Fundraising Thermometer Creator

What Is A Fundraising Thermometer?

A fundraising thermometer is a visual representation of your fundraising progress as you work towards a fundraising goal.

Fundraising thermometers have been proven throughout the history of fundraising to drive more donations for a few reasons:

• A fundraising thermometer clearly communicates the goal you’re working towards and demonstrates the need to your donors.
• It drives urgency for donors to participate in reaching the goal.
• It shows your progress so your donors visually see how their donation moves the needle.
• It allows donors to celebrate with you when your goal is achieved.

By using a fundraising thermometer as a visual representation of your goal and progress, you’ll be sure to catch donors’ eyes and motivate them to give.

When Should You Use A Fundraising Thermometer?

Fundraising thermometers can be used in a variety of contexts to help you drive donations, but they tend to be most effective when you:

• Have a specific fundraising goal in mind.
• Have a specific timeframe in which you’re aiming to achieve the goal.
• Have a particular project, program, or ask for which you’re fundraising.
• You’re primarily seeking funds through individual donors (but may have sponsors or grants as well!)

Here are a few of the most common types of fundraisers that make use of a fundraising thermometer:

• Year-end fundraising appeals
• Giving days (ex. #GivingTuesday)
• Capital campaigns
• Live fundraising events
• Short-term fundraisers for a particular program

However, fundraising thermometers can really be used with any fundraising initiative you have a goal set for. Need proven fundraising ideas?

Related Article: Check out these 150+ fundraising ideas for your nonprofit.

How To Use Our Free Fundraising Thermometer

There are a number of ways this free fundraising thermometer can be used to help you best communicate fundraising progress to your community.

Here are a few of the channels you’ll want to explore when you’re looking to use the fundraising thermometer tool:

Fundraising Emails

Fundraising email campaigns are simple and effective: over the course of (typically) 4-6 emails to your target audience, you’re able to drive donations for your current fundraising goals.

Using a customized fundraising thermometer is an excellent way to visually show fundraising progress over the course of your email campaign and capture your audience’s attention!

Social Media

Similarly, if you are driving engagement on social media to fundraise for your nonprofit, you’re able to share the latest image of your fundraising thermometer.

This way, you can easily share and celebrate your progress with your followers.

Website Page

Integrating our free fundraising thermometer on your website homepage or landing page can help you easily capture your website visitor’s attention: visually calling attention to your active fundraiser and urgent need.

This is one of the best places to share your fundraising thermometer – just be sure you update the progress frequently (~ 2-3x a week for short-term fundraisers) and copy and paste the code on your site. 

As long as you have the login to make edits to your website, there should be no IT required.

Online Fundraising Campaigns

Any online fundraising campaign can integrate fundraising thermometers to drive engagement!

This is perfect if you’re doing a crowdfunding campaign or peer-to-peer fundraising (engaging individuals to fundraise on your behalf).

The ability to showcase your progress creates the best online fundraising experience for your donors and has proven to be the main component of any online fundraiser across platforms.

Livestreaming

One of the most creative ways to use a fundraising thermometer is to incorporate it into your virtual fundraising events, webinars, or livestreams!

Simply share your screen with the latest progress to motivate your audience to give.

This way, you can drive urgency to hit your goal by the end of your livestream.

In-Person Events

You can use fundraising thermometers to drive engagement at in-person events.

If you’re accepting cash, checks, and donations online, this is a great way to visually reflect the total donation amount throughout the evening with live updates! 

This can get really exciting for nonprofits. For example, one in-person fundraising event hosted by VisArts used a fundraising thermometer to raise over $10,000 in just 8 minutes!

Newsletter

If your fundraising campaign aligns with your weekly newsletter, include your fundraising thermometer. This will keep your entire supporter base informed about your fundraising initiatives and your progress towards achieving them.

Adding the updated image to the body of your newsletter is quick and easy. Not only will your audience appreciate being kept in the loop about your fundraising efforts, but you may also capture potential donors that have yet to participate in your campaign.

Thank You Emails

If someone gives to your mission, chances are you will want to thank them for their generosity. Studies have shown that thanking donors in a timely manner increases the likelihood that they will give again at the same or greater level, especially when the thank you is personalized.

Donors like knowing that their donation is making an impact in the community and toward your goal. So while you’re drafting your emails, simply upload your fundraising thermometer in the body text for some extra emphasis and appreciation. 

Top Best Practices For Fundraising Thermometers

When you’re using your free fundraising thermometer, you’ll want to keep a few quick tips in mind:

• Make frequent updates: Frequent updates are essential for driving urgency and showcasing your progress. Try updating your fundraising thermometer 2-3x a week.
• Keep it short: Fundraising thermometers work best for short-term fundraisers to drive urgency, usually < 60 days.
• Be sure to set a realistic goal: Try setting a goal that feels achievable. Nothing kills momentum like a goal your donors don’t feel they can help you achieve. Try looking at the funds raised at previous events, while also considering how much you need to raise. If you’re close to reaching your goal ahead of time, you can always increase it. 
• Try starting off your fundraising thermometer with funds already raised: Before sharing with your entire audience, consider doing a soft launch (sharing it with a small group of dedicated supporters to kick off your fundraising).
• Make sure a donate button is always nearby: Anywhere you put your fundraising thermometer, there should always be a donate button or link to give so your supporters can help you reach your goals.
• Embed the fundraising thermometer on your website: Copy and paste the code and add it to your landing page or event page.
• Add the fundraising thermometer to graphics: Download the thermometer JPG and add it to social media graphics as an added push towards the end of your campaign to encourage donors to close the gap. Looking for an easy tool to design custom graphics? Canva is a free tool for nonprofits and easy to use!

Tip: Looking for free online fundraising and nonprofit tips? Check out our free webinars, courses, and blog articles on best practices.

Stay In Touch With CauseVox

CauseVox is a digital fundraising platform that helps thousands of nonprofits raise more online with less time and effort. 

You can use CauseVox to campaign every day through donation forms, peer to peer fundraising, crowdfunding, pledge, and event ticketing.

Plus, our library of fundraising resources equips you with the latest best practices to help you succeed.

Interested in learning more about CauseVox?

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