Fundraising Events (Ep. 11): Challenges in Fundraising

In this episode of Fundraising Events, Bryan Jenkins is joined by David Gormley and Humza Rabbani of HERO Swim, a student-led fundraiser started in 2017. Through its swim-a-thons, the nonprofit aims to have an impact on local and global causes while empowering local youth to fundraise.

We realized very quickly that even though we’re just a group of kids, with the right amount of time and effort, we can generate a ton of money and have a really big impact on these organizations. In our first year, we’ve ended up raising over $20,000, which was completely unexpected… We’ve realized the power that we have, so selecting a beneficiary has become a really key discussion point every year.Humza Rabbani

Join our conversation as we dive into what fundraising challenges David and Humza have experienced as young fundraisers, as well as uncover:

  • How they are selecting a beneficiary each year
  • Which fundraising and marketing tactics have been most effective
  • What types of incentives they are using to boost engagement
  • How they adapted to the pandemic, and what they are looking forward to in 2022
  • And so much more!

Individual conversations [with participants] are about getting them excited about the event, getting them excited about the cause. And from there, we give them email templates, these tools they need to maximize the donation size, but as long as they’re excited about it, then, individually, they’re going to have some agency, they’re going to want to raise money, they’re going to feel empowered to raise money, and that’s going to increase the donors per participant.David Gormley

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The Fundraising Events podcast is your chance to hear from fundraising event experts while you run, walk or clean your house. In each episode, GiveSignup | RunSignup Sales Lead Bryan Jenkins will chat with an influencer in the event industry who’s been instrumental in helping nonprofits raise more funds. Our goal is to help share tips, tricks and stories to help you raise more with your future events.

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