Supporter journeys: how to nurture your supporters and help them succeed in their fundraising.
Do your supporters need a bit of encouragement? Read on for the ins, outs, and how to's of supporter journeys - how to nurture your fundraisers and help them succeed.
Knowing how to nurture and motivate your supporters matters. Without them actively fundraising, your campaign may not reach its full potential.
Don’t worry though, we’re here to help!
We know how to make your supporters feel warm and fuzzy about their fundraising efforts.
We know what you need to create super supporter journeys that result in active and engaged fundraisers.
We also know how to make a killer cup of coffee. But that’s another story.
Today’s story is about supporter journeys - what they are, how they can be used, and why you should care.
What is a supporter journey and why is it important?
Keeping it simple: Supporter journeys are the bread and butter of fundraising campaigns.
Supporter journeys provide the encouragement, tools, and ideas needed for your supporters to raise money for your campaign.
But wait, there’s more!
They’re also the processes and structures that you can use to keep your supporters engaged and active.If you’re looking to maximise your customer lifetime value, supporter journey mapping is the name of the game.
Mapping your supporter/fundraiser journey is critical to a well-constructed and meaningful fundraising campaign, helping you create lasting, personal connections with your audience..
So what types of supporter journeys are there, and what else do you need to know?
Great question! Let’s take a look together.
Types of supporter journeys
Phase 1 Onboarding
Goal: To welcome your supporters and help them get started
Much like New Year resolutions and gym memberships, it’s easy to say YES! and sign up to fundraise. …It’s much harder to actually get moving.
Did you know that 50% of people who sign up for a fundraising campaign never raise a cent?
Why? Because they don’t know HOW to fundraise.
This is where onboarding comes to the party. Your onboarding emails can welcome supporters and help them get going with their first donation.
Set up automated messages with tips using segments and triggers. Show them how and why to increase their impact.
E.g. We know that fundraisers who upload a profile picture, share their page, post a blog and log exercise often raise more - but your supporter may not know that! Email them directly and give them a boost.
Example Email:
Well done {{ firstName }},
You’ve raised {{amountRaised}}!
You’re on your way to reaching your goal and making a real difference to those affected by cancer!
Did you know?? By making a small update to your fundraising page, you can make a big difference and boost your fundraising.
Start by uploading a profile photo. Fundraisers who upload a profile photo raise over 10 times more on average than fundraisers who don’t!
Phase 2 - Celebrate Milestones
Goal: To celebrate the successes of your supporters and encourage them to achieve even more!
Effective milestones can be:
- % of fundraising goal reached
- Amount of $$$ linking to a tangible impact
Also, everyone loves a shiny badge!
Why not gamify the process by having badges and awards for achieving various targets?
Example Email:
You’re amazing {{ firstName }}!
You’ve raised {{ amountRaised }} which means {{ impact }}.
Have you tried reaching out to new friends and networks? Share your fundraising page, keep the donations rolling in, and you’ll see your impact multiply in no time!
Phase 3 Campaign Progress
Goal: Engage, inspire and excite your supporter and increase their impact
If you’re anything like us, you want to know that you’re making a difference.
Create hype and urgency (“only 5 more days to go!!”) for your campaign with progress updates. Consider containing specific examples of the impact the fundraising is having.
Email ideas:
- Halfway through the campaign - motivate and mobilise for further fundraising.
- Post campaign - Celebrate success and share impact of funds raised.
Example email:
Congratulations {{ firstName }}, we’ve done it!
Because of you and {{no. of fundraisers}} other fundraisers, we have raised a total of {{amountRaised }} for {{campaign name]].
By raising vital funds for {{cause}}, we are now able to {{impact}}.
Thank you for your extraordinary efforts, you’re a hero in our eyes! Share this on your socials so your community can see the progress that is being made.
Supporter journeys on Raisely
At Raisely we love good ideas.
Good tools? Even better!
With the right resources, you can optimise your supporter journeys and motivate your fundraisers for any campaign.
Why not try…
- Messages functionality. Communicate with your supporters via email and text, using our email templates and create personalised messages. Set up trigger points, automate supporter journeys, segment your messages, the list goes on (and I’m out of breath)!
- Championing each supporter individually (and easily) with profile add-ons - check out these 6 essentials to increase their impact
- Offering extra support - if your fundraisers struggle to activate, there are extra strategies you can try.
- Peer-to-peer fundraising campaign tools.
- Learning from those that have gone before. Forever Projects are wizards at using segmentation to motivate their supporters.
