Updated March 21, 2023
Get your laptop charger; end-of-quarter is here!
Why do political campaigns double down their fundraising efforts at EOQ? To some, it might look like campaign staffers wait until the last minute to engage with donors. The truth is that donors respond to urgency, and EOQ finance disclosures provide four urgent deadlines per year.
At ActBlue, we’ve seen plenty of EOQ deadlines come and go. The campaigns that consistently perform the best — read: engage the most donors — during this time are the ones that center their strategies on the right goals.
Here are a few tips for running a goal-based EOQ fundraising campaign.
Set an attainable public goal
Your team knows how much you’ll need to raise online to meet your quarterly numbers. Now it’s time to communicate that to your donors for your EOQ push.
The key to a strong initial goal is making it reasonable enough that you believe you can reach it, but still challenging enough to demonstrate how much you need your donors’ support. The right goal can show supporters that small-dollar donations make a big difference.
Make the goal visual
Donors love to see visuals, and goals are no exception. ActBlue’s Goal Tracker tool allows you to show real-time progress as people donate, both on your contribution form and on your website.
Embedding a Goal Tracker onto your site is a great way to communicate the urgency surrounding EOQ fundraising. It also helps demonstrate the community nature of fundraising as the bar gets fuller and fuller with every individual donation.
Set up your Goal Tracker now →
Optimize your strategy: Keep donors engaged
Donors will be invested in reaching the goal. Consider emailing people who contributed and asking them to share your form link with their network to keep the engagement going.
Additionally, you can email folks who started to donate but didn’t finalize their contribution. Reiterate how meaningful their support would be ahead of EOQ deadlines. (That’s called remarketing! Learn more about ActBlue’s remarketing tools here).
(Quick tip: Adding a quote from a recent donor to your emails helps interest folks. Donors respond well to messages about how important it is to contribute to the cause, and how gratifying it feels to be part of a movement.)
And don’t forget to send thank-you emails to donors when EOQ is over!
Plan ahead for next quarter
Those are just some of the tips and tricks you can use to fuel your digital fundraising strategy as this quarter draws to an end.
Want to learn more about the tools ActBlue offers or ask questions about your team’s digital fundraising as a new quarter begins? Contact your designated ActBlue fundraising expert to book a one-on-one strategy call.
If you’re not sure who your team’s ActBlue representative is, reach out to support@actblue.com.
What other strategies can I use at EOQ?
Check out our full EOQ Guide here!
