The future of giving treats fundraising events as part of a continous communication process that cultivates a relationship—not a limited window of engagement to make an ask.
Traditional fundraising relies too much on single appeals.
Events, whether face-to-face or virtual, have always provided nonprofits a vehicle to mass communicate the organization’s value and create the environment for an ask. Yet, today’s donors report that they pay little to no attention to event calendars, find that they receive little to no follow-up to those they do attend, are not nurtured with information they crave, and only hear from you when the next year’s ask is needed.
Giving isn’t a transaction, it’s a relationship.
At iDonate, we believe that any fundraising event needs to be part of an overall set of programs that are integrated end-to-end. Giving options should make sense, whether before and after the event, in-event through mobile giving, perhaps during promotion to donor networks, and certainly with follow-up that continues a deeper conversation about all the opportunities to give.
Fundraising events or campaigns are still critical. Flawlessly managing the communication process around them has to be built into both your fundraising strategy and systems, but it is only one touchpoint of many that cultivates loyalty.Retention needs to be active and continuous.
They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Is your first impression transaction-based or relationship-based?
Start turning events into multi-channel evergreen campaigns. Your donors will be more receptive to you, your events better-attended, and giving will go up as it becomes more relational.