Just how do people and organizations go about setting up giving pages on a charitable giving site? We asked two fundraisers, with successful campaigns using firstgiving.com, to share their secrets. On page one, read about the Jacksonville Humane Society's Trail of Tails fundraising campaign. Below is Christina Knaak's story of how she and her daughters paid tribute to her late husband.
Christina Knaak's 9 Days to $1,000
Christina Knaak's husband passed away a year ago. In order to grieve in a "productive" manner, she and her young daughters decided to honor their husband and father's memory with a 9-day campaign to raise $1000 for the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation. The results were astounding. We asked Christina how they did it.
Nonprofit Guide: Your page looks so well done. It has a drawing by the girls and a video. The text is also beautifully written. Do you have experience in media?
Knaak: Yes, I do work in the field. I am the Marketing Director for a Video Production Company in Chicago, Production Craft. So I am very familiar with using the internet for marketing and with video.
I was, however very unsure of how to handle fundraising for CBTF. With the anniversary of Eric’s death approaching, I started talking to a good friend, whose background is nonprofit fundraising. That conversation helped me solidify what I wanted to do.
I asked my best friend how I should write my story...I didn’t know if I should be personal or factual. I didn’t know how comfortable people would be learning some of the details of our experience. She advised that I be as personal as I felt comfortable with. So I was--I hope I made it personal enough so that people could imagine it being a part of their lives.
I was also using this as a tool to communicate with many people with whom I don’t keep in regular contact. I found that reaching out to the many people who had reached out to me, or who were totally unaware of our situation, was daunting. But I thought I could share the bad news in a proactive way. I had no idea that people would respond in the way they did.
Nonprofit Guide: How did you promote the fundraiser to other people?
Knaak: We promoted the campaign through e-mails and Facebook. My family and some friends then forwarded it on to other family and friends. I emailed colleagues, vendors, some close clients, family and friends. I then sent a Facebook message to all of my "old friends" (people from high school who had no idea) and told them the anniversary was approaching. I am so very fortunate that this tight group of people to whom I haven’t spoken in 10 years (or more) are as generous and kind as they are.
Getting the girls involved was a suggestion from my friend, who thought it would be more effective and more helpful for all of us to include them. Maddalen, my seven year old, was really excited about it. It gave all three of us a way to talk about it and DO something rather than just keep it to ourselves. The support and comfort people offer you during an illness and death is unexpectedly energizing – but then it’s gone. I needed it to get through the anniversary, and I think the girls felt it too – as you can see from the video.
Nonprofit Guide:Have you been satisfied with the results?
Knaak: I haven’t had other experiences in fundraising, on-line or otherwise. I was shocked by the response we got. Given the economy, I thought $1000 was a realistic goal – I had no idea it would go like this. I am struggling with the right way to thank people. I’d like to do a video again, but haven’t thought of the right thing to do.
Nonprofit Guide: Has the process of setting up your page and promoting it been pretty easy?
Knaak: Setting the page up was surprisingly easy – I was so thrilled that there was a site like firstgiving to make it so simple. I started preparing the story about 3 weeks before I wanted to "go live," and was so relieved that all I had to do was upload it.
The video was an after thought – I knew Maddalen would be thrilled to see what was happening and thought it would make everyone feel good. I had originally done it to immediately thank people who had given so generously,and was thrilled to see that I could include it on the page. Otherwise I would have just uploaded it to YouTube and then forwarded the link.
Nonprofit Guide: Is there anything you would have done differently?
Knaak: A few people have sent me checks directly to forward on, as they are not comfortable giving on-line. That is the only thing I would suggest changing – offering the option to link directly to the site, or through firstgiving, for sending snail mail checks. Otherwise the whole thing has worked wonderfully.
Nonprofit Guide: Congratulations on doing so well...your goal was met and exceeded in days. I'm sure people were moved and could imagine themselves in a similar situation. What a great way to turn a tragedy into something productive.
Christina Knaack's firstgiving page.
Christina's email to family and friends directing them to her firstgiving page:
Dear Friends and Family,
This Friday is the year anniversary of Eric's death. To be honest the last few weeks have been harder than others. The clarity of memories of this time last year is emotional, with daily changes to his health and saying good bye seeming so fresh.
I find myself wishing that it was just yesterday that we said goodbye, that his strength, courage and sense of humor were not so long gone.
So, as to not stagger with self pity, over the next couple of weeks Maddalen, Chloe and I have decided to try to do some good for others who are in the difficult place our family was a year and some time ago. I hope you will learn more about what we are working on by visiting our firstgiving page at http://www.firstgiving.com/9daysto1000.
Please know that your consideration and good wishes for ours and other families who continue to recover from the devastation of Brain Cancer is much appreciated!
