How to Promote Your Sam’s Club Membership Fundraising Campaign
You’ve taken the leap and started your very own Sam’s Club membership fundraising campaign–congrats! Now, how do you propel your campaign to rip-roaring success? By promoting your fundraiser near and far.
Strategic promotion is the bread and butter of successful fundraising campaigns. It’s essential to have a plan and stick to it.
Don’t worry, we’ve got a full 1-month plan for you right here. This is a friendly guide for all levels, from fundraising beginner to pro.
This article summarizes the various custom promo tools GroupRaise provides you, then dives into a week-by-week plan with advice on how to use the tools to maximize the reach and success of your Sam’s Club membership fundraising campaign. Scroll down to learn more!
Image by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
Promo Tools Coming From GroupRaise
GroupRaise will be sending you the following promo tools (via email) over the coming weeks:
- 3 text & email templates to invite people you interact with on a weekly basis
- 3 social media posts speaking to friends & acquaintances–complete with images/video and captions
- Tips to get strangers on board
Everything is built specifically for your campaign with your group’s name and fundraiser info, so all that’s left is to put it into action!
BTW, your supporters can help promote too–in addition to promo tools we send to you, the organizer, we’ll also send some to your supporters.
Here’s the breakdown of which tools you and your supporters receive and when:
Tuesdays and Thursdays are typically the best days to reach people and have them engage with your fundraising campaign, so we’ll send you the most promo tools on those days.
Keep reading for advice on how to best use these tools!
Before You Start
Quick note–before you start promoting it’ll be useful to have:
- A list of phone numbers and email addresses of potential supporters (friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances, fellow community organizers, etc.)
- An idea of which social media platforms your supporters frequent the most so you can focus your efforts there (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube, Pinterest, Snapchat, etc)
Week-By-Week Promo Plan for Fundraising Success
In a nutshell, this plan consists of:
- Starting your promotion efforts with the people you’re closest to, then branching out to find new supporters
- Making use of a variety of communication methods, including text, email, and social media images, video, and captions
- Sprinkling reminders along the way to keep your campaign top-of-mind
Ready? Here we go!
Week 1 – Break the Ice
Day 1 – Buy your own membership & contact friends directly via text and email
Start off by walking the walk and getting your own Sam’s Club membership! Nobody wants to be the first one to the dance floor, but once you start dancing, other people are more likely to join in (analogy by Kristen Palana, Crowdfunding Confidential).
Reach out directly to the people you’re close to through one-to-one text messages and emails.
This is where the first promo tools come in. Don’t worry about drafting the perfect email or text message–we’ve got you covered! Our marketing whizzes will send you templates to get you started.
Feel free to use what you like and if you can add a personal touch for each person you’re sending it to, even better.
You’ll also get a printable flyer to use. Some groups such as PTAs and churches find it helpful to hand out printed paper flyers to reach potential supporters that are less technologically connected. You can also put the flyers up on community bulletin boards around town–you may be surprised how this “old-school” technique can work!
Day 2 – Publish your first digital flyer and caption on social media
Get your fundraiser announcement out there with an eye-catching flyer and convincing caption–both of which we’ll send you.
If you want to spice up your post with additional photos of the people involved in your cause, absolutely go for it!
You can also create a Facebook event for your campaign and invite all your friends.
Week 2 – Stay Top-of-Mind
Tuesday – Post a video on social media
You’ve still got room to grow your social media reach, so stop the scrollers in their tracks with a promo video. Many times a video can capture interest even better than a photo.
We’ll send you a customized video file you can use as a post, story, or both.
Thursday – Send a group text message and email
Towards the end of week 2, shoot out some reminders via text and email. Feel free to send some group messages, since you’ve already reached out one-by-one the previous week.
Again, we’ve got you covered with some custom text and email templates.
Week 3 – Make New Friends
Tuesday – Reach out to new potential supporters
With announcements and reminders already out there to your closest friends and existing social media following, week 3 is all about casting your net even further. Make some new friends–it’s what building community is all about!
Reach out to people who you might not be close to, or you don’t know personally, but who could be interested in your cause. For example, fellow community organizers, friends-of-friends, local celebrities, reporters, etc.
Twitter can be a particularly effective platform to reach people you don’t know. Browse some popular hashtags related to fundraising, your community, and your cause. Look for people tweeting about these related topics who could sympathize with your cause, then tweet at them or send them a direct message, inviting them to support by either purchasing a membership or sharing your social media posts.
Keep an eye on your email inbox this week–we’ll be sending some more tips for getting strangers on board.
Thursday – Remind your new friends
Don’t be shy to send out a quick reminder message to people you’ve met this week. As long as you’re courteous, you really have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
Week 4 – Send Reminders
Tuesday – Post a second flyer and caption on social media
As you approach the end of your campaign, get back in front of your social media audience. It’s the final countdown, so make sure everyone knows it! We’ll send you a second social media flyer to share.
Thursday – Send individual reminders via text and email
Even with your previous reminders, some people are super busy and forget–don’t let them. Feel free to use the text and email templates you’ll receive from us.
One Day to Go – Finish Strong
Publish a social media post thanking everyone who has already participated, giving an update on the progress towards your fundraising goal, and emphasizing the looming deadline.
In addition to showing your gratitude, thanking people on social media also serves as social proof, showing that your campaign is the real deal.
If you haven’t reached your goal yet, let people know how close you are and how they could be the heroes that push that number over the edge. If you’ve already reached your goal, tell everyone how any additional funds will still make a difference for your cause.
If you can think of anyone else to reach out to directly, by all means go for it.
Last Day – Now or Never
Put out one last social media post letting everyone know that it’s now or never. The last day of your campaign could even be the most successful, thanks to the best tool in your promotion playbook–urgency. As your campaign draws to a close, it’s also a good time to thank your supporters again.
Don’t Go Yet – Leverage Progress Updates
Post on social media at 30%–50%–90%
Outside of the week-by-week plan, you also have opportunities to earn more supporters each time you hit a benchmark such as 30%, 50% and 90% of your goal.
At these times, go ahead and put out a post on social media thanking those who have helped you get this far and building excitement for your campaign.
Send thank you emails
Your supporters have gone out of their way to help you out, so make sure to send them a thank-you email and/or text. You can also ask them to share your social media posts or pass the word on to others. They’ll most likely be happy to do so.
Knock the Socks Off Your Fundraising Campaign
You’ve got this! By following this promotion plan and taking advantage of the tools we send you, you can make your Sam’s Club membership fundraising campaign a whopping success.
We’ve got your back every step of the way–feel free to reach out to our Support Team at support@groupraise.com if you have any questions or if there’s anything we can do to help.
