What is a Zero Dollar Fundraiser? A ZDF is an event participant who doesn’t raise any funds beyond a simple registration fee. Why, you ask, are these non-fundraising participants so confounding to major nonprofit organizations? I’ll tell you. Depending on who you ask, up to 25% of nonprofit peer-to-peer budgets go to fundraiser acquisition. But then, after spending this hard-earned money attracting participants to the fundraiser, almost 7 out of 10 of them won’t do an ounce of fundraising. (Blackbaud 2015 Benchmark, 68% of walkers do not fundraise.) Zero Dollar Fundraisers carry HUGE fundraising potential: they are already sympathetic to your cause and excited about your event. However, considering the per-participant marketing expenditures, the takeaways, snacks, and general event overhead, this group is responsible for major revenue losses for the organizations they think they’re supporting.We don’t mean to say Zero Dollar Fundraiser like it’s a dirty word… We’ve probably all been ZDF’s at some point Remember that Komen race you walked with your neighbor last year just because you needed a good workout and can’t say no to a free t-shirt? Yep, ZDF’s are more common than you realize.
Zero To Hero: Activating Your Zero Dollar Fundraisers
