Put Together a Successful Email Marketing Campaign for Your Nonprofit Fundraising Sweepstakes
When it comes to promoting an online nonprofit sweepstakes fundraiser, in our experience, a solo or dedicated email is still the very most efficient way to bring in donations quickly. In this post, we’ll explore specific, actionable steps you can take to hit the ground running with your sweepstakes fundraiser, rapidly gain momentum, and sprint all the way to the finish line!
A quick note: In this post, we’re going to look specifically at how to leverage some of the marketing tools TapKat offers its nonprofit customers. If you’d like to take your understanding of these tools even deeper, check out this free, CFRE-accredited on-demand webinar.
Step 1: Plan for at Least One Email Per Month to Your Donor Base
Unlike a one-night fundraising gala or live auction, most successful nonprofit fundraising sweepstakes take place over the course of months. Campaigns for bigger prizes like cars and camper vans might last 6-8 months, while smaller prizes like trips, gift certificates, or bikes might be 3-4 months. Some nonprofits even run their sweepstakes strategically for as little as two weeks—although that is a bit on the rare side.
The long-term nature of your sweepstakes means that it needs consistent nurturing attention from you and your nonprofit team. Email is key to this strategy, and we recommend sending out at the very minimum one dedicated email per month to your donor base, and more as you get closer to key dates, like when flash contests close and during the last month of your sweepstakes.
The best news here is that when you’re logged into your TapKat dashboard, we’ve built out a customized email scheduler to make this super easy. Once you’ve plugged in the dates of your sweepstakes, the system will automatically populate a list of send dates for you, and remind you when it’s time to plan your next email. To find that calendar, log into your dashboard and select Menu > Email Smart Schedule. Mark those dates on your calendar and plan accordingly.
But wait… what is a “dedicated” or “solo” e-blast?
A dedicated or solo e-blast is an email to your donor base that solely promotes the sweepstakes and nothing else. The email should be chock-full of links back to the sweepstakes page and include stunning images of the prize and enticing language to get the reader excited and motivated to enter.
Step 2: Create Fantastic Artwork for Your Sweepstakes Emails
Make sure that, when you do send out your emails, they’re beautiful! Key elements of a great solo e-blast include:
Stellar images of the prize that make your base want to participate in the sweepstakes.
Clear language that communicates what the prize is as well as special information like promo codes.
Links galore! The header, images and text should link back to your sweepstakes site.
Check out this blog post for a breakdown of how to create a stellar promotional email. Below, find some examples of great sweepstakes marketing emails from nonprofits that have seen success on the TapKat platform.
Step 3: Don’t be Afraid to Send Your Emails
Sometimes nonprofits get shy about sending out their promotional emails, thinking that they’re going to annoy the donors on the list. This is really not something to worry about and shouldn’t stop you from sending out marketing emails that promote your fundraising sweepstakes. When you consider how much money each email is likely to raise, and weigh it against a handful of unsubscribes, it is typically a net win to send out those emails.
During the week leading up to drawing your winner, email your list at least three times. If you feel like this is a lot, don’t worry — across the board, we see very few unsubscribes during this period of time.
Generally speaking, people are excited about the end of a drawing. In fact, it’s typical for nonprofits to see a major spike in donations during the final week of their campaign because donors who are excited about the prize will enter again to increase their odds of winning. See the chart below for a real-life example of the donation spike that comes at the end of a sweepstakes.
Don’t be shy about emailing your base!
Step 4: Use Promo Codes in Your Email Marketing Campaign
An effective way to track the success of your email marketing (aside from checking the open rate on Constant Contact, MailChimp or other email marketing service) is to include promo codes in each email.
Here’s How it Works for You:
Once your sweepstakes site is live, you’ll have the option of creating promo codes. When you send out your e-blast, include a code within the email and prompt your donor base to use it when they enter for “30% more entries with your donation!” or similar (you choose exactly what the promo code offer will be).
Then, when you log into your dashboard, you’ll be able to see who used a promo code and how much that promotion raised.
Here’s How it Works for Your Donors:
When your donors receive your email, they’ll get excited when they read something like, “Use promo code 30MORE to receive 30% more entries!” When they click over to your sweepstakes page, they’ll have the option to enter the promo code when they check out. The software will automatically add 30% more entries to their purchase.
Now, the promo code is connected to their donation, so when you view your TapKat dashboard to track progress, you’ll be able to see which promo codes are connected to which donations. This is how you can track the success of a particular email: if you see a lot of donations connected to one promo code, that’s a good sign that the email blast was a success.
Promo codes aren’t just limited to email marketing: You can use them anywhere you’re promoting the sweepstakes. Create a special promo code for social media, print ads, targeted e-blasts to other organizations and much more. Learn more about how to use promo codes in this blog post.
What Happens After the Email Goes Out?
Once you’ve sent an e-blast, all you have to do is sit back and watch what happens. In most cases, you’ll see an uptick in donations for 24 hours and even up to a few days — sometimes, a large uptick in donations!
Track your sweepstakes progress from your dashboard, and rest easy knowing that all post-purchase emails (including receipts for tax purposes) will be sent out by our automated system. You’ll receive the donors’ email addresses immediately, so you can add new donors to your mailing list and include them in the next e-blast.
Donations made will hit your bank account according to the schedule you set (daily, weekly, monthly, or something else).Now your job is to kick back for a moment and enjoy the success… before you start planning the next big marketing push!
