Today’s event fundraising tip: Create several points of entry into your event to maximize your recruiting effectiveness.
Technology has changed so rapidly that now there are many more ways that people receive their information. Do not rely on just one or two ways to promote your event and reach potential participants. Expand your efforts to use a mix of outbound email, website content, social networking tools, pre-scripted “Tell-A-Friend” (“TAF”) functions, and advertisements on partner or industry websites — all including links to the event information, registration, and donation options — to cast a wider net and reach more participants. Take the time to research the best locations to place your content and links, and make sure the content you use at each location is contextually appropriate. Using a mix of channels to recruit participants has been shown to drive overall fundraising performance.
As an example, one health related organization has a series of local events. They have augmented their usual mix of places where potential participants can find information about the event by including links on local community calendars, because they have found their participants use community calendars in their everyday lives.
By using online technology to reach a greater audience and provide additional access points to event participation, an organization can facilitate greater participation. The data also suggests that the convenience of such technology further facilitates fundraising as well.
