Tips for Updating Your Backers
By: ALEX SHIPLEY on | Comments: 0Whether it’s on social media, sending out an email, or directly on your GiveSendGo campaign page it’s important to update backers about the progress of your campaign. After all, they’ve made the decision to invest in you and your idea, you should invest in them too!
Here are a few tips on how to update your backers throughout your campaigning process, as well as a few guidelines on how to write a great campaign update!
So, what are some reasons or occasions why you should, or would need to, update your backers?
1. Fundraising Progress or New Developments
So you’ve created your campaign and are now asking people to donate to a cause you care about. That’s great! You’ve completed the first step. Now that you’ve opened that dialogue with your backers and potential backers, it would seem a little insensitive to never speak to them again. From a potential backer’s viewpoint, this would look like you only cared about getting the money you needed and not about their support. You need to also show your investment, not only in your campaign’s mission, but in the people who are giving to you.
This is why it’s important to share fundraising milestones and new developments in your campaign with your supporters. Let’s say you reached $1,000 raised or maybe you’ve reached the halfway point in your campaign. Let your supporters know you’re grateful for their help and share your milestones with them.
Who knows, someone out there might see your campaign update and want to give to help you reach your final goal! Sharing updates isn’t always about communicating with your supporters, although that is important, it’s also about reaching people who may not even know your campaign exists. The more updates you give, the stronger the support you will have, which means you’ll most likely reach your goal faster!
2. Thanking and Recognizing Your Backers
Show your gratitude and share it often! If you’re getting any support at all in your campaign, that’s more support than what you started out with. You should recognize those people for the impact they’re making on your life through their donations. Without them, you wouldn’t be able to reach your goal, so they deserve to see and hear how appreciative you are for their help. An update alone shows you care about keeping your backers in the loop, but adding an extra thank you tells them that you truly appreciate what they’ve done for you!
3. Personal Stories
It’s important for people to see the heart and the drive behind your campaign’s mission. People love stories, especially ones they can empathize with. You’d be surprised how much people want to help other people. But, without sharing a need or the story behind your goal, they might just see you as just another campaign in a sea of hundreds of campaigns. Give them something to be passionate about, something that makes you stand out. Everyone’s story is unique, so don’t be afraid to be vulnerable when you tell it. Just make sure you’re being honest. Your story might speak to someone on a level you may not expect. It may also inspire someone to start their own campaign if they see you sharing your mission with the world. So, share your story!
4. Sharing Links Related to Your Campaign
Sharing your campaign with local news organizations is a great way to get more awareness about your goal and mission. If they decide to run with it, now you have an article or news story you can share on social media or even share through email/text. It’s a win-win! Be sure to also share this article or video link as an update on your GiveSendGo campaign page, so people can see an outside perspective on your campaign! Who knows, you might have dozens or hundreds of people outside of your circle interested in your campaign now simply because the news covered it! Those are people who may never have known about it otherwise!
On a similar note, you can also share in an update to your backers the different social media platforms you use and regularly post to. This is another way for you to update your backers more frequently and to stay in touch with your supporters! It’s also a way of welcoming them into your life and story!
5. Share What You’re Using the Money For
So now people know about your story and your campaign goal, but what about the money? People are sometimes hesitant to give because they don’t know where the money they’re donating will actually be going and if it’s actually going to be used for what it’s intended for. Give them an update from time to time sharing the details of where or what your money is going to and how you plan to use it.
If your campaign is to raise money for an organization you’re passionate about, share about them and how that money will be benefiting that specific cause. If it’s for you or a group to go on a mission trip, share specific details about what their money will cover such as flights, hotels, transportation, food etc. Or, if you plan to use the money to help build houses in a third world country, then share that in an update too. The more specific you can be, the more confident people will feel in their giving to your campaign.
6. Image or Photos
Sharing a personal update through a photo or video is a great way to connect with your backers and potential backers on a more personal level. Sometimes this means just sharing a glimpse into your life and other times it means sharing an update specific to your campaign journey.
For instance, let’s say you’re raising money to pay for medical expenses for a loved one. You might decide to share an update about the state of their health, or maybe they have a message they want to share with those who are supporting them and you need to relay that message. Especially in this case, if someone has donated to your campaign then they probably also care about you as a person, not just about helping you reach your monetary goal. A photo or video that updates your backers helps you engage with them on a deeper level than just through text. It’s also a really simple way to let your backers know how your campaign journey is going!
How to Write a Great Update
Now that you have all of these tips on what to update your backers about, it’s a matter of how do you do it? Your update doesn’t have to be really long, but if you feel led to share a blog post or a longer message with your supporters that’s great too! It also doesn’t need to sound deep or really professional to get the information or message across. The important thing is that you be honest in your update, genuine, and that it be relevant to your campaign. Sometimes the shorter the update the better since most people don’t want to read pages of information, nor will that help communicate clearly what you need to share. Whatever you’re updating your backers about, simply write a few paragraphs (or maybe just a few sentences depending on the update).
Then, be sure to thank them for their continued support and be sure to mention how they can keep supporting you. Make sure you’re providing updates at least once a week, even if the update is short and to the point. Depending on the nature of your update, there are a lot of templates online that give specific steps in how to write an update like this. But at the end of the day, remember, just be you!
Shine Brightly!