Christian Universities and Seminaries of all sizes benefit from a well-organized fundraising campaign. After all, fundraising is an essential component for increasing generosity and spreading the word about your faith-based education opportunities. But, they don’t just happen out of thin air! To ensure success, it takes a lot of hard work and planning—and it’s never too early to get started.
In fact, 38% of faith-based organizations begin planning campaigns 2-3 months in advance, if not earlier. While this is plenty of time to refine your fundraising strategy and see significant results, it’s crucial to minimize uncertainties as you plan. By being (even a little) prepared for the unprepared, you’ll discover that fundraisers run smoother and have a higher chance for success.
Let’s dive into a few tips to minimize uncertainties when planning your next campaign.
Generate buzz sooner rather than later
Getting the word out about generosity campaigns can be challenging. There’s A LOT of noise online that you have to rise above. But, the earlier you start the planning process—the faster you generate buzz around it. Don’t wait until the campaign is in full swing to let people know it’s on the calendar, or it could slip by unnoticed, causing participation to drop.
There are a lot of opportunities to share the fundraiser details, such as social media posts, push notifications, and email reminders. Utilizing tools like DonorDirect saves precious time and keeps you organized while managing media and communication.
Seamlessly invite donors to take advantage of early bird registration and email save-the-dates. You’ll love that it’s quick to get the word out with a robust CRM that stores media contracts, tracks analytics, and coordinates programming schedules.
Thoughtfully organize your calendar
For some, planning six months to a year out seems unnecessary, but it’s really not. By setting aside just a couple of hours each week, you can truly think through your campaign strategies and keep your calendar organized.
Begin by viewing the year as a whole and clearly mark every annual fundraising campaign for your university or seminary. Once those are marked, take a moment to explore a bird’s eye view of how your year is going to flow. This helps you gain a better understanding of where the busy weeks fall, as well as significant gaps.
Now, you can thoughtfully fill those gaps in your calendar with fundraisers rather than throwing them in at the last minute. If an instance occurs like a natural disaster in your community, an organized schedule gives you the ability to incorporate any changes into your campaign strategy seamlessly.
Maximize your strategy with tried-and-true practices
While every fundraiser is unique, there’s no reason to reinvent the wheel. There are tried-and-true practices that have been used by successful Christian universities and seminaries for years. By learning these strategies, you can avoid mistakes that have already been made. Plus, you can enhance what’s already successful to create your own tried-and-true practices .
Of course, it’s not as easy as it sounds to learn what the best practices are and which ones to apply. That’s why we created a (free!) eBook: Effective Fundraising: What Christian Universities and Seminaries Need to Know. Inside, we go in-depth on topics like understanding what motivates donors, maximizing your success through planning, utilizing the proper tools, and much (much) more. Check it out today!
Want to gain a better understanding of how DonorDirect can help minimize uncertainties at your next fundraiser? See for yourself with a FREE demo!