Using social media
Facebook is one of the easiest ways to spread the word. The more you post, the more donations you're likely to receive! If you don't have a Facebook account, see if you can use a friend's to put out a few posts.
Posts work best when you make them personal. Be yourself and talk to your followers as you would in person. Humour can also be a great way to keep your supporters interested!
Once you've created your fundraising page remember to add a link in all your posts.
The Facebook donate feature is still a little tricky for charities to track where donations are from and for what event so we would still rather you set up a fundraising page with JustGiving or Enthuse, but contact us if you need more information on Facebook donate buttons.
Remember Facebook is about talking. It’s good to reply to comments and thank people for their support on your page.
Join the Tommy's Facebook groups for large scale events to chat to others and share fundraising and training tips.
X (or Twitter)
Link up with us on Twitter. We can be found at @tommys
Tweets are short and sweet – remember to share your fundraising page link. Ask people who follow you to retweet to share your posts with their followers.
The best way to build a following is to mention other tweeters in your post and then they’re likely to follow you. A tweet like “Wearing X brand socks for my training” might just encourage the company and its followers to follow you!
Instagram is a simple and fun way to edit and share photos and videos with your friends and family. As Instagram is mainly pictures use them to tell your story and your fundraising journey. Use the stories to create videos of you training, baking for cake sales or talking about your event.
Below are some ideas of what you can post.
Share pictures and videos on stories
Your first training session
Your inspiration for raising money for us
You in your fancy dress costume or sports gear
Regular updates on smashing your fundraising targets or your prep for the event
Your friends and family making their banner and cheering props
Anything and everything that you think will excite your friends is worth a mention.
Using Hashtags
If your social media account is open to the public you can use hashtags to connect with others. Find out what others are already using. Try tags relevant to you such as #MarathonTraining #BabyLoss #RainbowBaby #TogetherForChange #BreakingTheSilence
Be sure to tag us @tommys in your posts so we can keep up-to-date with how you're doing.
LinkedIn is fast becoming a great place to share your fundraising plans. We often have quite different contacts on our LinkedIn accounts. We've seen some large donations come in from companies fundraisers have had dealings with so it is definitely somewhere worth posting your link and why you are fundraising.
Share your target
Sharing your target and keeping friends updated with how far you've come is a great way to create urgency for them to donate. Think about sharing posts after payday and think about when you personally have time to sit and look at your social media – others might follow a similar pattern.
Related content for you
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Our fundraising ideas
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Fundraising FAQs
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Publicising your fundraising event
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Our top fundraising tips
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Tommy’s Children’s Carols