Put the ‘Fun’ Back in FUNdraising: Campaign Ideas to Increase Acquisition, Revenue, and Engagement
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we all kept our fundraising messages serious to match the serious moment we were living in. Now, four years later, our world continues to face important issues, while our audience experiences increased news fatigue. It is important for us to address the value of our news coverage, but an all-serious all-the-time approach may not be serving you or your audience.
Maine Public has experienced success generating outside-of-pledge revenue and increased donor numbers by experimenting with campaigns that lean into the more lighthearted and entertaining parts of what we do. These unique digital campaigns inspire donors while still promoting our trusted brand.Some campaigns were more successful than others but all were worth trying. My hope is that by sharing these ideas with you, you will feel inspired to try something creative and new at your station.
Campaign Ideas
All Creatures premiere – A two-email campaign encouraging readers to sign up for Passport and binge the new season. Each email was signed by a staff member and their furry friend. We also thought of doing something similar for National Pet Day with some pet-related premiums.
Groundhog Day (2/2 match) – A one-day matching email campaign. Donations go TWO times as far on 2/2. The donation you make on Groundhog Day powers the variety of programming you count on, so you don’t hear the same stories over and over and over…
Galentine’s Day – A stewardship email and social media campaign promoting the work and appreciation for the women of public broadcasting (hosts, journalists, etc.).
Match Madness – An annual matching email campaign in March. This series typically includes three emails sent out over two weeks. Each email releases a small, limited pool of matching funds. Early iterations of this campaign were inspired by the NCAA March Madness basketball tournaments. We’ve since gotten away from that and it’s just about matching now.
Spring Cleaning – A brief email campaign in early spring offering discounted premiums that we found while clearing out our storeroom.
Earth Day – An email showcasing and asking for support of our news team’s dedication to climate coverage and environmental reporting.
Mister Rogers Day – An email and social media campaign celebrating the anniversary of Fred Rogers’ testimony before Congress and the future he secured for public broadcasting. We ask our audience to carry on his legacy with a donation of $143 (Mister Rogers’ favorite number).
Monster Match – An annual matching email campaign that includes three emails sent over the course of two weeks leading up to Halloween. Each email releases a limited pool of matching funds. It’s a fundraising smash!
It’s important to remember that not every idea is a winner and not every idea will work in every market, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make something work. Our Monster Match campaign is one of our most successful email campaigns each year and it was originally inspired by KEXP’s Devil Drive. That campaign had a goal of $666,000 and encouraged listeners to “pledge your soul to music” – so creative and fun! But KEXP is a AAA station in Seattle and I knew this campaign would not be a perfect match for our news/classical audience in New England. So, I changed it. I took the spooky, creative energy that I appreciated about the Devil Drive and created something new that ultimately did work for us.
In addition to these stewardship and revenue-generating campaigns, we have done many lead generation efforts including a Pinkalicious prize-pack giveaway ahead of the latest season premiere and a Bob Ross birthday giveaway to celebrate Bob’s birthday. For each of these giveaways, we purchased items for the giveaway but spent less on the merchandise than we would have spent on buying the names and emails we got.
In conclusion, don’t be afraid to get creative. Let your news department cover serious for the most part… let us put the fun back in fundraising. As I like to remind my talent during pledge drives, if you’re not having fun, nobody is. So, use your own enthusiasm to get creative and inspire your audience to give. Happy fundraising!
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