Are you giving supporters enough options?

Nhu Te on Aug 7, 2024 2:48:19 PM

093: Are you giving supporters enough options?

Advocacy isn’t linear. After all, people are spending their time and show off their support in different ways. While some prefer to spend their time scrolling through social media, others like to engage in-person or over the phone.

This is why multichannel marketing is no longer a nice-to-have option. But it’s not enough to engage supporters across multiple touchpoints; it’s critical that you do so in a thoughtful way. That means not every communication is an ask. It’s also awareness building through education, opportunities to connect through community events, and check-in calls just to see how they’re doing.

In this week’s brief, we’re sharing multichannel touchpoints to include in your supporter journey so that everyone has a meaningful experience that suits their engagement preferences.

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Snackable snippets

The calendar for maximizing EOY donations 📖
The months leading up to Giving Tuesday might feel like a sprint, as this is the time to lay the groundwork for every marketing touchpoint during the busiest time of the year.

To help you prepare for the greatest year-end season ever, here is a birds-eye-view of what the next three months should look like. Bonus: We even share a planning calendar to guide you through each step of the planning process.

Where you put your donate button makes a difference 📖

When someone stumbles onto your website, the donate button should be the first thing they see, especially on mobile when attention spans are even shorter.

This was reinforced in one of NextAfter’s recent experiments. By pulling the donation button out of the dropdown and into the navigation bar for mobile users, CaringBridge saw a 3,409.9% increase in traffic. However, there was no statistical significance in conversion.

Creating an impactful and modern website 🎧
Your website is your gateway to meeting new supporters. But when websites are hard to navigate or the messaging is unclear, it can hinder your ability to engage and convert potential advocates.

David Hartstein, Co-Founder of Wired Impact, joins Jon and Becky on the We Are For Good Podcast and walks us through how to create a modern, effective, and impactful website.

How to build a strong sustainer program 📖
At the 2024 Bridge to Integrated Marketing and Fundraising Conference, Carol Marchesano of North Shore Animal League America and Kim Abuelhaj of GLAAD give their recommendations on how to build a strong sustainer program.

At the top of my list: prompting one-time donors to upgrade to monthly on your donation form and asking sustainers to make larger gifts in a tactful way.

Why charities need DAF donations 📖
As giving season draws closer, your donors want choices. Similar to the payment choices they get in their e-commerce experiences, they will expect the same in donation checkouts.

With the growing popularity of donor-advised funds, they serve as a good acquisition tool for high-value donors due to the attractive tax incentives they offer.

In the news

There’s no argument that going multichannel is a priority for most organizations. However, 53% of marketers struggle with creating an effective strategy, according to a new report from Ascend2. This could be tied into the report’s second and third leading challenges: budgeting and data quality.

“Maintaining consistent brand messaging across channels is crucial for building a unified brand identity, which enhances customer recognition and trust,” said Todd Lebo, CEO at Ascend2.

*****

New research finds that “name-dropping AI in marketing copy might backfire, lowering consumer trust and purchase intent.”

While AI can be helpful in streamlining internal tasks, like copywriting and data analysis, as a good rule of thumb, use it thoughtfully and as a supporting tool rather than a replacement for human creativity and judgement.

For your inspiration folder

International Rescue Committee finds its relevance in the Olympics by spreading education and awareness about athletes on the Refugee Olympic Team.

This Instagram post answers commonly asked questions about the team, like why there is a Refugee Olympic Team and where they come from. One of the things that stood out to me — and something that IRC regularly does — is that the final call to action isn’t an ask for donations.

Instead, the organization encourages you to spread the word and celebrate the hard work of these athletes. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with nearly 4,000 likes at the time of writing 🎉

Source: International Rescue Committee

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