What is the Secret to Successful Online Political Fundraising?

Running political campaigns is expensive – whether you’re running for a national office or for a local position. Did you know the 2020 political campaign has been the most expensive to date? And now, it appears the cost of a winning political campaign will only increase. (Good luck, future candidates!)

Raising such a large sum can seem overwhelming. The right online political fundraising tactics can help you meet your budget goals and run a successful campaign. But what is the true secret to ensuring that your political fundraising is successful?

The answer: having a myriad of fundraising ideas that will engage your target audience.

Here are some online political fundraising ideas with insights into communication tactics on each.

Send emails

To run a winning email fundraising campaign, you’ll need to expand your database so your message reaches a larger audience. Use multiple paths like your website and social media to encourage your supporters to sign up for your email lists.

After an individual signs up, start nurturing them by sharing regular updates to stay at the forefront of their minds.

If you want your emails to be really successful, send timed and deeply targeted emails to all your supporters. Start with a fascinating subject line that will lure your readers in. If feasible, employ A/B testing to determine the kind of subject lines your supporters react best to.

In your welcome email for new signups, you’ll want to include the purpose of the campaign and a distinct call to action.

Your follow-up email should update your supporters on the campaign’s progress and motivate them to take action - whether that is a donation or even a volunteer slot.Consider keeping your email visually appealing and ensure your supporters can access all the information quickly.

Leverage peer-to-peer texting

If you are not leveraging peer-to-peer texting for online political fundraising, you’re surely missing out on a lot. When you engage prospects in a conversation, they are more likely to contribute than a direct ask without prior nurturing.

P2P texting, in simple terms, is one-on-one text conversations between your agents/volunteers and supporters. This is mediated by a text marketing platform that allows an agent to have multiple conversations simultaneously and makes these interactions scalable.

With Robocent, you can avail a variety features to make your conversations intriguing and extremely personalized,

Remember that you’ll want to segment your list of supporters, so the messages and links you share with each supporter are highly relevant to them. This way, you can increase the chances of them taking the action you ask for.

Go social!

Your social media presence plays a large part in maintaining your party’s visibility throughout your campaign and beyond. Say you’re hosting a 24-hour online political fundraising campaign. What’s the best way to keep a large group of people engaged throughout your campaign?

Social media!

You can do many things in a day while completely dedicating your social media page towards your fundraiser. For example, go live, post video testimonials, give a shout-out to your donors for the day, etc.

Launching a full-day social media campaign needs quite a bit of preparation. This is where volunteers come in. Take all the help you can get to create the posts, film videos, and respond to comments throughout the day.

Of course, the views and engagement will be proportionate to your follower count. But with paid ads and regular posting, you can improve it continually.

Here are some best practices for online political fundraising leveraging social media:

  • Tailor your messaging around your fundraising campaign. Make sure you streamline the posting process and maintain a consistent tone. High-quality, professional photographs help in capturing your audience’s attention.
  • Although visuals help in capturing attention, the quality of your content determines the engagement.
  • Hold a peer-to-peer campaign where you leverage your existing supporters’ network. In a peer-to-peer campaign, your supporters make the ask on your behalf. These personal conversations help you accept political donations online and expand your reach.
  • Keep your supporters highly motivated and equipped with resources like a cheat sheet, design tools, sample posts, etc. You could also give a shout-out to them on your social media pages. This way, your other potential donors get the inspiration to contribute to your campaign – Win-win!

You can use organic and paid social media posts to:

  • Encourage your supporters to donate
  • Sign up for other upcoming events
  • Lead them to your fundraising campaign’s landing page
  • Keep people engaged. Share progress updates. Stay focused on your goals.

Host ticketed virtual events

Hosting virtual events has become a common online political fundraising strategy. Many people enjoy gatherings, be it virtual or physical. Organize a virtual event that brings all your supporters together and offers them the opportunity to network. This is an excellent platform for you to educate people about your position and answer their questions.

Usually, tickets are sold ahead of the event with various pricing levels (for proportionate benefits). This helps you draw in different kinds of donors and better understand the spending patterns of your contacts. Send personalized invitations to all your supporters through texts and emails.

For virtual events, you need a good amount of planning and preparation, including:

  • Deciding the schedule
  • Selecting the type of event
  • Setting a financial goal
  • Determining the budget
  • Choosing the theme
  • Selling the tickets
  • Recruiting volunteers
  • Briefing your candidate about the crowd
  • Crafting the right message
  • Defining the different levels of ask amount
  • Practicing the addressing and role-playing for the personal interactions

Although every event is different, it’s usually good to start the preparation process 4-6 weeks before the event.

A great way to maximize your online political fundraising results through events is to send a donation appeal text during your presentation at the event. Here’s what you can do:

Schedule your texts to be sent out during your candidate’s solicitation talk. This is one of those times where your supporters are highly motivated to contribute. So, when your candidate is addressing the crowd and in between everybody’s phone starts chiming, he/she can stop and say, “Hey, you must have received a link to contribute!”.

Keep in mind that relationships are crucial when it comes to fundraising. An individual appeal involving your candidate is a great way to raise funds. Take the time to bond with your supporters and earn their trust.

Follow-up texts right after the event are also highly effective. Segment your list into two groups – the ones that already donated for your campaign and those that haven’t yet. Now, your texts can thank your attendees for their participation and make the ask if they have not donated yet.

With proper planning and a good fundraising strategy, you can meet your budget goals comfortably!

Advertise on Google Digital advertising can be a highly effective online political fundraising strategy when targeted correctly. Since May 30, 2018, $766,388,900 has been spent on advertising on Google, YouTube, and partner platforms by political space in the United States.

With Google Ads, you can run ads to show on top of the Google Search Results page. For instance, when you set up a campaign on Google Ads, you pick a few keywords that best define your political campaign. Then, whenever somebody uses your keyword/s in the search query, your fundraising landing page shows up in the results, based on your targeting.

Use online fundraisers

An optimized donation page is the key to success when it comes to online political fundraising using fundraisers. Keep your landing page clear and concise so your supporters don’t drop off midway. Promote this page on all your marketing channels and events. Add a strong CTA button that directs your supporters to the payment gateway.

Online fundraiser campaigns work better when you periodically update your donors on the campaign’s progress and the outcomes.

Political donation websites like PayPal are great ways to collect donations. They offer an easy and quick method for people to donate online with multiple payment options.

Which online fundraising site is the best?

PayPal

PayPal is a mobile-optimized online fundraising site with multiple payment options to collect donations. The campaign donation website transfers funds to your account within a few minutes. The platform also offers a political fundraising tool with insights on every campaign contribution.

The features include:

  • Summary of your campaign account activity
  • Downloadable transaction information
  • Search feature to find records on a specific transaction
  • Multi-user access to the campaign’s transaction history

Kickstarter

With Kickstarter, you can start your online political fundraising campaign by setting a goal and a timeline to achieve it. For every donation level, you can offer a small gift or an experience to your donor through the platform as compensation or reinforcement.

As per their all-or-nothing model, once you complete your campaign, the funds are transferred to your account. This means Kickstarter doesn’t charge your credit card till you meet your campaign goals.

Indiegogo

Indiegogo is similar to Kickstarter except for the all-or-nothing model. The tool also integrates with platforms like Google and Facebook.

Here are the 3 notable features:

  • Expert support and exclusive partnership
  • Pre and post-campaign tools that help you beyond crowdfunding
  • Flexibility to raise funds from anywhere in the world

Raise The Money

Raise The Money allows you to collect donations from your website, social media pages, and email links. The platform also offers a feature to accept recurring donations.

Your funds are transferred to your bank account on the next day. It’s easy to set up, mobile-friendly and provides instant detailed reports.

When election season is at its peak, you should have your political campaign fundraising ideas in action. With proper planning, you can launch an online political fundraising campaign that will engage your supporters and meet your goals. We hope you’ve found the ideas you needed and are ready to get your fundraising team started!