When it comes to asking your readers for money, that can feel like a challenging and uncomfortable conversation. However, fundraising campaigns provide a great opportunity to highlight the impact of your publication’s work while contributing to the financial sustainability of your news project.
Indiegraf has created a guide to walk you through the process of running a successful fundraising campaign.
What are fundraising campaigns for newsrooms?
At Indiegraf, a fundraising campaign (also known as a reader revenue campaign) is when you’re trying to raise money from your audience, subscribers and readers.
Typically, a revenue campaign runs for one to two weeks and features an email series updating your readers on the campaign’s status (like how much of the goal you’ve raised so far) and a compelling call to action asking them to contribute if they haven’t yet. A tried-and-true tactic is to center a revenue campaign around a concrete or measurable goal, such as hiring a new freelance writer. That way, you can involve your readers in your publication’s success.
We recommend that news publishers run a few fundraising campaigns every year. It never hurts to talk frequently about the benefits of supporting local news! Plus, it’ll prime your readers to make donations on their own later on.
How to plan fundraising campaigns
If you’re thinking about launching revenue or fundraising campaigns, it’s helpful to ask yourself why you think readers should donate. Have you published a big investigation or broadened your coverage of local politics? Have you hired a new reporter on a specific beat?
Thinking about the progress you’ve made is a great jumping-off point for a successful fundraising campaign. The more detail you can give about what your publication is doing that others aren’t, the more impactful your fundraising campaigns will be.
The end of the year or the anniversary of your publication’s launch are also great times to run a revenue campaign. Significant dates like a new year or an anniversary are an opportunity to reflect on the work the publication has done in the past year and ask readers to continue their support for the upcoming one.
💡Get access to our Indiegraf Experts services. Our team can help you execute successful reader revenue campaigns, turning your audience into sustaining financial contributors
Communicate your fundraising campaign goals clearly
It’s a good idea to be direct and succinct when asking people to donate. While it may feel uncomfortable to ask for money, being direct during a revenue campaign means that for the rest of the time, you’ll be able to focus on publishing your journalism.
While drafting your fundraising campaign, tell your audience what the goal of the campaign is. By letting your readers follow the money, you bring them into the story of your publication’s success.
It’s important to tell readers how their donations are giving back to their community, whether it’s used for hiring local journalists, covering local stories, or hosting events in your area.
Readers who become members of The Land support the local, community-centric stories we publish, and they create opportunities for Cleveland residents to tell their own stories.
— The Land (@LandofCLE) December 11, 2023
Become a member today and #NewsMatch will double your donation:https://t.co/TomNnr26Y0 pic.twitter.com/bQmvf8MEFc
While it’s a good idea to be direct in your calls-to-action, that doesn’t mean the entire fundraising campaign needs to be in that style. You can still tell a great campaign story while asking for money. For example, a campaign story can focus on why you chose to pursue local journalism and what it means to be able to represent your community.
In dire circumstances, such as if your publication does need reader donations to stay afloat, you can run an “SOS” campaign. This type of revenue campaign emphasizes the urgency to let readers know that their support is needed to keep the publication running.
Optimizing your platforms for a revenue campaign
With Indiegraf, you have a fully integrated tech platform, meaning that your website and newsletter are already set up to run a fundraising campaign.
During a revenue campaign, it’s important to integrate the campaign language into your website as well, either through pop-ups or posting a campaign story on your website.
You can also use your social media accounts to advertise the campaign, and make sure as many people as possible know that it’s ongoing.
How much to ask for in your fundraising campaigns
There are two ways to think about a fundraising campaign goal: You could set a goal that is either a dollar amount or an amount of new donors you want to sign up.
If you’re trying to raise a large sum of money at once — for example, to ensure your printing costs are covered — it can be helpful to set a dollar amount goal. That way, your audience can chip in to help you achieve something specific.
However, if you’re trying to work toward financial sustainability, then setting a donor goal may be more helpful. It can be more difficult to drive recurring financial support, so if you set a goal of how many people you want to give monthly, it may encourage your readers to sign up rather than giving a one-time donation.
👉Check out related content: How to develop a pricing strategy for your publication
How SWAG and perks enhance your fundraising campaigns
Whether it’s T-shirts or tote bags, people love swag. Megan Stokes, the editor-in-chief of Oviedo Community News, has used merch such as branded tote bags and car magnets to run successful fundraising campaigns.
“I like offering swag in revenue campaigns because I think that even if people opt out of receiving it, they like that offer of a thank you gift,” said Stokes. “And when they do opt for the gift, I think merchandise can help a reader feel a closer connection to the organization.”
For a fundraising campaign that was themed around Earth Day and the environment, they offered tote bags made from recycled material to readers who donated. “I try to choose gifts that align with the theme of the campaign,” said Stokes.
PRO TIP: Make reader support go twice as far with donation matching
Another great incentive for donors is gift matching. If you can secure an organization or donor who agrees to match funds, then your potential donors will be incentivized by the fact that their donation will be doubled.
READ MORE ABOUT DONATION MATCHING HERE 👉 7 fundraising tips and strategies news publishers can borrow from Nonprofits
NewsMatch + Indiegraf Experts
If you’re a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), you may be eligible for NewsMatch! For two months, newsrooms have the opportunity to unlock matching funds — but only when their readers make one-time or monthly contributions.
For newsrooms approved to participate in a year-end NewsMatch campaign, take advantage of Indiegraf’s proven strategies to convert your readers into sustaining financial contributors. Utilizing NewsMatch’s toolkits and our in-house expertise, we’ll help you create a successful fundraising drive to set you up for the next year.
Request our Experts Services Menu for detailed descriptions and pricing.
Need support planning and executing your fundraising strategy? Indiegraf’s team can help! Our mission is to help you find the best solutions to meet your publication’s needs. We offer personalized consultations to understand your pain points to ensure our platform and services add value to your operations.
