Event Marketing: 3 Sure-Fire Ways to Spread The Word
by Sierra Catcott, Marketing Director, CGC
Boosting attendance is the number one priority for every fundraising event. The more supporters that show up, the more attention your nonprofit gets and the more donations you earn. But how do you get both new and current supporters to RSVP?
Your marketing team should be on the job far in advance, spreading the word to your dedicated supporters and attempting to entice new prospective donors. After each event, you should check in on the marketing strategies used to assess what worked and what can be improved.
To expand your repertoire of event marketing ideas, this guide will explore three methods for spreading the word about your fundraising events and how to assess their effectiveness.
1. Launch a peer-to-peer fundraising.
One of the most effective ways to reach new audiences is to leverage your current audience. Ahead of your event, try launching a peer-to-peer fundraiser.
Ahead of the event, dedicated supporters will fundraise on your behalf to their friends and family and promote your event to them. Then, on the day of the event, your peer-to-peer fundraisers and some of the new prospective donors who chipped into their campaigns will all show up together.
To launch a peer-to-peer event fundraising campaign, follow these steps:
- Invest in a peer-to-peer platform. Peer-to-peer software enables each participating supporter to create and customize their own donation page. This allows their friends and family members to donate to the person they know and trust, rather than an organization they may be unfamiliar with.
- Recruit dedicated supporters. In advance, announce your peer-to-peer campaign to your donor base to recruit supporters. Try reaching out to donors you have a strong relationship with, like those who have volunteered and attended past events. Along with attracting new audiences to your event, a peer-to-peer fundraiser is also a chance to solidify your connection with the supporters who decide to volunteer.
- Provide resources and support. Especially if this is their first time participating in an activity like this, your peer-to-peer fundraisers will have questions. Provide them with the resources they need, such as your nonprofit’s style and messaging guide, as well as contact information for someone at your nonprofit they can reach out to for additional support throughout the campaign.
During your peer-to-peer fundraiser, regularly check in on participants to encourage them, provide support where possible, and thank them for all their hard work so far. Make sure to start your campaign far enough ahead of your event to give your peer-to-peer fundraisers plenty of time to reach out to their networks.
2. Use online ads.
Sticking up flyers and mailing out invitations may attract some attention, but these strategies are unlikely to grab the eye of young supporters. Instead, meet them where they’re at by expanding to online marketing, particularly digital advertising.
Nonprofits, like almost any organization, can buy ad space on various social media platforms like Facebook. However, money spent on online ads is money your fundraising event will have to make back up. Fortunately, there are free methods of digital marketing for nonprofits, like the Google Ad Grant.
Google certified partner Getting Attention breaks down all the ways nonprofits can use the Google Ad Grant:
Upcoming events are among the types of content you can promote, but there are a few steps you’ll need to take prior to launching a new ad. Specifically, when visitors click on your ad promoting your event, what page on your website will they land on?
Think about the user experience. A visitor who is new to your nonprofit and interested in attending an event to learn more might be disappointed if they click on your ad and are just directed to a registration page with little information. Instead, try creating a new page or even a microsite, specifically about your event. Be sure to include details about what you’re fundraising for, the activities attendees can participate in, and when and where it’s hosted.
3. Partner with local organizations.
Your nonprofit has a reliable base of supporters, and you can increase your event attendance by tapping into another local organization’s reliable base of supporters. You can partner with another nonprofit, a school, or a for-profit business. If you already plan to seek corporate sponsors for your event, consider asking for marketing support in addition to monetary contributions.
To find corporate sponsors, we recommend:
- Focusing on philanthropic values. Businesses that participate in CSR activities, such as sponsoring nonprofits, usually have public philanthropic mission statements. These statements tend to be broad, such as “promoting sustainability” or “securing a better future for the next generation.” While in general, they do provide insight into the business’s focus area. When deciding which businesses to approach for sponsorships, reach out to organizations with values that align with your nonprofit’s work.
- Leveraging existing relationships. Cold calling is tough, so reduce your need for it as much as possible by leveraging existing relationships. Maybe a board member has a friend who owns a local business, or perhaps a company headquartered in your area has many employees who volunteer with your nonprofit. Connecting with your sponsors first can help you get your foot in the door with other businesses they work with, and some may even be willing to set up introductions for your nonprofit.
- Researching companies’ past philanthropic activities. One of the biggest indicators of whether a business will agree to sponsor you is if they have already done so for similar causes. Check out events for other nonprofits in your area and see who their sponsors are.
Many businesses you partner with will likely see promoting your event as an additional benefit of sponsoring your nonprofit. After all, the more they advertise their connection to your nonprofit, the more they reap the rewards of having their brand associated with a good cause like yours. Emphasize the value and benefits for corporate donors when meeting with business leaders to secure their buy-in.
Leveraging connections through trusted organizational partners and supporters’ networks can get your foot in the door with potential event attendees, and online ads on search engines and social media can give you the extra reach you need to fill your event. Consider your audience and use the channels most likely to appeal to them while getting as many supporters involved in spreading the word as possible.