A Season of Generosity: Soul Sanctuary’s Year-End Giving Success
Client Overview
Soul Sanctuary Inc. is a vibrant, multi-cultural church located in Winnipeg who sought to enhance their year-end giving to support strategic initiatives and outreach programs. Historically, their year-end efforts had been absent, relying on goodwill and a recurring donor base.
Objective
The goal was to increase donations and donor volume by utilizing modern marketing techniques, specifically through social media, impact reporting, and email marketing. The campaign aimed to highlight the church’s achievements over the past year, raise a total of $150,000, and outline the impact of raised funds.
Strategy
As a part of the Soul Sanctuary staff team, we developed a comprehensive strategy involving three key components:
1. Social Media Campaign
Content Creation: We crafted compelling visuals showcasing the church's impact on the community. This included videos, infographics, and testimonial posts from members.
Engagement: We scheduled posts to maximize reach and interaction, incorporating calls to action to encourage sharing and commenting.
2. Impact Report
Design and Content: We designed a visually appealing impact report summarizing the church’s accomplishments and financial stewardship over the past year. The report included detailed narratives, statistics, and photographs.
Distribution: The report was printed and presented to the congregation during a Sunday service and was shared digitally via the church's website, social media, and email marketing platform.
3. Email Marketing
Segmented Lists: We segmented the church’s email list to tailor messages for different groups, including regular attendees, occasional visitors, and past donors.
Automated Campaigns: A series of automated emails were scheduled leading up to the year-end, including updates on the campaign’s progress, stories of impact, and calls to action for online giving.
Personalization: Each email was personalized to increase engagement, with specific mentions of past contributions and how they had made a difference.
Implementation
Kickoff: The campaign launched with a presentation of the Impact Report and an explanation of the key initiatives and financial priorities. To motivate participation, a financial goal and a participation goal were shared with the congregation.
Consistent Updates: Regular updates were posted across social media and sent via email, maintaining momentum and transparency throughout the campaign. We encouraged congregants to ask questions and church leadership provided timely answers.
Results
The campaign ran from mid-November through the end of December and achieved remarkable success:
Donations: Year-end donations increased by 100% compared to the previous year, with a notable rise in both one-time gifts and recurring contributions. The campaign surpassed $150,000.
Digital Engagement: The church saw a consistent increase in shares, comments, likes, and follows across Instagram and Facebook. The church’s giving page saw a 126% increase in visits and associated campaign webpages resulted in over 2,000 unique contact points with prospective donors.
Email Open Rates: The email marketing campaign achieved an impressive 60% open rate, significantly higher than the industry average for nonprofit organizations.
Community Impact: The campaign not only raised funds but also strengthened the sense of community and organizational trust within the church, with members expressing greater awareness and appreciation for the church’s work.
Conclusion
The year-end giving campaign for Soul Sanctuary demonstrated the power of a well-executed digital marketing strategy. By leveraging social media, an impact report, and email marketing, we successfully enhanced engagement and generosity within the church community.
