For Shelter Nova Scotia, two negatives can make a positive with creativity and inspiration from Mother Nature.
The end-of-season storm that rocked the East Coast last week affected a particularly vulnerable population—those that are homeless. To bring to light the challenges that homeless people face, Don Spicer, Executive Director of Shelter Nova Scotia, sent out the following tweet:
“To turn this storm into a positive, I’m donating $1 to @ShelterNS for every cm of snow in next 24hrs in Hfx. Who’s with me? #homeless.”
And just like that, an effective Twitter campaign was born. In 24 hours, Shelter Nova Scotia pulled in $1,400, but the donations kept streaming in and as of last Friday, $1,700 had been collected. Both individuals and local businesses rallied to the cause and as a result, the organization saw a 70 per cent increase in donations compared to this time last year.
“The trick is knowing how to capture those small moments that are timely and transforming them into something supportive,” explains Colleen Ritchie, Fund Development and Communications Specialist at Shelter Nova Scotia. “The campaign worked because the storm was on everybody’s mind.”
Being authentic makes a big difference
While almost all charities chart their fundraising course well in advance, Colleen says that it is important to intersperse your year with a little bit of spontaneity.
“People see planned events as being pre-calculated and marketed. When campaigns happen in the moment, they tend to be seen as being more authentic,” she concludes.
In other words, the traditional model of planning out your fundraising year works best when coupled with ‘in the moment’ campaigns. Being spontaneous lends itself to originality as it affords the chance to stand out from the crowd—and inspiration can come from many places.
“We’ve spent time looking at what’s worked in other countries because it’s important not to duplicate what’s going on in your own area,” relates Colleen.
Comprehensive social media platforms not necessary
With a small, yet loyal following of 750 supporters on Twitter, the organization had looked at moving to a more serious social media platform. One that would have all the bells and whistles including, among other things, a mobile app.
“We had been looking at adopting a serious platform, but would need thousands of followers to make it work well, and, while they look fun and sexy it’s just not a good tool for us yet because it’s not the right fit,” she explains.
And with such a successful campaign without the high-end platform, who could argue otherwise?
Michelle Jondreau is a communications professional with an avid interest in all things HR. On top of that, she hails from the nonprofit world and as such has a keen understanding of sector trends and issues. Follow her @majondreau.
