Every non-profit organisation wants its fundraising campaigns to be a success. However, fundraising is hard work; there are many moving aspects in fundraising campaign management.
Finding a way to keep track of them all while juggling your other day-to-day fundraising responsibilities might be difficult. What, then, is the secret to a successful fundraising campaign?
Although most fundraising efforts are unique, there are standard procedures that can be followed to increase the likelihood of success regardless of the nature of the campaign. Make use of the following recommendations to ensure that your next event goes as planned, engages more people, and helps advance your mission ahead.
Start With A Plan
Defining the procedures for a future fundraising campaign and building a thorough road map from start to finish are crucial elements towards achieving your objectives. Part of this process is setting fundraising goals, identifying the target audience, delegating tasks, deciding on the budget and timeline, and developing outreach tactics.
Say you’re launching a fundraising campaign for the school you love. If you can establish a solid plan for fundraising success and come up with some innovative and engaging school fundraising ideas, your institution will be in a better position to bring in more funds in the years to come.
Regardless of the size of your church, school, or charity, or how long you’ve been in business, your organisation requires a thorough, solid fundraising plan. And this is more doable if you break it down into manageable parts.
Make A Compelling Story
The foundation of any successful fundraising effort is a compelling story, one that isn’t afraid to be open and honest.
Your story and delivery determine the success of your fundraising campaign. Touch the hearts of your audience to influence them. Make use of humour or emotion, but be precise and clear. Emphasise the most crucial parts of the story through visuals so that your donors don’t miss them. Choose the right images or videos to strengthen your appeal.
To engage an audience, storytelling must serve a greater purpose. You can’t just give information and expect your audience to act on it; a great story puts them in the action. You may motivate supporters to donate by focusing on what they need to hear, utilising the right graphics to help them connect with your issue, and breaking your appeal into two parts so that donors decide the ending of the story with their actions.
Use A Variety Of Channels To Communicate
To achieve this goal, it will be necessary to utilise a mix of online content, social media, traditional media (radio, television, print), and email campaigns. Spreading your message to your supporters, wherever they may be, is a top priority.
Your campaign’s message and main objective should be consistent throughout all communication channels with your supporters. Establishing a consistent message is essential. As such, plan out the venues and methods for releasing such appeals. Your campaign should generate huge interest through a coordinated effort across social media, website updates, email blasts, and even in-person events.
You can encourage and even ask your audience to create independent campaigns. Crowdfunding amongst friends and acquaintances, no matter how little, can have a significant effect.
Don’t expect results from a single social media post or email blast and assume you can sit back and relax. If you want your campaign to succeed, you have to keep the momentum going.
Ensure That You Are Prepared To Receive Donations
Make sure that donating, in whatever form, is simple and risk-free. Most donors won’t go through the hassle of donating if it requires more work on their part than they’re willing to put in.
Having a simple online donation form available on your site will encourage financial support from potential donors. Or maybe they’d rather send a check or put bills in a jar at the store.
It’s important to think about how a donor might want to contribute and then to provide them with as many options as possible.
Express Your Gratitude And Celebrate Success
Appreciate any contribution, no matter how small. Thank donors and carry on the conversation if appropriate. Look into the following donor appreciation practices when deciding what type of thank you would be most effective for you:
- Send a thank-you video
- Do social media shoutouts
- Invest in a donor recognition wall
- Hand out thank-you gifts
- Make personal phone calls
You can use a single strategy for all of your supporters, or you can divide your donor base into groups and apply different techniques to those who share similar qualities or preferences.
Don’t forget to celebrate success with everyone involved. Doing so will demonstrate your gratitude and show your supporters how much you value their contribution. Keeping in touch with donors and strengthening such relationships proves that they are more to you than just a financial resource.
Monitor Fundraising KPIs
One of the most crucial outcomes of a fundraising campaign is the valuable insight gained from engagement metrics, alongside improved donor relationships and financial contributions.
What method of communication with donors did you find most successful? Is the rate at which you’re bringing in new donors enough to keep the organisation going in the long run? Is the new marketing strategy you launched having a negative effect on the acquisition cost? No one on your team will know the answers to these and other questions about the finances unless you provide them with the data they need to make their judgments.
Choose the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will provide updates on your non-profit’s specific objectives for each fundraising campaign.
Your donors and outreach strategies can benefit significantly from the KPIs, so it’s important to have the necessary data analysis and reporting tools to keep tabs on these numbers and share them with your team in an understandable format. To take advantage of these data insights, organisations need a robust database or customer relationship management platform.
Conclusion
Sometimes it’s difficult to determine how to get the word out about your fundraising campaign and encourage people to offer financial support. Charities need to get creative with their fundraising to stand out in a world where attention is fiercely contested. These fundraising tips should provide ideas for your efforts and help you attract more backing.
