Hosting a nonprofit event allows you to deepen relationships with supporters and raise valuable funds to drive your mission forward. But, in order to generate the large turnout needed to achieve a successful event, you need to be diligent about creating personalized and targeted outreach.
Whether you’re hosting an in-person gala or a series of livestreamed raffles, adopting a data-driven marketing strategy can help you reach your goals. In this guide, we'll walk through three event marketing tips powered by actionable metrics.
Table of Contents
1. Collect actionable metrics
Accurate data is the key to understanding performance and building better event marketing strategies. According to AccuData’s guide to marketing analytics, when interpreted correctly, event marketing key performance indicators (KPIs) can help you make informed decisions about future campaigns and drive a higher return on investment.
Begin by tracking event success against these predetermined marketing metrics:
- Attendance: How many people register and then attend your events? If the number of registrants is higher than attendees, try revamping or begin sending out reminder messages via email or text before your next event.
- Attendee acquisition by source: Determine where you’re securing the highest number of attendees, such as email newsletters or social media announcements, and maximize your outreach efforts on those channels.
- Attendee retention: Do you have a large portion of recurring attendees? Consider which types of events are effective (or ineffective) at retaining them.
- Marketing engagement: How many shares, clickthroughs, and open rates do your event promotions receive? Brainstorm how you can improve engagement on each channel.
Keep in mind, these metrics will vary according to the format of your events. For example, when hosting a hybrid walkathon, you might collect information about the livestream’s average session duration, while focusing on event attendance for the in-person portion.
2. Segment donors
Segmenting the data you store in your nonprofit CRM system can help maximize your event marketing and fundraising efforts. Donor segmentation is the act of organizing your supporters into well-defined groups based on information like average gift amount and engagement history. This allows you to personalize outreach and attract the right donors to your events.
Your segmentation strategy will depend on the needs of your organization, but these donor groups are a strong place to start:
- First-time Donors: Target first-time donors with introductory events so they can familiarize themselves with your organization. For instance, you could invite them on a tour of your facilities to get them further invested in your cause.
- Recurring Donors: Monthly donors have the highest retention rates because contributions are automatically withdrawn from their bank accounts. However, that doesn’t mean you can ignore their generosity. Reach out with information regarding your upcoming stewardship events to strengthen their commitment to your cause.
- Major Donors: Galas and auctions are perfect for donors capable of making large gifts. You should also promote small, exclusive events like luncheons to this segment to make them feel special and motivated to maintain their generosity.
You can also segment donors based on their age, geographic location, or wealth markers, depending on your specific marketing needs. For example, while promoting an upcoming event, you may reserve in-person invitations for supporters in your local community and send virtual invite links to those living outside of the area. This level of personalization helps boost engagement.
3. Adopt an omnichannel approach
After segmenting donors into well-defined groups, it’s time to appeal to their interests and solicit their support. An omnichannel marketing approach uses data to meet audiences where they are and provide a unified experience that drives results. It takes into account which channel each person is using and their current position in the donor journey, such as whether they’re a first-time or recurring supporter.
When done correctly, omnichannel marketing produces a seamless, personalized experience that has a much higher probability of driving donations and event attendance. Here’s an example of how the process could work for you:
- You send an acquisition email to a prospective donor with information about your upcoming fundraising campaign.
- The donor clicks through from the email to your donation page, where they make their first contribution and receive an automated thank-you email prompting them to explore your other involvement opportunities.
- The donor navigates to the event registration page on your website and begins filling in the form fields. However, they abandon the page before pressing submit.
- Using the phone number they provided during their initial donation, you send an SMS message to remind them about their incomplete event registration form.
- The donor registers for their first event and receives another automated thank you message from your organization.
- You then send a personalized save-the-date card in the mail to keep your event at the top of their mind.
NXUnite’s guide to nonprofit marketing recommends maintaining consistent branding across your digital and physical event materials. When your audience sees your brand across these different channels, they'll be more likely to remember, trust, and invest in your nonprofit.
As you prepare to launch your next data-driven event marketing strategy, you should also implement a process for cleaning and enhancing your data. Data hygiene can help your nonprofit maximize its marketing efforts by removing duplicate data entries, updating missing information, and ensuring metrics are correct and organized.
Collecting accurate data and keeping it clean will save your organization time and money down the road, so you can continue to further your mission and host successful events.
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