Whether your organization currently plans one or several fundraising campaigns a year, we want to help you use Bonterra’s software and services to improve your fundraising results.
Our Fundraising and Engagement Coaches have worked with hundreds of nonprofit organizations on planning successful fundraising campaigns.
We encourage you to use the information in this guide, the other guides and samples in the Fundraising & Engagement Coaching Library, and the time with your coach (if you have one) to determine your own goals regarding fundraising campaigns and put together an action plan to achieve them.
We’re rooting for you!
What is a fundraising campaign?
We consider a "fundraising campaign" to be a series of appeals designed to raise funds during a specific period of time.
Fundraising campaigns typically involve:
One or more goals - Nonprofits often set a monetary goal for their campaigns, but may also have additional goals in mind as well, such as securing gifts from lapsed donors, attracting new donors, etc.
One or more communication channels - We recommend using a multi-channel approach for the best results, as outlined further along in this guide.
A specific timeframe – Campaigns can last for very different lengths of time. A #GivingTuesday campaign, for example, may only last for one day, while a capital campaign to raise funds for a new building may last for years!
Types of Fundraising Campaigns
Fundraising campaigns can be vastly different. Some are short, some are long. Some raise money for a specific purpose, others focus on bringing in unrestricted funds. Some are run entirely by the nonprofit organization themselves, while others are managed by volunteer fundraisers.
However, in the Coaching Program, there are a few types of fundraising campaigns that we see most often:
Year-End Campaign: This type of campaign sees nonprofit organizations raise funds during a specific period of time leading up to the end of the year, for example mid-November through the end of December. [Link to Year-End Fundraising Guide in library]
Year-end campaigns often include #GivingTuesday campaigns because #GivingTuesday falls within the overall timeframe of the year-end campaign.
Peer to Peer Campaign: This type of campaign involves a group of people fundraising individually on behalf of the nonprofit organization. Your software allows you to create a campaign online and give these individual fundraisers the chance to create their own unique pages.
Subscription Giving Campaign: This type of campaign aims to increase the number of subscription donors – those supporters making a recurring gift to the nonprofit organization, for example monthly or quarterly. Your Giving Page can offer donors the option to sign up to make a recurring gift through your system, and nonprofit organizations can customize their pages to decide which type of recurring gift options they want to make available.
Lapsed Donor Campaign: Lapsed donors are those supporters who have not made a donation to a particular nonprofit organization in 365+ days (although they may have purchased a ticket to an event). Your software automatically tracks whether a donor is lapsed. A lapsed donor campaign would include one or more appeals targeted specifically at lapsed donors and encourages those prior supporters to give again.
Capital Campaign: This type of campaign aims to raise funds to make a substantial impact at a nonprofit organization, such as to renovate an existing space or build or purchase a new space.
What Do Successful Fundraising Campaigns Have in Common?
Despite the wide range of fundraising campaigns that we see, there are a few things that successful fundraising campaigns usually feature:
Cohesive theme
Strong visuals
Engaging stories
Sense of urgency
Matching gift
Mixture of print and digital communications
Segmented lists of contacts with tailored messaging for each one
Be sure to consider each of these in the brainstorming process as you begin planning your next campaign.
Initial Planning
Fundraising campaigns include one or more fundraising appeals sent via one or more communication channels.
For the best results, we encourage you to plan a series of appeals and to send them out via a variety of communication channels. Using at least two different channels will usually offer better results than using only one.
To get started, we recommend putting together a plan including the following:
Your goal
How much do you hope to raise from this campaign?
Your timeframe
When will your audience first hear about this campaign, and when should they give by?
For example, a year-end campaign might run from mid-November through the end of December, while a Mother’s Day campaign might kick off at the beginning of May and finish around the end of May.
Your purpose
Are you raising money for something specific or simply raising unrestricted funds?
If you are raising money for something specific, make sure your audience knows that as it could motivate them even more to give!
Your audience
Who will you ask to contribute to this campaign?
Do you have enough contacts in your software to make this campaign a success, or do you need to look for more prospects?
Are there any major donors or other contacts you want to plan additional outreach to or completely suppress from your campaign?
If you are unsure how to segment your contacts, ask your coach for tips.
Your team
Who will be involved in writing and sending out your appeals?
Who will be in charge of tracking your progress?
Who will record any offline gifts in your fundraising software?
Who will send out your acknowledgements?
Identifying these roles and responsibilities in advance can help your campaign run more smoothly while it's taking place.
Your appeals
We suggest putting together a communications plan to outline the different appeals that you will send out.
Even a basic plan can ensure you start off on the right foot.
Your follow up plan
Plan in advance to analyze the results at the end of your campaign and make a list of lessons learned that you can use to benefit future campaigns.
Suggested Communications
Before your campaign launches, we recommend considering updating or creating some (or all!) of these communication tools:
Online Giving Page
Make sure your contacts have a way to give online.
Web Banner
A visually appealing web banner at the top of your homepage will help attract attention for your new everyday giving page.
Content Folder
Having a variety of content saved and ready to go will go a long way to help as you draft your appeals.
Think about using photos, stock images, designed graphics, quotes and testimonials, stories about your beneficiaries, video, and more.
After you've kicked-off your campaign, we recommend using these communication tools for donor outreach:
Direct Mail
If you plan to send out a letter/return envelope and/or a postcard, we suggest sending this out first so you can be sure you’re not sending it to anyone who has already donated.
This will likely be the most costly aspect of your campaign, so you may decide to review your contact list and target specific groups that you think have the best chance of giving to keep your overall mailing list and costs down.
Email Blasts
Once your direct mail has arrived in homes, it’s time to kick off the digital side of your campaign!
Social Media
Look for ways to utilize every aspect of social media, from updating your Facebook cover photo to sharing Instagram stories, or even making a few TikTok videos!
Don't forget about continued promotion throughout the course of your campaign! Some recommended examples include:
Email Reminders
We recommend sending out a series of email reminders.
You can set up a filter in your software to reach only those who have not yet donated.
Social Media Posts
Posting early and often about your campaign will let your followers know that something exciting is going on.
Share progress updates, provide examples of how a gift to this campaign could make a difference, and post testimonials and stories to explain your mission in an engaging way.
Keep your posts varied to give yourself a better chance of them being read, liked, and shared.
Texts
Group text messages can be sent out right from your fundraising software and provide updates, share progress, and promote the URL for your everyday giving page.
Individual Meetings
Taking time to reach out to and meet with donors one on one is a great way to find out why they care about your mission and to let them know the kind of impact they could make with a gift.
Videos
Videos can be used to announce your new campaign, provide progress updates about where you are towards your goal, to thank key supporters, etc.
Share videos on social media, on your website, and/or in email blasts.
You can also send group or individual video messages to supporters to encourage their continued participation.
Once the campaign has concluded, don't forget those crucial follow-up communications, such as:
Acknowledgements
Set up templates for email or direct mail acknowledgements in your software.
Use the video acknowledgement capability to send a personal thank you to some or all your campaign donors.
Phone Calls
Looking for a way to get your board involved? Why not ask them to make thank you calls to a specific group of your campaign donors, such as those with higher gift amounts, those who have made a recurring gift, or those who are brand new to your organization?