Galvanize & Grow with Innovative Tactics to Attract & Retain Supporters

People power is thriving in 2018. Social justice and activism is on the rise, with people turning out in record numbers to make their voices heard. Every nonprofit relies on their supporters to take action, volunteer, and donate. If your digital engagement programs don’t help your organization stand out –  prepare to fall short of your goals. And even worse, you may potentially turn off new supporters who are looking for ways to get involved.  Don’t risk losing out on the current cultural momentum – read on for some tips to modernize your messages and forms.

Polish Up Your Digital Assets

It’s time to wake up, freshen up, and turn it up!  Luckily, I’ve been working with some of the smart folks at Blackbaud to create the brand spanking new Grassroots Galvanizer Playbook – it’s full of innovative digital engagement examples that are sure to inspire you to try something new.  Let’s go over a few cool tactics that can help you tap into the people power wave.

Social Media Integration

Facebook and Twitter are even more powerful when they are directly connected to your digital campaigns:

• Add social media registration and sign in to your event forms. It’s easier for your attendees and can provide insight to build powerful lookalike lists for ad campaigns.
• Encourage peer-to-peer participants to create their own Facebook fundraising campaigns.
• Modernize your action alerts – give activists the ability to tweet their elected officials. See how well the campaign is performing as your hashtags pop up on Twitter.

Organic Acquisition

Increase the pool of new volunteers and supporters with gated content that requires an email address to access:

• Offer webinars or other educational sessions. You aren’t only providing important information – you’re able to add hidden interests to constituent records and build a more robust profile.
• Design an infographic or meme (kittens!) Supporters will give their email address, download the infographic or meme, and post to their social media channels.
• Create a quiz. Everyone loves a quick and fun quiz – test their knowledge by asking a few questions (you can also provide info and insight about your organization’s mission or programs).

Customized Options for Involvement

We all want to be asked to do things that match our interest and capacity.  Meet people where they are and give them a variety of ways to get involved:

• Frame actions in terms of time (if you’ve got five minutes/an hour/five hours). Once you know how much time a supporter can give, you can send them actions that align with their availability.
• Personalize the connection between the supporter and your mission. Short surveys gather interest information, and you can serve up the right content in your content.
• Expand giving options. Yes, we’re all promoting our sustainer programs, but don’t forget about offering multiple giving levels and payment methods.

The Time is Now

Wouldn’t it be a shame not to take advantage of today’s increased civic engagement and public support for social change? Identify one campaign or program that needs some oomph and apply one of these tactics.  You don’t have to re-work your entire approach!  Just pick one component (like your donation form or confirmation page) and add something new.  Measure your results as you take small steps and learn what resonates with your audience.

Download Guide: 

GRASSROOTS GALVANIZER: A modern playbook to mobilize, organize, fundraise and influence