This was a 45 minute presentation on effective holiday campaigns for nonprofits in Alaska. Topics included were corporate requests, direct mail for individual donations and the use of social media and digital for online donations.

1. Effective Holiday Fundraising
Campaigns for Alaskan
Nonprofits
Ken Miller – Denali Fundraising Consultants
2017 AK Philanthropy Day
Friday November 17

2. 2017 Nonprofit Holiday CampaignGoals&Plans
What are
our Goals
What are
our Plans CalendarandWho
When do
we it?
Who does
it?
Implementation
Follow the
plan
Adjust as
needed
FollowUp&PCG
Track
results
Thank
yous
PCG

3. Goals (What)
• Set goal for number of unique donors
• Set goal for number of transactions
• Set goal for amount in donations

4. Calendar (When) & Plan (Who & How)
• Budget
• Offline (direct mail) calendar
• Online (digital & social media) calendar
• Marketing plan & calendar
• PCG plan & calendar
• End of year plan & calendar

5. Calendar
 November –
 Set goals & budget with staff & Executive Director
 Create plan & calendar
 Meet w staff, volunteers and vendors (contracts in place)
 Update Facebook, Guidestar & Moz Local
 Test all digital platforms
 Order envelopes for direct mail
 Find corporate match for all mailers
 Clean up appeal and affinity lists
 Misc. corporate requests for funding (11/15)
 1st holiday mailers appeal/affinity & acquisition drops (11/15)
 Begin online fundraising campaigns (11/15)
 Begin marketing campaigns (11/15)

6. Calendar
 December –
 2nd holiday mailer appeal/affinity & acquisition drops (12/1)
 Misc. corporate requests for funding (12/1)
 Marketing campaigns (12/1)
 PSAs
 NCM
 Valpak
 Pick.Click.Give plan & checklist (12/5)
 3rd holiday appeal mailer drops (12/15) optional
 End of Year plan & checklist (12/15)
 PCG marketing campaign begins (12/26)
 End of Year online marketing campaign & eblast (12/30 & 12/31)

7. Corporate, Foundation & Organizational
Requests for Funding
 Attempt to do 20-30 during November & December
 Create a template in MS Word for offline requests sent by email
 Cover Sheet & Letter
 Request – what we are asking for
 History, Services Provided, Beneficiaries
 Recognition & Benefit to funder, Program Cost, Geographic
 At least 2 photos, EIN and Thank You
 Do at least 5 online requests done at organizations website
 Find appropriate ask amount and month
 Track results - dashboard
 Thank and acknowledge appropriately

8. Corporate, Foundation & Organizational
Requests for Funding
 Do at least 5 online requests done at organizations website
 At least 47 online funders in Alaska
 AK Business Monthly Power List 1,000
 BP, GCI, FNBA, Tesoro, TOTE etc.
 Find appropriate ask amount and month
 Track results - dashboard
 Thank and acknowledge appropriately

9. Direct Mail Best Practices –
 List, list, list!
 Clean up donor list – September or October
 Find all missing addresses
 Remove all dups
 National Change of Address thru mail house
 Create affinity (connected/like organization but have not donated) list
 Email names
 Facebook names
 Event signups
 Volunteer lists
 Purchase best acquisition list possible
 Demographics – older local women with wealth
 Autocalls
 #10’s and remits
 Make sure you have nonprofit status & mailer ID
 Start horizontal string with $50
 But in bulk and spray 5K or 10K

10. Direct Mail Best Practices –
 Donor centric letter
 Always ask yourself “who is my donor?”
 “Because” – shown to be very effective
 We need your support because…
 The power of “You”
 With your help…
 With your support…
 Without you…
 Make the donor the hero (Google Jeff Brooks and Tom Ahern)
 A picture tells a thousand stories…
 Always have a match!
 The power of the PS (always offer online giving)
 Signed by ED or Board Chair

11. “The Big 4” Online Best Practices –
 Website, Google, Facebook & Email
 Website is the key to all online donations
 Moz Local - https://moz.com/local
 Audit website: check all links and look at on mobile platform – October
 Email signup
 Donate button is large and thumbable
 Create best practices landing page and donation page – October
 Does donation page have trust marks?
 Do dummy donation for $10, track process
 Google Analytics for website – in place in October
 Tag donation page
 Look at where website traffic is coming from – invest more there
 Google
 Google for Nonprofits – signup in October
 Google My Business - https://www.google.com/business
 Google Ads: Adwords and Display Network
 Google Grants for nonprofits - https://www.google.com/grants/

12. “The Big 4” Online Best Practices –
 Facebook
 Facebook “About Us” – fill out completely - October
 Facebook donate button in header
 Message in Facebook header for support/giving
 “Please support us this holiday season” click on header sends to website donate page
 Boost posts and Ads Manager - https://www.facebook.com/business
 Custom audiences
 FB Donations from Page - https://www.facebook.com/donate/signup
 Email
 Best online channel for donations
 Check all links and buttons before sending out
 Check how email looks on mobile phone – 50-60%
 List – clean up unsubscribes and bounces
 Subject line –
 Numbers, Please support…, “This Holiday Season”
 Make sure email has social share links

13. Online Best Practices – Other
 Twitter
 Connect to Facebook
 Couple of twitter ads - $20
 Picture
 Offer
 Send to website
 LinkedIn
 One or two online ads - $20
 Different demographic
 YouTube
 Video is very powerful
 YouTube nonprofit program - https://www.youtube.com/nonprofits

14. Marketing
 Public Service Announcements - PSAs
 Radio – Cut in October/November
 30 sec general & 30 sec holiday specific ask – drop approx Nov 15
 Create written version for DJs
 Send to radio stations by email
 Direct to website or phone
 TV – Produce in October/November
 30 sec holiday specific ask
 Name in intro and outro
 Direct to website or phone
 Put on website
 Use for FB, Twitter and all social media
 National CineMedia - First look in movie theaters
 200K impressions for $2500

15. Marketing
 Valpak – Coupon
 Approx. 90,000 households for $2,200
 Acquisition donations – all new donors 3-10K during holiday season
 Great exposure and marketing for online
 Spenard Builders Supply
 Signup now – Holiday ask for support and send to website
 Press Release –
 announce accomplishments and goals met
 announce future campaign goals – “XYZ nonprofit expects to raise… this holiday
season”
 Incoming phone message –
 Thank you for calling… we would be very appreciative of your support this holiday
season
 change to PCG on Dec 26
 All email signatures have holiday ask –
 change to PCG on Dec 26

16. End of Year Campaign – December 30-31
 Incoming phone message – Dec 26-31
 Website splash page – Dec 26-31
 Eblast – Dec 30
 Scheduled with link to website donation page
 Eblast – Dec 31
 Scheduled with link
 Facebook promoted post - Dec 30/31
 Google AdWords or Grant – Dec 30/31
 Twitter Ad – Dec 30/31

17. Pick.Click.Give. – December 26
 Start planning in October with holiday campaign
 Goals, calendar & plan
 Online
 Dec 26 is kickoff of online
 Google grants
 Eblasts
 Offline
 Holiday mailers
 All remits
 Postcards
 Phone message – also use for holiday season starting November

18. Pick.Click.Give. Sample Check list
 Postcard mailer to 10,000 names – Lesley Dec 28
 PSA radio – Ken/Fine Point Jan 2
 PSA TV – Ken/Fine Point Dec 31
 Email eblast thru Constant Contact – Lesley Dec 31 for Jan 1 to 5,500 names
 Press Release – “Bean’s Café foresees an increase…” Ken (60 names in media)
 Winter eNewsletter mention – Lesley
 Facebook w link – Lesley Dec 31
 Facebook event page – Fine Point/Lesley Dec 31
 Google Adwords – Ken/Alaska Search Marketing Dec 31
 Email signature for all employees – Ken/Terra/Lesley Dec 31
 Incoming phone message – Lesley Jan 3
 PCG Card in all thank yous – Lesley Jan 3
 Sticky labels of Bean’s Café & Pick Click Give for envelopes – Lesley Jan 4
 Pick Click Give on website move to top location or splash page – Chris Jan 2
 Pick.Click.Give own landing page on website – Chris Jan 2
 Have clients do Permanent Fund and PCG – Kathy
 Facebook sponsored ads – Fine Point Dec 31
 Spenard Builder Supply reader board – Lesley Feb 25
 Info with year-end receipt 3,500 names – Lesley Jan 25
 GCI channel 1 – Fine Point/Lesley Jan 2
 Tweet – Lesley Dec 31
 Need to ask churches to put in church bulletin
 Picture upload upon donation on Facebook – Fine Point/Ken (2014)
 Year-end mailers with PCG card – 3,350 names Jan 23
 Twitter hash tag

19. Final Thoughts & Questions
 Thank promptly
 Facilitate the relationship between the donor and mission
 Try something new!
 Enjoy the process and the journey
 Ask for suggestions or help
 Encourage others in the field
Questions?

20. Presenter’s Contact Information
 Ken Miller – Denali FSP Fundraising Consultants - 250-8488 – ken@denalifsp.com
Blogs and websites to favorite
Jeff Brooks – “Future Fundraising Now”
Roger Craver – “The Agitator”
Sean Triner – “Pareto Fundraising”
Jon Loomer – “Jon Loomer Digital”
Tom Ahern – “Donor Communications”