Some of you might not realize that you don’t even have to have a website to use BooksinKind. This is because with BooksinKind we provide your organization with its own branded donation page so all you have to do is alert your supporters that they need to go to that page – YourOrg.booksinkind.com – to make their book donations.
So, what is the best way to direct your supporters to your unique URL where they can make a donation? Glad you asked. There are many ways to promote your page, but today I will mention 3 (just keep reading our blog for more ways to promote your page).
- Email Marketing – Email marketing is cheap, easy, and effective. The first thing you need to do is start building a list of email from all of your supporters (make sure you have permission so you don’t get listed as a spammer). Next enter them into an email marketing program that allows you to manage your list and send email campaigns – one of our favorites for this is called MailChimp because it is FREE for smaller accounts. Finally, send your email campaign to your supporters and be sure to include a link to your unique URL for your BooksinKind checkout page.
- Use fliers and posters to spread the word – This is also pretty simple and the only cost is going down to Staples or your local print shop and having them print some flyers for you. The first thing you need to do is have a design ready. We provide several design templates that you can download from your admin panel, or you can create your own. Just be sure that you are clear about what people will be supporting with their book donations, and also where then need to go (your checkout page). The final thing you must do is find great (high traffic) locations to put your flyers. Typically Starbucks is a good place to start because they have community bulletin boards. Another favorite of ours is bulletin boards on college campuses because college students go through lots of books.
- Use social media to promote your donation page – This is yet another free and simple way to promote your book donation page. Go and signup for a Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or any other of the myriad of social media accounts out there and start reaching out to your supporters through each of these social networks. Typically accounts are free and are a simple way to get in touch with supporters that are already using these services. Just make friends and get followers and then let them know of how they can give money to your organization by simply giving up their used books.
Well, that’s all for now, but come back and see us for more tips about raising money for your organization using BooksinKind.
