With a few days left until 2022 draws to a close, chances are you and your staff are focused on end-of-year giving. Why not tap into some festive generosity and boost your end-of-year giving through social media? Social media engagement is bound to rise as people start taking vacation leave, meaning there’s no time like the present (pun intended) to really help those end-of-year gifts come in. Here are some ideas to help get you started:
Share Your Stories
This isn’t a new tip, nor a particularly revolutionary one, but nothing beats end-of-year sentimentality for tugging on heartstrings and giving your audience a warm, fuzzy feeling of hope for the new year. Share a collage of the year’s best highlights, or even better, make a short video! Write a paragraph or two about what you’ve accomplished this year and what you’re proud of — and hone in on what generous donations have allowed your organization to do for the people you support. Making that connection between the money and where it’s spent is crucial for your audience. Then, when you ask for that last-minute pledge, they’ll likely be more willing to give.
Be Specific
Yes, your supporters may feel more inclined to donate when they’re in a festive mood — but they also may have some questions! Put everyone’s mind at ease and spell out where the donations will go and/or what you hope to achieve once you reach a specific number. It’ll help people visualize your plans while boosting your credibility since it’ll be clear that your organization is driven, goal-oriented, and, above all, organized. Don’t be afraid to use visual aids to help clarify what you have in mind, such as photos of the wheelchair-friendly vehicle you’re hoping to purchase or the community hall that needs refurbishing. Transparency is essential in building trust and long-term connections.
Name the Cause
Give your end-of-year fundraiser a name! It doesn’t have to be fancy or clever, it just needs a name that your supporters can recognize and understand what the goal is. From there, you can develop a theme around it and rally support. For example, create a hashtag using the cause’s name and then include it on all end-of-year social media posts. Create consistency with your supporters and entice them to engage by encouraging them to use the hashtag. You can also use these hashtags when tagging other organizations or supporters so that the name gets around even further!
Be Call-to-Action Ready
Once your supporters are in a giving frame of mind, don’t make them jump through myriad loopholes just to get to your donation page. Make it simple -all call-to-action buttons should link directly to your donation page and that page must be incredibly easy to navigate. Poor UI (user interface) can make the most easygoing of us frustrated and reluctant to follow through — and that’s not what you want.
Do a quick audit of your donation page and all your donation-related call-to-action buttons to see what can be fixed quickly and what needs to be outsourced. A little behind-the-scenes work right now will help in the long run for any pushes for donations.
Don’t Be Afraid to Seek Help
If your organization is thinking of pulling out the stops at the end of the year for one last big push in donations but you don’t know where to start, reach out to us! Our team knows what they’re doing when it comes to year-long or last-minute social media strategies. If you know you could use that extra bit of guidance, our team will happily assist you in figuring out the most feasible, effective, and actionable solution.
