Digital Communication
Hello everyone!
I hope to find you well in the month of June. I love warm months and welcome summer! This month I wanted to have Sarah Downing, JDLA Director of Philanthropic Sustainability, share some useful insights on social media and donor translation. Some of you have worked with her over the years and experienced the impact of her work. This month we have a podcast from The Fund Raising School on post-covid digital media, and Sarah's information on how to be equipped practically in this area is a great compliment. Enjoy!
Warmly (no pun intended - SMILE),
Jamie
6 tips for enhancing your fundraising communications with visual content
As you’ve heard said, “a picture is worth 1,000 words.” Imagery communicates a level of complexity more quickly and effectively than words. It can tap into our emotions, educate us, and steal our attention in a split second.
Pictures and video are powerful tools in your fundraising toolbox. And thanks to a multitude of free, low cost, and easy to use programs, creating visual content has never been easier. Programs such as Canva and Piktochart allow you to upload your own images, add text, and design away. You can create anything from surveys and presentations to infographics and thank you cards.
Programs like Animoto and Typito make it easy to create your own videos using your phone. You can upload your own content, put music to it, and add captions. You’ll have the ability to create professional-grade videos at any time. That means you can begin using video to communicate with donors all year round, not just at your annual event.
So where to start? Inventory the content you already have. Pull the best quote from your most recent podcast. Upload a picture from your file or a key finding from a news article. Create images that are easy to share and begin using them in all your donor communications – online and offline.
Be creative, have fun, and track your progress as you go. Keep a watchful eye on comments, shares, engagement, and giving. Find out types of images your supporters are reacting to and continue to refine your strategy based on the results you see.
Below are 6 tips for improving your fundraising communications with visual content.
Make it easy. Pictures are easier to digest and understand than text. Our brains process visual info 60,000 times faster than written content. Photos, infographics, and video create ways for you to convey more information, more quickly, and more easily.
Make it memorable. We consume vast amounts of information each minute of the day. We are constantly marketed to and informed about our ever-changing environment. If you want what you say to stand out from the daily noise, make it memorable by choosing strong visual content. Pairing information with an image can improve memory from 10% to 65% three days later!
Give the feels. Photos and video will help you tell your story. And done well, will evoke emotion. Emotions, positive or negative, are motivators to giving. And more powerful than logic. Getting people to feel things first, places them on a path to learning, which can lead to action. In fact, 57% of people who watch a nonprofit video online are likely to donate after seeing it.
Slow the scroll. The average view time of a single social media post is 1.7 seconds. A post containing imagery will attract a longer gaze then a post without an image. Good visual content can generate up to 94% more views than text alone. Use quality images to grab their attention so you can tell them what you want them to know.
Show the impact. Fundraising packaging is built around a strong offer or phrase that includes the cost of the solution. For example, $10,000 is needed for an after school tutoring program. The cost for each child to receive tutoring is $50. A gift of $100 tutors 2 children; $500 provides tutoring to 10 students; and so on. Help a donor visualize the impact of their giving with an infographic. It’s a quick and easy way to translate the offer and impact. Include the visual in your appeal or on your giving page.
Be sure to share. Creating engaging and shareable content will help you to increase awareness of your cause and opportunities for others to get involved. The more views, likes, and shares the more support you can build for your organization. Multiply your efforts by asking your staff, volunteers, board members, and donors to share your content on their socials.
