Presidential Elections & Nonprofit Fundraising
Here in the United States, another presidential election season has just begun. Many nonprofits worry that all the noise and political fundraising will overshadow their message, the needs of their clients, and their ability to raise resources. And if you live in a seasonal community, these worries can be magnified:
I already have a limited time to reach my donors. This season they will be swamped with political messaging.
I won’t be able to hold any cocktail parties or intimate events, as all my potential hosts will be holding events for their preferred candidates.
My annual gala event can’t compete with events showcasing the candidate/nominee/Senator/Vice President/President.
It can be easy to fall into a spiral of concern about competition, donor fatigue, and campaign noise–which can paralyze your fundraising efforts. Before you start spinning out of control, check out the data. Many have researched the potential impact of presidential campaigns on nonprofit fundraising (I list a couple below), and no one has found any impact at all. Fundraising does not go down in presidential election years, and–if you can tie your mission to an issue that candidates are talking about–it may increase.
The need for your organization’s services don’t decrease because presidential candidates or their surrogates come to town. Continue your efforts to raise awareness, tell your story and ask for support. You may have to leverage methods that are new to you (social media, short video, regular newsletters, etc.) to reach as broad a base as possible. Your prospects, donors and volunteers will appreciate hearing from you, and will be even more aware of the impact of your work when you ask for support.
Here are a few resources to help you understand what happens to nonprofit fundraising during a presidential election year, and help through what could be a challenging fundraising season:
Nonprofit Fundraising in an Election Year: All Systems GO! by IPM Management
Giving In An Election Year: How Political Giving Impacts Nonprofit Support, a free report downloadable at the Blackbaud Institute
What to do about: messaging in an election year from Philanthropy Daily
