Signs, Flyers, and Posters
You'd be surprised at how cost effective simple advertising can be. A simple sign or well-placed poster can be seen by a significant amount of passing traffic and sell tickets. Unless there are specific warnings against posting such signs, you should seek out high-traffic areas where people who might be interested in your organization and your fundraising activities will walk or drive past.
Posting Etiquette
A college organization will post signs for an upcoming fundraiser all over campus and in off-campus establishments frequented by students — with the permission of the owner or manager. In addition, you'll see signs and flyers at bus shelters, on lampposts, on supermarket bulletin boards, and on the fences surrounding construction sites.
Don't forget to include your website on your sign, which can help drive contributions. After the event, remove the sign from lampposts, bus shelters, and the like; you want community support, so support your community after your event by tearing down the signs so they don't become litter.
If people can't catch your headline while walking or riding by, then your ad may not be effective. Keep in mind that white space serves a purpose. Don't overload printed advertisements. Too much copy turns people off, especially in a society where people tend to have short attention spans.
Unique Promotions
Handouts are also a popular way to spread the word among students or in areas of high foot traffic. Of course, this requires someone to be there to hand out the flyers.
Stickers and other forms of grassroots marketing can also be effective by simply putting the information in front of people. Stenciling or chalking information on sidewalks has become a favorite guerrilla method of advertising. Of course, it has also led to legal problems in New York City and other places where it is not allowed. Get an idea of the legal ramifications before you try guerrilla methods.
Posters, signs, and flyers should be easy to read and include all of the key points. Grab the readers' attention as they pass by and give them the details in an eye-catching manner.
