Event metrics can be great guides as we plan. In earlier posts, npENGAGE has discussed how to focus on our event fundraising analytics and how to use these metrics for success. But what do we actually do with our data once we pull that report? How can we use our data during our fundraising event or campaign to identify opportunities that help us achieve our goals?
Below are some ways to use your event metrics to identify and engage specific participant types during your fundraising event.
Warm Bodies
These participants have either raised little to no money. We know they will show up on event day because they have paid the registration fee, and possibly they’ve given a few dollars during registration, but what about the fundraising goal you have set for them? How do you engage and encourage them to succeed?
Metric: Participants who have raised $0; or Participants who have raised less than $25
Timeframe: Pull this report about three months before your campaign deadline (or event day)
Action: Turning these participants into superstar fundraisers isn't an easy task. Be sure not to focus too much attention on low-performing fundraisers. Use coaching methods to focus on low dollar fundraisers until 4 to 6 weeks before the event, as you will want to reserve personal attention and efforts in the period before the event for the proven high performing fundraisers. Consider the following tips to offer encouragement to this specific group:
- Provide a series of coaching emails offering fundraising tips that will help them reach their goal.
- Create a contest that rewards fundraising activity (i.e.highest fundraiser in August receives a Visa gift card, whoever raises $100 extra this week is entered into a raffle to win dinner at that fancy new restaurant)
- Share stories of new, but successful fundraisers. How did they exceed their goal? What motivated them?
Heavy Lifters
A big chunk of these participants are your outliers; the fundraisers who help you bring home the dollars so you can achieve your mission. While our metric focuses on their performance during the last six weeks of the event, it is very important to find ways to make these fundraisers feel special all year round.
Metric: During your fundraising campaign, run a participant report of top fundraisers (i.e. raised greater than $1000), filter your top fundraisers based on their amount raised to see overall top fundraisers in this segment .
Timeframe: Six weeks before your fundraising/event deadline.
Action: Note the participants who have met or exceeded their fundraising goal. Reach out to these fundraisers asking them to consider raising their goal and reaching out to their contacts who have not given, asking for their support. While email is an easy way to communicate, don't always rely on this for this special group. It will be best to reach out to these fundraisers personally, thus providing an opportunity to personally thank them for what they've already achieved, let them know what their efforts will help your organization achieve and inquire if there is anything you can do to improve their fundraising experience.
The Quiet Ones
These participants may overlap with the low dollar fundraisers. Perhaps they have raised a little money, but based on your reporting, they aren't using the tools you're providing. Since we know that participants who use online tools tend to raise six times more than those who do not, we want to give this group a push in the right direction.
Metric: Pull a detail report showing you how many fundraising participants are using those online tools you are providing them:
- Updating personal image and story
- Number of emails sent/social media messages posted
- Email/social media conversion rate
Timeframe: Three months before event.
Action: If the online tools usage is low along with your total amount raised. Ask yourself, do my fundraisers know these tools are available? Do they feel comfortable using these tools?
Your development team may want to consider hosting an online fundraising webinar, showing. An online webinar would allow an opportunity for a forum to feature the tools available, offer some fundraising best practices, and provide an opportunity for your fundraisers to ask questions. Additionally, a series of emails could be sent targeting fundraisers who are showing as not using these tools. One email focuses on personalizing a fundraising page and a story, features good examples of this on your site and offers steps on how to do this. Another email may provide tips on utilizing social media, and another may focus on emailing messages or offer an email message participants can easily forward to their supporters. Each email tip should be quick, offer how-to steps, provide examples, and offer a staff contact in case fundraisers have questions or need assistance.
A little disclaimer on low numbers for social media and email tools, it is possible that your fundraisers are using these tools, but not inside their participant headquarters on your site. Unfortunately, we can't track this, however, providing participants a reminder here and there probably doesn't hurt.
Want more on using metrics to create an action plan? Join Blackbaud Client Success Managers Jeff O’Toole and Tammy Radencic on Tuesday, November 5 for their Peer-to-Peer Bootcamp Session: Fitness Assessment: Turning Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Benchmark Data into Action. Jeff and Tammy will highlight the most important benchmarks every "run walk ride" nonprofit should be measuring against, and show you how to turn this data into an action plan to increase your fundraising results!
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