Fundraising is a completely transparent marketing comms process – the results are in pounds sterling! It’s a competitive world out there, as one of over 80,000 charities you’re pitching against a lot of competitors. In today’s climate charities need to employ an integrated approach to potential and existing supporters. How you capture data, attract new support, retain your existing supporters, use social media, encourage supporter involvement and run your communications will determine what you raise.
A modern, integrated approach
The good news is that today’s online marketing mechanics give you the tools to refine your approach based on tangible statistics and to quickly assess how different approaches work in definable ways. The bad news (with a silver lining because nothing is stopping you) is that if you aren’t embarking on a carefully considered integrated approach and your competitors are then you will be missing out on the biggest advances in marketing since television crackled into life in the 1950s – yes it’s that significant!
Understanding your supporter
What is their profile? How do you communicate with them? On the whole are they directly affected by the cause you represent or is it a cause they support out of a wider ethic? Are they regular contributors? How many actively support events and fundraising? The profile of your supporter base is a useful insight into your best approach to fundraising. Your most responsive market is your current supporter base – being involved in fundraising events, bringing a friend to an event, recommending a friend, asking a friend to add their voice to a petition or support a sponsored activity… they’re all opportunities to collect income, valuable data and to expand your support from warm leads.
