Leverage the power of Fundraising Barometers

Great campaign strategies use fundraising barometers to easily and effectively convey PROGRESS of a campaign.

Our firm - Clemons-Associates - has happily served global nonprofit, educational, and faith-based clients to raise monies for campaigns, projects, programs and ministries.

And it is has become a standard treatment in campaign strategy, design and public communication to include a fundraising barometer showing financial progress of monies raised. These impactful barometers show up in printed pieces, websites, blogs, e-newsletters, press releases and state of the union communications.

And sometimes, we'll even use this type of barometer communication to show other key metrics surrounding the mission of a charitable organization. In the case of one of our first clients, Water4, we chose to emphasize WELLS DRILLED and LIVES IMPACTED versus MONIE RAISED. The tactic puts the emphasis on the life-changing activity rather than relative dollars or # of donors. This tactic has been quite effective. As of this post, Water4 has sponsored 17,000 water projects serving hundreds of third-world communities, providing them with access to clean and safe water. Their initiatives have not only improved health and well-being but have also spurred economic growth in respective regions.

We suggest using the following guidelines when deploying a BAROMETER communication strategy surrounding your campaigns; these guidelines are easy to adopt and the barometer information (metrics, KPIs) can be very simple and straight forward.

Guideline 1: Use numbers, figures, stats and percentages.

The time viewers spend on any landing page is between 52 seconds and 2.5 minutes -- make it count! While studies suggest an average of around 1-2 minutes, this can vary based on factors like the type of landing page and the industry. Use bold figures to compelling and quickly draw attention to progress and/or impact. See client example:

Guideline 2: Tie the numerics back to the timeline, project specs & impact.

In the spirit of no such thing as over communication, donors, future contributors, staff, Board of Directors and the public need to be reminded of the relative impact of the campaign. This can simply be illustrated as an infographic or landing page.

See client example:

Guideline 3: Use the barometer (and its metrics) on all digital assets.

Work with the design team to graphically incorporate your barometer in all media, campaign collateral and communication tactics. Drop your barometer into your branded printed pieces, websites, landing pages, blog messages, e-newsletters, donor thank yous, house party messaging, press releases and state of the union communications. Donors, prospective contributors, staff, Board of Directors, media and the public should frequently be reminded of the relative impact of the campaign. See client example:

Guideline 4: Consider using funding progress and balance of funds needed.

Sometimes the simplist format draws great attention. Both donors and prospective donors like to see progress during a campaign (monies raised vs. campaign goal). Clemons-Associates has effectively used this messaging strategy serving clients in the nonprofit space, educational space and faith-based ministries. See client examples:

Guideline 5: Use the barometer in INTERNAL communications.

This really cannot be over emphasized. Before and during a campaign, it is mission-critical to keep your internal stakeholders updated and informed. This audience can include volunteers, committee members, house party hosts, Directors, staff and media partners. See our posts on how to use a State of the Union methodology.

See client example:

Bottom line:

Creating a branded barometer (financially-oriented or otherwide) will greatly help in conveying progress of any campaign of any size. Consider posting your barometer on the homepage of your organizational website or your dedicated campaign website.

While this is a straight forward post noting some solid guidelines and key takeaways, consider engaging Clemons-Associates for advanced consultative services. Our team has developed half-day and full-day workshops to help organizations fully understand the power of campaign design and execution. We leverage best practice campaigns bringing out the best of an organization's impact for amazing results.

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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.