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International Women\u2019s Day<\/strong>, on March 8 every year has been celebrated since the early 1900s but has gotten more traction in recent years as the international development community has amped up its efforts online and offline. Now, hundreds, if not thousands of organizations raise funds and run awareness and advocacy campaigns for this global day of recognition, focusing on issues from maternal and reproductive health and child marriage, to education and entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n Women and girls are a resonant issue in the nonprofit community, and it provides a great opportunity for organizations of all sizes to draw more focus on their individual and collective efforts. This year\u2019s theme for International Women\u2019s Day (IWD) is \u201cMake It Happen<\/a>”\u00a0celebrating the numerous achievements of women around the world, but also calling for great equality and recognition.<\/p>\n Whether this is your first foray into fundraising for IWD, or you\u2019re looking for some fresh ideas, we hope this guide will provide some steps and insights to crafting a successful IWD crowdfunding<\/a> campaign. And since we\u2019re only a few weeks away, it\u2019s time to get started!<\/p>\n As we said, this year\u2019s global theme is #MakeItHappen. But it\u2019s important to take that and personalize it for your organization\u2019s mission and goals. What does making it happen to look like to you? What does it look like to the women and girls that your nonprofit works with or serves?<\/p>\n Some organizations make the mistake of creating a generic fundraising campaign and slapping a hashtag on it, without telling their unique perspective. Donors should know exactly why women and girls are important to YOUR cause, and how YOU are going to help #MakeItHappen with their contributions. So here are some things to think about and ask as you craft your IWD campaign:<\/p>\n Some of these questions may be more pertinent than others, and that\u2019s okay, depending on your goals and resources. We generally recommend that you ask these types of questions for all theme-based crowdfunding campaigns, even the ones with short timelines like International Women’s Day (your campaign likely won\u2019t last more than three weeks).<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve determined your personal International Women’s Day\u00a0theme and goal, you\u2019ll need to solidify your fundraising ask, or appeal. So if you\u2019re trying to raise $50,000 for a women\u2019s entrepreneurship program, it\u2019s time to nail down all of the details around that ask.<\/p>\n There are several best practices for creating a compelling fundraising appeal<\/a>, and these apply even more so with such a targeted message as International Women\u2019s Day and #MakeItHappen. Keep these things in mind as you craft your appeal:<\/p>\n If you are struggling to get specific and create a compelling appeal, take a step back and think about what would resonate with you. What excites you about the opportunity to #MakeItHappen for women and girls? Perhaps you have a personal story that you can apply to this theme \u2013 what type of fundraising campaign might have contributed to that? What\u2019s something that your organization has the capability to impact right now?<\/p>\n We\u2019ve pulled together some sample appeals that may inspire you as you are coming up with your own. We also include some that are advocacy or awareness-based only, as many organizations do not fundraise, but instead solicit content, attendees for events, and more.<\/p>\n Keep in mind that these one-line asks are only part of your appeal. You\u2019ll need to provide more context on your website, and in the rest of your communications and outreach, but you can see that these are the substance of your appeal, with the major details front and center. Check out the official International Women\u2019s Day website<\/a> to see what other organizations and businesses are doing to support this year\u2019s #MakeItHappen theme.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve nailed down your fundraising appeal, it\u2019s time to figure out how to make it sing with storytelling. We\u2019ve all seen the stunning photos of women and girls around the world, or videos highlighting historic achievements through the years. It\u2019s clear that these mediums work \u2013 so why not make use of that if you have the resources?<\/p>\n But be sure to think beyond the usual photos and videos of smiling, happy people. How else can you portray the theme of #MakeItHappen? How can you really tell or show the story of how your organization can make an impact specifically around equality for women? This is your moment to really bring the potential of a seemingly broad and vague idea to life \u2013 what does \u201cit\u201d mean? Is \u201cit\u201d different for different people? When has \u201cit\u201d actually happened<\/i>? There are all kinds of paths you could take with this\u2026here are a few of our ideas you may want to run with.<\/p>\n Get more inspiration from women\u2019s artwork and stories<\/a> on the International Women\u2019s day website.<\/p>\n So now it\u2019s time to start putting together all of the elements of your International Women’s Day\u00a0fundraising campaign. You have your appeal, your story, and some media \u2013 how will you begin spreading the word? As with any other campaign, you will want to cross-promote on all of your channels, spending the most effort on the place that you feel will give you the most return on investment.<\/p>\n To that end, you may want to send fewer emails for a short campaign like this one, and focus on social media. Or you may want to post lots of short, informative, and compelling blog posts on your website and frequently update your homepage. Either way, you\u2019ll want to make the most of your time and resources.<\/p>\n For something like IWD, you\u2019ll want to make sure your organization\u2019s campaign is included in the global conversation. That\u2019s why making use of the resources from the official IWD website<\/a> are extremely important \u2013 it can lend credibility to your efforts. And on social media, using global hashtags and collateral create a sense of unity around the issue and ensures that you appear in search results.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve put together a snapshot of the key marketing and communications tools you should use for your IWD fundraising campaign (if you have them):<\/p>\n While there is a lot of prep work that goes into creating even a small fundraising campaign like this one, you still have much to do once you\u2019ve launched the campaign. You\u2019ll need to monitor donations, continue to create and share content, respond to donors and supporters, and update your website as necessary if things change, or if you need to pivot mid-campaign.<\/p>\n Whether the campaign runs one week, one day, or three weeks, you\u2019ll want to make sure you keep up a steady flow of communications and continue to amp up your fundraising appeals through March 8, especially if you are trying to reach a specific dollar amount.<\/p>\n On CauseVox, we\u2019ve made it easy for you to adjust your campaign progress metrics<\/a>, and to provide updates to the community through the site administration tool<\/a>.<\/p>\n And remember \u2013 your campaign doesn\u2019t end on March 8 just because International Women\u2019s Day is over. While you may close the campaign to donations, you still have to follow up with your donors. You\u2019ll need to communicate the results of the campaign and confirm what their money will go towards. If you can include even a general timeline of how soon their money will make an impact, even better. Over the course of the following months, you should strive to send more updates to your donors about the ongoing outcome of this campaign \u2013 collect videos, photos, and testimonials to show it, and turn it into case studies and stories of impact to feature on your website, in emails, and with media outlets.<\/p>\n![\"make](\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/makeithappen.png\")
<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s Your International Women’s Day Theme?<\/h2>\n
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Crafting Your Fundraising Appeal<\/h2>\n
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Developing the story<\/h2>\n
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Communications and Marketing<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nWebsite<\/h3>\n
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Email<\/h3>\n
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Social Media<\/h3>\n
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Partners & PR<\/h3>\n
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Managing your campaign<\/h2>\n
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