I really like this one recommendation from Rachel: Pair an ask for a donation with a “no-money” ask during a campaign. Let me be clear right up front . . . you don’t ask for both of these things in the same communications piece, but rather you alternate the asks throughout the campaign.
For example, maybe you ask your supporters to sign a pledge in one email, then ask for a donation in another, then go back to the pledge in the next one. The campaign may last for several weeks or even a couple of months, and you go back and forth between the two different asks depending on the campaign schedule, the various communications channels you are using, etc.
The no-money ask gives your supporters another way to get involved and engaged in your cause whether they want to give financially or not. And it gives you something else to talk about, besides asking for money every time.
Here are some of the different kinds of no-money asks that you could pair in a campaign with an ask for a donation.
- Take a pledge, or make some other promise or commitment
- Watch a video and share it
- Upload of photo (of you with a sign, or doing something in particular)
- Ask a question
- Take a survey
- Download something
- RSVP for a free event
In the example that Rachel shared in the webinar, the National Military Family Association paired an ask for a donation to support a camp for military kids with an ask for supporters to upload a photo of themselves thanking those kids for their service as military family members. The photos would then be compiled into an honor wall the kids would see at the camp. It’s an especially great combo, because the two asks are so closely related to one particular program, the kids’ camp.
What kinds of asks can you pair up with a donation request during your campaigns?
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