1 June 2023
Capture Tourist Donations with Our Summer Fundraising Ideas
Four practical strategies for charities and visitor attractions to engage summer tourists as donors using digital giving tools.
Many visitors to the British Isles during summer represent an untapped donor base. Organisations can convert these temporary visitors into committed supporters through strategic initiatives.
Open Days
Host an open day during the week for visitors to experience your organisation behind the scenes. Introduce staff members, open offices, and encourage Trustees and Patrons to participate. Demonstrate your work's value, explain how fundraising benefits your organisation, and facilitate meetings between visitors and beneficiaries. Set up contactless fundraising points, display text donation information, showcase DONATE™ web donation pages, and display QR codes on signage. Train guides, volunteers, and employees to collect visitor contact details and follow up on enquiries. Offer newsletters and regular donation programmes to encourage longer-term commitments.
Tours and Trails
Many organisations maintain historical artifacts, grounds, or conserve national assets. Create guided or self-guided tours to attract new audiences and supporters. Link self-guided tour maps to your DONATE™ fundraising page or establish ticketed campaign pages. Digital donation methods like web, text, and contactless devices are now expected and maximise donations while enabling recurring gifts. Ensure tour guides present compelling cases for support and understand the donation process.
Online Content
Allow supporters to attend local events while on holiday, capturing names, phone numbers, emails, and marketing permissions. Send participants photos and videos afterward, along with newsletters and QR codes. This reconnects visitors to their experience and facilitates sharing with friends and family. Engaging these visitors with online events builds a new supporter base.
Create a Photo Opportunity
Leverage the connection between summer holidays and photography. Collaborate with local artists to create shareable photo opportunities. Display fundraising information prominently and encourage visitors to promote selfies on social media - personal recommendations prove more effective than organisational promotion.
The My Name'5 Doddie Foundation statue exemplifies this approach, raising over £58,000 in text donations through social media shares of visitor selfies.