Fundraising is vital to many different types of groups. However, planning and executing fundraising efforts takes time and resources that your group may not have in abundance. Passive fundraising, as the name suggests, is an approach to raising funds that relies on minimal setup and upkeep. With a passive fundraising program, your group can maximize revenue to boost budgets for events and activities without stretching your existing resources too thin.
What is passive fundraising?
Passive fundraising refers to any method of fundraising that allows your group’s supporters to generate revenue for your organization through actions they were likely going to take anyway in their day-to-day lives.
Today, digital fundraising has significantly expanded opportunities for passive fundraising. Groups can now go beyond classic fundraisers that drain time and resources and utilize passive fundraising methods, such as cashback shopping programs, charity affiliate programs, and restaurant partnerships.
While your group can still implement traditional fundraising efforts, such as bake sales, car washes, or other fundraisers that bring in money, establishing passive fundraising can help your group create a new revenue channel that brings in more consistent funds in the long run.
How passive fundraising can help your group thrive
Establishing a passive fundraising program provides several benefits for your group. By taking the right approach and working with the right partners, your organization can:
- Establish a stream of revenue that continues without your active input. If your team is having trouble pulling together a fundraiser or facing unexpected circumstances, you can depend on the revenue from your passive fundraising efforts.
- Scale your fundraising efforts without increasing costs. Moving on to bigger fundraising efforts takes time, money, and other resources that your organization may not have. You can start passive fundraising to grow your organization without that big investment.
- Make it easier for your supporters to help. You may have many supporters looking for a way to contribute. Passive fundraising makes it easy for them. They don’t have to adjust their schedule to attend in-person events or spend beyond their budget.
- Reward your donors in a variety of ways. Passive fundraising methods are often structured to provide benefits for both groups and their supporters, which further incentivizes contributions.
Passive fundraising creates a win-win-win situation where your group and supporters benefit. It doesn’t require any overhead to get started, so it’s a solution that works for groups of any size.
Just how much can your fundraising program earn?
The amount of money your fundraising program can earn depends on several factors: the program you choose, the size of your audience, and the level of support for your group. Whether you’re fundraising for a Greek life organization, a sports club, a summer camp, or another type of club, your revenue will vary based on how many supporters you can get on board. This means that the sky is the limit.
To gain more supporters, your group can create a passive fundraising program that incentivizes participants. By partnering with the right organization, you can set up a program that benefits both your group and your supporters.
How to promote a passive fundraising program
As mentioned earlier, the success of your passive fundraising program depends on how many supporters participate. Once your program is underway, there are several ways to promote it and gather support:
- Include program information in regular newsletters and communications.
- Promote the program on social media.
- Provide printed information at meetings and gatherings.
- Reference the program at other fundraising events.
- Create a shareable link that explains how the program works.
- Share success stories and send thank-yous.
Spreading the word about your passive fundraising and ensuring that potential supporters understand the program can help increase your group’s revenue in the future.
How Crowded can help your group build a successful passive fundraising program
Passive fundraising can be a significant asset for any group, but finding the right partner is key to success. Crowded Rewards fundraising program offers a solution for groups of all shapes and sizes by utilizing cashback offers at thousands of popular brands to generate extra revenue for your group.
Setting up your passive fundraising program with Crowded is quick and straightforward. Simply sign up online to join Crowded, opt into the program, and you will receive a link to a custom website for your group. This website will contain links to hundreds of cashback offers at popular retailers including Walmart, Lululemon, and Home Depot. Your supporters can easily browse cashback offers via the website. When they shop at participating merchants, half of the cashback will be sent to your supporter, while the other half will be donated to your group automatically. This “shop to give” program works well because it provides an incentive for supporters to participate and does not cost them or your group anything to join.
How Crowded’s passive fundraising rewards program stands out
Incentivized giving
With Crowded, your supporters can keep half of the cashback they earn when shopping at their favorite retailers and brands, instead of having to donate it all. The other half of the cashback will be automatically donated to your group.
Relevant offers and brands
Crowded’s rewards platform has over 70,000 participating retailers, restaurants, and brands, offering attractive cashback options for shoppers of all ages and demographics. Cashback offers are available for a range of categories, including popular apparel brands, footwear, beauty and cosmetics, travel, tech, and more. The website is constantly updated with new brands and offers.
Convenient shopping
Shopping through the Crowded Rewards website for cashback offers is quick and easy for users. Supporters can either visit the cashback website and browse offers there or install our Crowded Rewards Chrome extension to get visibility on participating offers and brands when searching on Google. They can also easily click on the extension to view the latest offers.
Keep the revenue you make
Crowded’s passive fundraising tool is free to use for groups, with no hidden costs or subscription fees. All the money generated from your passive fundraising program will go straight to your group to spend as you see fit.
Additional benefits that Crowded brings to your group
The ability for you and your supporters to earn cash back through passive fundraising is just one of the many features that Crowded provides. Our comprehensive financial management platform for groups fulfills all of your organization’s needs for banking, online payment collection, expense management, reporting, and more.
- Enjoy digital banking* tailored for groups with no subscription fees or minimum balances.
- Collect dues, membership fees, and donations directly through our platform and streamline payment collection by accepting online payments with multiple payment methods – including credit cards, debit cards, and ACH transfers.
- Forget about reimbursements and receipts by handling your budgeting and expenses through our platform and issuing digital and physical Visa debit cards to your members with a specific amount of funds.
- Keep track of all revenue and expenses in one place to simplify your accounting and ensure that you maintain proper tax reporting and compliance.
Crowded is a complete solution that supports a wide range of groups. With one platform that covers all of your group’s financial needs, you can streamline your financial operations, get back in control of your group’s funds, and avoid complicated money management.
Building a better future for your group with Crowded
Establishing an effective passive fundraising program for your group today can help develop lasting revenue for years to come. Crowded makes passive fundraising easy to implement and offers various financial solutions to cover your group’s unique needs.
Book your demo with our team today to hear more about how our features help organizations like yours thrive and grow.
