Many summer personal or peer-to-peer fundraising events will be opening registration in the upcoming months, perhaps even yours.
Sending one-size-fits-all event update isn’t going to cut it anymore. To get the most from your event, it is helpful target each audience with a tailored message – one that speaks to them.
Just like your other donors, event participants have different motivators, perspectives and needs. They also have varying levels of commitment to your event and organization.
First-time participants have separate needs from longtime participants. Superstar fundraisers respond differently than those who raise the minimum. Team captains have a different perspective than individual participants.
Just like email appeals and with so much money at stake, it’s important that your event communications resonate with participants and anticipates their needs. To help, Blackbaud has identified seven unique event participant types for segmenting. Tailor your communications for these seven and you are sure to improve your fundraising results and increase loyalty to your organization.
1. Superstar fundraisers
Show them the love! Chances are they’re closely connected to your cause. More than other participants, share outcomes of past donations. Tell them “you did this!” Also monitor their fundraising progress and reach out by phone, if needed. Highlight statistics about how social media can help them raise even more. Provide ways to connect with other top fundraisers. Publicly list the top fundraisers and discuss high-level incentives.
2. Team captains
Keep these guys close. Captains are the lifeblood of your event. Send communications that help them manage their team. Include reminders about deadlines and contests. Provide ideas to grow and inspire their team at different stages of the event. Emphasize what resources they can access to help them manage their team.
3. New participants
Inform them of your mission and why donations are needed in a simple, concise way. Remember, they’ll have to retell it to potential supporters, many for the first time, so make it easy for them. If you can connect them to your cause, the rest will fall into place. Instead of overloading them, focus on the simple things they can do at each stage of the event. “You’ve registered! Here are 2 ways to get started” or “The event is a month away. Here are 2 things to do this week.” Highlight first-time participants who made a difference.
4. New teams
In addition to what’s outlined above for new participants, communicate the rankings of top teams to motivate those with a competitive side. Send them event and team-related details, so they’re not bombarding their team captain with questions. Highlight team-specific contests, like best theme or largest team. Feature stories of other teams.
5. Returning participants
Returning participants are like gold to any event fundraising organization so make sure you acknowledge that they are the reason for the success of past events. Outline how last year’s donations were used and tell them what you could do with more money this year. Be specific! Vague, high-level phrases do not inspire. Also, let them know which event details are the same this year and point out anything new. Remember, it’s about their success in the current event and getting them to come back next year.
6. Returning teams
In addition to what’s outlined above for returning participants, include rankings of top teams and team stories. Learning about other teams will give returning teams fresh ideas and motivation. Also feature team-related contests and incentives.
7. Minimum/Non-fundraisers
Keep communications brief. This group will be tough to motivate, so focus on incentives, contests and convenience. Highlight the ease of fundraising by social media and email. Remember, 1 in 4 emails result in a donation. Those who use Twitter raise 10x more than those who don’t. Tell them you know they’re busy. Make fundraising easy by including sample Facebook posts or emails they can forward to friends. Highlight stories of those who’ve raised money with minimal effort.
When you take the time to create a mini-communication plan for these unique audiences you will have more engaged, inspired participants that are far more likely to raise more for your event and return next year.
If you are interested in learning more about how to take your peer-to-peer fundraising events to the next level, we have more help available here.
Mike Snusz is a principal strategy consultant at Blackbaud. He focuses on helping nonprofits create online fundraising, email, P2P, social media, SEO, analytics and website optimization strategies to maximize giving opportunities. Prior to Blackbaud, Mike managed the turnaround of the Ride For Roswell, including the event’s growth from $330,000 to $1.2 million over a three-year period.
