Capital Campaign
The Gist of It
During a capital campaign, send three types of emails, annoucements, fundaising, and updates.
Segment your audience and adapt the email copy to provide a better supporter email experience.
Once the capital campaign is over make sure to send a thank you.
Transcript
Building is so much fun. You start from nothing and create something. Whether it is building furniture, a team, or building, well, a building.
For nonprofits, a capital campaign is exciting and nerve-racking. On one hand, a new building means more opportunities to further your cause. On the other hand, it means you need to have enough money.
Capital campaigns require many moving pieces and one of those pieces to help you raise funds is email.
Let’s talk about how to use email as part of a capital campaign and see examples from a nonprofit. You don’t need a hammer, nails, or even blocks to go Behind the Campaign.
Introduction
Welcome to Behind the Campaign.
A showcase of the best nonprofit campaigns. Here you will get ideas, tips, and strategies to create successful campaigns for your organization.
As we explore an email capital campaign, we will look at 3 emails from FeedNC. The emails include an announcement, an appeal, and an update.
Email Inbox
All the emails come from the organization. They use questions in their subject lines and capitalize “update” to encourage opens.
About 47% of supporters open emails based on a subject line. In one test, having a subject line with a question had a 10% higher open rate.
Now, let’s see how the emails engage supporters through the long process of a capital campaign
Announcement Email
Here we have the announcement email, letting supporters know the organization is starting a capital campaign. The goal, at this point, is not to raise money, but awareness. To prepare supporters, to build excitement.
You should send an announcement email to your entire audience. But you can also consider sending one first to your donors. Adapt the email copy when sending to donors. Thank them for their continued support and tailor the rest of the email to them.
The email provides some great visuals. More than 65% of people process information better when delivered in a visual format.
One at the top and a sketch of the land after the project is complete is at the bottom of the email.
All emails should include a call to action, which goes for announcement emails. But what do you use, since you don’t plan to ask for money, yet?
If you have an article or video on your site you can lead supporters there. Or in the case of this email, you can ask them to “stay tuned” and keep an eye open for ways to get involved in the future.
Now that you have raised awareness it is time to raise the capital.
Fundraiser Email
Our organization has broken ground! This is one way to get supporters excited and involved with the campaign.
With fundraising emails, explain the need and keep it short. For instance, this email says that a larger facility “can help end hunger and catalyze change for even more families.”
If you can provide tangible examples, even better.
While many experts say not to add pictures to emails, the ground-breaking and capital campaign emails are an exception. People want to see how their money will be spent.
Later, supporters should receive an update email.
Update Email
This email provides an update, including how much money was raised and a new image of the building design.
An update email could also include stories, videos, or a personal message from someone at your organization.
Segment your audience and send a different update email with exclusive content to donors. Consider giving them a tour of the building before it is open to the public. If you can’t do the tour in person create a virtual tour. Don’t forget to thank them.
The update is a powerful email, it helps build relationships with current and future supporters.
Conclusion
It is a challenge to run an email capital campaign, but if it is done right, it can produce great results. Remember to keep supporters informed, share pictures, articles, and your gratitude.
Segment your audience and use a mixture of the announcement, fundraising, and update emails. You can use them multiple times throughout the campaign.
One email, one donor, one block at a time and you will complete the campaign.
