Ep 29 – Arani Duggan: Creating an online fundraiser with impact

Jul 27, 2020

How to maximise your online fundraising campaign

Have you taken any big risks in your business lately?
Thanks to Covid-19, many of us have.

Well, think of all those Not-For-Profits out there who have previously relied upon big events to meet their annual fundraising targets.

With social distancing being forced upon us, they had two options – admit defeat or find new ways to raise money.

For Ronald McDonald House Charities, giving up was not an option. The Greater Western Sydney fundraising team put on their thinking caps and came up with the ‘Dance for Sick Kids’ online fundraiser – with big dreams of raising around $30,000.

But the final result was way, way beyond their wildest expectations!

In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Arani Duggan – Head of Marketing and Fundraising at Ronald McDonald House Charities Greater Western Sydney.Being part of the fundraiser myself and watching the dollar figures skyrocket, I knew I had to get Arani onto the show and talk about how and why their online fundraiser made such an impact.

If you’ve thought about doing online fundraisers for your business or Not-For-Profit, keep listening for some wonderful insight!

QUESTIONS ASKED

• Tell us a bit more about Ronald McDonald House and the work you do there.
• How do you usually raise funds? Have you run online fundraisers before?
• Could you please share the thought process behind the ‘Dance for Sick Kids’ fundraiser?
• What actions did the team take to set it up?
• I believe you raised around $400,000 from the fundraiser! How much did you hope to raise?
• What were your learnings around the whole process? What are some things that didn’t work – or surprisingly worked well?
• What tips do you have for any NFTs or business owners out there planning an online fundraiser?

RESOURCES

Elevate Digital Fundraising Platform – http://www.elevatefundraising.com.au/

ABOUT ARANI DUGGAN

Arani has over 10 years’ experience in senior marketing and business development roles, predominantly in the not-for-profit and arts and cultural sectors.

She is Vice President of Western Sydney Business Connection and the Head of Marketing and Fundraising at Ronald McDonald House Charities Greater Western Sydney.

In her role at Ronald McDonald House, Arani has spearheaded significant fundraising growth and a transition to digital and virtual campaigns. Most recently, Arani and her team produced an online fundraiser called “Dance for Sick Kids” – which raised $400k for the Charity during COVID-19 lockdown – which is simply incredible.

CONNECT WITH ARANI & RMHC

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/arani-duggan/

Ronald McDonald House Charities – https://www.rmhc.org.au/
– Cook meals
– Get involved in campaigns
– Volunteer