Fundraising Thermometer Template
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Fundraising Goal
Why a fundraising thermometer?
A fundraising meter or thermometer is a visual representation of nonprofit campaign progress designed to motivate donors and increase giving to your cause.
Your nonprofit is likely already familiar with fundraising thermometers. These helpful resources are a staple in the nonprofit fundraising community.
We’ll cover everything you need to know to ensure you’re a fundraising thermometer expert:
- Benefits of Fundraising Thermometers
- How to Use a Fundraising Thermometer
- Where to use Your Fundraising Thermometer
However, we’ve discovered that many of the commonly sought-after graphic design assets for nonprofits, like a fundraising tracker or thermometer, are seriously lacking in quality.
For your next fundraising campaign, use our free template! It’s perfect for nonprofits that don’t have a graphic designer on staff. And don’t miss our live demo to see how our other fundraising tools can elevate your campaign!
Benefits of Fundraising Thermometers
Fundraising thermometers are an exceptionally effective addition to your nonprofit’s fundraising campaign because humans are naturally visual beings. We naturally respond well to a visual goal.
When donors see a fundraising thermometer, they’re provided with a visual goal to strive toward, further engaging them with the giving process.
This additional measurement for engagement is why fundraising thermometers are a part of the recipe for campaign success.
Some of the other benefits of using a fundraising thermometer include:
- Showing supporters the impact they can make as individuals.
By analyzing the fundraising thermometer and the goal your nonprofit is trying to achieve, individual donors can easily see the significance of their contribution. - Encourage people to give more.
When people can see the impact their donation makes, they’ll be more motivated to make the biggest impression possible. This inspires donors to give larger donations. - Keep up your fundraising campaign momentum.
Many nonprofits find they kick off campaigns with energy and power, but this strength wears down as the campaign goes on. Fundraising thermometers excite donors to maintain momentum to help your nonprofit finish the campaign and hit your goal. - Embolden your nonprofit staff.
Not only will your supporters feel encouraged to make an impact for your nonprofit, but fundraising thermometers can also further motivate your staff members. This will encourage them to push harder to reach your fundraising goals.
With a tool that improves engagement for both your organization’s staff and supporters, your next fundraising campaign is sure to succeed.
How to Use a Fundraising Thermometer
You may be thinking to yourself, “This all sounds great, but how do I use my fundraising thermometer?”
You can leverage your fundraising thermometer in many different ways depending on the nature of your nonprofit and the campaign.
For example, if you’re hosting a crowdfunding campaign, you might use a fundraising thermometer to show how many donations your crowdfunders’ individual pages have pulled in to motivate your supporters to keep sharing. Or, if you’re running a product fundraiser and selling something like popcorn, you might gamify your campaign and encourage your team to meet certain selling goals with the help of a thermometer.
Depending on the demographics of the audience you’re appealing to as donors, various methods of fundraising thermometer distribution will make the biggest impact on your supporters. Plus, certain methods of displaying the thermometer may be more impactful depending on the type of campaign your nonprofit is hosting. For instance, you can:
- Print the fundraising thermometer and display it at an event. If your nonprofit is hosting an event to anchor your fundraiser, you can print out a large cut out of your fundraising thermometer to display at the event. As people donate you can fill in benchmark amounts on the display.
- Include the thermometer on your regular newsletter. If your nonprofit is hosting a long-term campaign, you may choose to “fill” the fundraising thermometer as you receive donations and include an image of the updated thermometer in your nonprofit’s weekly or monthly newsletter for everyone to see.
- Post images of the thermometer on social media. If you are hosting a shorter-term campaign that may not warrant including the thermometer appearing on your newsletter, explore the option of including images of it on social media. This is a much more immediate access point for many of your supporters, especially younger ones, to see the latest news from your nonprofit.
- Hang the thermometer at your nonprofit’s headquarters. If supporters are regularly coming in and out of your nonprofit’s headquarters, it’s a great idea to display images of your donation thermometer there. This also encourages your employees to work harder to reach the ultimate goal.
When it comes to using your fundraising thermometer, analyze your campaign first. Consider who your target audience is and how they’re most likely to be motivated by your presence.
Where to Use Your Personalized Fundraising Thermometer
No matter what colors you pick, this is a high-resolution image that can be blown up to the size you need. Print out your custom image and put it on a flyer, poster, or custom-printed banner that can be displayed at an event, in your office, or on a direct mail piece.
Download your free personalized Fundraising Thermometer here.
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