So, you’ve decided to get some outside help from a fundraising agency for your next campaign. That’s great news! But there are a few things you should know about bringing in a strategic partner before you can hit the ground running.
It’s critical to have all the pieces in place, whether you’re launching a capital campaign, building an outreach strategy for your next event, or looking to amplifi your individual giving communications.
And if you’ve read our blog before, you already know we preach that no two nonprofits, their audience, nor their available resources are the same. But the advice in this blog will help you get prepared and identify where an agency can work with you to fill in the gaps, whether you have many assets or just a few!
Establishing your identity.
One of the first and most important steps when collaborating with a fundraising agency is making sure your new strategic partner understands your nonprofit’s mission, its audience, and the way you talk to them in your fundraising outreach.
And this is why we ask the organizations we partner with to provide several key documents that help us understand how you are trying to make the world a better place. This will also help us align any future communications we build together with your existing outreach materials.
After all, your audience has come to expect certain things in the way you talk about your work and the way your messages look and feel. And partnering with a fundraising agency doesn’t mean you should throw away everything you’ve done before.
So, be sure to have your brand guidelines, editorial style guide, and any other rules and regulations your nonprofit must abide by on hand when you decide to get some outside help with your fundraising communications.
These documents will help us understand where you’re at now and allow us to apply your nonprofit’s established identity to new materials we will produce with you for the campaign.
READ MORE: Why do donors disconnect from your mission?
Providing key assets.
As a fundraiser, you know you need to do everything you can to make it easy for your donors to support your mission and make an impact. And we ask that you apply this same method of thinking the first time you decide to partner with a fundraising agency.
Making it easier to give helps donors make a bigger impact. And you can make it easier for your agency to help you inspire your audience by gathering, organizing, and optimizing your existing assets ahead of time.
So, start by placing your logos, emblems, digital signatures, headshots of key individuals, approved written copy, and your photo library into a designated folder that can be easily shared with your new strategic partner.
But don’t just pull screenshots off your website! Images pulled with screen captures, or the snipping tool will be lower quality, have the wrong file type, and won’t display as well as the original asset. So, make sure all submitted images are the original PNG or JPEG files in the highest possible resolution.
Providing the best version of the asset the first time will help us keep deliverables on track throughout your campaign. It’s frustrating for everyone involved when drop dates need to be pushed back because the correct version of an asset needs to be tracked down.
You can help your fundraising agency expedite the time it takes to produce each piece by preparing the right assets ahead of time. And this helps ensure that you stay on schedule throughout your campaign so each part works as intended to maximize your results.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about repurposing content.
Steering your strategy.
It’s important for us to understand where an organization is currently and where they’re trying to go before we work together. Would you drive to a new destination without directions, a GPS, or making sure you had a full tank of gas?
We didn’t think so either!
Your new partner needs to get a feel for what your organization has tried already, what is working, and what isn’t before we determine what changes could improve your strategy.
So, make sure you submit examples of any past collateral that has been especially successful or favored by your audience. This will give us a better idea of what’s already in your gas tank and what kind of fuel we can add to the mix.
But it’s also helpful to know what kind of fuel your car won’t take. Filling a diesel car with regular unleaded gas will cause some problems. And the owner of the car could tell you that!
Similarly, you should share past materials that did not work for your audience with your fundraising agency. This will help us paint an even clearer picture of what works and what doesn’t for your audience so we don’t suggest and test strategies that have already proven unsuccessful for you.
Finally, it’s important for everyone involved to have a clear picture of your destination. So, look for examples of fundraising collateral from other organizations that you think take it to the next level. Point out specific components that could work well for your audience, so we can help you work them into your approach.
What else do we need?
Planning, executing, and improving a fundraising campaign is a complex task. There are always moving parts, so it helps to expect the unexpected. And providing your fundraising agency with everything they need ahead of time is the best way to give yourself and your new partner the flexibility to pivot while maximizing your results.
In addition to the items we mentioned earlier, information about your target audiences, campaign objectives, and past campaign analysis will help us build a strategy that works for your nonprofit and resonates with your donors.
And bonus points if you can provide your master data file and your nonprofit authorization number on file with the USPS!
But if you’ve read through this blog and felt lost or unprepared, that’s OK!
We’re here to help you improve engagement and raise more money with your fundraising outreach. And whether you have many assets or just a few, there’s always something we can do.
Are you ready to share messages that stick with audiences, inspire them to make a difference, and improve your ability to raise money and make the world a better place?
Then click here to schedule a free consultation with an amplifi development strategist!
