fundraising in a recession
Submitted by Ghazal on Fri Dec 11, 2009 The article by David Burrow on fundraising in a recession is a good reminder of why raising money should not be an isolated task. Rather, fundraising efforts should be integrated: communications, fundraising, advocacy, and program departments need to talk to each other and work together!
As a former fundraiser I know how crucial end of year fundraising can be, but really for many non-profits raising money is a non-stop cycle of survival throughout the year. I was always trying to come up with new ways to engage our current donors (always hoping they would give more) and also attract new ones. It quickly became apparent to me that people don’t like to just give money because they love your mission statement. People want to be engaged, they want to take action on specific issues, and they want to feel passionate enough to galvanize their friends to do the same.
Here are a few ideas to inspire your audience to not just take action on an issue, but also give money:
- Create timely issue-driven campaigns. Focus your campaigns on specific issues, rather than general asks for support. Always organize efforts between the policy/advocacy department and communications and fundraising teams to prioritize issues and implement campaigns.
- Generate support through creative visuals. Create a homepage takeover that can’t be easily avoided or create a unique and compelling campaign brand. This helps drive home the message that it’s ALL ABOUT the urgency of the issue at hand.
- Tap into social networks. Your facebook fan page is a great place to spread the word. Facebook is about sharing, so the more of your fans share the campaign on their pages the better.
- Consider re-directing a supporter that has taken action to a donation page. This is a good opportunity to both thank your supporter for taking action on the issue and to remind them why it's crucial to also donate toward the campaign. It is important to make the ask of an activist at this stage since they are already engaged and passionate about the issue so you don’t need to convince them, but rather just remind them about giving.
- Spread the word. Ask your already engaged supporter to spread the word: ‘email a friend’ is a great way to do this and encourage your supporter to customize their message to their friends for optimal impact.
Get creative, especially in a recession. Imagination, team work, and integrated issue-specific campaigns, should be the guiding principle for organizations looking to beat the odds in a recession. » Ghazal's blog |
