ARTICLE
Follow This Sentence Structure To Effectively Communicate Fundraising Goals
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During a campaign, communication is key. In fact, communication is key in most instances (relationships, operations, ordering at a restaurant) but I digress. Today we will talk about how to help your audience visualize the impact their donation can have within your organization and then how to communicate the results when a campaign has ended. Studies show the more you can break down your goals and results for your donors, the more success you will have in raising money.
There are several ways to communicate goals to your audience but this blog will cover two of the most common: Impact Goals and Financial Goals. Here’s How:
Focus on impact goals in your sentences
When we talk about impact, we want to be specific! When we are communicating about our mission, we want our audience to visualize exactly what it is that we do.
When I say impact, I don’t just mean a generic statement like “Help us save the animals!” I mean something along the lines of “Help us feed and shelter 100 dogs this winter!” That change in language paints a more specific picture in the mind of the audience and helps hold the organization accountable.
Here is a sentence structure you can work with when creating impact goals:
Help us ACTION (such as serve, build, house, feed, educate, etc.) AMOUNT NOUN (such as animals, people, homes, meals, etc.) during TIME (such as this winter, this week, this year, etc.) by CALL TO ACTION!
For example:
Help us cultivate a love of reading in 250 inner-city Preschoolers during this school year by giving to our Books for Babes Campaign!
Help us build 4 new homes for homeless veterans in need this winter by supporting our Shelter from the Strom Campaign!
Help us pack 750 lunches in 24 hours by volunteering with Meals on a Mission this GivingTuesday!
Highlight specific financial goals
Financial goals should also be framed through impact. Tell your audience what their donation will do in specifics. Again, be specific.
Here is a structure you can work with when creating financial goals:
Help us raise MONETARY AMOUNT by DEADLINE so we can SPECIFIC ACTION!
For example:
Help us raise $100,000 by Winnie the Pooh’s Birthday to help us preserve 100 Hundreds of at risk woodland, which is up for commercial development.
Help us raise $1,000 this Giving Tuesday to purchase and provide warm blankets for 100 homeless teens as winter approaches.
Help us raise $10,000 by March 1, 2022 to support the set for our free community performance of Fiddler on the Roof.
When we communicate about the results of our campaign we can do so in several ways:
IMPACT = How many were served and how they were served.
FINANCIAL = How much was raised and what were the funds used for.
Don’t neglect to address the goal you set before and during the campaign when reporting the results.
Was the goal reached? Celebrate it!
If the goal wasn’t reached, tell the audience how much is needed to reach the goal. Campaign thermometers are great for this as they can provide visual representation as to how close your organization is to hitting the goal. If it is close, it could inspire a few donors to close the gap! Thermometers are particularly effective during events or campaigns held within short windows of time like GivingTuesday as it also can communicate a sense of urgency.
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