Fundraising for a splash pad: how to get your community involved
Splash pads are excellent additions to any community, providing a fun and exciting outdoor amenity for both residents and visitors to enjoy. Inherently accessible with their zero-depth design, and packed full of water features that appeal to all ages and abilities, splash pads can be a fantastic investment for municipalities looking to expand their amenities and create cooling spaces where people can beat the heat and enjoy time outdoors.
Raising the funds needed to build a splash pad can be challenging, especially when a splash pad project is community-initiated. There are grants and other funding opportunities available through many governments on both the local and federal levels, but many projects require additional funding to bring them to completion.
Community-led fundraising initiatives can be hugely successful in helping to raise the funds needed to bring a splash pad to your community, and Waterplay has pulled together some tips and suggestions for getting your community engaged and excited about funding a community splash pad.
Why Community Fundraising is a Powerful Tool for Splash Pad Projects
Fundraising can be a powerful tool for any project, but it can be especially impactful for amenities that will benefit the entire community, such as a splash pad or playground. Getting the community involved in fundraising efforts not only helps build a sense of pride and involvement with residents; it also shows interest holders within the community - such as local governments or grant providers - that residents are invested in bringing new amenities to their neighbourhood.
Local fundraising efforts can be combined with additional grants and municipal funding to help create a larger impact and often gives community members the ability to feel like they have had a direct impact on bringing a new and exciting amenity to their community. It provides them with a sense of ownership over the project, which can help bolster excitement and further drive fundraising efforts.
Launching a Successful Fundraising Campaign
When it comes to organizing and executing a successful community fundraising campaign, there are a few important things to keep in mind. First, you’ll want to make sure that you have a clear vision for your fundraiser. Define the goal of the fundraiser, identify the locations of the fundraisers that will take place, and call out the benefits that the splash pad will have on the community. Keeping your messaging simple, clear, and providing visual assets can help convey your vision to the rest of the community. Waterplay’s expert design teams can provide you with stunning 3D renderings of the proposed splash pad project to help get the community excited.
Once you’ve got a clear vision in place, it’s time to develop a strong fundraising campaign plan. Make sure you set realistic goals to ensure that all fundraising efforts go smoothly. Offering donation tiers and incentives such as name plaques, shout-outs, and branded swag is a great way to get the community engaged and drive fundraising efforts.
Preparing marketing materials to help promote the fundraisers is also important, as photos, videos, logos, and testimonials will help bring awareness to the project and will give those donating a great visual reminder of what they are fundraising for, and the benefits the splash pad will have on their community.
Tips for Engaging the Community
Community engagement has the ability to make or break a fundraising campaign, so getting your community on board with everything you have planned is essential to the overall success of the fundraiser.Be sure to promote strategically, leveraging things like social media, email newsletters, and local media placement (newspapers, radio, etc.)to help spread the word about your fundraising efforts for the project. Sharing personal anecdotes from local families and kids on their excitement for the splash pad can be a great way to add personal touches to the fundraiser.
Finding local champions to help support fundraising efforts is also a great way to engage the community. Involving schools, clubs, and other local businesses can help build community spirit and get residents excited about the future splash pad.
Hosting various fundraising events such as a kickoff party, community barbeques and bottle drives are great ways to raise funds and work towards your overall project goal. Creating a ‘thermometer’ that can be used to track fundraiser progress is a great way to provide a visual aid for community members to watch as the fundraising campaign goes on.
How to Build Momentum and Sustain Engagement
With your fundraising efforts in progress, make sure to keep the community in the loop. Building a social media page for the project is a great way to keep all of the information in one place while making it easily accessible for the public. Post regular updates and send thank-you messages to highlight donors and business sponsors.
You also want to make sure that you’re sharing milestones and construction timelines to help keep excitement high and continue to keep your fundraiser at the front of everyone’s minds. The closer the project gets to completion, the more excited people will be, so you’ll want to tap into it to keep momentum going. And if the project encounters any snags or challenges along the way, be transparent about them.
The more you can share, the better. It will help set realistic expectations and allow community members to shift their timelines as needed while still keeping enthusiasm high.
What Comes Next?
Once fundraising efforts wrap up and the project moves forward into construction and installation, make sure to continue to keep the community updated. Plan a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the official start of the splash pad project, and host other community events as the project progresses to keep the community engaged. Share timelines and photos of the project as it is being installed and encourage community members to continue to stay involved with the project through various volunteer opportunities.
When the splash pad is complete and ready to be opened to the community, plan a grand opening celebration to commemorate all of the hard work that was put into the project. Invite local media outlets to attend to help spread the word about the new amenity, and host things like giveaways or early-access passes to generate excitement and give back to those who aided in the initial fundraising efforts.
Regardless of what you’re raising funds for, whether it be a splash pad or another community amenity, with the right strategy and authentic engagement from people within the community, community fundraisers can be a fantastic way to ensure that your project makes a splash!