As a small company with a limited (i.e. zero dollar) marketing budget, we know how hard it can be to get the word out about a site. Since we’re sure many of you are in the same boat when it comes to promoting your fundraising page, here are a few low-cost suggestions for ways to bring traffic to your fundraiser.

Fliers: Every time we have an event, GiveForward staff members literally stand on corners inviting people to join in on the fun…or at least donate to the cause. While the conversion ratio is small, it does provide us with an opportunity to talk to people about our efforts. By giving them a SMALL (we’re talking 1/4 page to business card size) flier, they have something to remember after our brief conversation.

Fliers don’t have to be fancy, and you can print them at home. The trick is put the least amount of information on there that you can get away with and still get your point across. And don’t forget, you can post them on community boards at coffee shops all over your city.

T-shirts: Our good friends at Imerman Angels, a one-on-one cancer support organization has helped spread the word about their cause by putting all of their friends, family, and program participants in Imerman Angels shirts. T-shirts are a great way to promote a fundraiser because people will always ask you about them. GiveForward makes T-shirts for all of our Run for a Reason events, and we recently made an adorable one for Green Trivia.

Promotional Items: Beyond T-shirts, there are literally hundreds of thousands of promotional items you can order to promote your cause. A couple of sites let you create custom t-shirts, bumper stickers, mugs, pens, etc., and you can order them one at a time. CafePress and Zazzle both make it easy to customize and to sell it to your friends and family. Imagine how much more successful your fundraiser would be if you had a bumper sticker with your GiveForward url telling people how they can help. Here’s our latest bumper sticker below.