Fundraising Ideas For Community Projects

Here's how I would raise $5,000 a month, every month, if I were a small charity: No galas. No grants. No huge donor base required. Just a simple, repeatable system that actually works. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁. 50 donors at $25/month = $1,250 in predictable revenue. That's your foundation. Name it something meaningful. Make joining feel like belonging to something bigger. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸. Yes, every week. Not a newsletter—an ask tied to a specific need or a story that connects them to your organization. Most small nonprofits under-ask and under communicate by a mile. Your donors WANT to help. Let them. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯: 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝟱𝟬 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵. A simple "thank you" or quick impact update. No ask. Just connection. These texts take 30 minutes and keep your best supporters feeling seen. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟰: 𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶-𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿. A 3-day push with a clear goal and deadline. "Help us raise $2,000 by Friday to fund summer camp scholarships." Urgency + specificity = action. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟱: 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆. Within 48 hours of their first gift. The conversion rate will surprise you. This isn't complicated. It's consistent. The charities hitting their goals month after month aren't doing anything fancy. They're just showing up in the inbox, telling great stories, and making it easy to give. What would you add to this list?

Stop launching your #GivingTuesday or year-end fundraiser at $0. I’ve watched too many strong campaigns underperform simply because they went live before showing even a tiny hint of momentum. Behavioral science backs this up. People are far more likely to act when they see others already doing the thing (social proof and herd behavior), and they’re more motivated when a goal looks “in motion,” not untouched (the goal-gradient effect). Here’s the smarter play: 1️⃣ Anchor the campaign with early supporters. Line up 3–5 early gifts from board members, champions, or monthly donors before you go public. You’re creating social proof that lowers the mental risk of giving. 2️⃣ Don’t press send at $0 raised. An empty thermometer reads like uncertainty. Even a small amount of visible progress signals that backing you is safe and worthwhile. 3️⃣ Name the momentum. “12 supporters already jumped in this morning” activates bandwagon behavior more effectively than any clever subject line. 4️⃣ Stack micro wins. Short progress updates throughout the day amplify the goal-gradient effect. The closer you appear to the finish line, the faster people give. 5️⃣ Help latecomers feel early. Don’t frame them as behind. Highlight what their gift unlocks next so they feel part of forward motion, not filling a gap. Most nonprofits blame donor fatigue. Often, the real issue is momentum fatigue — asking before you’ve built any. Want my Brave Fundraisers Guide with the scripts and prompts that help campaigns start strong? Comment BRAVE and I’ll send it to you. #nonprofits #funding #fundraiser #marketing #fundraising

🌍 Major Changes Ahead for EU Health Funding: From EU4Health to the Next MFF (2028–2034) 🌍 The European Commission has proposed a significant structural shift in how health policies and public health initiatives will be financed in the upcoming 2028–2034 MFF. Here are the key changes: 🔹 The End of a Standalone Health Programme Unlike the current 2021–2027 period, which is defined by the dedicated €4.6 billion EU4Health programme, the next MFF does not include a standalone health programme. Instead, EU4Health will be merged alongside 13 other programmes into the newly created European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), a single investment capacity worth €451 billion. 🔹 Where is the Public Health Budget? Health initiatives will be grouped under the ECF’s "Health, biotech, agriculture and bioeconomy" policy window, which has an indicative allocation of €20 billion. Crucially, the exact share of the budget dedicated specifically to health is not specified. This design aims to provide maximum flexibility to reallocate funds for unforeseen priorities during the MFF cycle. 🔹 Shift from Public Health Protection to Industrial Competitiveness The new framework represents a strategic change. While EU4Health focused heavily on disease prevention, reducing health inequalities, and crisis preparedness, the ECF integrates health into a cross-sectoral framework focused on competitiveness, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and robotics. 🔹 New Public Health Focus Areas Despite the broader focus, the ECF does introduce new emphasis on areas that were not explicitly covered under EU4Health, including autism, degenerative diseases, and diseases related to pollution. 🔹 Risk of Fragmentation A major concern raised is that the ECF’s provisions are framed in general terms, blurring the lines between specific objectives and activities. This lack of precision creates a risk of fragmentation for public health priorities, which could weaken the coherence of EU actions, reduce predictability for applicants, and potentially cause crucial initiatives—like Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and Safe Hearts Plan—to lose visibility without a dedicated financial envelope . 🔹 Other Key Funding Streams for Health Beyond the ECF, public health and health security will draw from: * Horizon Europe: Receiving a massive boost to €175 billion (nearly double its current budget) to drive health research and innovation. * Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM+): An indicative €10.5 billion to integrate financing for health emergency preparedness and response. * National and Regional Partnership Plans: To support healthcare services, long-term care, and infrastructure. The Bottom Line: The COVID-19 crisis proved the importance of a strong, unified EU health policy. As negotiations for the 2028-2034 MFF continue, the key challenge ahead will be ensuring that public health policy retains its prominence and isn't diluted within broader economic and industrial goals.

I spent $350K on our Series B push. It created $4.2M in pipeline. Here’s the tactical breakdown: 1/ Treat fundraising as a GTM campaign Build a campaign around the announcement with multiple touch points, not just one post. 2/ Invest in video as the centerpiece Videos anchored the entire push. 3/ Add physical touch points Digital is noisy. Our postcards cut through in a way another LinkedIn post wouldn’t. 4/ Make customers part of the story Instead of celebrating ourselves, we celebrated our customers. 5/ Create lightweight entry points We gave away DoorDash credits (”lunch is on us”) so wfh prospects could hear of us. 6/ Layer behind-the-scenes content It made the raise feel human, not corporate. 7/ Start with distribution Great assets die without reach. 8/ Tie it back to product This way, the raise is “we raised, and here’s what you can build with us.”

Nonprofits relying on the same old “Donate Now” button are getting left behind. Why? Because donor behavior has changed. People don’t just give anymore. They engage, compete, stream, and share. And the smartest fundraisers are meeting them where they are. What’s In? Live-Stream Fundraising Donors spend three times more time watching live videos than pre-recorded ones. Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, if you’re not streaming, you’re invisible. Peer-to-Peer Campaigns Sixty-four percent of donors say they’re more likely to give if a friend asks. Smart organizations empower their supporters to fundraise for them, on social, email, and beyond. Gamification and Challenges Fundraisers using leaderboards, milestones, or team challenges see fifty percent higher participation. People love a little competition, so why not turn giving into a game? What’s Out? Boring Email Appeals – If your donor emails feel like homework, they won’t get read. Include interaction within the email. Static Fundraising Pages – If your donation page looks the same as it did in 2019, you’re losing donors at checkout. One-and-Done Fundraising – If your donors only hear from you when you need money, don’t be surprised when they disappear. The Takeaway Digital fundraising is all about creating experiences. Engage first. Make giving fun. Watch retention and donations skyrocket. Who’s doing this right in 2025? Drop your thoughts below. With purpose and impact, Mario

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆. The biggest funding rounds are revealing which segments are emerging fastest in 2026, ranked by investment activity. 1️⃣ Healthcare AI The category attracted more than $18B in investment during 2025 and now represents 46% of all healthcare venture funding, whilst investment into traditional diagnostics and medical devices declined by 33%. → Abridge raised $300M →Ambience Healthcare $243M → OpenEvidence $250M → Tennr $101M As healthcare moves toward prevention, clinicians must interpret more data, but it only matters if it can inform decisions in real time, which is where AI comes in. 2️⃣ Preventive diagnostics Consumers are increasingly willing to pay for health information earlier, rather than waiting until something goes wrong. → Neko Health raised nearly $1B in disclosed funding, built a waitlist of over 350,000 people, and sees 75% of members prepay for their next annual scan. → Prenuvo raised more than $190M → Function Health raised $53M. The move is from occasional testing to continuous visibility, enabling earlier risk detection and intervention. 3️⃣ Digital health & preventive care delivery Digital health funding reached $4B across 110 deals in Q1 2026, up from $3B a year earlier and 59% of all capital flowed into just 12 mega-rounds. → Superpower raised $34M → Fountain Life has raised nearly $67M → Amazon acquired One Medical for $3.9B Prevention works best when healthcare becomes an ongoing relationship, not a series of appointments. 4️⃣ Nutrition & metabolic health Poor diet is estimated to cost the US economy $1.1T every year. At the same time, 17 Medicaid programmes now reimburse Food is Medicine interventions. → Nourish raised $100M, with total funding around $215M → Fay Nutrition and Berry Street each raised $50M → Season Health continues expanding Food as Medicine programmes → Levels is making metabolic health far more measurable. Nutrition is becoming part of healthcare infrastructure, not just consumer wellness. 5️⃣ Women's health Women's health is expanding beyond fertility into menopause, cardiovascular health, primary care and healthy ageing. Untreated menopause symptoms alone are estimated to cost the US economy $25B every year. → Midi Health raised $100M, surpassed a $1B valuation, now reaches more than 45M women through insurance networks. → Maven Clinic raised $425M and is valued at $1.7B. → Evernow raised $28.5M Prevention is expanding into one of healthcare's largest underserved markets They're all building different layers of the same system. AI makes prevention scalable → Diagnostics make it measurable → Care delivery makes it continuous → Nutrition makes it actionable → Women's health makes it more comprehensive.

After seeing thousands of campaigns on Pledge , I’ve noticed a clear pattern. Most failures come down to three things: 1. Unclear mission. People don’t give to confusion. They give to clarity. If someone can’t explain your cause in one sentence, you’ve already lost them. 2. Bad UX. I’ve seen donation pages that feel like filing taxes. Five clicks too many. Too much text. Too little emotion. Every extra step costs you conversions. 3. No story. Data informs. But stories? They inspire, move wallets, and touch hearts. The most successful campaigns we’ve seen lead with humanity, not statistics. When these three align, fundraising becomes effortless. At Pledge, we’ve seen this formula raise millions in hours. It’s not magic. It’s psychology. Meet donors where they already are. Make it simple. Make it human. If you’re running a campaign right now, ask yourself: “Would I personally take out my card for this experience?” If the answer is anything less than “yes,” you’ve found your fix.

Kerala’s public healthcare system is undergoing a landmark expansion with projects worth over ₹1,800 crore being realised together. This collective push strengthens advanced care research and public health infrastructure across the state at an unprecedented scale. A flagship initiative is the Institute of Organ Transplantation with an investment of ₹643.88 crore, envisioned as a centre of excellence for organ donation treatment research and training. Cancer care capacity is being expanded through the Cochin Cancer Research Centre built at a cost of ₹387 crore, alongside major infrastructure expansion at the Regional Cancer Centre with an investment of ₹242.42 crore. Government medical education hospitals are seeing major upgrades including the new surgical block at Kottayam Government Medical College developed at a cost of ₹257 crore, equipped with modern operation theatres ICU facilities isolation beds and high end medical equipment. Traditional systems of medicine are being strengthened through the International Research Institute of Ayurveda, with ₹200 crore invested in the first phase covering clinical care research manuscript studies and medicinal plant research. The healthcare ecosystem is further supported by the expansion of HOMCO at a cost of ₹109.82 crore, enhancing the state’s capacity to produce quality homeopathic medicines. Public health and hygiene are also being addressed through the Malappuram Food Street developed at a cost of ₹1 crore, promoting clean regulated and safe food environments. Together these investments reflect a people centred approach where healthcare is treated as a public responsibility. By advancing modern medicine traditional systems research and supporting infrastructure simultaneously Kerala continues to reinforce our model of inclusive and resilient public healthcare. #ComeOnKerala

Here's a few unsexy things that can help improve fundraising revenue. They're small, boring, infrastructural tweaks that do matter. And most of them are easy to implement. ▪️ Monthly giving conversion at checkout. The framing matters. The value proposition matters. The amount matters. But offering donors to turn their one-time gift into a monthly, recurring gift has increased LTV for a lot of our clients. ▪️ Annual giving conversion at checkout. Monthly giving isn't for everyone (in fact, most won't take you up on the nudge to turn your gift into a monthly contribution). ▪️ Churn reduction strategies for monthly giving cancellations. Most donor service people are trained (if at all) to simply cancel a monthly gift when someone calls or emails. There is an autonomy-supportive way to offer donors: -a break for 2-3 months -an amount reduction (ex. drop from $30 → $10) -a frequency change (monthly → quarterly) ▪️ Using a payment provider that automatically updates expired credit cards. A lot of churn in monthly giving has nothing to do with donors deciding to stop giving. It's because Visa mailed them a new card. And you're left chasing after them for the updated number. Plenty of payment processors have solved this for you—at very little (if any) cost. ▪️ Cart abandonment email or SMS. People who start a donation and don’t finish have shown intent to make a gift. Maybe they were interrupted, distracted or confused. Or maybe they changed their mind. A simple 1-2 message abandon flow can recover some lost donations with no extra ad spend. Again, copy and framing matters—but having it in place matters, too. ▪️ Phone number clearly listed throughout checkout. And a real human on the other end, who is trained in exceptional customer service. ▪️ Soft opt-in to SMS at checkout. Making email required for online giving is table stakes. Most donors expect it, and don't seem to have an issue with it. But making phone number required often depresses conversions. Value framing matters. ▪️ Gift confirmation pages that boost autonomy/competence. Most thank you pages are a blank wall. It's forgotten copy that rarely gets audited. Our mystery-shopping study of 120 nonrpofits found that close to 50% don't eve thank donors. This is your chance to reinforce that a donor's giving was self-directed. Set expectations and create a cause-and-effect loop (think: here's what might happen next because you chose to give). Bring in some social belonging. ▪️ A new-donor welcome email series focused on connection—and yes, aimed at boosting autonomy, competence and relatedness. The first few emails someone receives from you are some of the most-opened emails you will ever send. But instead of using them to talk about yourself, use them to affirm why a donor chose to give (autonomy), show them the concrete difference their gift is making (competence), and help them feel like they’ve joined a real community of people like them (relatedness). - What would you add?

Digital health founders: There's $50 billion in rural health transformation funding available right now. Not "coming soon." Not "proposed." Approved and allocated across all 50 states. CMS launched the Rural Health Transformation Program under OBBA. Ten billion a year for five years. Every state got first-year awards ranging from $147M to $281M. The money targets access to care, behavioral health, workforce development, telehealth infrastructure, maternal health, and financial sustainability for rural facilities. If you're building anything that touches rural healthcare delivery, this is real money looking for real solutions. The problem is finding it. Each state is running its own initiatives under the program. Different priorities, different timelines. And no centralized way to track what's available where. Shalen De Silva built a searchable portal that fixes this. ✨rhtphub.com✨ lets you explore RHTP initiatives across all 50 states, filtered by the states and initiative types you actually care about.                             Shalen co-founded Vincere Health (a digital smoking cessation clinic serving mostly Medicaid populations), which RVO Health acquired in 2023. Harvard public health. Deep Medicaid expertise. He saw the gap and built the tool. Kudos to the helpers!    If you're a digital health founder serving rural populations or a telehealth company  looking to expand into new states, check it out.                                               What rural health challenges are you seeing that this funding could help address?