If you are a non-profit hosting an event to raise money for a cause, you need to read this post. This one strategy was successful in providing a 13.7% increase in funding for charity.

This past month, we had the pleasure of working with Road 2 Recovery, a organization that supports injured motorsport athletes with their recovery. Many athletes they work with have experienced accidents that have left the riders permanently paralyzed. Needless to say, this is an incredible organization providing a valuable service to injured heros.

Road 2 Recovery came to us looking to use RegFox to power their upcoming charity event -- an exclusive all day motocross school with top elite riders. As a motocross enthusiast myself, I jumped at the opportunity to work on a project that involved many of my heros.

The registration process was simple enough, but I asked if they would mind if I added an optional donation amount on top of the entry fee. The proposition seemed odd given all proceeds of the event were already counted as a donation. So the additional donation didn’t make much sense at the time of the time.

“Let’s see what happens” I replied and I added an optional donation field to their event registration page with suggested amounts of $25, $50, $100 and $250 shortly after the entry fee.

The results were remarkable.

48.6% of all attendees chose to make an additional donation on top of their charitable donation to get into the event.

Not only that, but an astonishing 33% of people decided to donate $100 or more. Here is a breakout of the most common additional extra donations.

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Not bad huh? These donations can add up quickly. The overall result of this little feature boosted charitable revenue for the event by over 13%.

The lesson here for those hosting charitable events is to not underestimate your attendees willingness to make an additional donation at time of registration. Just like Road 2 Recovery, you might be pleasantly surprised by the generosity of your attendees to go above and beyond. Afterall, for amazing causes like Road 2 Recovery, every penny counts.

If you are looking to find a great organization worthy of your support, be sure to check out Road 2 Recovery and consider helping their great cause.