Nonprofits get 30% or more of their individual donations in December, so how can you be sure to get your piece of the pie? In this webinar, I explored ten steps you can take to plan a year-end campaign that celebrates your donor's support, catches her eye, pulls on her heartstrings, and seals the deal with a generous gift.
Through examples from various nonprofits and a year-end case study, I shared tips on building a stronger year-end campaign that takes inspiration from your brand, leverages the most recent best practices, and carries your story strategically across multiple channels.
3. #donorlove
Big Duck can help you
• Brandraising establishes the feelings and
ideas people associate with you through a
strategic identity and compelling materials.
• Campaigns inspire people to take action,
helping your organization raise money, recruit
participants, or change how people think.
• Consulting helps your staff build the skills
they need to make your communications a
success.
4. Housekeeping
• Got a question? Chat it in
to “Big Duck” and Michaela
will answer
• Yes—you can access a
recording of webinar at
www.bigducknyc.com/
archive
• Wanna learn more about
us? hello@bigducknyc.com
6. What we’ll cover today
• Making donors heroes and why it matters!
• What this looks like in action
• 10 ways to make your donor the hero
• Resources
#donorlove
18. Just how big is this problem?
• 27% give one year, not the next
• Cost to acquire a donor = 5-6x cost
to retain a donor
h"p://www.nonprofitmarke:ngblog.com/site/the_secret_sauce_of_donor_reten:on_gra:tude_great_communica:on
#donorlove
19. Treating your donor like a hero
can save year-end season
• Your best prospects (donors!) will feel
celebrated, important, and more likely to
give again
• Donors will see the dramatic appeal and
importance of your mission
• Donors can understand their role and feel
part of the team
#donorlove
20. So how can you build
the kind of year-end
hero story that breaks
records and inspires
a sequel?
23. Year-end ‘14, Fountain House…
• Had a community devoted to core
mission: helping New Yorkers w/
mental illness recover & thrive
• Had won Hilton Humanitarian Award
• Was ready to embrace their broader
impact on global mental health crisis
• Was not sure donors would be
receptive to global efforts
#donorlove
28. Campaign calendar
• Direct mail – 1 package in early Dec
• Email – 6 messages late Nov-early Jan
– 1
Thanksgiving
email,
campaign
intro
– 1
email
with
share
graphics
ac8on:
Spread
the
word
– 3
appeals
with
match
offer
(incl
GivingTuesday)
– 1
campaign
report-‐back
&
thank
you
• Social media – Twice-weekly Facebook and
Twitter posts throughout campaign
#donorlove
32. 2014 results
• Total raised was é 45%
• Online returns were é 28%
• Mail returns were é 69%
• Enthusiastic feedback from
donors and supporters
#donorlove
34. Ways to make your
donor the hero of
your year-end
campaign
35. 1. Get to know your hero’s
origin story
• Who are they?
• Why do they support your work?
• What is their super power?
#donorlove
36. 1. Get to know your hero’s
origin story
• Who are they? They know and love
someone living w/ mental illness
• Why do they support your work?
They’ve seen/heard that Fountain House
saves lives and builds recovery
• What is their super power? Saving lives,
being the first to champion what could be
the solution to global mental health crisis
#donorlove
37. Understand your donors
before your quest starts…
• Talk to them
– Interview donors by phone
– Ask quick questions at events
– Send out a survey
• Invite them to give feedback
• Listen!
#donorlove
39. Create donor personas
• Name
• Age, Gender, Ethnicity, Location
• Education, Occupation, Family
• Connection to organization
• Charitable interests
• What s/he wants
• What your organization wants
• How your communications help them
#donorlove
40. 2. Use the right theme to draw
your hero into your quest
#donorlove
h"p://cdn.thedailybeast.com/
41. Your theme should…
• Feel like it’s a matter or life or death (or
at least have a bit of drama!)
• Be urgent and timely. It needs to be
addressed, right now.
• Relate clearly to your core mission.
• Present a role for your donor—the hero!
#donorlove
42. Ways to identify your theme
• Hitch a ride on
news “waves”
• Make your own news
• Relate your mission
to the holidays
• Pose a challenge
#donorlove
43. 3. Map your hero’s journey
#donorlove
h"ps://managemen:sajourney.com/
44. Elements of your story
• Problem—There’s a global mental
health crisis and it’s hitting NY
• Solution—With your support,
Fountain House’s approach can save
lives here, globally
• Timeline—Thanksgiving to 12/31
• Action—Give, spread the word
• Goal—Raise $200,000
#donorlove
45. 4. Select the right channels
to engage your hero
• Where are they?
• Where are you?
• What will you gain
from additional
channels?
#donorlove
46. 5. Maximize the superpowers
of each channel
• Mail — Fundraising, expanded stories
• Email — Deadline-driven fundraising, short,
informal updates
• Established social media — Storytelling,
conversation, drive traffic to web
• New social media — Excitement, storytelling,
drive traffic to web
• Web — Online giving, other online actions,
destination for email & social media
#donorlove
47. 6. Make the most of opportunities
• Tie the campaign into things you’re
already doing? (events, newsletters,
email signatures, etc.)
• Ask partners to post or send a message
about your hero’s quest
• Ask public figures to lend their voice to
your campaign
• Create conversation about your mission
#donorlove
48. 7. Give your hero the right
“suit”—a consistent look
#donorloveh"ps://33.media.tumblr.com/
49. Make campaign-customized…
• Homepage slide or button
• URL in direct mail appeal
• Newsletter promo
• Social media artwork
• Follow-up requests to spread the
word via social media
#donorlove
50. 8. Build dramatic tension, craft
your calendar around deadlines
• Timeline is roughly 6 weeks
• 1-2 direct mail appeals
• 5-6 emails
• 1-2 Facebook and Twitter posts/week
with varied content
• Increase frequency around deadline
#donorlove
51. 9. Set it up for a sequel w/ a
report-back in all channels
#donorlove
56. 10. Plan to capture & analyze
the results of your quest
#donorlove
57. Identify the tools to capture
these metrics:
• Open/clickthroughs/response rate
• # of donors from different sources
• Total dollars raised
• Average gift
• Donation page conversion rate
#donorlove
59. Bonus ideas
• Send hand-written notes
• Ask board members, staff, or volunteers
to make some phone calls
• Empower donors to be fundraisers
• Explore advertising on social media
• Invite a small group of donors to give
feedback to your campaign
#donorlove
62. … Big Duck can help
• Plan, create, and evaluate your year-
end fundraising campaign.
• Evaluate your donor communications
and develop a plan/calendar for
deeper engagement.
• Consult and train your team.
hello@bigducknyc.com
#donorlove
64. Posts
• Blog: www.bigducknyc.com/blog
– “Three things you can do now for year-end
fundraising”
– “Five approaches to keep your donors
engaged”
– “Four ways to show your donors some love”
– “Engaging your supporters with online
actions”
#donorlove
65. Books
• Winning the Story Wars by Jonah Sachs
• Building Donor Loyalty by Adrian Sargeant and
Elaine Jay
• Keep Your Donors: The Guide to Better
Communications & Stronger Relationships by
Tom Ahern and Simone P. Joyaux
• Seeing Through a Donor's Eyes: How to Make
a Persuasive Case for Everything… by Tom
Ahern
#donorlove
66. Research
• M+R Benchmarks: http://mrbenchmarks.com/
• Blackbaud: Show the Love [eBook]
http://bit.ly/npexperts-2014-npengage-launch
• NTEN: Nonprofit Donor Engagement
Benchmark Study
http://www.nonprofitdonorengagement.com/
CD_Nten_BenchmarkReport_Final.pdf
• Urban Institute: Donor Retention Matters
http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412731-
Donor-Retention-Matters.pdf
#donorlove
68. Upcoming workshops
June 17: Brandraising webinar (w/ Network
for Good)
July 16: The Good, the Bad, and the
Glorious: What you should know to work
wisely with nonprofits
July 8: Brandraising workshop
www.bigducknyc.com/workshops
#donorlove