• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Neal Schaffer-Social Media Speaker, Author, Consultant, Educator and InfluencerNeal Schaffer-Social Media Speaker, Author, Consultant, Educator and Influencer

Maximize Your Social at the official site of social media keynote speaker Neal Schaffer

  • Meet Neal
  • Influencer Marketing
  • Speaking
  • Consulting
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Hire Neal
  • Nav Social Menu

    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • RSS
    • Email

Nonprofits and Social Media: Putting the Appeal Back in Annual Campaigns

by Amy Stephan

December 2, 2011 By Amy Stephan Leave a Comment

Nonprofits-and-Social-Media-Putting-the-Appeal-Back-in-Annual-Campaigns-V1 copy

Annual appeals are a staple for nonprofit organizations. We count on them to beef up our bottom line come December and use them as an avenue to stay in touch with the donors we know we can count on year after year. Unfortunately, many NPOs have become too reliant on the low lying fruit of donors and are no longer producing an annual campaign that is appealing to anyone. NPOs need an annual appeal makeover and taking your campaign online is a great place to start.

Social media is one way to breathe some new life into annual campaigns. I’m certainly not suggesting you ditch the direct mail route, but every good tool needs a little innovation to keep it fresh. Using social media to revamp your annual appeal is as easy as three steps: Inform, Engage, Execute.

Inform. People can’t give you money if they don’t know you’re asking for it. One of the top reasons donors say they don’t give to a cause is because they weren’t asked. Social media is a great way to inform your donors. Use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and any other online social media site you may already be using to inform people about your annual campaign. Tell your fans, readers, tweeps, etc. that your NPO is getting ready to launch its annual appeal and you need their help to reach your goal. Not only will you be informing your constituents, but by asking them to like your Facebook post or retweet your Twitter message you will inform many more people about your efforts.Join groups on LinkedIn and share your message there, too. The best part is that this is free advertising. A recent article “Social Media Ups the Ante in Five College Fundraising” by Matt Medieros in the Daily Hampshire Gazette takes a look at how some NPOs are using social media to fundraise and stay ahead of the rough economy.

Engage. This goes far beyond just using social media in your annual appeal. This is really about a makeover for your entire campaign. The standard, run of the mill annual appeal letter that tells readers what your mission is and that they should send $50 to save the whales, feed the hungry or fight malaria is not the way to engage people. You need to make your annual appeal personal. Put a face to your mission. Tell a story. Make people feel your needs – not just read them in black and white. Once you’ve done that share it online. Post pieces of your letter online and tell people to look for more information in the mail. Use the stories and the people in those stories as ambassadors and feature them online in blogs and posts as much as possible. Learn more about how to engage readers through your annual appeal letter in my post, “When life gives you lemons make lemonade” on Pamela Grow’s website Pamela’s Grantwriting Blog.

Execute. Now that you’ve informed people that you’re seeking donations and engaged them with your great, personal stories, you need to execute the ask and close the deal. This is where your direct mail and email campaign will be key. If you accept donations online, by all means, make sure you are including that link in all online communication – social media posts, blog entries, emails, etc. Many NPOs don’t have online giving, however, so the execution is arming readers with your information and your direct mail letter. When posting online be sure to make note that you are mailing a letter out and people should be on the lookout for it. Include a return envelope with your direct mail letter. Also make sure you give contact information for people to get in touch with you in case they aren’t on your mailing list. Include your address and how to make a donation offline, if that’s your only option. You need to make giving as easy as possible. The easier it is the more likely people are to give.

The annual campaign hasn’t lost its validity or necessity with nonprofits, it’s just outgrown the standard execution. Like all things, your appeal needs to be brought up to speed with the newest technology. Embrace social media and let it help pad your bottom line.

  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
Amy Stephan

Amy Stephan

Amy Stephan is an expert in Social Media and Nonprofits. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.
Amy Stephan

Latest posts by Amy Stephan (see all)

  • Nonprofits and Social Media: Discovery, Cultivation, Solicitation and Stewardship - June 5, 2012
  • Nonprofits and Social Media: Putting the Appeal Back in Annual Campaigns - December 2, 2011

About Amy Stephan

Amy Stephan is an expert in Social Media and Nonprofits. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

FOLLOW ME!

Follows
  • Twitter
    222k Followers
  • LinkedIn
    40.8k Followers
  • Pinterest
    29.8k Followers
  • Instagram
    16.3k Followers
  • Facebook
    10.7k Followers
  • YouTube
    244 Followers

COME SEE ME SPEAK LIVE!

COME SEE ME SPEAK LIVE!

PRE-ORDER MY NEW BOOK!

PRE-ORDER MY NEW BOOK!

LOOKING TO BETTER LEVERAGE LINKEDIN?

LOOKING TO BETTER LEVERAGE LINKEDIN?

USE THE SOCIAL MEDIA DASHBOARD THAT I USE!

USE THE SOCIAL MEDIA DASHBOARD THAT I USE!

LEARN THE LATEST ABOUT INFLUENCER MARKETING

LEARN THE LATEST ABOUT INFLUENCER MARKETING

ABOUT NEAL

Neal Schaffer is a leader in helping educate executives and professionals on social media as well as in implementing successful social media strategies for businesses. CEO of the social media agency PDCA Social, social media educator at Rutgers University and the Irish Management Institute, social media keynote speaker who has spoken at hundreds of events on four continents, and author of three social media books, Neal is a true innovator and influencer in the growing world of social media for business.

SEARCH THIS SITE

CATEGORIES

  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • RSS
  • Email

Join my newsletter!

Nealschaffer

Subscribe to get my latest content by email as soon as I publish it.

Success! I'll send you updates as soon as I publish them!

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Don't worry: You can unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit

Footer

Neal Schaffer

About Neal Schaffer
Influencer Marketing Services
Social Media Speaker
Social Media Consulting
Social Media Books
Neal's Social Media Blog Posts
Neal's Social Media Podcast
Social Media Center of Excellence
Hire Neal
Write for This Blog

Popular Blog Categories

Instagram Marketing
Twitter Marketing
LinkedIn
Facebook Marketing
Content Marketing
Social Media Tools
Influencer Marketing
YouTube & Video Marketing
WeChat and China Social Media
Social Media for Nonprofits
Social Media Strategy

Free Ebooks

Maximizing LinkedIn for Business
How AI is Revolutionizing Influencer Marketing
How to Build an Employee Advocacy Program
Focused Social Selling
The Social Media Tools for Business Buyer's Guide

More Social Media Resources

Recommended Social Media Books
Recommended Social Media Apps & Tools
Recommended Social Media Conferences
Recommended WordPress Plugins

Search This Site

Follow Me

Follows
  • Twitter
    222k Followers
  • LinkedIn
    40.8k Followers
  • Pinterest
    29.8k Followers
  • Instagram
    16.3k Followers
  • Facebook
    10.7k Followers
  • YouTube
    244 Followers

© 2008–2019 Windmills Marketing · Privacy Policy · Terms & Conditions · Contact

https://nealschaffer.com/author/amy-stephan/