Best Practices for Annual Giving Campaigns
The most common fundraising activity among nonprofit organizations is the annual giving campaign. The annual giving campaign is an opportunity to promote your organization’s mission, expand your list of committed donors, and raise necessary funds to support general operations and programs. Below are best practices for a successful annual giving campaign.
Tell a compelling story
Inspire your donors to be the heroes by telling a compelling story. What is your organization’s mission? What impact could the donor make as a result of their gifts? The story you tell needs to be emotional and relatable. That story also has a sense of urgency and gives your donors some options to solve a problem.
Identify your prospects
There are different types of donors: new, recurring, upgrading, matching, and pledge. The most important donors are your loyal donors (the ones that give recurring gifts). These donors could be your closest friends, family members, business owners, neighbors, churchgoers, or local association members that are passionate about your organization’s mission and the work you do. Maintain an ongoing relationship with your donors and keep them engaged with your organization’s activities.
Set an achievable goal
Every fundraising goal should follow the SMART method: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. How many donors supported the campaign last year? How many of them made a $25 gift? $50 gift? $100 gift? $500 gift? Identify from your list of prospects what is each donor’s probable gift amount and then add up all possible donations to get your realistic fundraising goal. Promote your upcoming campaign at least one to two months in advance to your donors.
Prepare your communication strategy
Even though the annual giving campaign only occurs once a year, there are a lot of communication pieces to prepare. Which communication platform will you use? What messages will you send to donors before, during, and after the campaign? Who will manage social media postings or acknowledgments? Engage your audience both online and offline to maximize your results. Multiple communication channels include phone, text, direct mail, email, in person, and on social media.
Use your closest connections to help out
The best campaign fundraisers are your staff, board members, and volunteers. Each person has a personal story to share with the donor, a case for support. Train your staff, board members, and volunteers on how to structure the ‘ask.’ Providing a sample phone script or a written template is helpful. If you’re using a crowdfunding or a peer-to-peer fundraising platform, choose the one that is easy to set up and convenient for donors to make a gift.
Acknowledge gifts immediately and do a couple follow-ups
Shower your donors with appreciation by having a strong stewardship program. After a donor makes a gift, send a personalized thank you within 24 hours. Your donors will love receiving a personal thank you or have a conversation with a staff member, a board member, or a client on how much the gift makes a difference. After sending a personal thank you note to donors, follow up with an impact story, extend an invitation to celebrate accomplishments, and/or make arrangements for donors to meet with the recipients. Donors like to feel good about their gift and be appreciated.
Review campaign outcomes and feedback
There’s a couple of things to do after you complete your campaign. First, make sure all of your donors received an acknowledgment within 24 hours of their gift. Secondly, make sure that the donor contact information in your database is up to date. Third, meet with your team members after the campaign and take notes on what went well and what could be improved for next year. Lastly, the most important part of the campaign is your donor’s experience. Sending a survey to your donors, what they’ve enjoyed the most about the campaign or the least, will help you plan better for the next one.
If you'd like guidance with planning your annual giving campaign, contact Spark Group today for a free 30-min chat!
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