Last month my email box was overwhelmed by various stores advertising ‘Christmas in July’ sales. Believe it or not, this is an actual ‘holiday’. Look it up (after reading this post, of course), there’s a Wikipedia entry explaining the history behind Christmas in July. Retailers are using this event not only in an attempt to entice you with deals to spend your money now, but also to prep you for shopping for the holidays.
Should your fundraising program do the same? You bet.
Most organizations have different levels of supporters in their system: the never-give, the sometimes-give, the always-give, and the give-because-its-tax-deductible. But EACH of these people needs to be sold on what you’re offering. And if you wait until November to get your ducks in a row, you may fall short of your fundraising goals.
In an ideal world, you are asking for donations throughout the year. But it’s year-end fundraising where organizations get the biggest bang for their online fundraising buck. And planning a successful year-end fundraising campaign takes, well, planning. Have you analyzed the data to determine how are your members responding to your messages throughout the year? What’s your open rate like these days? What issues are your members responding to in a way that generates donations? It’s important to begin evaluating these, and other variables over the next few weeks. The more you understand your current and potential donors, the better your outcome will be…not just this year but in years to come.
Don’t reach for your stress ball just yet! You still have time to have an incredible year-end giving campaign. Here are some things to add to your fundraising to-do list:
• If you don’t have a clear and easy way on your website to give, do it and do it now! If supporters can’t find an easy way to give money, they will likely bail.
• Remember to say ‘thank you’. How you thank your supporters makes a difference. And be sure to customize your auto response thank you’s so that your autoresponse doesn’t sound like an autoresponse.
• Make sure your website reflects why people should give. If you don’t make the case, people won’t respond to your ask.
• Shape up your donation form. Keep it short and make sure you are asking relevant information.
• Keep your supporters up to date. You don’t always have to ask them for something. Use your email marketing tools to keep them up to date on what the organization is working on. Have a victory? Shout it to the rooftops. A set back? Let them know its not over. This will help not only reinforce that they are a part of this movement you are creating, but it will also let them know their donations are being put to good use.
Don’t be intimidated by the prospect of fundraising. With the right tools and message you can have a great fundraising year. Stay tuned for next month’s post when I’ll tackle some quick fixes to your website to help maximize your effectiveness. To find out more about how Amplify Public Affairs can help you with your fundraising needs, please call us at 202.263.2900
