Event outreach: turning foot traffic into supporters
A table, a banner and a bowl of pens is not a campaign. Event outreach is a plan for the eight hours in between.
Before the day
Who is coming, what they already know about your cause, and what a good conversation looks like at this particular event. A festival crowd and a professional conference need different openings. Representatives are briefed on your programs and your numbers before they arrive, not in the car park.
The booth
An information booth works when someone is looking after it. Staffing decides whether people walk past a display or stop and talk, and the position of the table decides how many get the chance.
The conversation
We listen before we talk and ask questions before we ask for support. At an event, the person in front of you chose to come: the fastest way to lose them is to open with a pitch instead of a question.
The ask
The next step should be simple and secure, and should match the setting: a recurring gift, an event sign-up, or a first conversation with your team. Not every good conversation ends in a gift, and pushing the ones that will not is how a reputation gets spent.
Afterwards
A signature is the beginning. Thank-you touchpoints and onboarding written with retention in mind are what turn an event sign-up into a supporter who is still there next year.
We staff and run outreach at festivals, conferences and community events, and we report acquisition, retention and cost per donor for each one, so you can see which events are worth returning to.
Plan your next campaign
Tell us about your organization and the campaign you have in mind. Every message is read by our team and answered within two business days.
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