How to run a successful Mother’s Day fundraising campaign

At the start of Spring, our thoughts turn to flowers, sunshine, and our Mom’s!  And, for many nonprofit organizations, this is a great direct mail theme and just in time for a Spring appeal.

So, how can you maximize this appeal to give your donors the best experience?

Well, for one, if your organization has moms or caters to mother’s, you can certainly use this as a theme.  But, if not, you can still create an engaging direct mail campaign.  

Here are some of my suggestions to start you off on the right foot:

1.  Consider tying your appeal to “honor your mother or special mom.”
2. Feature a mother as part of the theme of your appeal letter.  Share her story.
3. Allow for “in honor/ memorial” giving and make this a central theme.
4. Instead of sending your traditional “in honor/ memory” letter to the recipients, why not have your clients create a handcrafted card that you can send instead.
5. If you are a park or other facility, considering things such as helping to plant a garden for mothers
6. Host an event for that special mom i.e. a special mass, Sunday brunch, ceremony, etc. where you invite and recognize all the “honored” mothers.
7. If you have mothers at your facility or even grateful clients, consider having them sign “lift” notes that you will place on the appeal letters before you mail them.
8. Consider having folks share their stories about their mother’s.
9. Consider expanding the campaign through “Peer to Peer” social media, in-person outreach, etc.
10. Use Mother’s Day to provide a sense of time-sensitive urgency to your appeal.

These are just a few simple suggestions to get you started thinking about how Mother’s Day can become a central fundraising campaign theme for your organization.

Have you run a Mother’s Day campaign before in your organization?  What worked, what didn’t.  Share with us in the comments below.

And, if you need someone to pen your campaign letter and help structure your campaign, Development Consulting Solutions is always here for YOU!