Remember that Staples commercial? A father clicking his heels through the aisles with back-to-school time around the corner... Well it is back-to-school time for many, but for nonprofit communication and development professionals, even at this time of year that song may remind us of its traditional meaning – the approaching holiday season.
Not surprisingly, this week when I met with an organization to help map out their online marketing calendar for the next few months, much of our planning revolved around the timing of holiday campaigns. (Are you already gearing up for your holiday and year-end giving campaigns? If so, tell us about it @fundraiseonline.)
If you need to prioritize your organization’s holiday campaigns, here are a few tips to help you get started:
- Dust away the cobwebs and look back at what you did last year. Were last year’s campaigns successful and worth repeating, or do you need to start fresh? If you plan to run similar campaigns to those you did last year, consider the pace of the work. Were deadlines tight? Be realistic, and add in some extra time to manage the workload if you need it.
- Get going on the creative. If you do plan to add some new appeals this season, consider what type of campaign you’d like to introduce. Does your organization print holiday cards that would work well as e-cards for tribute gifts? Do you have the right products – at the right price points – available to those who like to shop for a good cause? Do your tax-deductible gift reminders need a little more spice this year, given the state of the economy? Now is the time to brainstorm these ideas and get the creative juices flowing.
- Create a calendar that you can stick to. Take a look at this year’s calendar, and make sure you can fit in all of the messages you need. Consider emailing your house file about tribute giving (“this holiday season, give a gift that gives back”), holiday shopping (“makes a great gift! proceeds from our store help those in need”), and year-end giving (“last chance to make a tax-deductible donation this year!”). And don’t forget to consider re-sends to those who don’t open, click, or act on your original message.
So wind down from the summer, and gear up for what is sure to be a critical holiday giving season for many nonprofits. Let’s hope this season really is the most wonderful time of the year for your organization, and those whom you help.
Believe me, there is no better time than right now to get to work on your end-of-year campaigns. Check out this guide from Convio: “7 Do’s and Don’ts to Help Maximize Your End-of-Year Campaign”.
They also have a pre-recorded webinar called “Plan Smart: Don’t Leave your End-of-Year Campaigns to Chance”. It goes through best practices and the steps you need to take to get your holiday giving campaigns going. I found these resources at: www.convio.com/holidayweb09.
Posted by: Janice | August 17, 2009 at 03:45 PM
Thanks Janice for the comment and link. Another good guide from Convio.
http://www.convio.com/holidayweb09
Posted by: Stacey DiCarlo | August 17, 2009 at 05:05 PM