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The EveryLife Foundations Social Media Fundraiser: How to run an effective online fundraising campaign Slide 2 This slideshow will demonstrate how to: Create a strong fundraising foundation Engage with your donor base Appeal to different personality types Use data to create value Adapt on the fly to maximize effectiveness Build lasting relationships Slide 3 Building a Strong Foundation: Plan ahead! Use months in advance to create website with: testimonial videos/blogposts data visualizations for information related to your cause section to educate potential donors on the intricacies of your cause A little work now can make a HUGE difference later Creating a framework for bells and whistles tells potential donors that this is a serious and important cause, and can be used in subsequent fundraising campaigns If it doesnt look like you tried, donors wont try to help you! Slide 4 Crafting Your Message: Place a person in charge of team message: Have them create a comprehensive approach that includes using video/blog testimonials, data visualizations on the area affected by your organization, and information on the progress being made by your organization Choose a person who knows the fundraising team intimately, so they can try to craft a message which allows every member to excel Never just copy and paste a paragraph. Always accompany posts with videos, pictures, hashtags, and links to websites with relevant information Using tools to build relationships with your donor base will be your difference maker! Remember: Boring paragraphs are your enemy! Slide 5 Coalition Building: Search to find organizations that share common ground with your cause. Try to recruit them to help share your fundraising message Draw from many walks of life: Other nonprofits Medical and technology companies Universities conducting relevant research Religious organizations Family and friends Other partners in your community Slide 6 The Four-Pronged Approach: Create social media posts involving one of four approaches: Testimonials/Personal Stories Data: Address shortcomings/current systemic oversights Progress: How have we improved policy, discovered medical solutions, helped individuals Fiscal: With EveryLife matching every donation, nows a great time to give! By using a variety of approaches in your social media campaign, you ensure that there is a message that appeals to everyone while also preventing the stagnation of a single message Slide 7 The Personal Approach: In preparation for your fundraising campaign, collect a series of video and written blogs about individuals whose lives have been affected by your groups work Upload videos to YouTube and written testimonials to a hosted blog along with pictures Pictures can also be used for Instagram and Twitter campaigns alongside a brief message By bringing in the personal bond that comes with an individuals story, you give potential donors a better understanding of the difference theyll be making Every nonprofits goal is to make a positive change in the world, and its easy to get lost in the crowd. Provide tools that set your organization apart from the pack, so potential donors can feel a connection to your cause Slide 8 Sample Personal Approach Posts: Slide 9 The Empirical Approach: By showing how your organization is addressing an oversight/shortcoming in the medical world, you can appeal to donors who want to see how the problem is being solved Showing changes in treatment effectiveness over time, disparity between funding for treatment and whats needed, or the growth of an affected population gives donors tangible evidence demonstrating how their money is helping the cause Slide 10 Sample Empirical Approach Posts: Slide 11 The Progressive Approach: Detail new technology/techniques that have helped to move the cause forward Emphasize how close you are to new milestones, and how a donors contribution will help you reach that goal Try to avoid negativity/guilt, and instead focus on making donors feel positive about the change their contribution can bring Slide 12 Sample Progressive Approach Posts: Slide 13 The Fiscal Approach: Take advantage of the one-time opportunity to have donations matched by The EveryLife Foundation Emphasize what a great deal this month-long fundraiser is By merging value with your cause, donors will think now is the time to contribute Slide 14 Sample Fiscal Approach Posts: Slide 15 Personalizing Your Message: Think of a fundraising campaign that caught your attention and led you to contribute What was it that caught your attention? Why were you compelled to contribute? Draw on those aspects to liven up your own fundraising campaign Merge Approaches Merging Empirical and Fiscal or Personal with Progressive can capture multiple personalities in a single message What message would get YOU to contribute? Slide 16 When in Doubt, Humor is Your Friend! Tasteful and respectful humor can help liven-up your message and make donating fun Make lighthearted posts about how small an amount $10 is, and then use that to demonstrate how big a difference that contribution can make to your cause Slide 17 Adapting on the Fly: Track sources of donations: Is one particular message leading a lot of traffic to your site? Share it with your team and encourage others to use a similar premise! Recognize your donors! Use FaceBook, Twitter and other social media formats to recognize individuals making large contributions to your campaign Recognizing big donors can encourage those who know them to give as well Well if they think its a great organization, maybe I should give too! Slide 18 Building and Maintaining Relationships: Create a donor-exclusive newsletter to keep them informed on how the fundraising campaign has helped your cause For a quarterly newsletter: Use first newsletter after campaign to discuss the campaigns success and highlight how it will be used in each of the four approaches Use second newsletter to highlight how funds actually contributed to positive results, again using a variety of approaches to demonstrate successes In third newsletter, remind donors that this years fundraiser is fast approaching, and encourage them to reach out to others to expand this years effort Use the fourth newsletter to build donor support and get them motivated. Emphasize how success is all thanks to them! By spending time to share information with donors, you show that you care about their support of your organization Slide 19 Improving in the Future: Keep track of each years fundraiser, and be sure to maintain a log of what worked and what did not If one method proved particularly successful, work to make it even better next year! Set goals throughout the year to keep improving your approach and infrastructure, with the expectation that youll be able to exceed the previous years goals Follow changes in social media fundraising trends Always new sites and methods that can help you raise funds more effectively Never stop Improving! Slide 20 In Closing Build a strong infrastructure Set a team leader Work to expand your appeal and allies Use messages that catch attention of differing personality types Follow your progress closely, and adapt as necessary Remember to follow up with donors and build relationships as you prepare for next years event Have fun! Slide 21 Sample Communications Calendar Email #1 goes out, announce program on Facebook and Twitter Tweet Email #2, change up the message to get new contributors. Post FB message Facebook Post Email #3. Try to promote sense of urgency; not much time left. FB post as well. Assess results thus far Email #4. Push to get those final contributions! FB post as well. Email