How to market your online campaign

Posted by Ella Jacques on 11 June 2021

The key to a successful online campaign is your marketing. There is no set-in stone way to do this but, in our experience, there are some key contributing factors:

1. Social Media

Take a look at this blog for our 12 steps for using social media to promote your campaign.

2. Think About Time Frames

We recommend the perfect online campaign to last for 10 days – 2 weeks. Within this time, you need to be regularly engaging in communication with your donor base throughout, ensuring that momentum is maintained from start to end. You could, for example, hold a silent auction across the length of the campaign, punctuated with a ‘pledge push’ on one day and a prize draw on another!

3. Create A Buzz – celebrity engagement

Creating a hype in the absence of a live event can be a daunting prospect, but it is definitely achievable! Do you have access to celebrity ambassadors or patrons who might be able to join in? Could they record a message which you could send out with the campaign? Celebrity endorsement can really push your campaign out to a wider audience and create the buzz you need.

4. Donor Matching

Having one particularly generous donor who volunteers to double the amount raised – often up to a given maximum value – is a great way to boost your profits and spur your other supporters on. In the absence of a regular ‘match funder’, perhaps look through the giving history of your regular donors to identify a potential candidate? Even if it’s somebody who gives a consistent amount each year why not see if they’ll link it in with your online campaign and help push others to give at their limit, too!

5. Have a focused finish

A positive of online fundraising campaigns is you don’t have the same time constraint you otherwise would at an event – however, a focused finished can be just as important. Send SMS and email notifications to all registered guests at various times in the lead up to the end, keep them looking and make sure your marketing push is at it’s all time high!

Ella Jacques

Global Client Services Manager at Givergy

Ella heads up the global Fundraising & Events team. A key part of Givergy’s growth for four years, Ella has a passion for event planning and ensuring her and her teams’ clients exceed their fundraising targets. Furthermore, Ella’s exposure to some of the highest-profile fundraising events gives her a unique insight into the newest and most innovative way in which charities are engaging with their audiences.