No matter how busy the holidays were, when you lead nonprofit or charity you don’t want to lose touch with your supporters. It’s important to continually communicate and engage with them, even if your organization doesn’t have any upcoming events or volunteer opportunities. Here are some tips on how to prevent your engagement levels from dropping after the holidays.
#1 - Keep your audience involved! Remember that communication is a two-way street. Your IHUBApp is not only for you to update and post information to, but it’s a place where your audience can interact with you and with each other. Create fun polls asking people what their top New Year’s resolution is, or create a photo contest in ‘Albums’ where everyone can vote on topics like Best New Year’s Celebration. You can even award prizes to the winners and announce them via a post in the app.
#2 - Create timely, relevant posts. We’ve just finished celebrating ‘the most wonderful time of the year’ - take advantage of that when communicating with your supporters. Generic content will get lost in family vacations and school or work starting again, so make sure your posts are personally relevant. Let friends of your organization know what is coming (meetings, fundraisers, parties, etc.) and be specific. You can even share some inspiring stories you found over the holidays that really embody what your organization is all about.
#3 - Remember the 7 to 1 principle. At InspireHUB we teach that for every one “ask,” you should also give seven things that engage friends of your organization with no other purpose but to engage. That said, you also need to be sensitive to timing. The holidays can be hectic, but they can also be expensive. January may not be the ideal time to make a big ask from your donors and being too pushy might turn them off from supporting you. Ease into it and take their fears and values into consideration. Thank them for the time, effort and generous donations they’ve contributed throughout the past year, show them what a difference they’ve made within your organization. This will help strengthen your relationship with them for the new year.