribute to your campaign if they see that others have already supported.
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1. List each group who would potentially support your
fundraising campaign, and plan how to target each one.
For example, email may be the best way to reach your close
friends, and a visit to your community center may be the best
way to reach other families with young children.
Estimate how many people are in each group to set a
benchmark. For example, if you have 200 email contacts, and
the community center attracts 300 families each week, you can
reach 500 people.
Activation Checklist
Audience
Segment
Number
of People
Wher e/ Ho w
to Reach
Friends
Other Families
200
300
Email
Community
Center Visit
3. Make a “Content Calendar” to plan out the timing of your outreach over the campaign period.
4. Create rewards and incentives for team members and supporters.
Create perks that relate to your cause. Studies show that people give more when they feel gratification
from supporting the cause, rather than from getting something for themselves.
5. Prepare outreach content in advance to ensure your is message consistent.
• Examples: sample emails, social media content (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.), phone call script.
• Remember to use the Pitch Formula as a framework for all of the content you write.
• Create a theme for your communications. For example, every day of the campaign, post an
interesting image or pose a question on Facebook about the issue you are raising money for.
FlipGive will help you out by providing prepared content in your social media and email outreach.
6. Think outside the box when you plan your communication channels.
Using social media channels like Facebook and Twitter are super engaging options, but also think
about video, blogging, in-person, and other social networks like Pinterest and Google+ to reach
potential supporters.
7. Develop a 30-second pitch.
You can easily leverage this when chatting with friends and family at social gatherings. Preparing
in advance will keep your message consistent amongst your team members and clear when you
communicate it to others.

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You’re Off to the Races!
The recipe for success in online fundraising requires the same ingredients as the recipe for success in any project
you undertake. The more preparation and planning you do before the project begins, the more successful the final
outcome will be.
Inevitably, things won’t always go exactly to plan - be flexible. You may find that certain methods we suggest work
better for you than others. The most important thing is to do what makes you and your community of supporters
comfortable, and creates excitement about your cause. If there is one takeaway, do not underestimate the
importance of the planning phase in setting your Fundraising Campaign up for success!
“Failing to plan is planning to fail” - Alan Lakein
www.flipgive.com
A key success factor is achieving momentum in the first few days post-launch.
In fact, once a campaign raises over 20% of the initial funding goal, the project
has an 80% chance of successfully reaching its total funding goal.
1. Create your Fundraising Campaign by customizing a FlipGive webpage for your organization.
2. Set your Campaign timeline and goal, and capture the hearts of your supporters through a
compelling story and media such as photos and videos.
3. Build a fundraising team by inviting fundraisers to join your Campaign. Fundraising is much
more successful when you’re not carrying the entire campaign yourself!
4. Plan your activation strategically before your Campaign begins. Remember that the first few
days of your Campaign are crucial in creating momentum, and will likely make the difference
between reaching your goal or not.

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Phase 2: Fundraising
Suggested Time:3 weeks
Introduction
When you launch your campaign, you will need to adapt your plan as you go. Some of the things you’ve planned
may or may not work — so keep an open mind! Remember to lead by example in all parts of the campaign. Build up
the confidence to call people personally. If you don’t do it, how can you expect your team members to do it?
cat in the hat
tintin in america
babar
winnie the pooh
paddington
cat in the hat
catinthehat
We Need Books
$500 raised
Support
8 team members
20 supporters
cat in the hat
tintin
in america
babar
winnie
the pooh
paddington
cat in the hat
catinthehat
Support
www.flipgive.com

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FlipGive Tools for Running your Campaign
www.flipgive.com
Fundraiser Checklist: A step-by-step checklist of the tasks you should complete to ensure
your campaign is a success.
Team Messaging: Deliver motivating messages and important updates.
Fundraising Teams: Create healthy competition by dividing your team members into different
groups. For example, if you are running a school-wide fundraiser, you can make
each grade a different fundraising team.
Activity Leaderboards: To monitor team progress and to see who might need an extra push
or some inspiration.
News & Updates: Post campaign updates and progress on the campaign page to keep your
supporters connected and motivated to help out more.
Goal Meter: Tells your team members and supporters how close you are to reaching your
fundraising goal.
Email and Social Media Outreach: Spread the word about your campaign through social
networks and email - directly from your campaign page.
Helpdesk: Read the FAQs, ask questions on any specific issues, and join discussions with
other FlipGive fundraisers. You can also use our live chat for immediate assistance.
Update Feed: Post photos, videos, and updates to your campaign page so that your
supporters know that their contributions are making a difference!

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During Your Campaign
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1. Emails and social media are a great way to communicate with current and potential
supporters.
Sending out emails and social media “progress updates” are a great way to talk to your
current supporters and to those who haven’t supported you yet.
2. Find unique ways to draw people to your campaign page.
Don’t continuously ask people to support you - find unique ways to attract them to your page.
For example, post an awesome image or pose a question on Facebook (with the answer on
your Campaign page).
3. Always ask people to share.
While you don’t always want to ask people directly to support you, it’s always a good idea
to ask them to share your fundraising campaign link. This helps extend the impact of your
outreach efforts by creating a viral effect.
4. Think about the Goal Proximity Effect as your fundraiser progress.
Studies show that an individual’s contribution is higher as your campaign gets closer to its
goal. There is an increasing feeling of impact when people see that you are close to achieving
your goal – it encourages them to support you because they want to be part of helping you get
those final dollars to achieve success.
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The #1 Rule in Fundraising: ASK! Don’t be shy to ask for support, and
definitely don’t assume that certain people won’t support your campaign. You’ll
never know until you ask - what do you have to lose? The worst-case scenario
is that someone says “no”. So go for it!
Before we dive into the specifics of a fundraising campaign, here are some important general items to keep in mind:
Research shows that most people open email on Wednesday and Thursday,
after 12pm, especially between 2-5pm.

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The Three Part Plan
The graph below shows the typical progression of a fundraising campaign. While not every campaign works this way,
you can safely assume there will be an initial spike in support, a mid-campaign lull, and a final push to achieve the
fundraising goal. In this section we provide some tips to make the most of each of these phases.
Middle Lull
Whether it is the middle week of your campaign or the middle few days, we usually see a dip in support. This
is because there is a decreased sense of urgency to support your campaign. Don’t become discouraged ­— it is
perfectly normal, and it’s what makes the final blast such a great opportunity to bring back that urgency.
Here are a few ways you can make the most out of the Middle-lull period:
Make personal phone calls to team members. Your team members may need an extra dose of motivation. Giving
them a call and asking about their successes and challenges so far will show them you care. Remind them of the
impact they are making and give suggestions for ways to pump up the support.
Focus on specific segments. There may be a certain location or group of people you haven’t given enough personal
attention to yet. Take the time to reach out and encourage them to share with their community.
Create new incentives. When it comes to incentives, don’t give them all away at the beginning — throw a new one
into the campaign! This will give you something new to talk and post about. Remember, if you are creating incentives
for supporters, make sure they relate to the cause. You can also use the Incentive feature on your team page.
Important things to include in your launch communication:
• What you are raising money for
• Your fundraising goal
• How long you are fundraising for
• Your Call To Action (For example, buy a gift card!)
Launch
The launch of your fundraising campaign sets the tone for the rest of the campaign period. It is the first time people
will be interacting with your campaign, so choose your words carefully and make your outreach impactful.
Your outreach method will vary depending on who you’ve identified as your potential audience, but as a general
rule, sending out a launch email is great way to start. Remember to show your passion by being authentic and
enthusiastic.
Launch
Week 1
Middle Lull
Week 2
Final Blast
Week 3
1
2
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Final Blast
The Final Blast period will determine whether or not you reach your fundraising goal. Your level of passion and
enthusiasm must be at its peak during this part of your campaign. Whatever you do during the Final Blast period,
make sure that it is creating urgency to support your fundraising goal.
Here are a few ways you can make the most out of the Final Blast period:
Talk about how close you are to your goal. Remember the
Goal Proximity Effect we mentioned? When people know that
you are getting closer to your goal, they are more inclined to
help. This really creates that sense of urgency we’ve been
talking about.
Focus on your most proactive team members. At this point in
the campaign, it is unlikely that the team members who have not
been successful will change their level of effort. Focus on the team
members who have shown high levels of enthusiasm and success –
continue to encourage them and think of innovative ways to garner
those last dollars together.
Create a short video. Using free video tools like YouTube, you can create a 30 second
video that could be as simple as you talking. When people see your face and connect it
with the personal story you are telling, they will feel a sense of empathy. Empathy often
leads to an action — in this case, supporting your campaign!

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Phase 3: Closing your Campaign
Suggested Time: 1 week
Introduction
In this section, we’ll guide you through wrapping up your campaign so that your team members feel rewarded, your
supporters feel appreciated, and people will want to support you again next time you run a fundraising campaign.
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1. Once your campaign period has ended, FlipGive will
prompt you to write a thank you message to everyone
who helped make it a success ­— both your team
members and supporters. Make sure to do this within
the first week after your campaign ends to feed off of the
excitement of the campaign. When sending your message,
remember to emphasize the impact that every team
member and supporter has made by participating in
your campaign.
2. Announce your fundraising success through social
media channels. Publicly sharing your success creates
awareness for your cause and publicly recognizes the
supporter and team members who helped you achieve your
fundraising goal.
3. Acknowledge the merchant that supported your
campaign. This will encourage them to keep helping
campaigns like yours.
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Use the Funds and Share the Impact!
There may be a time lag between when your fundraising campaign ends and when you use the money towards your
cause. Once you do apply the funds you’ve raised, make sure to let your supporters know and share pictures or
videos if you can.
Share your impact through the Success Story feature. Creating a Success Story is a super simple process - all
you need is an image that shows your funds being put into action and a short caption which shares the impact
you’ve made. This will be the new face of your campaign page and will also appear on the Success Story page. See
below for an example.
“Thank you to all of our supporters and to
GoodCo for filling our school with new books
and sports equipment. The kids love being in
the library now and are enjoying playing
basketball with the new nets and balls!
We couldn’t have done this without you!”
by Pat Patterson
cat in the hat
tintin in america
babar
winnie the pooh
paddington
cat in the hat
catinthehat
catinthehat
We Need New Library Books
$3,470 RAISED
Chicago, IL
www.flipgive.com
Say Thanks

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Plan, Launch, and GO!
Now that you’ve read this guide, you are well on your way to creating a successful fundraising campaign. We can’t
wait to see your success - have fun and good luck!
PLAN
LAUNCH
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www.flipgive.com
Sources: Mailchimp, Canadian Media Fund, Razoo, GoGetFunding.