Does Your Message Fit Into a Tweet?
Newsletters and special events comprise a pair of go-to fundraising strategies you can use to educate younger donors about new programs that go beyond the core services for which your nonprofit is best known.
To borrow Dr. Phil’s line, “How’s that working for you?”
Thought so.
You can’t put a two- or four-page letter or article in an email or tweet, or on Facebook. And good luck using long-format content to attract a big crowd for that three-hour special event you and your staff have spent months
organizing.
The hard truth is that younger donors not only want more information in less time, but they prefer to give differently. Even the way they define what it means to be a donor differs from the generation that preceded them.
So what strategies do you adopt to re-educate your support base, while continuing to attract the new — and younger — benefactors that represent your future?
In the spirit of today’s 140-character, headline-news world, here’s my top 10 list:
1. Tell the truth and tell it often
Be honest with donors and prospects about what their gifts accomplish. You don’t have to give new donors an annual report, but you should create an annual plan of communications with them.
2. Use multimedia content
Post short videos (60 or 90 seconds) that describe who you are and what you do. Include testimonials of individuals who are receiving help. Don’t splinter off a program with its own identity. It’s all about consistency and relationship to the parent brand.
3. Tailor message to platform
Don’t try to explain the nuances of, say, a drug- and alcohol-recovery program on Facebook. Instead, show program participants taking part in the aspects of the program. And when you tweet, be laser-focused on a specific program or event.
