You must know at least one highly successful fundraising campaign. There is the Movember campaign that raised more than US$600 million, the Cancer Research UK campaign, etc. What you see is the results, the successes. But in this article, we are going to give you the hack.
What Is A Fundraising Campaign?
When a fundraising activity happens over a protracted period and emphasizes a predetermined goal or set of goals, it becomes a fundraising campaign.
Charitable organizations employ fundraising campaigns to bring their missions to the fore, and more precisely, the initiative or program they are trying to gather funds for.
How To Make Your Fundraising Campaign Successful?
Be visible online
Most times, donors need convincing. Let your online brand do the convincing. A Google research reveals that when deciding where to give, donors browse their options and study multiple organizations. Approximately half of the donors in Google’s research visited multiple non-profit websites before donating.
The most crucial reason for donor choices, as Google found out, is their belief in an organization’s mission and impact — the principal components of its brand. Three of the top four sources used by donors to research an organization’s mission and impact are social media of the organization, its official website, and Google search. This means that the most effective way to influence a donor’s decision is to establish a solid online brand. So your potential donors are online – hunting for worthy causes, businesses, and nonprofits. Will they find you? And if they do, will they like what they see?
Urgency works
Campaigns that go on too long create laxity in people. They may think, “Oh! I have about 3 months! I can donate later,” and then forget about it and never donate. So whether you are to fundraise for yourself or a business, make your campaign timetable short. A short campaign creates a sense of urgency. The more urgent your campaign, the more your supporters will pay attention, donate, and help to broadcast your campaign.
Convert Your Video Viewers To Donors
The research by Google also revealed that close to 60% of people who watch a non-profit’s video donate. Therefore, video is a remarkably potent tool for seizing the attention of your potential donors, bringing your goal to life for them, and making a call to action to donate or sign up as a monthly recurring giver. Videos are also multi-purpose. And you can use them on most marketing and social media platforms, used in direct appeals through emails, and on the campaign web page itself.
Here is a tip that works: make video footage of your team telling compelling stories about your organization’s impact on beneficiaries. You can also prepare beneficiaries to tell their own stories instead. Interview current donors too. Use the power of sight, sound, and motion to show people how they can get involved and the impact on the world.
Consider Mobile Donors
Most donors can research, find you, and fund you – all from a mobile device. As a result, mobile devices have become a vital part of the fundraising process. Flowing from Google’s research, 4 out of 10 donors used mobile devices to learn more about a particular charity.
While on mobile, 87% of donors found Google search to be the most valuable source, with an organization’s website coming in second at 75%. Also noteworthy is that many donors give money through their mobile devices instead of giving cash. This means that your website should be mobile-friendly, SEO optimized (to come up on search engines faster than competitors), and have a simple mobile payment method.
Celebrate Your Wins
It is essential to acknowledge and celebrate milestones, and fundraising successes, no matter how small. It helps to keep your community motivated to attain the next big goal. Set small, incremental goals as short-term targets that fit into the larger end goal. As you hit each short-term goal, send thank-you emails to everyone who helped get there. Ensure to celebrate your internal staff, board members, and current donors too. Thank them for their efforts, highlight their inputs and encourage them to keep their eyes on the next short-term goal without losing track of the end goal.
Follow Up
When your campaign succeeds or the timeline is exhausted, send follow-up emails to your community. Let each person know how you fared. Did you exceed your goal? Congratulate every person who was instrumental to the success. Did you miss your target? Still say thank you to every person.
Finally, proceed with the intended program. And create a framework for reporting the impact the donations are making. It gives people closure and encourages them to give more – especially if you missed your fundraising target.