Soapbox Engage Blog

Nonprofit advocacy and grassroots fundraising campaigns offer your supporters different ways to get involved in your mission, attract new donors, and expand your network. Nonprofits are utilizing this strategy more than ever to go beyond the standard fundraising campaigns and encourage their supporters to take different actions throughout the year.

If your organization is considering incorporating these strategies into your fundraising campaigns, we've got some best practices and insights to help you plan an influential and effective grassroots and advocacy campaign!

Table of Contents

1. Grassroots fundraising and advocacy campaign basics
2. Start with your existing donor base
3. Use a variety of advertising strategies
4. Gather and use data to understand your network
5. Focus only on legislation or issues relevant to your mission
6. Keep up with current advocacy and grassroots fundraising trends

Grassroots Fundraising and Advocacy Campaign Basics

Let's start with a refresher on some of the fundraising and advocacy basics.

What is nonprofit grassroots fundraising?

Grassroots fundraising is a strategy of fundraising that mobilizes volunteers and supporters to ask for donations from their own networks on your behalf. Some of the most popular grassroots fundraising strategies are crowdfunding or peer-to-peer fundraising.

People like to support meaningful causes in different ways. Grassroots fundraising equips and empowers people to share about causes that they're passionate about and invite others to get involved, too.

What is a nonprofit advocacy campaign?

An advocacy campaign is usually meant to encourage your supporters to take a specific action in support of or opposition to a larger goal. Advocacy campaigns are so versatile and diverse, but at the core, they're meant to help organizations raise awareness, educate, and mobilize their supporters to take action.

What's the difference between an advocacy campaign and grassroots fundraising?

While the two are closely related and often interdependent, there are some critical differences between advocacy and grassroots fundraising campaigns. Let's consider an example of a nonprofit that fights childhood hunger.

This organization might run an advocacy campaign that encourages supporters to tell their state or local government to increase funding for school meal programs or specific policies designed to provide food to at-risk kids.

The same organization might also run a grassroots fundraising campaign that encourages each supporter to ask five people to donate $5 to provide a meal to one hungry child.

While the advocacy and fundraising campaigns are interconnected and addressing the same issue, they're accomplishing slightly different goals--one is focusing on the policy side while the other seeks to provide more immediate help.

Offering different types of campaigns gives your audience various ways to support your cause, making it more likely that people will take action. Many people appreciate being able to "vote" or advocate with their voice and finances simultaneously.

Nonprofit Grassroots Fundraising and Advocacy Campaign Best Practices

There are many factors to consider and different approaches to planning a successful advocacy or grassroots fundraising campaign. So, we did much of the leg-work for you and created a "shortlist" of some best practices and practical tips to keep in mind as you prepare your next campaign.

1. Start with your existing donor base for your advocacy and grassroots fundraising campaigns

Your donors and volunteers already gave hard-earned money and valuable time to your cause. That proves they believe in your mission and will likely be very motivated to take further action!

And don't rule out one-time donors, event attendees, newsletter subscribers, and other "fringe" groups in your network. Though these people might appear less engaged compared to your monthly donors or top supporters, they've expressed interest in your cause. This might just be the call to action that moves them toward further action!

2. Use a variety of advertising strategies for your advocacy campaign

Effective grassroots advocacy and fundraising require connecting with as many people as possible, so it's critical to use various platforms and communication strategies. By incorporating a variety of touchpoints, you'll increase the chances that supporters will respond to your campaign and take action.

Some common avenues for marketing and communication for your advocacy campaigns include:

Email: Email is one of the easiest and most cost-effective communication strategies for nonprofits. It's versatile enough to communicate any information quickly and clearly. An effective email campaign can educate readers and entice them to take action, whether signing a petition or making a charitable donation.

The right CRM system can help you segment your email lists for maximum results. Whether you're tailoring a message to first-time donors or updating long-time supporters on the outcome of an advocacy campaign, leveraging information from a CRM system can maximize your results.

Direct mail: Traditional "direct mail" campaigns are surprisingly still effective in advocacy campaigns. Though digital communication strategies are usually cheaper and faster, direct mail campaigns can help reinforce and supplement your digital campaigns. Many people value a physical letter and printed information to help them take action.

A CRM system can help you target your direct mail campaign more strategically, too. Who responded to past direct mail campaigns? Which of your supporters specifically requested printed communications? These people should rise to the top of your direct mail list.

Social media: Social media is generally very affordable and can reach a large audience. However, it can quickly become quite a time investment, especially if you're trying to keep up with multiple platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.). As with most things in life, the key to success is quality over quantity and focusing on the platforms where you have the greatest connectivity with your audience.

Tools like Hootsuite can help you manage all your social media accounts from one easy location and schedule posts in advance.

Track your engagement rates with each communication strategy and marketing platform you use. While multi-channel communication is key to expanding your network and engaging a broad audience, you might see noticeably higher (or lower) engagement with some forms of communications or platforms compared to others.

3. Gather and use data to understand your network and supporters

The key to effective advocacy and grassroots fundraising campaigns is understanding your supporters and what inspires them to get involved. Gather data about what works well and ask your audience what motivates them. What forms of communication do they prefer? Some organizations even track the times of day when people are most likely to respond to messages.

Some demographic information is easy to gather (like age, geography, gender, etc.). Still, it's critical to collect as much information as possible about your supporters. Of course, it's also helpful to gather the right kind of information for your organization. Some nonprofits might find it beneficial to know details like hobbies or educational levels. Others might prioritize details like marital status or political affiliation.

The key is to gather the right information and use it to tailor your campaigns accordingly. Segment your audience lists to ensure everyone receives an appropriate call to action during your advocacy campaign.

4. Focus only on legislation or issues relevant to your mission

This one might seem painfully obvious, but it's easy to get distracted by equally-important legislation or causes that aren't related to your mission. Even if you have the best intentions, it can get exhausting, confusing, and frustrating for your audience. Instead, be ruthlessly focused on only the issues and legislation that directly impact your organization's focus area.

Being hyper-focused can also keep your supporters engaged with the key issues, increasing their understanding of your mission. Be sure to prioritize campaigns and issues that your audience is most likely to act on.

5. Keep up with current advocacy and grassroots fundraising trends

Can you imagine going door-to-door asking for spare change for a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign? Neither can we. Most people expect to receive an invitation to give via social media or email. This is an example of how crowdfunding transformed over the years--and it's critical to stay up to date with current trends!

Take the time to research current advocacy trends and best practices. This will allow you to understand what's happening overall with advocacy campaigns and help you make appropriate adjustments to your own campaign (to avoid obstacles or take advantage of new opportunities).

Some common sources to use to keep up with modern nonprofit advocacy trends include:

Blogs and articles: Nonprofit and advocacy leaders often write blog posts and articles about strategies, resources, and new ideas. Find a few trustworthy news sources, blogs, or leaders to follow and read them regularly.

Bill-tracking software: If your organization is interested in influencing legislative decisions, then bill tracking software enables you to monitor where those key bills are in the legislative process. You can use this information to keep your followers updated and schedule your communications accordingly.

Other advocacy groups and leaders: Build a healthy working relationship with other advocacy groups and leaders in your community. This will help you keep a pulse on local events and developments. Having healthy relationships with other leaders can also lead to other benefits like referrals, network sharing, and more!

As with fundraising or advocacy work of any kind, staying informed and keeping up with the latest trends and skills is essential for success.

Whether you're hoping to use advocacy campaigns and grassroots fundraising to target specific legislation or raise awareness about a particular issue, these strategies and tips will help you reach more supporters and persuade them to take action. Invest in the necessary tools, resources, and relationships and leverage your resources strategically. This will help you carry out an effective advocacy or grassroots fundraising campaign.

Here are three more resources to boost your fundraising strategies.

• Boost Your Nonprofit Merchandise and Membership Sales: Nonprofit merchandise can help boost donations, build your brand, and educate people about valuable causes. This blog has great ideas and advice about adding an online store to your fundraising and brand awareness strategies for greater success.
• Back to the Fundraising Basics: Asking for donations might be the core of a development professional's job, but that doesn't mean it's easy! Whether you're a professional fundraiser or a member of your local PTO, it can be intimidating, confusing, and stressful. Head to this blog for tips, tricks, and a refresher on fundraising basics.
• Making the Right Fundraising Ask: Smart Strategy for Successful Appeals: Creating the right appeal with a great story is only part of the formula for success. The wrong ask amount can cause a great appeal to fall flat and decrease donation response rates. Asking for too much or too little can cause donors to either roll their eyes or opt out altogether. This blog will help you craft a strategic ask amount for your donors.