Seven tips to help you engage others in your fundraising campaign

We’ve all been there – it’s time for another fundraising campaign (whether it’s your year-end fundraising campaign, anniversary, capital/endowment effort, gala, or another type – like legacy giving). Still, when you’re a small team (or team of one!), it can feel overwhelming to get everything off the ground, much less getting others in your organization involved in your campaign. 

Enlisting the help of those beyond your communications and/or development team doesn’t have to be daunting, and it can help support your overall campaign goals, no matter where you are in the process. Colleagues, volunteers, and board members can help you better understand and engage the audiences you’re prioritizing. Bringing other teams into your fundraising campaign can also strengthen and encourage collaboration, cohesive efforts, and consistency in messaging, as well as a greater distribution of roles and responsibilities. Lastly, involving others within your organization helps improve overall buy-in for this and other fundraising and donor communications efforts.

We already know the elements of a fundraising campaign, but how do you engage others beyond your team?

1. Plan and get started early. Time is on your side when you make requests of others in your organization with ample notice.
2. Explain the purpose of your campaign and preview the campaign plan so they understand what you’re doing and why. By this point, hopefully, they know the role communications plays in fundraising. Still, it never hurts to highlight your overall goals and how this specific request for participation could positively impact those goals. 
3. Ensure you have a clear ask and take care to specify the team or individual’s expected level of participation, especially for those who will have ongoing or recurring roles throughout the campaign. We recommend using a DACI or MOCHA chart to track and clarify involvement and responsibilities. When possible, mention when or how much time they’ll likely need to spend.
4. Be realistic! It’s important to remember that smaller or less time-intensive requests typically receive better outcomes, especially when it’s your first time tapping others in your organization.
5. Create a toolkit with easy-to-use methods for participation. For example, when asking people to share content on their social media channels or serve as peer-to-peer fundraisers, package sample talking points, copy, graphics, PDF one-pagers/flyers, and URLs in a shared folder to make it as seamless and straightforward as possible for people to participate in your campaign. You can even share printed postcards or other collateral for others to distribute for hyper-local or grassroots efforts.
6. Offer an alternative form of support, if needed. Tacking onto tip number four, everyone is busy! Start small, but don’t be afraid to offer alternative ways to get involved, including some that are easier and some that are more in-depth. You may find that committed supporters, such as volunteers or some members of your board, are more willing to participate in your fundraising campaign more deeply.
7. Provide updates on the campaign periodically. Once others have agreed to participate, keep them updated regularly and share milestones and highlights at staff meetings, over Slack/Teams, and via email. Shouting out and sharing appreciation when staff, volunteers, or board members participate in your fundraising campaign can help generate a sense of accomplishment and reinforce their commitment to the campaign’s success.

Finally, sharing is caring! At the end of your fundraising campaign, highlight the results and share key metrics of success. And don’t forget to thank your team, board members, and volunteers or supporters for their help. Getting folks in your organization to participate in more significant ways may take time, but remain consistent in offering opportunities to engage and provide positive feedback. 

Once you have key metrics, block off some time to reflect on the campaign’s “glows and grows” (strengths and challenges) and make note of which types of participation performed well, so that you can implement and evolve them in future fundraising campaigns. 

At Big Duck, we love sharing recommendations on how to engage others within your organization in fundraising efforts. Get in touch and learn more about our campaign services.