(A guest post by Brad Wayland)

You want to change the world with your charitable organization – and the best way to do that is to inspire your donors. Only when they’re as passionate about your cause as you are can you truly succeed.

Here’s how to get them there. 

You’re passionate about changing the world – it’s why you’ve organized your own charity. You found a cause that you support wholeheartedly, something you care deeply and unequivocally about. Your next step is to find people who share those feelings.

Why? To inspire people to feel the same way about your cause as you do.

The first thing you’re going to want to do is market your charity effectively. Show people that their donations have a real impact on the world – that the money and time they give to your organization is being put to good use. Demonstrate the human side of your charitable pursuits.

How? Create videos that profile the men, women, and children helped by your organization. Share photos and other media on social that show the progress their donations have made. Create content that inspires people to give by asking them an open-ended question about your cause or making them rethink something in their lives.

But perhaps most importantly, provide your donors and volunteers with the opportunity to get involved through social outreach. Click To Tweet

See, in recent years we’ve seen a shift in how people engage with businesses, charities or no. People are looking for organizations that interact with them on a deeper level. Charities that encourage them to take a sense of pride in their accomplishments, and discuss their donation efforts online.

Your organization needs to tap into this trend if it’s to truly inspire more donations. There are a few ways you can do so:

• Leverage volunteers to help spread your message. People are far more willing to listen to friends and family than they are to someone they don’t know especially well, even if that person represents a business they wholeheartedly support. For that reason, asking volunteers to talk about your charity via social media – and to encourage their close relations to get involved – is a great way to inspire more people to give.

• Encourage deeper donor participation. Don’t just collect a donor’s money and call it a day. Give them other ways they can engage with your brand. Challenge people with some healthy competition, offering incentives for your best donors. Let them create a page that tracks their donation.

• Encourage deeper donor participation. Most of the people who support your charity have some sort of personal connection to your cause. Leverage that. Give people an opportunity to share exactly what your cause means to them, and share the best ones on your social feed.

Passion is the cornerstone of what you do – and if you can inspire even a fraction of the passion you feel for your cause in your donors, you’re on the right track. Follow the advice we’ve outlined here, and you’ll have a good start. The rest, however, is up to you.

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About the Author:

Brad Wayland is the Chief Strategy Officer at BlueCotton, a site with high-quality, easy-to-design custom t-shirts. Brad is committed to using custom t-shirts as a way to raise funds and spread awareness for causes such as Texas storm relief and local Kentucky food pantries.