Your nonprofit just completed a successful event. Whether it was a black-tie dinner or fun run, you now have a great opportunity to engage the participants and acquire new donors and/or sponsors.
Create a conversion campaign. Add post-event action steps into your event planning. Here are some simple, but powerful ideas:
- Post-event surveys
- Invitations to sign up for e-newsletter
- Updates on programs
- Announcements of volunteer opportunities at future events and programs
- Invitation to hold a third party event (see earlier post The Lure of Independent Fundraising Events)
- Other ways to stay in touch
- Add information about your programs and the people you touch in your auto-responder
- Use Social Media to encourage and sustain conversations
- Add information to your website and e-newsletter on what you are doing as a result of the fundraising event.
- Schedule ways to stay in contact
- Hold a brain storming session with your leadership to identify prospects.
- Develop an email conversion strategy to educate and encourage a lasting relationship.
You need to be realistic. You need to analyze the reasons people came to your event. Then tailor your outreach to your prospects:
- Were they asked by a friend? If so, you might be able to engage them to hold an independent fundraising event.
- Do they support your mission? Invitations to on-site visits and lectures with leading authorities in your field will be appealing.
- Are family members touched by the issues you tackle? In this case a compelling appeal focused on a specific program that will help ensure quality of life might lead to a new donation.
Regardless of the pathway, be sure to say thank you and stay in touch. In today’s world, you can launch a conversion campaign through your electronic fundraising provider. Speak with your website designer to ensure that your landing page is up-to-date and makes it easy to contact you and make a donation.
Do you have any examples of successful conversion programs? Need any help?
Please contact me at deborah@creative-si.com
