Tag: higher education

Higher Education Event Strategies: Utilizing Texts for Your Alumni Event Fundraising Strategy

  • Event Trends
  • EventUp Planner Contributor
  • October 11, 2024
texting strategies for fundraising

As your university’s alumni go about their days leading teams, conducting research, and making an impact on the world, they may forget about the invitation they got to your next fundraising event. The email might sit in their inbox for weeks before they open it, only to realize then that the event already passed.

A text message, however, will cut right through the noise and get your alumni’s attention moments after you send it.

Your alumni want to give back to the university that gave so much to them, but they’re busy people. Meet them where they are by incorporating texts into your event fundraising strategy. In this quick guide, we’ll cover several ways you can use SMS for alumni fundraising events, explore tips for writing impactful higher education text messages, and even provide some examples that you can copy and paste. Let’s get started!

Why use texts for event fundraising?

Let’s face it—your event guests are already on their phones. Text messages help you engage them exactly where they are, drawing their attention back to your fundraiser and increasing overall engagement.

According to Mogli’s SMS marketing guide, text messaging works for all different types of audiences because of this channel’s:

  • 98% open rate. This metric is astounding compared to other communication channels (just compare it to email’s 35.63% average open rate). Almost all of your recipients will open the texts you send them, meaning you can easily share event reminders, fundraising appeals, and updates that you know will reach alumni.
  • 19% click-through rate. Not only will the vast majority of recipients read your texts, but about one in five will click on the links you send. Whether that’s a registration link, survey, or donation request, high click-through rates mean more alumni engagement with your events.
  • Easy, fast engagement opportunities. Reading every word in an email is a big ask for busy alumni. Text messages, on the other hand, are short and sweet, encouraging guests to read and respond to your requests immediately.

On top of all these benefits, text messages are extremely flexible. You can use texts for everything from fundraising appeals to feedback collection to thanking volunteers. These messages can be casual or formal, sent to one or many recipients, and even open the door for authentic one-to-one conversations. 

Using texts to improve every stage of your fundraising event

To successfully add texts to your event fundraising strategy, think about the entire attendee journey. Alumni hear about your event, decide to attend, participate in your activities, then reflect on their experience—and you can engage them with texts at each of these pivotal moments. Let’s break down how.

Before: Text marketing

The marketing strategies you use leading up to your event will determine not only how many registrations you secure, but how many alumni come to the event ready and excited to donate. 

While you shouldn’t rely on texts for your entire marketing strategy, using them to send quick reminders, event teasers, and updates will help you connect with alumni and boost excitement for the event. Incorporate texts into a holistic multichannel strategy to prepare alumni to give.

For instance, you might send a formal invite to alumni via email or direct mail, then follow up with a text that says “The date of our annual alumni fundraising gala is set! Check your inbox to learn more.” Or, you could send weekly texts leading up to your auction that provide sneak peeks of special items and links to your event landing page.

During: Guest engagement

Sending texts during the event itself can boost participation and fundraising results. Remind guests to give, point them to virtual engagement opportunities, celebrate milestones, or send event logistics to help them navigate your space.

Take a look at these example texts to see what your engagement strategy might look like:

  • Darlene, you’re officially checked in! Click here to access the event schedule, map, and fundraiser details. And don’t forget to have fun 💃
  • Hi Ana, we hope you enjoyed the first day of Alumni Weekend. Don’t forget about the events still to come. Can we count on your donation tomorrow?
  • 📣 Last call for silent auction bids 📣 You only have ten minutes to get your final bids in—act fast to make sure you win the items you want! 
  • Thanks for joining virtually, Evan! As you watch the livestream, don’t forget to check out our live fundraising thermometer and leaderboard here. Have you donated yet?

For both in-person and virtual events, text messages like these can bring alumni’s attention back to your fundraiser and encourage them to stay actively engaged. Think about any moments of your event when guests might get distracted, such as towards the end of the auction portion, and draft messages to re-engage them.

After: Fundraising follow-up

Finally, send text messages after the event ends to thank and follow up with guests. Prompt follow-up helps you show appreciation for the alumni who attended and encourages them to give again in the future.

Use SMS to send follow-up messages like:

  • Personalized thank-you messages for all guests and donors.
  • Reminders that there’s still time to donate if they didn’t do so at the event.
  • Post-event surveys for collecting feedback.
  • Updates on the event’s total fundraising revenue and what it will go toward.

You can easily send these personalized messages at scale with the help of text automation. For instance, the best text marketing apps enable you to create strings of messages that automatically populate with donor information from your database, such as their names and donation amounts.

Tips for crafting alumni fundraising texts

When it comes to actually writing the event text messages themselves, there are a few best practices you should keep in mind:

  • Personalize whenever possible. To make personalization easier, Double the Donation suggests segmenting your alumni based on shared characteristics like giving level or class year.
  • Shoot for 160 characters or less. Keeping your messages short ensures that they don’t get split into multiple texts by some carriers and that alumni can understand what you’re asking them to do with just a glance.
  • Ask questions to encourage responses. Ending your texts with a question invites alumni to respond directly, boosting their engagement. 
  • Give a clear next step. Explain what you would like alumni to do next (i.e., RSVP for your event, donate, or fill out a survey) and provide a link so they can take action easily.

Refer back to these tips each time you draft a message for your event fundraising strategy, and take note of which strategies work best. If you realize that asking a certain question increases text response rates, for instance, incorporate it into more messages going forward!

Engaging alumni before, during, and after events is easier with the right tools. Check to see if your university’s CRM or marketing software supports text messaging, or consider investing in a specialized solution that comes with robust automation and reporting features. With a scalable system and the best practices we discussed, you’ll be able to engage more alumni with texts in no time.

 

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6 College Event Promotion Ideas

  • Event Management
  • October 13, 2023
6 College Event Promotion Ideas

Imagine you put in weeks of work planning an event for students and community members, but only a few people show up. If this feels too familiar, it may be time for some new college event promotion ideas.

From event promotion to thank-you messages, communicating with your participants is critical for securing initial buy-in and sustained engagement. To help you sharpen your communication tactics, we’ve compiled six actionable tips: 

  1. Create an event landing page on your website
  2. Develop a multi-channel strategy
  3. Leverage marketing automation
  4. Personalize event outreach
  5. Send text reminders and updates
  6. Don’t forget to follow up

When using any of these tips, remember to keep your focus on your participants’ interests and preferences. Now, let’s dive into our top six college event promotion ideas!

1. Create an Event Landing Page on your Website

Your university’s website is often the first place for students, alumni, and community members to find information about upcoming events. If you don’t already have a landing page for your next event, creating one should be your first step. 

An event landing page, or a separate microsite for major events, lays the groundwork for effective communication. Once you have one set up, your website will serve as a source of truth for participants seeking the most up-to-date information. You can link to this page in the rest of your marketing materials and direct participants there for questions.

To set yourself up for success, make sure your landing page or website includes all important event information, including:

  • Date, time, and location
  • Where and how to register
  • If registration is required
  • Ticket price, if any
  • The purpose of the event
  • Any speakers, performers, or special guests
  • A schedule if the event lasts multiple days
  • Transportation or parking instructions
  • Contact information 

Along with key information, you can make the page extra engaging by adding photos from last year’s event or integrating your social media feed.

2. Develop a Multi-Channel Strategy

Once you set up your event’s landing page, create a communication strategy that uses multiple channels to get the word out. Use a combination of:

  • SMS: Mogli’s SMS marketing guide explains that texts are one of the most effective communication methods because of their 98% open rate and ease of use. Your students and alumni likely check their text messages more often than any other channel. This makes texting the perfect way to promote your event. Send short, casual announcements and reminders to register for the event on your website.
  • Email: Email often works well for sending event invitations, surveys, and more in-depth information like detailed event schedules. Make sure your subject lines include the event’s name and that they’re compelling enough to get readers to open them. Then, use visuals and links in the body of the emails to make them engaging.
  • Social media: By promoting your event on social media channels like Instagram and Facebook, you can leverage social sharing to get the word out and draw in participants. Create a variety of social media content, such as graphics, videos, and stories, then encourage existing participants to share them with their friends and classmates.
  • Flyers: For on-campus student events, flyers are a necessity. Align the design of your flyers with your social media posts, then hang them up throughout campus in the most relevant locations. Add a QR code so students can easily scan to register for the event or find more information.

Think about your target audience as you choose marketing channels. If your participants are only on-campus freshmen, for example, you might focus on social media and dorm or classroom flyers to get the most visibility for your event. If your event is aimed at older alumni, however, prioritizing emails, texts, or even direct mail will get you better results.

Then, create a marketing calendar to determine what content you’ll post, where, and when. Make sure to spread out communications and maintain consistent branding across channels. 

3. Leverage Event Marketing Automation

Save your team time and effort by automating emails and text messages to participants. With the right marketing automation tools, you can create email templates that auto-fill with participants’ personal details and your university or department’s branding. Or, set up reminder texts to automatically send to those who haven’t registered for the event by a certain date.

There are a variety of automation tools that can make a big difference in your event communication strategy. For example, if your university uses Salesforce, you can use a Salesforce SMS app to automate bulk and one-to-one texts to promote your event.

Plus, most marketing automation software comes with helpful data analytics features to gauge marketing success and event satisfaction. With Attendease, for instance, you can compare metrics across events and get web traffic insights by integrating your event website with Google Analytics.

4. Personalize Event Outreach

Personalizing messages to potential participants can increase the chances that they’ll read the message and attend your event. This doesn’t only apply to invitations, either. By personalizing marketing emails, event reminders, and follow-up messages, you can ensure that your outreach is relevant and engaging for each individual participant.

Start by creating segments in your database or event software for participants who have already registered and those who haven’t. Then, make additional segments within those two groups based on relevant shared characteristics, like academic department or event engagement history. 

In the messages themselves, be sure to address participants by name and include any details that will make the message stand out. On an invitation for an alumni fundraising event, for example, you might include the recipient’s graduation year, program, and latest donation.

5. Send Text Reminders and Updates

Texts are one of the quickest ways to get information out to your participants and keep your event top-of-mind. Use text marketing apps to send out quick updates, announce last-minute changes, and remind guests to register and attend your event. 

These quick update texts might look like:

  • The STEM career fair starts in an hour! Join us in the student center at 2 pm to make your mark
  • ❗ Location change ❗ Tonight’s music department welcome party has been moved to the Pressor auditorium. See you there!
  • Want to watch next week’s meteor shower? ☄️ Sign up to join the astronomy professors at our stargazing event on Friday night 
  • Ella, there’s still time to register for Alum Weekend. Relive the glory days this May 23-25. Tickets are only $30!

Don’t be afraid to get creative and keep texts casual by using emojis and a friendly tone (as long as it aligns with your audience’s preferences). 

6. Post Event Communication

Communication shouldn’t stop after the event ends. Following up with guests afterward is crucial to building relationships and encouraging future attendance.

Whether you send emails, texts, or other kinds of messages, your follow-up should accomplish two main goals:

  • Appreciation: To show attendees you appreciate them and keep them engaged even after the event ends, send thank-you messages to all of your participants, volunteers, and speakers. Consider sending different types of messages based on involvement. While you might send short thank-you texts to guests, for example, eCardWidget recommends sending handwritten thank-you cards or even goodie bags as small gifts for volunteers. 
  • Gathering feedback: By asking for feedback, you’ll collect valuable information to improve your next event and show participants you value their opinions. Use event management software to send post-event surveys that ask questions about guests’ experiences, satisfaction, and suggestions for the future.

Depending on the scale of your event, you may send a single follow-up message or spread out multiple communications over a short period of time. For example, you could send a quick thank-you text to all alumni participants the day after the event, then follow up in a week with a longer email and a feedback request.

As you test these college event promotion ideas, take note of which ones are the most effective for your audience. Use the data you gather from this event to improve the next one, and always be open to feedback from your participants. 

Attendease software helps many higher education organizations manage their yearly calendar of events, big and small alike. Talk with one of our experts and let us know what your calendar looks like and what you’re struggling with. We’re here to help.

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