What exactly is an Annual Campaign?
An Annual Campaign is a coordinated series of activities, conducted every year over a specific timeframe. It delivers a cohesive message over multiple communications channels. All communications (which may include direct mail, e-mail, telephone, in-person visits, websites, and social media) focus on one unified fundraising goal.
Annual campaigns:
- deliver your message to your donors in the way that works best for them.
- reach more donors because you are using more than one contact method.
- are more effective than a stand-alone fundraising appeal.
- are not just for big organizations! Small organizations can (and should) incorporate annual campaigns into their individual fundraising as well.
Here’s what an annual campaign is not:
An annual campaign is not one isolated fundraising appeal letter. While a fundraising appeal is of course, a primary component of an annual fundraising campaign, there must be other components in addition to your letter.
An Annual Campaign IS NOT an annual fundraising program. Rather, an annual campaign is a key component of your overall annual fundraising program.
When is an Annual Campaign held?
Despite what you might think, you can have more than one annual campaign every year. For example, you might have a year-end campaign that starts in the late fall each year and runs through December 31st.
Additionally you might run another campaign in the spring or summer that targets certain donor segments (lapsed donors; corporate donors, or monthly donor renewal).
Want to learn more?
2017 Smarter Year-end Campaigns Online Course
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Resources and articles for better annual and year-end fundraising campaign:
Download our FREE Year-end Campaign Timeline
7 ways to involve your board in year-end fundraising
Tips for a successful year-end campaign (podcast)
Wrapping up your year-end campaign
4 part post series: Turning your year-end appeal into a multi-channel, year-end campaign: