The New Rules of Fundraising for 2012: Realign, Diversify, Communicate, Amp-up and Socialize

In a perfect world, January is a time where we would all love to press our internal restart buttons and look at the New Year with renewed verve.

We, however, do not live in a perfect world, especially if we consider a recent Economic Club of Canada survey where Canadians express their pessimism about the state of the Canadian economy for 2012.

“A mere 25 per cent of poll respondents said they feel optimistic about the economy’s potential in 2012. That’s down from 36 per cent who were optimistic a year earlier, and a steep drop from the 54 per cent who were optimistic about the economy in 2009.”

You can read the complete post here

In fundraising terms, this pessimism means that the scores of groups with specific financial goals will be vying for the attention of a smaller audience. Standing out from the crowd and converting this donor fatigued audience into regular supporters will likely be the biggest challenge for groups and causes looking to fundraise in 2012.

Our advice: Re-energize the fundamentals and refocus your current game plan! Here are a few suggestions:

Realign your goal and make it relevant for your supporters

The chance that your supporters are budget-conscious is higher than ever before so you will need to answer the “What’s in it for me?” question.  Be prepared with a pertinent answer to that question and you’ll have a better chance of recruiting keen supporters.

Branch out and explore new fundraising methods

Being open to new ideas will become more important this year. That means diversifying your fundraising strategy with multiple types of fundraisers at different and appropriate periods of the year.

Make communication your #1 priority

Building meaningful connections with your supporter-base will be extremely important in 2012. If you want to keep your supporters enthusiastic and connected to your cause, you’ll have to speak, email and keep them involved on a regular basis. Make sure they know you and your team!

Amp up your fundraiser through a web page refresh and/or an online promotion strategy

If you don’t have a website, it’s now officially the time to get started on creating one! If you have a website, blog or Facebook page, you’ve got the right idea. Perhaps all you need is an information refresh. There are many ways to achieve this, you can:

• Add new graphics;
• Add a new attention-grabbing message;
• Add more ways to contact your team;
• Add sign up information;
• Add goal updates; and,
• Add anything else necessary for your supporters to get started or get the additional information they require to continue supporting your group or cause.

Host a “Kick-Off / Relaunch” event

This is a terrific way to meet potential supporters and/or reconnect with your current members. It can take many forms, a cocktail, a tabletop at parent-teacher meeting, or even an online web conference like a Google+ Hang-Out.

Create a launch kit and top it up with the particulars surrounding your fundraising goal, such as, dates, schedules, purpose, etc. and of course, explain why this fundraiser is critical to your group.

Whatever your fundraising goals are for 2012, your organizing team should plan for a very busy year.

Happy Fundraising!