The Provocateur welcomes guest co-authors Paula Attfield (President) and Maytal Kowalski (Director, Digital Strategy) of the Toronto-based Stephen Thomas Ltd. a full-service marketing and fundraising agency serving the nonprofit sector. Thank you to Paula and Maytal for this generous offer of their time and expertise in creating a blog on Digital Fundraising during the COVID-19 pandemic.

WE MUST CARRY ON WITH FUNDRAISING

Donors will see you through good times and bad

Paula Attfield and Maytal Kowalski, Stephen Thomas Ltd.
April 07 2020

As we are glued to our televisions, our podcasts, our blogs, it’s hard to believe there was ever a time where COVID-19 wasn’t the first thing on our minds every morning and evening. But there was, and during that time, we were busy fundraising, busy making the world a better place, busy supporting the people who needed us most. And regardless of the current global pandemic, they DO still need us, and we CAN still make the world a better place. But how?

We at Stephen Thomas Ltd (ST) know that times are going to be difficult in the weeks and months ahead for all of us, and, in particular, for our nonprofit partners. Revenue will be lost due to special event cancellations, and major donors and corporations may pull back their support given global markets, and so on and so on.

Direct response fundraising has weathered economic downturns and other emergencies in the past (in Toronto we’ve faced postal strikes and SARS). It has consistently delivered revenue when needed. Your donors have seen you through good times and bad. They will continue to do so, if we continue to ask.

FUNDRAISING MUST CARRY ON

Keep moving forward with your planned mail appeals. Keep an eye on Canada Posts website for up to date information. As of the time we write this, they are still operating as usual (with additional safety precautions in place of course!). If you have a campaign about to go into the market, we suggest adding a special COVID-19 appeal note. Explain why you need your donors’ support now more than ever. If your revenue is down as a result of the virus, tell your donors, give them the numbers. Make a compelling case. Integrate that case into all of your fundraising channels. Don’t be shy.

DIGITAL IS A GREAT WAY TO GET YOUR MESSAGE OUT

Email

Email allows for nimble and agile communication, which is key in a world that is rapidly changing minute by minute, it seems. A shift that we’ve been seeing in email fundraising and marketing on a whole, which can benefit us here, is a sleeker, more streamlined template. Gone are the days of multiple images, sidebars, and interactive elements. We’re now seeing emails more focused on who is getting the message, rather than what the message looks like. Given this recent trend, don’t spend time agonizing over what images to use. Instead, create a sleek, simple template, with your logo in the top left, and then use the rest of the space for your message. Make your message relevant and message often (as long as you have something to say). It doesn’t always have to be a hard ask, you can let your donors know how you’re supporting staff and beneficiaries. The email should be as long as it needs to be to convey your message.

Be authentic, be straight forward. If your numbers are down due to cancelled events for example, share the numbers with your donors. Talk to them about why it’s more important now than ever to continue to fundraise. If your work directly aligns with what’s happening in the healthcare space, provide updates if you have them.

Most importantly - THANK THEM.

We often forget to properly steward our donors - at a time where we’re seeing how precious and fragile life is, a simple message of thanks can go a long way.

Social Media

You can use social media to disseminate many messages to many different audiences. For your donors and supporters who already follow your social media accounts, send out messages with updates about your organization. What’s cancelled or closed? What’s still happening? Has it shifted online? You can also reach new audiences through boosted or paid posts. Does your organization raise funds and/or support the efforts in eradicating this virus? If so, tell a new audience about the work that you do, and why it’s so crucial, especially now. Remember, people are at home, they’re looking at social media more, and they want to know how to help. It is not opportunistic to give them a channel with which to do so. Did you have an event or gala that you’ve had to cancel? Why not use social media to run a Facebook live event instead? You could have a live auction, bring in guests (through a 2-presenter set up, not in person!) to perform, or speak, or answer questions and have conversations with your virtual attendees.

SMS

Similar to having more people on social media these days, people are also on their phones more. Whether they’re refreshing their twitter feed or checking in on friends and family, people are hyper-responsive to their phones. Use a SMS platform to reach out to your donors and supporters. Especially if you know you deal with a donor population that is more at-risk for the coronavirus. Check in, just like you’d check in on your friends and loved ones. Be compassionate and be authentic. Is there something you can do to help? Maybe you have a roster of volunteers that are out of work or working from home who would want to deliver food or supplies to those in need. These little touches show that you care, and make you stand out from the crowd. You can send a bulk message to your entire base, and then reply individually (or, as individually as you want) depending on responses. If you’d rather send a fundraising message, a text is a great way to have a two-way dialogue with your supporters and make a case for why their donation matters now more than ever.

Your donors have seen you through good times and bad. They will continue to do so, if we continue to ask. Listen to them and you will know when it is the right time to ask.

These are extraordinary times and what we are doing is not easy. At ViTreo, we are here to help and we will continue to offer support and advice. We hope that we all emerge from this very difficult time with more resilience and with an even greater focus on our message and what we are doing to make our communities better.

Our hope is that you emerge from this very difficult time more resilient, with an even greater focus on your message and what you are doing to make our communities better.

Again, we are here to help. You can book a 30 minute complimentary chat with a member of our team to discuss your unique situation and program goals. To schedule this complimentary chat, please email info@vitreogroup.ca or call us at 403-210-3157. We would be happy to discuss solutions for your near term needs or how we can help in the long term.

Leaders in our sector have pulled together and developed some amazing resources. You can find links to these resources on our website at this link: Fundraising in the time of COVID-19: Advice from leaders in the sector.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Paula Attfield, President
Stephen Thomas Ltd.

Paula has been a fundraiser for over 25 years. As President of Stephen Thomas Ltd, she is responsible for client services as well as the overall operations of the agency. Paula also provides strategic insight into multi-channel fundraising and marketing strategies for ST clients. With Paula, it’s all about results — helping ST clients raise more money to fulfill their missions.

Maytal Kowalski, Director, Digital Strategy
Stephen Thomas Ltd.

Starting in arts administration, Maytal began exploring the digital space as it relates to arts and nonprofits early in her career. After going back to school for Strategic Marketing, she decided to focus solely on digital marketing within these sectors. It has always been her mission to do good work that helps the world. Maytal carries the “Yes, and” improv adage into all her work and client discussions.