Give a Little More…We’re Talking Average Online Gifts
Last week, I was talking with a customer sharing ideas for increasing their event revenue. One idea was to increase …
Last week, I was talking with a customer sharing ideas for increasing their event revenue. One idea was to increase …
I stopped in my tracks and chuckled as I was getting ready for work this morning. I was listening to …
Is it time we take our events back? This is what Adam, a 5k fundraising program manager, asked during our …
Nothing made me happier than to hear the “f” word dropped with blatant disregard. While some may be offended; I …
This fourth of July, show your participants what they’re worth. If Katy Perrys’ Firework song just popped into your head, well… …
Crowdsourcing has become a popular term in recent years, but the word has only been around since 2006. Its popularity has …
When I joined Convio after 5 years as an event fundraiser, I was first introduced to the Communication Calendar while working with the Events360 and Komen 3-Day Events. It was amazing… and I wished that I’d known about this tool while I was still managing all the communications for my special events!
What’s a Communication Plan?
A Communication Plan is a document containing of all the communications organized by communication channel that your organization (or your fundraising event) is planning to send out during a specified timeframe. This document often lives in a spreadsheet and should be used as guide that is edited or updated as you approach specific milestones. Check out a 2 samples of Event Communication Plans at www.convio.com/
4 Reasons why is a Communication Plan so AWESOME?!
1. Right Message / Right Time – Ensure that you are communicating and reinforcing the most important messages at the most important times. Avoid the “How’s the weather?” Facebook post the week of your event and talk about things that are more important to your event’s overall success.
2. Reinforce Important Points – Identify areas where you could repurpose content across different communication channels. Marketers often say that a person needs to hear something 7 times before they act on that information. Repurposing content across different channels helps you reinforce the messages, providing message consistency and improving the chances your calls to action will be acted upon.
1. Work Smarter – Identify opportunities where you could draft communications early. Things get more hectic as Event Day approaches; these busy times are often when the most important communications should be going out to your participants. Do yourself a favor by drafting as many of these communications in advance as possible. You can always make quick last minute tweaks prior to sending. This is especially true for website updates, emails and blog posts. Social media management tools, like Hootsuite or TweetDeck, can help you schedule those updates in advance.
2. What’s Going To Work? TEAM WORK! Recruit volunteers or committee members to help out. Having a clearly documented plan helps you better communicate your expectations and allows you to delegate responsibilities to the trustworthy staff or volunteers within your organization. Be conscious however of how many individuals are involved. It doesn’t take long before you have too many cooks in the kitchen.