Communication and Fundraising; a close relationship

Separate silos are huge barriers to serving up consistent messages to the full range of organizational audiences. Communication and fundraising are two halves of a whole. When the two do not operate as such, the results are far less than they could be.

Most of the time, organizations run both processes simultaneously -communicate as they raise funds -raise funds as they communicate. While communication serves fundraising purposes, fundraising opportunities also serve as ideal opportunities to communicate charitable organizations programs, projects and their successes and challenges.

Fundraising is not just about raising money. A fundraising campaign must also have strategic objectives other than raising funds. Success can be attributed largely to an organization’s ability to communicate effectively.

Organizations must communicate what is unique to their cause through their fundraising campaigns. Through these fundraising campaigns, organizations create effective communication that speaks t0 their target audience and send these messages through channels they deem appropriate to their needs and means.

Organizations have to maintain steady communication from launch to close of their fundraising campaign to engage supporters and attract gifts. Through these campaign, organization have to deliver the right content, to the right people, at the right time and through the right communication channels.

 The communications tool and channels organizations utilize to launch their fundraising campaigns are critical for the overall success.

These are some communication tips for effective fundraising campaigns;

Tell your story;

Fundraising is about organizations raising money to accomplish a goal and before the target audience gifts an organization, they want to clearly understand the need of the organization hence spelling out goals and objectives is a key part of the fundraising process.

Through telling their story, organizations get to share their fundraising theme that ties directly with their mission and specify how the money being raised will be utilized for accountability purposes.

By sharing their story, organization demonstrate their impact thereby appeal to the intended target audience for their gifts.

Effective communication channels;

Communication channels provide platforms for organizations to tell their story, highlight important details regarding their events, share photos and videos of their activities and call to cation as well as provide a platform for organizations to make the ask-registration for the event or making and online donations.

The use of effective communication channels- website, social media channels and the main stream media for the intended audience- facilitates the message delivery. The communication content should be simple yet effective-employ a compelling theme and a clear call to action.

Make the communication content on the various communication channels easy on your audience by sharing content that clearly collaborate the impact on the organization to the community.

Clear call to action;

Charitable organizations compete for donations and volunteers, indeed competition is tough. Clear call to action aid organizations garner the much needed support to deliver on their mandate.

Through a clear call to action, organizations strengthen donor behavior. Conversion demands well-crafted call to action that guide the donor forward on the organization’s journey.

How organization craft and communicate their call to action has a great impact on the fundraising campaign’s success

Clear communication materials and messages;

The success of an organization’s fundraiser relies on the efficiency of your communication materials and targeted messages. Organizations should develop bite-sized summations that articulate the organization’s programs undertakings and the impact their program delivers.

Key messages clarify meaning and make it easier for organizations to articulate their call to action. Clear communication materials and messages ensure consistency, continuity and accuracy, they retain focus in communicating with the relevant stakeholders.

Fundraising software;

Use of a fundraising software will help an organization’s communication efforts.

Fundraising software in not only helpful for prospective participants and donors but also great for event organizers. The software is a great way to manage fundraising event details and communication to participants, donors, sponsors and volunteers.

To optimize impact and resources, a single team should define goals, calls to action, targets, timing and channels of communication.

The messages sent to everyone from individual donor, charitable foundations, members of the fourth estate, prospective activists or policy makers should be consistent regardless of the originating department-communication or fundraising-goal or the delivery channel.