Justgiving wrote today about how to fundraise in Facebook. They make some good points, a précis of which are that you can fundraise in Facebook by:

1. Updating your status
2. Posting notes to your profile
3. Adding photos to your profile
4. Adding video to your profile
5. Adding yourself to, or setting up an event
6. Setting up a group
7. Sending people an email
8. Joining your charity's event, group, or page
9. Saying thank you
10. Er, some other random stuff

These all make sense, and it's often good to have the common sense put down in front of you, to help focus your thoughts on what you're trying to achieve. The risk is though, none of these things by themselves actually get more money pledged on your sponsorship form. They do absolutely communicate out to people that you're doing something for charity, but they don't necessarily generate any traffic the other way (i.e. from people's wallets into your charity's coffers).

Don't get me wrong, that's very important – let's face it, you're not going to raise any money if people don't know you're doing something in the first place.

I would argue though that it's not just about telling people, it's who you tell, how you tell them, and ultimately what you ask them to do. Think of it as the difference between walking down the street with a loudhailer, hoping that someone wandering past stops to listen, and carefully crafting a hand-written message in calligraphy to your nearest and dearest.

So, here are some more thoughts centred specifically on that one key element of *telling* people, and making it count. This is how you will get my money:
Tell me what you're doing, when you're doing it, and why you're doing it

1. Explain to me the difference that my money will make
2. Ask me nicely to help you make that difference
3. Share with me what your overall fundraising target is
4. Make it clear how much you're asking of me – is it a fiver? A tenner? A grand?
5. Challenge me to do something better with that cash, right then and there, in the comfort of my own home (or office chair, if I'm having a sneaky peek on work time)

As the Justgiving post says, it is about the story. But I believe that a story which is concise, and sent to the right people at the right time, is the most powerful story of all. The photos, the videos, the other bells and whistles are all worth doing, but they're not your primary focus. Don't lost sight of the fact that your main aim is to change the world by raising money. Hopefully you'll have some fun along the way, and of course you should share that with your friends whenever you can, but don't give them the pleasure of seeing you hot, sweaty, and all lycra-d up without having put their money where their mouth is first.