Setting Up a Self Service Fundraiser
It’s an incredibly easy process to start a self-service fundraiser with Boon Supply - simply follow the steps below to get up and running in a matter of minutes.
Sign In or Create an Account
The first step in setting up and managing your self-service fundraiser is to create a Boon Supply account, or sign into an existing account. Get started here.
Name Your Fundraiser
After you’ve created or signed into your account, it’s time to name your fundraiser. The most successful fundraisers have simple and descriptive names that immediately let potential supporters know what your fundraiser is all about. Make sure that it’s memorable, searchable, and personal. And, keep it short: fundraisers with 4-8 words in the title are the most successful.
On the page where you name your fundraiser, you’ll also be asked who you are raising money for. Use the info below to help choose the best option for you:
- Myself - Choose this if you are raising money for yourself, and would like the payment issued directly to you.
- Someone Else - Choose this option if you are raising money for another person or family. This option is frequently used to support others in times of unexpected need - sickness, job loss, funerals, etc..
- An Organization - Choose this if you are raising money for any type of organized group or cause. This option is frequently used to raise money for sports teams, school trips, neighborhood projects, animal rescue organizations and much more!
Input Contact Info
Next, we’ll ask you for a little bit of additional information about who (or what) you’re raising money for. This will allow us to contact you if necessary and to send your payout when the fundraiser ends.
Set a Goal
The third step in setting up your fundraiser is to determine a goal of how much you’d like to raise for your cause. This step is optional, and can always be added later, but we’ve found a realistic goal can be a strong driver engagement and support.
To determine a realistic goal, we suggest pricing out the specific expenses that you would like your fundraiser to cover. It’s best practice to provide an overview of how the money raised will be used in order to help supporters feel connected and understand what, specifically, they are contributing to. When setting up your fundraiser, choose an achievable goal to create excitement - this helps supporters feel like they can really make a difference. If you find that your initial goal is easily met or financial needs grow, you can always increase the goal.
Plan Your Start & End Dates
On the page when you set your fundraising goal, we’ll also ask you to select the dates that you’d like your fundraiser to begin and end. You’ll almost always want to start your fundraiser immediately, even if you intend to promote it later. We’ve found that fundraisers with durations between 2-3 weeks find the most success, as it creates a sense of urgency for supporters. The longer the fundraiser, the more supporters tend to procrastinate or even forget.
Select a Fundraiser Style
Next, let us know whether you’ll be fundraising as an individual or a group. This one’s pretty self-explanatory!
On this page, we’ll also ask you if you’d like printed catalogs to support your fundraiser. We actually suggest using the digital version of our catalog, as it is a great tool to utilize when sharing your self-service fundraiser that makes it super easy to shop directly from the flipbook.
Choose a Fundraiser Category
Groups and organizations of all kinds - from schools and teams to religious and volunteer organizations - use Boon Supply to raise money for their causes. Let us know which of our 17 categories is the best fit for your fundraiser, so we can direct potential supporters who share your passions your way.
Customize Your Fundraiser
This step is perhaps the most important - it’s where you have the opportunity to tell your story to potential supporters. Choose an image that catches your supporter’s eyes, and write a brief description that lets them know what you’re all about. Here’s some things to consider while personalizing.
- Choose a Powerful Image
- Photos have the ability to quickly tell your story in a way that’s often easier to understand than words, so we always suggest using personal images wherever you can. If you're raising funds for a class trip, consider posting a group picture of the students. Need to raise money for a pet rescue? Put Fido front and center.
- The best practice is to use a high-resolution landscape image (meaning the image is wider than it is tall) that measures 1064 px x 600 px. Bonus points for eye-catching bold colors.
- If you don’t have a representative image, choose from one of ours - there several great options for each fundraiser type.
- Write a Personal Description
- Share your story. Let your supporters know exactly what you’re raising funds for, who it will benefit, and provide a breakdown of how the funds are disbursed.
- Make sure to provide the basic information clearly and concisely - there is a 400 character limit. Answer the who, what, where, when and how questions up front.
- Make your story easy to skim and understand. Explain your need as if you were telling your best friend!
- Include keywords and phrases in your description that make your fundraiser unique and more easily found by search engines like Google.
Launch and Share Your Fundraiser
You’re ready to launch! When you finish customizing your fundraiser, just click the “Launch Fundraiser” button in the upper right hand corner. After that’s clicked, your fundraiser will be up and running.
A window will appear that allows you to share your fundraiser in a couple of simple clicks - either on social media, or by copying and pasting your unique fundraiser link. You want to do this right away - it’s important to spread your fundraiser to potential supporters far and wide. You can also click to Shop Your Fundraiser, where you choose from our wide selection of eco-friendly items to immediately support your cause (and set the right example for your supporters). You’ll also see an option to Go to Your Fundraiser Dashboard; from there, you can update your fundraiser information, share it, or even post updates to keep your supporters in the loop. Note: you can access your dashboard by signing in to your Boon Supply account.