Empower people to be part of something positive by encouraging generosity. People want to help. They want significance in what they do. Organizations offering choices invite people to feel good about giving.
Jana and Robert wanted to support the local food bank, but did not have the financial resources to give a large gift. However, when they heard that a company was willing to donate an additional $100 for every monthly commitment made, they signed up to give $15/month. That meant their $180 for the year became $280. That made them feel good about giving.
Promote giving and commitment with choices. With each choice, it is important to include a “call-to-action” which can be a brief description of the organization’s mission with a “donate button” for people to click on. It is important to make it clear how a person can participate or donate.
While there are many options, following are five “giving actions” to encourage generosity.
1) Monthly commitment
A monthly commitment allows generosity to continue throughout the year. It allows a person to give a larger monetary gift overall, but in smaller increments. For example: $25/month can be more manageable than $300 at one time.
2) Monthly commitment with an added bonus
For every monthly commitment that is made there is an added bonus. For example: an additional $50 will be donated to the organization for every pledge made during a specific time period.
3) Newsletter or e-newsletter
A newsletter is a great way to keep in touch with people interested in the organization. It can be printed and sent out by mail or emailed to potential donors. An effective newsletter includes storytelling to share the organization’s message. Use an open format with lots of white space, easy-to-read fonts, and photos. It’s important to also include contact information and a call-to-action.
4) Matching grants
If a donor (or donors) can be found to match what is contributed, that is a huge bonus as it can increase the impact considerably. For example, it can help someone who may feel a gift of $50 is too small, but when it is doubled, then $100 sounds a lot better.
5) Explain how a specific amount of money can help
Explain how “X amount of dollars” can make an impact within the organization. For example: $25 will feed two children for three weeks.
See more ideas with “Five Actions to Encourage Generosity” and “Five Additional Actions to Encourage Generosity” at www.butterflycopywriting.com under the “Connect-Impact-Empower” section. Share your favorite way to engage people to be a part of your nonprofit.
Connect with Val at val@butterflycopywriting.com to explore more giving action ideas to encourage generosity specific to your organization.
Do you need help with figuring out the best ways to let others know about your event? Contact Val at val@butterflycopywriting.com. I can help you determine the best promotion choices for your event and help you create them.