12 Products to Sell For Your School's Seasonal Fundraiser

Most of your higher education donor prospects, whether they're first-time supporters or long-term donors, already have an affinity for your college or university. They might root for your sports team, champion academic research on campus, or want to pave the way for continued high-quality academics. 

While many supporters are emotionally invested in your institution, they may still hesitate to support your fundraising initiatives. They may ignore your Giving Tuesday email appeals, scroll past your social media posts promoting your recurring giving program, or think, “My alma mater always does the same old thing during Homecoming Week” when they receive an invitation to your annual benefit.  

So, in order to really grab your donors’ attention, you should plan fundraisers that they’ll be excited to participate in. Of course, there’s no need to throw out the current strategies that are working for your organization, like your graduation day email stream that always boosts your progress toward your annual fundraising goal or the Parents’ Week dinner that sells out every year. But you can fine-tune your strategies so that you always plan fundraisers your donors will love! 

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We’ll help you get started by covering three tips: 

1. Learn about your audience’s preferences. 
2. Offer easy-to-use fundraising tools. 
3. Have your campaign culminate in a fun event. 

As you set out to improve your fundraising efforts, consider working with a fundraising consultant. These professionals bring to the table a third-party perspective and years of experience, helping to improve your fundraising strategy in ways you may not have seen.  And their work goes beyond identifying problems—a consultant can help you brainstorm and implement positive changes to your strategy, setting your organization up for sustainable success and growth. 

Let’s dive into our three tips!

1. Learn about your audience’s preferences.

To plan a fundraiser that will resonate with your audience, you need to get to know your supporters and their preferences. 

The first place to look for this information is your organization’s CRM. Review the donor profiles saved in your CRM to identify trends in your audience’s demographics and preferences. For example, you might notice that most of your donors fall within the age range of 45-60. You might use this information to create a more targeted social media marketing plan for your next campaign, leaning into Facebook over a platform that younger generations prefer, like TikTok. 

Another source of information is donors themselves! Try surveying your donors to find out what they want to see in a fundraising campaign. For instance, you might ask your donors, “Where did you hear about our fundraising campaigns?” or “Which of the events listed below are you most likely to attend?” Show your audience that you care about their opinions while gathering ideas. This will help build and maintain stronger relationships with your support.

Leveraging your CRM and surveying your audience of supporters will empower you to step into your community members’ shoes and see your fundraising efforts from their perspective. This way, you can easily plan campaigns and events that they will be excited to participate in!

2. Offer easy-to-use fundraising tools. 

Having the right fundraising tools on your side will help you set up a campaign that is quick, easy, and hassle-free. And convenience will be a major deciding factor in how your supporters feel about your campaign!

Here are some fundraising tools for your next campaign, as well as how they can be used to streamline the process for everyone involved: 

• Online donation form: An online donation form allows donors to give to your campaign whenever they’re able. Make sure to keep the form short and to the point, only asking for necessary information. For example, essential information to collect includes the donation amount, payment details, and contact information. You can further optimize your form by adding a matching gift search tool so your donors can check their eligibility! 

• Crowdfunding page: With a crowdfunding page, you can collect lots of small donations that add up to great results. You’ll simply set up your page on a crowdfunding platform and share the link with your supporters over email, social media, and other online platforms. 

• Social media fundraising page: Many social media platforms now offer fundraising pages. For example, Facebook allows you to set up a fundraising page with a built-in fundraising thermometer that showcases your progress toward your goal. Because these pages are easily shareable and meet donors where they’re at, they can be extremely handy in helping you secure support. 

• Text-to-give platform: A text-to-give platform allows your supporters to give on the go. Donors simply text a designated keyword to a specific phone number. Their text is then returned with a link to your online donation form, which they can use to contribute to your campaign. 

With each of these fundraising tools, one of your main priorities should be to brand the tool to your organization. Even if you’re using an external platform, having your institution’s brand elements present on a fundraising page or other donation tool is imperative. Doing so can reinforce for your supporters exactly why they’re giving and can help establish professionalism and credibility with your audience.

3. Have your campaign culminate in a fun event.

One of the best things about fundraising for a college or university is the tight-knit community that your organization gets to interact with each and every day. So, why not level up your next fundraiser by having your campaign culminate in a fun event, where people who love your school can gather together and mingle? 

There are hundreds of options out there for fun end-of-campaign events. Here are a few of our favorites: 

• Walk-a-thon: According to Donorly, Walk-a-thon events are the perfect way to conclude fundraisers like peer-to-peer campaigns. This is because these events lend themselves well to pledges prior to the walk itself and they act as marketing for the event. For example, someone might secure a $5 pledge for every mile walked. After they walk 10 miles at the event, the person who pledged that amount would donate $50 to your college or university. 

• An evening of entertainment: For an evening of entertainment, recruit your school’s performing arts students to put on a showcase for your supporters. You can celebrate the end of a special campaign with an evening of music, dancing, and refreshments. 

• Meet-and-greet: Your supporters would love the chance to meet some of your star athletes or history-making researchers on campus. Set up a meet-and-greet and invite supporters who donate to your campaign to come and introduce themselves, get to know their favorite campus celebrities, and take pictures. 

Events like these can bring your community closer and help your supporters create lasting memories that they associate with your institution. To make your event a success, make sure to start planning early. You’ll need to secure venues, arrange catering, and recruit volunteers to make sure everything runs smoothly on the big day!

By using these tips, you can polish your college or university’s approach to fundraising and plan campaigns that your donors will love. As you do, remember to focus on building lasting relationships with your supporters. Show them that you appreciate and value them, and that you’re working to make sure your efforts resonate with them and what they love about your school. Good luck! 

Picture this: You’re the director of fundraising and development at a well-known higher education institution. You’ve recently had a ton of money coming in to support your larger-scale initiatives. A private grant-giving foundation is providing your team with the money required to open a high-tech computer lab, and a major donor is funding the building of a new wing at the school.

But what about your other day-to-day operations? You need funds to keep your institution above water, continue paying staff salaries, and invest in behind-the-scenes technology that allows your university to continue running smoothly. Oftentimes, major gifts and grant funding don’t cover those needs.

And that’s where your annual fundraising strategy comes in! In this guide, we’ll explore four powerful tips for boosting this particular type of fundraising. As you begin planning your upcoming campaign, be sure to:

1. Review your previous year’s strategy.
2. Set strategic fundraising goals.
3. Diversify your annual appeal channels.
4. Double donations with corporate matching gifts.

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All sorts of mission-driven organizations rely on annual fundraising to help ⁠manage their in-between needs—and when it comes to university and other education-based institutions, your alumni are likely to be your biggest supporters!

Are you ready to uncover how you can position your school for the greatest annual fundraising success going into 2022? Let’s get started.

1. Review your previous year’s strategy

Fundraising organizations have learned a lot about effective fundraising strategies (and the way that they’re always changing) from the highs and lows of 2021. And before that, 2020. Going in 2022, reviewing efforts and results from previous years can give you a head start toward success.

To get started, take a look at where your fundraising flourished in the past year, as well as where you see room for improvement. If you notice that your efforts in the corporate giving arena could use some extra work, for example, consider prioritizing corporate fundraising in the upcoming year.

Here are some other key performance indicators (or KPIs) you might look at:

• The total amount of fundraising revenue
• Total number of donors
• Average donation size (and average increase over time)
• Percentage of repeat donors vs. one-time and lapsed givers
• Donations made through your website, direct mail, in-person, phone, events, and more

As you craft your newest annual fundraising strategy, make sure to prioritize the avenues that have historically been your most profitable while also giving extra care to channels that may be lagging behind.

2. Set strategic fundraising goals

A significant element of successful fundraising involves setting fundraising goals beforehand. Otherwise, how will you determine “success” in the first place?

You’ll want to choose lofty objectives that inspire donors and fundraisers alike while ensuring you don’t aim too high that it can seem unrealistic or like a “lost cause.” To find the perfect medium between the two, the best and most effective goals often follow the SMART framework.

As you craft your upcoming objectives, make sure they are:

• Specific. Your fundraising team (and donors) should know exactly what the goal is and how to reach it.
• Measurable. Ensure you choose quantifiable metrics that can easily be measured to determine success.
• Attainable. Again, unrealistic goals can set you up for failure. Make sure your goal is attainable, given your team and available resources.
• Relevant. Your fundraising goals should be directly related to fundraising⁠—and specifically, your annual fundraising campaign.
• Time-bound. Set a clear time period in which your annual campaign will run. This instills urgency among donors and allows you to determine whether you’ve reached your goal by the end.

Here’s an example of a SMART goal for an upcoming campaign - “To collect $10,000,000 in individual contributions to fund university operations by 12/31/2022.”

To contrast, a poorly crafted goal might look like this - “To raise a lot of money in the next few months.”

The former sample is much clearer and will ultimately result in greater success, while the latter is subjective and vague. When your annual fundraising objectives incorporate each element listed above, you can ensure your team is positioned for success.

3. Diversify your annual appeal channels

The more fundraising strategies and tools develop, the more comprehensive your campaigns are expected to be. As a result, organizations are encouraged to integrate multiple channels to spread the word about their annual fundraising efforts far and wide.

The particular avenues you choose to leverage for your annual campaign can vary depending on your donors’ preferences and your team’s strong points. However, they will likely incorporate a combination of the following:

• Website
• Email
• Direct mail
• Social media
• Phone calls
• Text messages
• Face-to-face

Several years ago, you may have been able to reach your goals solely through phone and in-person solicitation efforts. Now, it’s essential that you take a multichannel approach⁠—both to meet donors where they already are and to stand out from other organizations seeking your audiences’ attention.

4. Double donations with corporate matching gifts

Did you know that more than 26 million people work for companies with corporate matching gift programs? It’s likely that many of these individuals are your alumni, donors, and other key supporters.

Before you can expect a solid flow of corporate matches coming in, however, you’ll need to enact specific matching gift marketing strategies to raise awareness of this powerful opportunity. Because although 26+ million individuals are eligible for company matches, more than 78% of this group is completely unaware.

To incorporate corporate matching gifts into your annual fundraising strategy, consider these best practices:

• Share general matching gift information on social media.
• Incorporate matching gift appeals in your donation solicitations.
• Highlight matching gift opportunities directly in your online giving process.
• Follow up with match-eligible donors after receiving their initial gifts.
• Provide company-specific matching gift program guidelines with donors whose employers you know.

For you, matching gifts mean that your school has the potential to collect two donations for the cost of soliciting one. And for your donors, they get to know their contributions went twice as far.

You can’t do the big things (like your overall mission impact) without being able to fund the little things as well. An effective annual fundraising strategy allows your team to collect the dollars you need to bankroll every part of your school’s operations⁠—from the most glamorous of tasks to the most mundane.

Luckily, integrating these best practices into your strategy will allow you to raise more funding for your institution and better situate your team for ongoing success. Good luck!

As part of the higher education sector, your university likely depends on social campaigns like peer-to-peer fundraising and crowdfunding to fund its projects and initiatives. ‍While these campaigns have the potential for a wide reach, they require effective promotion to maximize alumni support.

How can you retain alumni support long after they receive their diplomas? Let’s explore the top marketing practices your university should employ when planning your outreach strategy.

1. Actively promote matching gifts

Your alumni may be eager to support your university, but many are unaware of the opportunities available to help them maximize their contributions—namely, matching gifts.

Matching gifts are a type of corporate social responsibility initiative wherein businesses match donations made by their employees. Double the Donation defines corporate social responsibility as “a company’s efforts to improve society” in a multitude of ways, from directly donating to supporting employee giving. Matching gifts combine both of these efforts and represent a major revenue opportunity for universities.

Identify match-eligible alumni by looking into your existing donor base. Specifically, take a look at your alumni and major donors who represent your largest match opportunities. Then, secure matching gifts from alumni by promoting the opportunity to match-eligible individuals through:

• Educational resources for your donors
• A matching gift page on your website
• A matching gift database that conducts automatic email follow-ups to remind donors to submit matching gift requests

As you solicit matched gifts, maintain an open line of communication with major employers who offer matches. Periodically review their policies and ask them to notify you if any changes are made to their matching gift program. Both universities and donors should stay on top of employers’ match guidelines to avoid missing out on matching gift revenue.

2. Market on multiple communication channels

Communication is the foundation of a successful fundraising campaign. While some approaches are more effective than others, the best results come from incorporating multiple channels—especially for larger donor bases.

There are two types of marketing your university can leverage, and each type has a plethora of channels you can use to spread the word about your campaigns:

• Inbound marketing is a method of targeted advertising that involves attracting potential supporters based on their interests in your cause. Inbound marketing includes:
  • Search engine optimization (SEO): Revamp your website to rank more highly on search engine results pages for keywords related to your cause. Many institutions also collaborate with SEO experts like Tanot Solutions, to strengthen their backlink profile and improve domain authority through strategic link-building initiatives.
  • Blogs: Write educational blog content that attracts alumni to your website and inspires them to give.
  • Videos: Create compelling videos that showcase your university’s accomplishments and drive viewers to support your work.
  • Podcasts: Invite faculty and industry experts to discuss relevant topics in a podcast to establish your institution as a thought leader.
  • Organic social media posts: Share original, unsponsored content on your social media channels to keep your school top of mind for alumni who follow you.
• Outbound marketing is a broader advertising strategy that focuses on reaching a wide audience through channels such as:
  • Pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns: Use search engine advertising, like Google Ads, to get your website in front of as many eyes as possible.
  • Direct mail campaigns: Send engaging flyers to a large mailing list to appeal to those who respond more positively to traditional direct mail.
  • TV commercials: Create a TV commercial promoting your university and directing viewers to your website. Incorporate QR codes to simplify access to your website without interrupting their watching.
  • Newspaper ads: Place an advertisement in your local newspaper to capture the attention of community members who may not otherwise hear from your school.
  • Social media ads: Boost your social media posts with paid advertisements so your content appears not just to your existing followers, but in the feed of any user who might engage with the post.

Remember, communication is a two-way street. You won’t just want to send messages to alumni, but to stay in touch with them over time. Ensure that alumni and any volunteer fundraisers feel free to voice their feedback or concerns.

3. Leverage nonprofit storytelling

Effective communication is about more than just an open line of communication—it’s about powerful storytelling, too. Stories encourage alumni to form stronger connections with your university’s mission, students, and impact.

As part of your marketing approach, implement the following storytelling strategies into your content:

• Use powerful imagery. Visual elements like photo galleries or clear infographics quickly capture your audience’s attention.
• Incorporate quotes and testimonials. Let your students and faculty do the talking by incorporating their direct quotes into your content. This will be especially effective for reaching alumni with personal connections to those individuals, such as the former student of a featured professor.
• State campaign goals. Explaining exactly what your university needs and how a donor’s contribution will be used draws a direct connection between the supporter and your work.

Storytelling and powerful imagery compel users to share content with their networks, so it’s crucial that you make your storytelling components shareable. For example, you might place a “Share” button next to the content on your alumni website that makes it easy for viewers to repost an article or video to their social media channels.

4. Link to your fundraising page

In all your digital marketing materials, make it easy for viewers to take action by directing them to your donation page. Make the most of clear calls to action, prominent buttons, and QR codes across all the channels you use. To ensure shareability, use an effective social campaigning platform and the right social media platforms.

Additionally, when alumni land on your fundraising page, they should be able to take action easily. Check to ensure your donation form can be quickly completed and doesn’t require any unnecessary steps. With a compelling marketing strategy and simple form, your university can seamlessly convert alumni into dedicated supporters.

Now that you know the best marketing practices, share this information with your fundraising team, and plan your best campaign yet! Then, as donations start to roll in, be sure to show your appreciation for donors’ support and continue to engage them by offering additional involvement opportunities. The more active your donors are in your university’s activities, the more likely they’ll be to continue their support.

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About the author

Adam Weinger is the President of Double the Donation, the leading provider of tools to nonprofits to help them raise more money from corporate matching gift and volunteer grant programs.

Double the Donation's robust solution, 360MatchPro, provides nonprofits with automated tools to identify match-eligible donors, drive matches to completion, and gain actionable insights. 360MatchPro integrates directly into donation forms, CRMs, social fundraising software, and other nonprofit technology solutions to capture employment information and follow up appropriately with donors about matching gifts.

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