So your organization has decided to put together a social media fundraising campaign. You have seen other organizations magically put their work out into the social media ether and emerge a few days later with money.Campaigns like Twestival have raised more than $250k on twitter alone, so you figure you’ll put your donation link out there, and the tweeters (and dollars) will follow. It’s always possible that your twitter campaign will go viral. However with more than 140 million twitter users on the net, being top of mind may be a challenge. So what can your organization do to improve the success of your campaigns? Are there actions you could take prior to the release that would improve your chances?
Yes! And a lot of them are just variations on the kind of communication prep you would use for fundraising campaigns, with or without social media.
Identify your advocates, partners, and connectors.
Sometimes a campaign is so compelling that people who care about the cause you’re championing will spread it, but by taking time to inform the people in your party that the campaign is coming, you have an opportunity to lock in the attention of influencers without competing with the hundreds of other tweets on their wall. Build lists of people and partner organizations who are in your corner and get them primed for your campaign when it’s released.
Integrate the campaign with other forms of communication.
While the focus of the campaign itself may be on twitter or facebook, be sure to outline how the message can be crafted and distributed through the various forms of communication being used in your organization. Take stock of your blog, email, facebook, and even direct mail, to see how the different communication pieces can be pulled together to effectively support the campaign. This will again let your existing network know that the campaign exists and provide another opportunity for it to be shared, spread, and result in more donations.
Say Thank You
During the campaign itself it is helpful to have a way to recognize and thank those who have participated and have made it possible for your campaign to be successful. When you are planning, make sure you organize a way of giving accolades and expressing gratitude to the individuals who helped you along. This becomes an important step to building momentum behind future campaigns. The better people feel for taking part, the more likely it is for them to not only tell their friends, but participate in future campaigns that you organize.
