How to keep donations coming in during a crisis
If you're neck-deep in doom headlines and worrying about how the current economic situation will affect your numbers, here's a beacon of light.
It's far easier to raise a donation from an existing supporter than it is to find a new person, nurture them, convert them into a supporter and then ask them for money.
It's the same across the board - if you want to increase your e-commerce sales, talk to your existing customer base before you talk to new audiences. If you want to drum up new leads for your service business, look at raising repeat business from your existing customer base before you look at marketing to new people.
People who already know, like and trust you will be much more open to your message than someone who's never heard of you, especially when people are being bombarded with inflation / cost of living / energy crisis messages all day long, and are feeling the fear.
Ok, but how do I do that? By looking at where your supporters are, and talking to them there. This most likely looks like:
Your social media channels. Where are you most active and where are you getting the most engagement? (This should be the same place!) Your existing followers are already familiar with your mission. Tell them what your next big campaign is aiming to do. Make it very clear how to help you achieve your goal. Make it incredibly easy for them to donate - either with a specific landing page, or with a clear user journey on your website. Remember that only a tiny fraction of your following will see each post, so don't be afraid to ask for support regularly.
Your email list. This audience have already signed up to find out more about your organisation and what you're working on. Reach out to them, tell the personal stories of the people you help, and let them know how they can support you, again with an easy mechanism to do so.
Your paid social. Yes, paid social is a brilliant way to reach new people, but did you know it's also a great way to reach people who are already connected to you? This includes your followers and/or engagers across your social channels, your email list and your website visitors - as well as specifically the people who have donated before. Alongside your organic activity, all these groups can be shown specific ads reminding them of all the brilliant work you do and asking for support, which keeps you front of mind and gives them another opportunity to engage with and support you.
We know that a lot of people will be re-looking at their budgets and tightening their belts as the cold weather starts. But there are still opportunities out there, and people who want to support you. So go to them, and make it really easy for them to do that.