Using Multiple Channels to Raise Funds
October 2020
The 4th Quarter of the year remains peak season for fundraising. This year is a fight for attention like none other. That is why we generally recommend that organizations hold their end-of-year appeals until after the election day. But now is the time to diversify your “channels” by improving or acquiring multiple ways to get your message out and gifts in.
To be effective your appeal must be approached as its own campaign with multiple prongs. Gone are the days of “hold your breath fundraising” – sending out a letter and waiting for gifts to roll in. This year direct mail should combine with email, phone, webpages and social media to even become close to effective. And, as a campaign, it must have a structure and a calendar supported by clean data. Have several touches before the “ask” goes out, feeding your constituents with the relevance and impact of your mission, sharing success stories and how you have made a difference even through the pandemic. Then make the ask and follow-up, follow-up and follow-up again in creative and personal ways all the way to December 31. 2020 (and beyond!)
A few tips to help your thinking on new channels:
- Recruit Social Ambassadors Volunteers and fans of your organization can themselves share your links and Facebook posts. This not only spreads the word but also provides social proof that you’re worth it.
- Email a No-ask Update Send a preview of your appeal in a brief informational email about what your appeal will support and the impact of the gift-to-come.
- Use Your Data to Customize Reminders Nothing is more annoying to a donor than being reminded about a gift they’ve already made. Make sure that gifts get into your system ASAP and are purged from reminder lists.
- Change the Reminder Channel If your main appeal is through direct mail, email the reminder. If your appeal relies on direct mail, try using the phone for reminders. Not a great idea to send letter after letter after letter.
- Encourage Donors to Fulfill Their Gifts Online Many organizations lament the lack of email addresses. Online gift fulfillment is one way to capture this information. One client even decided not to include remit envelopes this year and instead included an insert explaining that giving online saves time, money and resources. Giving went went up by 18%.
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