Pledge Raising

Introduction

Pledge Raising will help you in mobilising your supporter and donor base to fundraise for your organisation. It is designed to create a high buy-in among donors and ensure campaign targets are achieved. Pledge raising is an effective tool in fundraising when there is adequate planning, focus and relationship development touch points.

Why

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This toolkit is useful for an organisation which:

• needs to create support from its current donor base.
• needs a plan to engage both local and international donors.
• wants to ensure each pledge raiser is committed, driven and achieves the target they have set for themselves.

What you can expect

In seven steps we will guide you to strengthen your campaign by using the power of pledge raising and fuelling the passion among your supporters. Here you’ll find a step-by-step guide, tools, examples and other resources for carrying out Pledge Raising.

Step 1: Goal Setting

• Set a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound) goal for fundraising together with the leadership and/or fundraising team.
• Translate the goal into the number of hours it will take to raise the target and set an average number of hours expected of each pledge raiser.
• Note that while setting the organization target is necessary, the individual target should be set by each person who signs up for the campaign.
• Watch these two examples of pledge raising campaigns to get an idea of what pledge raising could mean for your organisation.

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Step 2: List of Potential Pledgers

• Nominate a campaign lead who creates a list of potential pledgers. Focus is given to groups of individuals who can work together within a specific location to raise funds. This will help to keep morale high and be able to motivate each other.
• Ensure that they have a strong network and commitment.

Step 3: Pledge Raising Kit and Calendar

• Create the documents for the campaign:
  • an overall campaign calendar
  • a list of pledge raisers
  • a fundraising kit for pledge raisers
• Create a high level task calendar with clearly defined targets for the campaign and each pledge raiser.
• Create a pitch document and a sign up letter for pledge raisers to use.
• Create a fundraising kit with easy to use tools for the pledge raiser to help raise funds.

Step 4: Meeting with Pledge Raisers

• Have the campaign lead and the support team contact the potential pledge raisers.
• Find the right fit! Choose people who are committed and aligned to the organisation’s mission.
• Organise a joint meeting, once the pledge raisers are on board, to help set expectations and answer any queries.
• Set a clear deadline to achieve the targets set.
• Follow up regularly through emails/calls with the pledge raisers.

Step 5: Relationship Development

• Assign each team member a set number of donors to manage. It is the duty of each team member to ensure that donors feel engaged and receives timely support.
• Let the core campaign team meet on a weekly/fortnightly basis to address any challenges and ensure that deadlines and targets are met.
• Oversee the complete process with a keen eye for detail, especially on the relationship building efforts.

Step 6: Check-Ins and Updates

• Ensure that each pledge raiser receives individual attention and has check-ins with their relationship manager. Group meet-ups should be held when possible. For non-local pledge raisers it will be important for the campaign lead to set a group in-charge who will be responsible for managing their local team. Communication with the group lead will need to be done more often than with the whole group.

Step 7: Reporting

• Determine a reporting schedule prior to the launch of the campaign. This schedule needs both, internal and external communication.
• Provide frequent campaign updates along with success stories to help encourage the pledge raising teams. This is a good way to keep momentum high.
• Provide a platform for continuous feedback from the pledge raisers during the campaign but also ensure a formal feedback post campaign.

Key To Success

• Identify the right set of people for the pledge raising – preferably groups of friends
• Acknowledge short term wins & encourage peer sharing
• Post campaign, it is imperative to acknowledge each individual effort and keep the donors updated on how the funds were used

Challenges

• As this is solely driven by individuals, keeping momentum up can be challenging if the duration of the campaign extends beyond a 2-3 week period.