Nonprofit Fundraising Campaign Communications: 4 Gaps to Fix Before Launch
Strong nonprofit fundraising campaigns do not begin with a theme, a brochure, an appeal letter, or a social media post.
They begin much earlier, with the communications groundwork that helps people understand why the campaign matters, how they can support it, and what role they can play.
Candid Communications Founder and CEO Marissa Luznar recently shared this message with two groups of local nonprofit leaders: the Hampton Rotary Club Board and Nonprofits North, a program of the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber.
Nonprofits North brings nonprofit professionals together for education, collaboration, and networking around the challenges facing the sector. The Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber serves more than 700 businesses and organizations across Allegheny, Beaver and Butler counties and provides opportunities for networking, advocacy, education and business growth.
“Marissa’s presentation was incredibly insightful and gave nonprofit leaders practical tools they could put to use right away. Many people in the room, myself included, left talking about how we could take these ideas back to our own organizations and immediately strengthen the way we approach our campaigns.” – Tom Baker, CEO, Variety the Children’s Charity of Pittsburgh.
During her presentation, The Campaign Before the Campaign, Marissa shared several communications gaps Candid frequently sees when supporting nonprofit capital campaigns, annual and semiannual giving campaigns, milestone anniversaries and other major fundraising initiatives.
The common thread? The visible campaign is only part of the work.
Before anything goes public, nonprofits should make sure they have answered four important questions.
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1. Have You Clearly Communicated Why the Campaign Matters?
It is easy for nonprofit campaign messaging to focus heavily on the ask:
- We need to raise $500,000.
- We are collecting gift cards.
- We need supplies.
- We are building a new facility.
- We need help funding a new program.
Those details are important, but they do not always explain why someone should care.
The people closest to a nonprofit already understand why the work matters. Donors, community members, and prospective supporters may not.
Before launching a fundraising campaign, keep asking:
Why are we doing this? Why does it matter? Why now? What changes if we succeed?
For example, saying that your organization distributed 6,000 diapers communicates activity. Explaining that those diapers helped families meet an immediate basic need and redirect limited household resources toward food, transportation, or housing begins to communicate impact.
The same applies to a capital campaign.
“We need a larger facility” tells supporters what the organization needs.
“We have outgrown our current space, and a larger facility will allow us to serve twice as many families without a months-long wait” helps them understand why the need matters.
The takeaway:
Do not stop at what you need. Communicate what becomes possible because people support it.
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2. Have You Made It Easy for People to Support the Campaign?
When nonprofits think about campaign support, the first call to action is usually obvious:
Donate.
But giving money is only one way supporters can help.
Some people may be passionate about your mission but unable to give financially. Others may have already donated and still want to do more. Some may have relationships, influence or reach that can help move the campaign forward in a different way.
Consider clearly outlining additional ways supporters can participate, such as:
- Sharing campaign information on social media
- Forwarding an email to friends or colleagues
- Introducing your organization to corporate leaders or community partners
- Displaying a campaign flyer at their business
- Volunteering
- Inviting others to an event
- Signing up for your email list
- Sharing their personal connection to your mission
Then make those actions as simple as possible.
Instead of asking someone to “share our campaign,” provide the social media graphics, suggested copy, and campaign link.
Instead of asking a board member to “spread the word,” give them talking points or a short email they can personalize.
The takeaway:
Do not make supporters figure out how to help you. Show them, and make the next step easy.
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3. Have You Equipped Your Ambassadors to Carry the Message?
The people representing your organization are an important part of any fundraising campaign.
That includes leadership, board members, employees, volunteers, existing donors, and community partners.
But supporting your mission does not automatically mean someone knows how to explain your campaign.
A board member may deeply believe in your organization while also balancing a career, family, and commitments to other organizations. An employee working in finance or operations may not know the latest campaign talking points. A volunteer may understand one program extremely well but have limited knowledge about the broader initiative.
Do not leave those conversations to chance.
Campaign ambassadors may benefit from:
- Key messages and talking points
- Frequently asked questions
- Impact statistics
- One-page campaign summaries
- Flyers or leave-behinds
- Social media content
- Sample emails
- Clear links to additional information
Just as importantly, different audiences may require different communications.
The announcement sent to the broader community should not necessarily be the same message given to employees, board members or volunteers.
Those closest to the organization often need more context because others will turn to them with questions.
The takeaway:
Your strongest supporters should not have to improvise your campaign message. Give them the information and tools to become confident advocates.
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4. Are You Ready for What Happens When the Campaign Works?
Communications can generate attention. But that attention has to go somewhere.
If your campaign successfully introduces new people to your organization, what happens next?
Before launch, consider whether your organization is prepared to manage the engagement the campaign creates.
For example:
- Can people easily sign up for future communications?
- Are you capturing new contacts in a useful database?
- Can you identify first-time donors?
- Are donors receiving a timely thank-you?
- Do you have a plan for continuing the relationship after the donation?
- Are volunteer inquiries being followed up on?
- Can you track where website traffic or campaign engagement is coming from?
- If you promised donor recognition or incentives, are the systems in place to deliver them?
This is also why campaign goals should extend beyond the primary fundraising number.
A successful campaign might also increase:
- Awareness of your organization or mission
- Email subscribers
- Volunteer interest
- Referral relationships
- Corporate connections
- Website traffic
- Social media engagement
- Future donor prospects
Thinking about these outcomes before launch allows your team to prepare for them and measure the broader value of the campaign.
The takeaway:
The experience someone has after they respond should reinforce the trust your campaign worked to build before they responded.
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Use the Campaign as an Opportunity to Strengthen Your Communications
A major fundraising initiative can also reveal gaps in the communications materials your organization relies on every day.
Before launching, ask whether you have current:
- Impact statistics
- Testimonials
- Participant or client stories
- Photography and video
- Organizational messaging
- Program descriptions
- Leadership quotes
- Evidence of community need
- Proof points that demonstrate results
Updating these materials strengthens the campaign, but the value continues long after it ends.
The same assets can support grant applications, annual reports, public relations, donor outreach, volunteer recruitment, board communications, social media, and ongoing marketing.
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Before Your Next Nonprofit Fundraising Campaign, Ask These Four Questions
Before worrying about the campaign name, mailer, video, or event, make sure you can answer:
Why: Have we clearly explained why this campaign matters and what becomes possible because of it?
How: Have we made it easy for people to understand all the ways they can support us?
Who: Have we equipped the people closest to our organization to confidently advocate for the campaign?
Then: Are we prepared to capture, acknowledge, and build on the engagement the campaign generates?
That is the campaign before the campaign.
Because before you worry about getting the word out, make sure you have given people a reason to care, a way to act, the tools to advocate, and a reason to stay connected.