It’s campaign season for UW Bucks and we’re here to share our recipe for success! All across Bucks County, our friends are running successful campaigns – and we are deeply grateful.
It’s just six simple steps and one secret ingredient.
Step 1: Get the Boss to Buy In. Top down support matters. Meet with your decision makers to ensure they are on board, then formulate the best approach to your UW Bucks campaign. Getting the boss behind you allows for the best incentives – you can’t award casual days or days off without upper management’s support.
Step 2: Build an Enthusiastic Team. It’s true that many hands make light work. Getting a team together will get the ball rolling and increase the scope of your campaign.
Step 3: Set a Goal and a Timeline. Do you want to reach a certain dollar amount? Is your goal a percentage of participation? Figure out the best way to measure your success, then put an timeline on it. It’ll keep you motivated and allow you to more easily see your progress.
Step 4: Plan 4 Points of Contact. Get the word out in multiple ways! Plan a kick-off barbeque, put candy on everyone’s desk, create a competition in the workplace – whatever it takes to let everyone know what you’re doing and what it can do for the community. The key is to make sure that the same message gets out to your friends and co-workers in 4 different ways.
Step 5: Make it about more than money. More than 1 in 10 Bucks County residents and dozens of nonprofit agencies (complete list at www.uwbucks.org/programs) benefit from the campaign. Make sure people know that it’s their donations that allow programs to continue. Campaign donors are helping provide the pillars of a good life to our neighbors in the community.
Step 6: Say Thank You In a Meaningful Way. Recognize your donors with thank you cards or other gestures that show how much you appreciate their support.
And the secret ingredient? Enthusiasm! Get excited about your mission, and others will follow. Donors have the ability to make major changes in our community, and that’s something to be excited about!
Our friends at GE Water & Process Technologies are fantastic at following these steps. Their campaign is fun, full of surprises, and brings the whole team together. Click here to check out their campaign launch video to see the secret ingredient in action. They got their team together, devised a creative first point of contact, and did it all with plenty of enthusiasm.
If you’re a UW Bucks campaign coordinator and have your own great best practice, please share! Email Marissa, our VP of Marketing at marissac@uwbucks.org with your great idea, best practice, or awesome video.
Happy Campaigning!