Is it just us, or does North Texas Giving Day seem like forever ago? Upon reflection, and after three years of running NTXGD campaigns, we continue to learn a thing or two! We wanted to give you two easy steps for a stress-free campaign, North Texas Giving Day or otherwise.
The Art of Calendar Keeping
Creating an annual, steady cadence of communication - and sticking to it - lifts a lot of stress when executing a campaign. A marketing calendar helps determine when and what you want to communicate with your donors. Without a calendar, it is easy to forget or lose track of when emails should go out or social posts should post. It is also difficult to take advantage of themes that could reinforce your solicitation messages. Staying on schedule with your email and social media posts leads to higher engagement. We work hard with our clients to ensure that communication is sent out in an intentional and consistent manner, and guess what - it works! These North Texas Giving Day numbers speak for themselves:
The Science of the Giving Ladder
A Giving Ladder gives donors tangible and “bite size” examples of how their gifts support your mission. Here are some tips on how to create one:
Step 1: Set a goal - Find that sweet spot between aspirational and realistic. If you surpass your goal, donors will be impressed! On the flip side, not meeting your goal can have a detrimental effect. Consider using previous campaign performance to set goals.
Step 2: Find your own trends - Use your database to find these numbers: average gift size (even better to find the average gift size of a similar campaign), the average of the bottom 25% of gifts, and the average of the upper 25% of gifts. The difference between each level should fall between $25 - $100, depending on your average gift size. A good rule of thumb is not to exceed five options in a giving ladder; anything more can be overwhelming.
There are two other important best practices to keep in mind: when available, always have an option for your donor to write in a donation, and always construct your ladder so the highest dollar option is first.
These two steps can make even the most stressful campaign a little more manageable. While copious work and planning went into our effective North Texas Giving Day campaigns, these measures allowed us to accomplish these amazing results with our clients.
We are proud to offer support outside of North Texas Giving Day campaigns. Interested in learning more? Contact info@track15.com
