Advocates 7X More Likely to Give, but Why?

The tie between online advocacy and fundraising is significant.

So significant that organizations who run effective online advocacy campaigns followed by timely and relevant fundraising appeals are seeing double the fundraising response rates. (Download the full report)

But why?

Connecting Online Advocacy and Fundraising: The 1 Key to Success

If your organization pursues online advocacy, you already have a lead-in to online fundraising; if not, you should explore other ways to connect online with your constituents.

Why?

Because key industry benchmarks and trends show that engagement online through advocacy is an effective springboard for  raising money because advocates are 7X more likely to give (full report), compared to non-advocates.

Transform Actions Into Money

So how do you clear a path from taking action to giving money?

Closely follow actions with messages that thank supporters or report on results – and then add a request for donations to support your cause.

To capture potential donors as soon as they act, you might send a follow-up email that includes these three elements:

1. Thank your constituents for taking action. Emphasize that their actions contribute to a cause that’s important to them.
2. Remind them of your organization’s mission. Explain the change you’re trying to bring about and the need for money to run a productive campaign.
3. Integrate a fundraising appeal. The more specific you can be about how your constituents’ money will be used to respond to an issue, the better.

Integrate Actions and Appeals

You can incorporate appeals into your email messages in a variety of ways.

For example, you might include the appeal directly in the text of a thank-you message; include a “donate” button in the footer or in a follow-up appeal for action.

For example:

OR

The Gift that Keeps on Giving: Build a Sustainer Program

We have already seen how striking while the iron is hot can boost response rates on action alerts and fundraising appeals.

One of the ways to further leverage news-driven advocacy opportunities is by encouraging donors to make recurring gifts. While this may diminish the overall response rate, it will help you grow a dependable revenue stream and increase the lifetime value of your donors.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Frank Barry

Frank Barry, director of digital marketing at Blackbaud and blogger at npENGAGE, helps nonprofits use the Internet for digital communication, social media, and fundraising so they can focus changing the world. He’s worked with a diverse group of organizations including LIVESTRONG, United Methodist Church, American Heart Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters, ChildFund Int’l, InTouch Ministries, Heifer Int’l, University of Notre Dame and University of Richmond. Along with writing for industry publications like Mashable and Social Media Today, Frank facilitates discussions, presents solo sessions and organizes panels for industry conferences such as NTC, SXSW, BBCon and numerous others. When he’s out and about he enjoys talking to interesting people about how they are changing the world – check out his interviews. Say Hi on Twitter – @franswaa or Google+