How the United Way of Norman raised $17,000 by not shaving

“CauseVox is easy to set up and easy to maintain. They also have lots of great tools and tips available that got our campaign going.” ~ Jed Dembrowski, United Way of Norman

This case study discusses how the United Way of Norman’s “No Shave November” campaign raised over $16,000 through their CauseVox fundraising site. In addition, their campaign strategy, techniques, results, and lessons learned from their campaign are discussed in detail.

About the United Way of Norman
United Way of Norman strengthens the Norman, Oklahoma community by empowering each person to change lives. For example, one of their recent successes include a partnership to establish a new program to close the gap in out-of-school services for middle school students.

No Shave November Campaign
The No Shave November campaign was a month long campaign organized by the United Way of Norman. More than 40 men agreed to ditch their razor for a month to raise funds. These supporters not only ditched their razor, but also created fundraising pages to raise support and awareness from their friends and family.

In total, the United Way of Norman raised over $16,937 in donations through 440 donors. More metrics in the “Key Metrics” section below.

Campaign Techniques
During the campaign, the United Way of Norman used several techniques to reach their goal.

Made It Fun – Asking supporters to raise money can be tough, even if they believe in the cause. It is important to make fundraising fun. The United Way tried to keep all of their messaging for the campaign a little tongue in cheek, including sending out messages from some great bearded men like Chuck Norris and Mr. T, which gave the campaign personality.

Make It Easy – The United Way sent out multiple messages and pictures to the fundraisers so they could have resources for their fundraising appeal. The online tools from CauseVox also made it easy for fundraisers to set up and update their personal fundraising pages. These automated tools made it easy to keep track of campaign goals and sustain momentum.

Get Creative – The United Way sent out messaging featuring Abraham Lincoln, Kenny Rogers and many others. Many of the individual fundraisers made promises for hitting their goals also, such as pies in the face, dying their hair and shaving their beards into weird shapes. The staff made beard growing a competition, giving out prizes for the best beard and the most money raised.

Buy-in – Each fundraiser had to start off their campaign by donating $20 themselves. This ensured they were engaged in the campaign from the beginning.

Share Ideas – One of the campaign fundraisers was bringing in more donations than others. United Way staff documented how how he was doing it, and shared ideas with other fundraisers.

Volunteer Leadership – The campaign recruited a small team of volunteers that led the charge. Their enthusiasm and excitement were pivotal in motivating the entire group of fundraisers.

Keeping Focused – Some fundraisers were not as comfortable with fundraising as others, but still wanted to show their support. It is important to encourage these individuals and keep them motivated too. They are valuable in spreading the message about how your nonprofit makes a difference.

Campaign Results
By the end of the campaign, the United Way of Norman raised $16,937 through their customized CauseVox fundraising site.

Key metrics of the campaign include (rounded figures):

• Total number of fundraising pages: 47
• Fundraising pages that raised $10 or more: 40
• Highest amount raised on fundraising page: $4241
• Average funds raised per page: $423
• Average online donation size: $38
• Total number of online donations: 441
• Facebook “Likes” on the campaign site: 51

Lessons Learned

Plan Ahead – The United Way of Norman went into this campaign without much planning; a volunteer had the idea about two weeks before they started. Thanks to the tools and tips at CauseVox, they were able to pull it off easily. But a lot more people could have been involved and more money raised with better planning before the campaign.

Set Goals – Since this was a first time campaign, the United Way didn’t know how well it would go. The staff started out with a $5000 goal, but increased it several times as they reached their goal easily. It’s also important for each individual fundraiser to set a goal they’re comfortable with. Not everyone can raise $1000, and an unattainable goal can be discouraging instead of motivating.

Ask Everyone – Getting people involved was a lot easier than expected. Many men who never had a connection with United Way of Norman before signed on to grow a beard.

Build momentum – A campaign like this relies on word of mouth. Everyone with a beard was a walking billboard for the campaign. Organizers also created buttons for all the guys to wear. They sent out sample messages every week for the participants to send via email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Keeping the individual fundraisers engaged and motivated was very important and had a huge impact on the campaign.