{"id":8737,"date":"2016-11-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-11-08T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/?p=8737"},"modified":"2024-05-08T20:48:01","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T20:48:01","slug":"fundraising-ideas-2016-presidential-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/fundraising-ideas-2016-presidential-race\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Fundraising &#038; Storytelling Lessons From This Year\u2019s US Presidential Race"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Today is election day here in the US and we\u2019ve all learned a lot about our two general election candidates and their primary opponents over the last year and a half.<\/p>\n<p>But, aside from the political (and personal) campaigning, there are\u00a0a number of takeaways that nonprofits and charities can learn from the general election campaign<em>\u00a0<\/em>moving forward.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 1.75em;\"><em>&#8220;There are\u00a0a number of takeaways that nonprofits and charities can learn from the general election campaign&#8230;&#8221;<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/ctt.ec\/Yoe0M\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size: .5em;\"><i class=\"icon ion-social-twitter\"><\/i>tweet this<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Here are 7 valuable fundraising and storytelling lessons from this year\u2019s US presidential race.<\/p>\n<h2>1) Use Social Media To Share Your Story<\/h2>\n<p>Since they began campaigning last summer, every primary and general election presidential candidate has used social media to rally supporters. Just recently, both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump ramped up their social media usage to share information on their proposed policies and plans for the future of America.<\/p>\n<p>Check out these examples from our two major party candidates:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Today I introduced my Contract with the American Voter &#8211; our economy will be STRONG &amp; our people will be SAFE. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uezUaUp0cd\">https:\/\/t.co\/uezUaUp0cd<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bS6iQTHJLF\">pic.twitter.com\/bS6iQTHJLF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/789899250834534400\" rel=\"noopener\">October 22, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fhillaryclinton%2Fposts%2F1294594750597051&amp;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"502\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>While we already know that social media is the best way for you to connect with your supporters immediately and authentically, we\u2019ve also seen the candidates effectively use social media to share their own story and vision.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CauseVox<\/a> was built on the belief that sharing your story is the best way to create long-term relationships (online and offline) with your supporters. Our built-in social media tools on every fundraising page encourage others to share your organization\u2019s story.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-8738\" src=\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screen-Shot-2016-11-07-at-6.52.05-PM-1024x540.png\" alt=\"US election fundraising\" width=\"740\" height=\"390\" \/><\/p>\n<p>By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/fundraise-on-social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">using social media as a tool<\/a> to tell your story, you\u2019ll be inspiring people not just to give, but to advocate and participate in your cause long after the initial gift is made.<\/p>\n<h2>2) It\u2019s Best To Be Bold<\/h2>\n<p>One of the biggest lessons we\u2019ve learned this campaign cycle is that it\u2019s perfectly acceptable to be bold. We\u2019ve seen it continuously over the past year, as candidates made direct, strong statements making their case for why they should become President.<\/p>\n<p>Clinton and Trump definitely aren\u2019t afraid to make a statement if it\u2019s something they believe in\u2014 and neither should you.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 1.75em;\"><em>&#8220;Clinton and Trump definitely aren\u2019t afraid to make a statement if it\u2019s something they believe in\u2014 and neither should you&#8230;&#8221;<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/ctt.ec\/01xe9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size: .5em;\"><i class=\"icon ion-social-twitter\"><\/i>tweet this<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Private sector &gt; Government<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dr. Rand Paul (@RandPaul) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RandPaul\/status\/659550188101484544\" rel=\"noopener\">October 29, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Women in America want the whole damn dollar. And they&#8217;re right. Equal pay is an issue of basic equality not a radical idea.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenSanders\/status\/720735885013164033\" rel=\"noopener\">April 14, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\nHere are some ways that you can be bold:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use facts to back up your nonprofit story.<\/li>\n<li>Inform your audience about the problem and let them know that your organization is part of the solution.<\/li>\n<li>Use \u201ccan do\u201d language such \u201cwe will\u201d or \u201cyou can\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Speak directly to your audience from the heart, as World Help does in this Twitter post.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\u201cNo one should have to live under these conditions &#8230; especially children.\u201d &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/vernonbrewer\" rel=\"noopener\">@vernonbrewer<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1coDcJCli2\">https:\/\/t.co\/1coDcJCli2<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/G9a8aQXJ4K\">pic.twitter.com\/G9a8aQXJ4K<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 World Help (@world_help) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/world_help\/status\/789168391990878208\" rel=\"noopener\">October 20, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>3) Don\u2019t Underestimate Email Marketing<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019ve subscribed to the email lists for either Clinton or Trump, you know that you\u2019re likely to receive at least an email or two (or more) every day. And that\u2019s because <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/nonprofit-email-marketing-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">email marketing<\/a> works!<\/p>\n<p>A great technique that Clinton\u2019s campaign uses to secure <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/donation-page\/\">donations<\/a> is to save your donor information. Then, over the course of the campaign, you\u2019re sent regular emails asking for a donation and all the donor has to do is push a button (since the information is already saved). It\u2019s remarkably easy for the donor to give this way.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8739\" src=\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screen-Shot-2016-11-07-at-6.55.01-PM.png\" alt=\"fundraising ideas presidential race\" width=\"707\" height=\"441\" \/><\/p>\n<p>You can (and should) use emails to raise awareness AND money for your cause. In fact, for every $1 spent on email marketing, you can expect an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.campaignmonitor.com\/resources\/guides\/email-marketing-new-rules\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">average return on investment of $38<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Better yet, make it easy for your donor to give by pre-populating some of their contact information or including donation buttons for a specific amount.<\/p>\n<h2>4) Subject Lines Encourage Opens<\/h2>\n<p>Wow! This year\u2019s US presidential race has been full of amazing subject lines. One of the most recent ones from Hillary Clinton\u2019s campaign was as follows:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8740\" src=\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/hillary.png\" alt=\"hillary email subject line\" width=\"738\" height=\"131\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And here\u2019s one of the latest from Donald Trump:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8741\" src=\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/trump.png\" alt=\"trump email subject line\" width=\"738\" height=\"128\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Both of these subject lines include many best practices. They are short, direct, ask a question, and for the case of Clinton\u2019s email, were timely since early voting began in my home state on this day.<\/p>\n<p>Remember that your email recipients are much more likely to open your email if the subject line appeals to them (33% of people open an email based on the <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/sales\/subject-line-stats-open-rates-slideshare#sm.0016i5xrc1ckjdi6wc31mj851d5fd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">subject line alone<\/a>!).<\/p>\n<p>For additional best practices and inspiration, review our post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/fundraising-email-subject-lines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">11 Fundraising Email Subject Lines To Improve Your Nonprofit\u2019s Open Rates.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>5) Consider Your Audience<\/h2>\n<p>We discussed \u201cpower words\u201d in our last <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/storytelling-donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Donald Trump<\/a> post, but it\u2019s an important point to follow up on since he\u2019s ramped up his power-driven, business-like approach in recent months \u00a0Qualities, one could point out, that he\u2019s running on as a candidate and qualities that are likely to appeal to his audience.<\/p>\n<p>The post below is just one of dozens of examples from Trump\u2019s Twitter handle. He makes powerful statements like \u201cWe will\u2026\u201d and uses words and phrases that will inspire and mobilize his voters.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Crooked Hillary has never created a job in her life. We will create 25 million jobs. Think she can do that? Not a chance. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BigLeagueTruth?src=hash\" rel=\"noopener\">#BigLeagueTruth<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/V8WGjAIyKV\">pic.twitter.com\/V8WGjAIyKV<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/788920482238038016\" rel=\"noopener\">October 20, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>At the same time, \u00a0Hillary Clinton is reaching out to voters that may currently or have, in the past, felt and\/or been marginalized. Thus, her language and approach is vastly different from that of her opponent.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#8220;Whether you agree or disagree with me, whether you vote for me or not, I believe we can disagree without being disagreeable.\u201d \u2014Hillary<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HillaryClinton\/status\/789946450176315392\" rel=\"noopener\">October 22, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>We don\u2019t believe that one \u201clanguage technique\u201d is better or worse than the other, but we do know it\u2019s important to use the right language when telling your story. The words and approach you choose to use will depend on:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Who your audience is<\/li>\n<li>What will inspire and mobilize them to get involved<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Just as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/4-lessons-nonprofits-can-learn-bernie-sanders-fundraising-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bernie Sanders <\/a>understood his voter base (millennials), it\u2019s important for you to know who you\u2019re talking to and what appeals to them when crafting your story and fundraising appeals.<\/p>\n<h2>6. Every Donation Counts<\/h2>\n<p>During the primary, Bernie Sander\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politifact.com\/nbc\/statements\/2016\/mar\/21\/hillary-clinton\/hillary-clinton-says-her-campaign-depends-small-do\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">average donor gift<\/a> was smaller compared to Clinton\u2019s, yet he consistently had more donors (and oftentimes more monthly revenue). In short, lots of small donations had just as much impact as fewer major ones.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, donations of every size do matter. Yet we tend to pay much more attention to our major donors. This election helped bring attention to the fact that all gifts, no matter their size, contribute to impact.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 1.75em;\"><em>&#8220;This election helped bring attention to the fact that all gifts, no matter their size, contribute to impact&#8230;&#8221;<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/ctt.ec\/e57z6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size: .5em;\"><i class=\"icon ion-social-twitter\"><\/i>tweet this<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n<p>We\u2019ve noticed the same trends at CauseVox. While the average donation made through our platform is $78, dozens and hundreds of gifts of this size add up to significant totals!<\/p>\n<p>Plus, you can develop a relationship with your smaller donors over time and hopefully convert them into major or recurring donors in the future with concerted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/donor-engagement-retention-playbook\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">retention and engagement<\/a> efforts.<\/p>\n<h2>7. There\u2019s Power In Recommendations<\/h2>\n<p>Over the past year, we\u2019ve been rightfully obsessed with news on political endorsements. Learning who\u2019s supporting who has helped shaped our opinions of the candidates.<\/p>\n<p>Keep this in mind as you move forward with your own fundraising efforts. If possible, use your current supporters to influence others to join your cause, such as by sharing your campaign with friends and family on social media and through email, using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/use-donor-testimonies-fundraising\/\">donor testimonies,<\/a> or with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/peer-to-peer-fundraising-software\/\">peer-to-peer fundraising<\/a> campaign.<\/p>\n<p>There is extreme power in recommendations, so use them to help spread your fundraising campaign and expand your donor base.<\/p>\n<p>When we wake up tomorrow, we\u2019ll be waking to a new future. The political ads will stop. The yard campaign signs will be put in the trash. We\u2019ll be on the brink of a new era.<\/p>\n<p>And while the outcome will leave some people will be happy and others sad, at least we can learn and grow as a result of this sometimes tumultuous campaign cycle.<\/p>\n<p>If anything, the 2016 presidential campaign taught us that power comes from both language and people. And now is the time to use that power to bring about change to those your nonprofit serves.<\/p>\n<p>Happy Election Day!<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 1.75em;\"><em>&#8220;If anything, the 2016 presidential campaign taught us that power comes from both language and people&#8230;&#8221;<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/ctt.ec\/blY9L\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size: .5em;\"><i class=\"icon ion-social-twitter\"><\/i>tweet this<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today is election day here in the US and we\u2019ve all learned a lot about our two general election candidates and their primary opponents over the last year and a half. But, aside from the political (and personal) campaigning, there are\u00a0a number of takeaways that nonprofits and charities can learn from the general election campaign\u00a0moving [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":50674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screen-Shot-2016-11-07-at-7.07.19-PM-600x400.png","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screen-Shot-2016-11-07-at-7.07.19-PM-600x504.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Candace Cody","author_link":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/author\/candace\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8737"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8737\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}