Effective Ways to use Campaign Barometers

The Essential Tool for your Nonprofit Campaigns

As Clemons-Associates team members have designed, developed and launched 40+ campaigns for client globally (raising more than $700M), we ALWAYS incorporate a fundraising barometer. Whether the campaign goal is $300,000 or $300M -- these visual tools are simply awesome indicators of your campaign progress. What are Fundraising Thermometers anyway?

A fundraising thermometer is exactly what it sounds like - a visual tool that shows how close you are to hitting your fundraising goal. They're super effective at educating prospects, informing Board Members, and motivating donors because people can literally see the impact as contributions/pledges come in real-time. According to research, nonprofits that utilized visual progress indicators saw an average 18% increase in donation completion rates compared to those that didn't.

Note: Stats don't lie - campaigns with visual progress indicators like fundraising thermometers can boost donor engagement and lead to higher conversion rates. Campaign barometers tap into some powerful psychological triggers that make people want to give.

Why do they Work?

Community: People love being part of something bigger than themselves. Fundraising thermometers create a sense of community, collective enthusiasm and shared purpose. When donors see that thermometer rising, they feel like they're part of a winning team.

Urgency: These visual tools also create urgency. When potential donors see you're just shy of your goal, they're more likely to chip in to help push you over the finish line. Fundraising campaigns that emphasized urgency and progress see higher average donation amounts. A study in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) showed that visual progress indicators can increase completion rates by up to 40% for goal-directed activities.

Designing your own Fundraising Thermometer

Creating your own fundraising thermometer is pretty straightforward:

1.    Set a clear, realistic goal - Make it specific and achievable, but still ambitious enough to motivate your team and donors.

2.    Choose your format - Digital thermometers work great on websites and social media, while physical ones make a big impact at in-person events.

3.    Make it visible - Put your thermometer where everyone can see it! Feature it prominently on your website, social media pages, email newsletters, and at events.

4.    Update it regularly - Nothing kills momentum faster than an outdated thermometer. Keep it current to maintain excitement.

Pro Tips for Maximum Impact

Want to get the most out of your fundraising thermometer? Try these tactics:

·       Tell a story - Remind audiences at every opportunity how the campaign goal will change lives and benefit your great organization. For Oklahoma Youth Expo (OYE), $10,000,000 in monies raised endows their huge event space (currently the state fair grounds) for decades.

·       Celebrate milestones - Make a big deal when you hit 25%, 50%, 75% of your goal. Send updates, share photos, thank donors publicly. In OKCNP's $10.5M campaign, we broadcasted milestones and select achievements throughout the entire process.

·       Show more stats than $ - Don't just rely on dollars to show your campaign's progress. Take advantage of eyeballs on your campaign progress to list other metrics, objectives, goals and life-changing deliverables.

 Use multiple channels - Don't just rely on one place to show your progress. Spread that thermometer across ALL DIGITAL ASSETS including e-newsletters, blogs, social media, your website(s), and special events. For the CENTERED ON EXCELLENCE campaign, we added a simple 'barometer' message on every landing page of the dedicated site. See below:

Bright Idea: Adopt a tried and true STATE OF THE UNION template to communicate campaign progress to your stakeholders in a timely manner. Key campaign metrics (think dashboard) are organized into a :30 second read for busy business leaders, funders, grantors, staff and volunteers. Learn more here.

·       Give donors a target - It's a good idea to show the DOLLARS NEEDED next to the FUNDS RAISED. In this way, you tap into the very positive and effective psycology .of fundraising barometers and give contributors and easy way to make a gift. We use barometers on GIVE NOW pages all the time.

·       Update frequently - Nothing is worse than going to the trouble of creating a campaign barometer...and then staff/volunteers get to busy to update data.

Regular updates keep donors engaged and create momentum. Nobody wants to donate to a campaign that looks stalled.

Bright Idea: Have a Board Member stand up at your next Board meeting and explain how their involvement 'moved monies' in the fundraising process. Show the fundraising barometer at the meeting and then have a BIG REVEAL -- showing the new figures (updated percentage) reflecting a signficant gift or pledge.

 Get Creative - In the spirit of 'no such thing as over communication', the Clemons-Associates team have incorporated campaign barometers in MANY different applications. These have included the CASE for SUPPORT, NAMING OPPORTUNITIES, GRANT SUBMISSIONS, PRINTED POSTERS (on site premises), SPEAKING OPPORTUNITIES (think Rotary Meetings), and more.

Bright Idea: As campaigns get near the end, consider using a 1:1 MATCH to help the campaign finish strong. Some donors wait until a campaign is over the 75% mark and THEN decides to get involved to help the organization meet relative goals. Use this momentum to BLAST out the matching opportunity and get more donors engaged.

Bottom line:

Use the visual power of campaign barometers for all the right reasons. Trust in the proven psychology of this popular tool. And remember in the design phase...

1.    Set clear, realistic goals

2.    Choose platforms

3.    Make it visible (we err on incorporating it into ALL branded digital assets)

4. Showcase the 'delta' (show how much has been raised vs. the amount needed)

5. Update it regularly - Nothing kills momentum faster than an outdated thermometer. Keep it current to maintain excitement.

While this is a straight forward post noting some best practices and key takeaways, consider engaging Clemons-Associates for advanced consultative services. Our team has helped organizations from Dallas to South Korea. We fully understand the power of Campaign Barometers and how they can be integrated into campaign design, planning and execution. We leverage best practice campaigns bringing out the best of an organization's impact for amazing results.

Want to hear from our former customers? See what our clients have to say.

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Craig Clemons with Friend, Philanthropist and President/Founder/Board Chairman of Express Employment Professionals, Bob Funk, Sr.

Seeking expert assistance from seasoned professionals?

Contact Craig Clemons at craig@clemons-associates.com or one of our rock star associates for more details. Clemons & Associates is on standby to help you with brand identity, strategic messaging, campaigns, digital assets, programs/projects and/or development endeavors.