Unexpected medical expenses can arise in any family, and insurance goes only so far. Many families don’t have the comfort of insurance either. Fundraising and appealing to mass sympathy is the only way to handle such emergencies and here’s how.
Do Your Research First
Look up other fundraising campaigns similar to yours. Analyze their website pages, appeals, pitch, follow-up, tone of updates, social media efforts and so on. Connect personally with these campaigners if possible.
Pick The Right Site
Some fundraising sites help people in need raise money for any cause. Look for sites that target audiences that are sympathetic to medical expense needs, such as Causewish.com The site should have succeeded in similar causes, and should use the latest encryption to enable secure donations.
Write A Compelling Narrative
What appeals to donor sympathy are the sincerity and the genuine agony behind your cause. Detail the needs of your medical expenses, providing medical reports, your financial situation, list of dependents, job situation and so on. Be honest and frank – but don’t come off as desperate.
Create An Appealing Page
Your fundraising page should correspond to your need. Avoid flamboyant designs. Put up photos of your treatment, hospitalization, and current status. It helps to post events as they occur in video form – include videos of your treatment process and improvements in social life, your family and so on.
Update Frequently
When you start receiving donations, do be sure to update your donor list and potential donors out there. The more you update, the more awareness is created towards your cause. Let people know how their donations helped you afford your medical expenses or put food on the table.
Include A Wishlist
Those that are ailing sometimes lose their job and cannot afford other ancillary expenses. In such cases, it’s a good idea to set up a wishlist for things you need, such as groceries, furnishings, childcare items, school supplies and so on. Many people have these things to spare and might be able to help.
Leverage Loved Ones
Approach your friends and family to set up bake sales, jewelry sales and donate items that they don’t need towards garage sales. The money that’s made out of all these efforts will add a nice pile to your medical expenses funds.
Provide A Breakdown Of Expenses
Donors will want to know exact details, to understand how their dollars map out to your needs. List your medical expenses, starting with consultation fees, lab fees, surgery, post-surgical rehab, and prosthetics and so on. List each expense with a deadline for payment, and the exact amount required.
Leverage Social Media
Get your friends to upload a link to the fundraising website on their pages. Ask FaceBook contacts to donate their status for one day to your cause. Use Twitter to tweet regular updates. Create a personal campaign video where you share your story with viewers out there.
Don’t Forget To Thank
Thank each donor publicly on your page, through social media and also personally via email or phone. Donor-to-donor word of mouth can bring you more donors, especially from a donor who feels appreciated.