6-Minute Guide to Winning Fundraising Campaigns
I wanted to share this great set of tips from my colleague Rebecca Ruby Higman here at Network for Good (pictured). Enjoy!
A myth surrounding raising funds online is simply that “if you build it, they will come.”
Where are these ghoulish, baseball-bat-swinging donors who are wildly impressed by your donate button? (No offense: I’m sure it’s lovely, easy-to-find, big and above the fold, right?)
Unfortunately, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find those die-hards. The ability to donate online is becoming commoditized. Donors are no longer impressed by it; they expect it. But, how do you appeal to those potential supporters? How do you encourage click after click?
How can you jazz up your button and generate excitement around it?
Unlike our friends in “Field of Dreams,” we in the nonprofit sector need to do just a bit more than wait for our supporters to show up. We need to be interesting and engaging. Most importantly: We need to be proactive.
One of the best ways to do that? An online fundraising campaign.
What constitutes a campaign?
-A specific goal(s)
-A set of actions you need people to take in order to reach that goal(s)
-A timeline – start and end dates
Read on to learn why an online campaign may just be the ticket to greater online fundraising success:
Campaign messaging gives you fresh content for your email marketing. There’s no question that we all get into a rut… er, rhythm… when it comes to our e-newsletters and online communications. Event announcement here. Volunteer story here. Perhaps a small ask for money here. Spell-check and send. By creating a campaign with specific goals and deadlines, you’ll have lots of fresh fodder for your emails: results updates, deadline reminders and ongoing contest opportunities.
This messaging also applies to offline communications. See point number 1 and consider how you can integrate all of your communications. Perhaps you can include a campaign-specific buckslip in your next direct-mail package. Maybe you have fliers or a banner at your next event. All of these activities bring us to point number 3…
It drives traffic to your website. When you get your supporters in the habit of visiting your site often (to check for fresh content, campaign updates, etc.), it will deepen the connection they feel with your organization. Folks who have already donated may share your URL with their friends. Potential donors will have the opportunity to get more context about your organization’s work. A campaign with communications that always lead back to your website is smart marketing.
The call-to-action carries a lot of weight. As much as we aim to create urgency in our fundraising appeals, our messaging may not seem quite as timely to our potential donors. Part of the anxiety associated with donating is the inherent, “Can’t I do this later?” argument. Campaigns have built-in urgency; your potential supporter has to complete an action by a certain date for it “to count.”
You can incorporate personal fundraising. Here’s one of our favorite fundraising mantras: People give to people. And which people do they trust? Their friends, family and network of acquaintances. While you may be dabbling with Facebook and Twitter, you can use a campaign as an opportunity to dust of your person-to-person fundraising techniques: incorporate forward-to-a-friend links on your website and in your emails; encourage supporters to spread the word on their own social networks; and, provide some starter text they can copy and paste. (Note: Be prepared for a slew of “one-hit wonders” who you will need to cultivate and follow-up with directly. These are the folks who donate to a friend’s cause without considering building a relationship with your organization on their own.)
Incentives could be the tipping point. If you’ve engaged someone to the point that they’re considering supporting your organization’s cause, a campaign and its associated incentives could entice a potential donor to pull out his or her handy credit card. A campaigns fits the bill because it’s already got the deadlines and timeline built in; you just need to associate a giveaway (coupons or gift cards you’ve had donated) or offer to be featured (on your website, social networks, emails, etc.). People love to see their name in lights-or bold-face type in this case.
Not sure where to start? How do you go about running an online fundraising campaign? More specifically, a successful online fundraising campaign?
Download Network for Good’s new e-book “Fundraising Campaign in a Box” below “Related Articles” to get your campaign off the ground.
Syndicate
Event announcement here. Volunteer story here. Perhaps a small ask for money here. Spell-check and send. By creating a campaign with specific goals and deadlines, you’ll have lots of fresh fodder for your emails: results updates, deadline reminders and ongoing contest opportunities.