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Vet TRIIP Business Strategies
“Thank You Vet TRIIP” Facebook Marketing Campaign
Introduction
Social media is crucial to the success of crowdfunding campaigns for nonprofits
(nonprofithub.org, 72). Focusing on developing shareable content and cultivating a community
on social media so in the end you can reach new audiences. The more effectively you use
social media, the more contributions, pledges and donations you’ll receive (72).
Last year, a case study done by Case Foundation and Social Media for Nonprofits,
surveyed 500 nonprofits nationwide, and found that 74% used social networks as a
megaphone, announcing events, activities, and other information (Creedon, 73).
For this strategy, our group will be developing strong content based marketing strategy
for Facebook. This strategy was created to help Vet TRIIP surpass their donation amount last
year, which was over $29,000.
The Campaign Angle
An organization who has seen success through this type of strategy is Charity: Water.
They’ve mastered the art of enlisting others to spread their message on Facebook and other
social media networks. In September of 2011, they launched a visual campaign to thank all the
supporters who helped them raise 2 million dollars over the past five years. The platform
allowed their staff members, with proper supervision, to post their stories via Facebook. In
almost every visual post, they would encourage the on lookers to start their own campaign
and help fundraise to this good cause. At the end of the campaign, the organization raised
over one million dollars which allowed them to by two water drilling rigs (Readings, 80).
Keeping with the general idea, this concept will enlist in Vet TRIIPS followers to help
spread the word about their organization. For this campaign, we want to empower volunteers,
people who have been helped by Vet TRIIP, and the individuals who donate to their
organization during the Big Give. To allow this to happen, Vet TRIIP will need to encourage

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every single individual involved with Vet TRIIP to write their own personal experience about
the organization.
80/20 Content Rule
Many articles recommend creating content by following this rule of thumb, but as many
people know, what works for one nonprofit may not work for another. However, our group will
provide Vet TRIIP information to help them feel confident in this rule.
Social media platforms, more specifically, Facebook, provides numerous opportunities
to connect nonprofits directly with their audience (Lee, 83). Not only is Facebook cost-
effective, it also gives organizations a space to foster awareness for their cause, strengthen
existing relationships, and improve current donation efforts (83). In order to reap the benefits
from a successful Facebook marketing campaign it is essential to commit to a tailored strategy.
In order to find success with a social media strategy there are some best practices that can be
put in place. When these are properly utilized a nonprofit will be in the optimal position to
accomplish set goals.
It simply comes down to this: use just 20% of your content to promote Vet TRIIP, and
dedicate 80% to content that really interests your audience and engages them in
conversations, which will be the campaign that will run on the day of the Big Give (De Beule,
84).
 20% of Vet TRIIPs Content: Call-to-Actions/About Vet TRIIP
o The 20% of content for this portion, Vet TRIIP will need to be persuasive when
asking for help. Instead of asking for money, Vet TRIIP will need to include
information about and what the organization does. Make sure you integrate a
persuasive call-to-action that inspires your audience to learn more about your
company so it possibly leads to conversion in the future (84).
 80% of Other ‘Interesting Content’: Make it Shareable
o According to an article, dedicating 80% of your campaigns content, needs to be
interesting which will cater to the interests and needs of your audience means
compiling content from influencers with whose ideas and insights you agree

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(84). This content should go along the lines of what Vet TRIIP brings to the
community. Our pictures, and stories will be underneath this segment.
Visual Facebook Marketing Campaign
The average consumer attention span is now 2.8-8 seconds, curating small pieces of
information into a visual story has become a promenade social media strategy (Gioglio, 74).
There are multiple elements that non-profit organizations can use when it comes to
successfully running a social media campaign. One of the strongest essentials that a non-profit
could utilize is the use of imagery (Good, 75).
http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/visual-content-marketing-strategy
When it comes down to creating content for the Big Give, Vet TRIIP will need to
develop a visual marketing campaign on Facebook. A visual marketing campaign, are more
likely to be shared than text posts, making it a great route to a successful campaign
(Guerrero). In addition, it is also a great way to increase engagement among followers and the

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community (74). Facebook posts that have a visual are more likely to get likes than posts that
do not have any visuals at all (Shattuck, 78).
Content Examples
The concept is to encourage our supporters to write their own experience with the
organization. To help support the theme, the content will be simple but yet powerful. The
visuals will be the ones who want to speak up about Vet TRIIP. With permission of the
individual, a picture will be taken of them holding up a whiteboard or a piece of paper giving
their reason. The graphic below is an example:
Scheduling
The Big Give this year takes place on Tuesday May 3rd, 2016. With that in mind, our
group suggests that Vet TRIIP begins their Facebook campaign a month in advance. This
decision was made from looking at the previous year competition. Most organizations, develop
some type of post informing their followers that they would be participating in upcoming Big
Give (thebiggivesa.org, 91).

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Developing a posting schedule is a main factor on whether or not a campaign will run
smoothly. It is imperative that you keep your audience constantly engaged with new, relevant
content (Cuttica, 81). However, constantly maintaining that stream can be intimidating, so
scheduling posts for a later time and date can help campaigns to run smoothly (81).
The following is a schedule of posting dates are broken up into three phases: Pre-Big
Give, during Big Give, and after Big Give. After the schedule, each phase will be thoroughly
explained. This certain campaign will last a duration of one month.
 The Campaign will begin on Sunday April 3rd, 2016
 The Campaign will end on Wednesday May 4th, 2016
Posting Schedule
PHASE DATE TIME POST
PHASE ONE Sunday April 3rd, 2016 7:00pm “The Big Give Is Coming” type
of post
Sunday April 30th,
2016
10:00am Big Give Reminder
PHASE TWO TUESDAY MAY 3RD,
2016
(BIG GIVE DAY)
10:00am-
7:00pm
Story Related posts
PHASE
THREE
Wednesday May 4th,
2016
6:00pm Donation Results &
Thank Donors

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Phase One
According to current numbers, the best time to post are at 10:00am and 6:00pm
because that’s when Vet TRIIP followers are the most active. At 10am, a 160 of Vet TRIIP
followers are active, and at 7pm, a 173 of their followers are active (Vet TRIIP Facebook, 92).
The two posts in this phase fall on a Sunday for a reason. Research has stated, posts that are
sent out on Sundays are 25% more likes, shares, and comments (Chung, 82).
Phase Two
After analyzing the top ten winners from last year, their Facebook did not have a set
posting schedule on the day of the Big Give. At the most, the posts where an hour apart, and
they were consistent. With that being said, on the day of The Big Give stories will need to be
posted throughout the day. From the previous statistical information, the best time to share
these stories are from 10:00am-7:00pm.
Phase Three
In this phase, a post will be made to thank the population who donated to our charity
during the time of the Big Give. This post will be made to retain as many new donors as
possible. Appreciation is the key to donor retention (78). Roughly 13% of new donors do not
donate again because they were never thanked (78). In addition, this phase will also be aimed
to ones who continuously donate to Vet TRIIP because nearly 6 out of 10 donors will not
donate again (78). This post should be made on Wednesday on 6:00pm because 4pm-1am is
the best time for organizations to post on weekdays.
Engagement
It is very important to realize that increased Facebook engagement does not
necessarily generate donations (Pitman, 93). However, increased engagement among
followers can definitely lead to more donations, if the appropriate steps are taken (93).
DonorDrive stats have shown that 95% of all social donations come from Facebook (Wolfe,
94). With that being said, this strategy was positioned to expand our engagement with donors
and followers of Vet TRIIP. According to an article, there a couple of ways to drive donations

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through Facebook, but there are only two that strictly pertains to our strategy. When asking
for donations, showing the impact donations have, and empowering your followers to talk
about their participation in events hosted by nonprofit organizations (Wolfe, 94). The content
for the Big Give, was strictly created to show long time donors and potential donors where
their money is exactly going. In addition, a main goal for this particular strategy is to empower
our followers to talk about their participation in the Big Give. A study done in 2013 by
Globalgiving, showed that individuals appreciate being part of the majority while donating
(Pedrelli, 95). The article continues to state, nonprofits who develops engaging Facebook
content, are more than likely to get raise more donations vs. campaigns that do not (95).
Promoting Posts
For the overall campaign, we recommend Vet TRIIP pays to boost two posts only, and
rely on others to share our Big Give information, which will be considered to be organic.
Organic Boosting
When creating posts for the campaign, it is acceptable to ask your followers to share,
like, or comment on your posts (78). However, when it comes to asking it is important on how
you word your content (78). The following graph indicates your chance of your posts getting
shared when you ask your followers. However, it is important to mention that multiple shares
does not necessarily mean it will directly increase donations, but it will generate a higher reach
which could potentially bring in more donations.
(http://www.slideshare.net/bloomerang/the-3-as-of-nonprofit-social-media-success)

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Paid Boosting
Using the “boost” tool can be beneficial for nonprofits and help increase donations
(Barnes, 96). Posts that are not boosted are more than likely only going to be seen by 5%-6%
of the overall audience (96). As mentioned before, we do recommend to promote two posts
throughout the campaign, and those posts will be before the phase one of the campaign.
A successful use of this strategy is a church in Seattle. In August of 2014, the Seattle
Union Gospel Mission, used Facebook to raise money for their annual Thanksgiving meal
project. The mission identified compelling stories among their congregation and used them as
the center point of their campaign. With these stories, and pictures of each individual, the
Mission raised $24,000 dollars. More than $20,000 came from individuals who saw their
campaign through Facebook. Moreover, the Mission also had over 300 new Facebook
subscribers as well.
As mentioned before, the only posts that will be paid to be boosted are the ones in
phase one. When it comes to boosting posts, nonprofits will see the benefits from it but just
because you increase your reach does not mean that will lead to more donations. In addition,
we are relying heavily on our following to share our content and help spread the word about
Vet TRIIP participation in the 2016 Big Give.
POST Date Boosted Cost Est. Reach
Sunday April 3rd $10.00 2,100-5,500
Sunday April 30th
, 2016 $10.00 2,100-5,500

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Budget
Item Qty Cost
Whiteboard
(12’’x9’’)
3 $13.47
$4.49/ each
Markers 1 Package $4.49
Boosting 2 Posts 20.00
$10/ each
TOTAL COST
=$37.96
ROI Equation Broken Down
In order to have a clear indication on whether or not this specific strategy will be worth
the investment, our group has generated the ROI for the previous year Big Give. Secondly, we
will forecast 2016 ROI with statistics, and other information that was provide to us by Vet
TRIIPs President. For 2016, we figured out the cost for supplies by directly looking at prices
from Office Depot, and the cost for boosting was created by the prices that Facebook gives
you. For both ROIs, hours were estimated off this particular chart:
(Brabender, 77)

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Cost 2015
Last year, Vet TRIIP spent no money towards any Facebook Big Give campaign.
However, Bob did put worth the effort to ensure his followers that Vet TRIIP will be taking part
in The Big Give by sending out few emails and a few no boosted Facebook posts. According to
an article, for developing content it takes roughly 20 hours (77). To get the total cost for the
entire campaign 20 hours will be multiplied by $40, which is the President of Vet TRIIPs, hourly
wage.
Last year, the total amount donated to Vet TRIIP was $29,209. With that information we used
that to help calculate 2015 ROI.
Cost 2016
Vet TRIIP will only spend a total of $20.00 boosting the first two posts, which is $10.00
per post. In addition to the $20.00, Vet TRIIP will need to factor in all the other costs that will
occur throughout the entire campaign, which is the physical materials needed to make this
campaign happen, and the Bobs labor cost. There will be four individuals that he will be
supervising, but these individuals are donating their time. From the beginning to the end, Bob
will need to dedicate 30 hours to this campaign to ensure that this strategy will run smoothly
(77). In addition, Vet TRIIP told us that the President gets $40.00 an hour.

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In previous meetings, Vet TRIIP had express their goal for 2016 is to double the
donations from 2015. To forecast for next year’s Big Give, we used $70,000 to help us
measure whether or not our strategy will help us get to our goal.
Big Give Campaign ROI
BG 2015 BG 2016
Cost 800 1,237.96
Donations $29,209 70,000
ROI ($) $28,409 68,762
ROI (%) 35.51125 55.544638
*$70K is the
2016 goal*
$29,209
70,000
35.51125
55.54463795
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
$0
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
$70,000
$80,000
BG 2015
Big Give ROI
Donations
ROI (%)

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What does this tell us?
With this information, we will compare the profitability of our strategy vs. last years.
The forecasted ROI for 2016 Big Give would be 55.54%. ROI for last year came out to be
35.51%. We can easily compare the profitability from last year to 2016. In 2016, the ROI is
almost double from 2015, so it would appear that our strategy will work and it is worth the
investment, effort, and it is a strategy that Vet TRIIP will need to put in motion if they want to
double their donations for 2016 Big Give.