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:
- Thank your constituents for taking action. Emphasize that their actions contribute to a cause that’s important to them.
- 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.
- 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.
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Very interesting article, Thank you
We are just starting to offer advocacy and a donation platform on our clients mobile sites and would be happy to share our findings with NPOs. Soon will be able to offer a regular monthly mobile donor subscription platform too.