Skip to main content

How One Clever Colorado Gives Day Campaign is Promoting Epilepsy Awareness


The 6th Colorado Gives Day is right around the corner – set to kick off this year on December 8th – and over 1,700 Colorado nonprofits are gearing up for the statewide movement, crafting memorable and fun campaigns to promote their cause.

We caught up with the Epilepsy Foundation of Colorado (EFCO) to see what they had planned for this year’s event. They shared with us their plans for social media and e-mail marketing and gave some tips other nonprofits can use to craft their own campaigns. Here’s what EFCO is up to:

Epilepsy Foundation of Colorado’s #FlatCamper Campaign

 What it is: You’ve heard of Flat Stanley and his ventures across the globe; now you can have similar adventures with EFCO’s #flatcamper campaign, all in the name of a great cause!

How it works: EFCO has created both boy and girl Flat Camper drawings, available for download on their website. They are asking supporters to download and "style" their camper, then take them on an adventure to share on social media. Supporters are using EFCO’s coined hashtag #flatcamper to share photos on social media with a link to the donation page, and the campaign is already starting to take off with photos being posted to both Twitter and Facebook!

Why the campaign works: EFCO leads the fight to stop seizures, find a cure and overcome the challenges created by epilepsy for the Colorado community. Programs include Project UPLIFT, Rock 'N Rally Summer Camp for Kids, and the Jason Fleishman Summer Camp, to name a few. The organization’s most popular programs are their summer camps and the #FlatCamper campaign works to promote these camps, as well as general awareness of their foundation, while providing a fun way to interact with supporters.

Tips for Nonprofits to Craft Their Own Colorado Gives Day Campaign
For an effective Colorado Gives Day Campaign, nonprofits should be sure to use their current support network by reaching out on their website, social media and e-mail. Here are some tips to help you promote your own winning campaign:

Website Announcements
Make sure to post information about Colorado Gives Day on your website – and don’t forget a link directly to your donation page. Including impact statements for a range of donation amounts helps your supporters understand exactly where their donation dollars are going. Some of EFCO’s impact statements include:


  • $15 provides a camper the experience of crafts at the YMCA of the Rockies
  • $45 provides a monthly bus pass or medication to someone in need
  • $250 sends a child to Rock n’ Rally camp for 3 days
  • $550 sends a teen to Jason’s Camp for 5 days

Social Media Posts and Shares
It is no secret that images and video attract the most social media likes and shares. So why not ask your supporters to share their stories along with photos? Make sure there are clearly labeled links to your social media pages on your website as well as in any e-mails you send out. Giving followers options to interact increases your chances of participation. Here are some ideas:
  • Caption this photo – ask your social media followers to help you caption a funny or cute image on Facebook
  • Share your favorite stories – if your supporters have shared testimonials or stories with you on social, like and share them to get the word out
  • Promote the "I Gave Early" badge – share a link to the badge and ask anyone who donates to let their network know they gave to a great cause!
E-mail Blasts
As a nonprofit, your supporter list is one of the most valuable pieces of information you have. Once you’ve created your cute and clever campaign, sit down and work backwards to create your e-mail announcements. Sending weekly or bi-weekly e-mails to your top fans will only help grow your campaign.

Make sure to send a kick-off e-mail to your best supporters early, letting them know you’d like their help. Some may be able to donate, some may want to help in other ways, so make sure to give your supporters multiple options to participate. Some ideas you can copy and paste are:

  1. Share a link to our donation page on your Facebook or Twitter
  2. Like your favorite picture on any of our social media accounts
  3. Provide a testimonial for the our services
  4. Forward the e-mail to friends/family/coworkers

Now that you have the ammunition you need, it’s time to start building and promoting your own campaign. Here is to another successful year for everyone and many more to follow!

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blog 1: Tips on How to Read Form 990

By Angela Bevacqua, Senior Communications Specialist Have you ever been advised to look at a nonprofit’s Form 990 before making a donation? Then you look at it and wonder how to make sense of it all? If you aren’t an accountant or nonprofit administrator, you may avoid the daunting task. On our online giving website ColoradoGives.org, we require nonprofits to provide several documents, including the Form 990 as appropriate, to encourage transparency about their programs and finances. We don’t evaluate nonprofits on the website; we require nonprofits to share information to help donors make informed decisions about giving. I asked Community First Foundation’s finance department to help us interpret this useful document. We will do this in two blogs: Blog 1 shares the basics of Form 990 and Blog 2 delves deeper.  Q: What exactly is the Form 990? Form 990, called the Return of Organizations Exempt From Income Tax, must be filed with the IRS each year by charitable organiza...
1 comment
Read more

Colorado Gives Day: Reflections from Nonprofits

By Angela Bevacqua, Communications Specialist Two months later and we’re still learning from Colorado Gives Day 2010. As we pour through data and listen to the experiences of our nonprofit friends and donors, we gain new insights about fundraising and philanthropy in Colorado. At a recent gathering of our Nonprofit Advisory Committee—a varied group of GivingFirst nonprofits that help us improve the program—we heard these reflections about The Day: Dan Hanley, director of development for Boulder County AIDS Project , said that 45% of their donations on Dec. 8 were from new donors. The agency raised more than $20,000 from 178 donations after a whirlwind of events. Dan said there are limitless ways in which you can promote your agency for Colorado Gives Day. They began soliciting support in the late-night hours of Dec. 7 at a bar in Denver, then moved on to the Denver Diner in the a.m., then several coffee shops in Boulder, and ended with a standing-room-only conc...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meeting Space Celebrity Sighting: Natalie Portman

Valerie Brown, Meeting Space Administrator I met Natalie Portman in the Community First Foundation Meeting Space yesterday. Natalie Portman (L) and Valerie Brown in the Foundation's free Meeting Space Okay, not the Natalie Portman of Star Wars , V for Vendetta and Black Swan . This Natalie Portman is a top-notch meeting facilitator who was working with a group advancing Mental Health First Aid in Jefferson County. Led by Jefferson Center for Mental Health, the group met in our largest meeting room to discuss training community members on how to identify persons who may benefit from mental health resources. Jefferson Center for Mental Health is one of the dizzying array of nonprofits to have come through our doors since we opened the Meeting Space a year ago! February 2016 saw one meeting lasting four hours with six people. February 2017 saw 37 meetings for a total of 250 hours with 799 people through the door! In fact, in the first year we have hosted 269 mee...
2 comments
Read more