Digital Fundraising + Call Time = The Perfect Fundraising Pair
Your digital fundraising and call time programs feed off of one another. If one is doing well, the other one will benefit and if one isn’t being executed on it will harm the other.
Both programs are great strategies to bring new donors in the door, deepen relationships with current donors, and re-engage past donors. However, siloed from one another, they can turn away donors, harm your email program, and cause broader messaging issues for your campaign.
Here are 6 tips to effectively integrate your digital fundraising and call time strategies:
Have your digital and traditional fundraising teams talking to one another: This may seem basic, but it’s essential to make sure your programs are working with one another and not against each other. You wouldn’t want your call time program to be describing your client as the candidate of change and your digital strategy to describe your candidate as the seasoned, status quo candidate. There is likely overlap between these two audiences and they will quickly notice discrepancies between the two.
Track between the two programs what messaging is landing and what isn’t: A strength of running both these programs concurrently is you get feedback from both to sharpen your messaging. Learning from call time that housing affordability is landing well tells the digital strategy to lean into that topic for the email program. Similarly, if folks in the digital program are unsubscribing at high rates every time we talk about mental health, we know that topic likely isn’t going to produce great responses or returns during call time.
Set combined fundraising deadline goals: The broader goal of both of these programs is to raise money. If you are working off of different or competing goals your candidate will be confused — and likely concerned about the lack of communication. Not having one set goal can also lead to your candidate taking neither goal seriously and create an accountability issue.
Coordinate on targets and contacts: Call time around major fundraising deadlines often requires a big push to track down folks who have pledged money. If those pledged donors are dodging your calls, make sure they get added to your next fundraising email (assuming they’ve granted permission). A surprising number of call time donors remember to send the money they pledged once an email hits their inbox. Additionally, if folks in call time are consenting to be contacted by email, make sure you’re getting those contacts over to your digital team so they can upload and target them.
Boost event turnout with targeted emails: When your finance team plans a major fundraising event, use your CRM to send invitations to donors in nearby zip codes. For donors already contacted during call time, an email reminder significantly increases RSVPs. Send these about two weeks before the event, and complement it with social media posts to maximize reach.
Ensuring both fundraising arms are working in lockstep with one another can boost your bank account and strengthen your campaign as a whole. Don’t overlook the importance of integrating strategies to ensure your campaign is a well-oiled machine.
Questions? Need some guidance on integrating your digital and call time strategies together? Set up a FREE 15-minute consultation with us here.