Outreach events are a great way to raise awareness, engage potential supporters, and showcase your non-profit's impact. But they are not enough to build lasting relationships and inspire action. You need a follow-up plan to nurture your leads, thank your participants, and measure your results. Here are some tips on how to create a follow-up plan after an outreach event.
Before you plan your follow-up activities, you need to define your goals and expectations. What do you want to achieve with your outreach event? How do you want your attendees to feel and act after the event? How will you track and evaluate your success? Having clear and realistic goals will help you design a follow-up plan that aligns with your non-profit's mission and vision.
Following up after an event is critical for building sustainable relationships. Take a personal approach by Identifying four or five individuals from the event and send a personal, hand-written note expressing gratitude for their attendance. Be intentional by expressing your desire to follow up for a one-on-one meeting to learn more about their interests and priorities. This thoughtful approach not only reveals more about your potential supporters but also shifts the focus from your organization to them.
Take their answers and send them to everyone in the group. It will create a database of sorts, and people participating will feel connections.
Not all your attendees will have the same level of interest, engagement, and readiness to support your non-profit. You need to segment your audience based on their profiles, behaviors, and feedback. For example, you can use a survey or a poll to ask them about their satisfaction, preferences, and needs. You can also use your registration data, attendance records, and social media interactions to identify different groups of attendees. By segmenting your audience, you can tailor your follow-up messages and actions to their specific interests and motivations.
One of the most important steps in your follow-up plan is to communicate with your attendees as soon as possible after the event. You want to thank them for their participation, remind them of the key takeaways, and invite them to stay in touch. You also want to make your communication personal and relevant. You can use their names, acknowledge their contributions, and address their questions or concerns. You can also use different channels, such as email, phone, or social media, depending on your audience's preferences and habits.
A personal touch is key! A followup letter as soon as possible is always great, or even better a hand-written letter is a nice touch. Phone calls can be great, with no ask or request, just saying thanks. Donors are surprised when you don't ask for anything and just offer gratitude.
Your follow-up communication should not only express gratitude and appreciation, but also provide value and opportunities for your attendees. You want to show them how your non-profit is making a difference, how they can get involved, and how they can benefit from your services or programs. You can also share useful resources, such as reports, newsletters, blogs, or webinars, that can educate them and inspire them to take action. You can also offer them incentives, such as discounts, gifts, or recognition, that can encourage them to donate, volunteer, or advocate for your cause.
Your follow up is also an offer of the most valuable part of the event, it’s you! It’s your network, it’s a point of contact who can guide someone through joining, participating and growing with an organization. Its an authentic personal relationship that will go beyond this one event.
Your follow-up plan should not be a one-time effort, but a continuous process of building trust and rapport with your attendees. You want to establish a long-term relationship that is based on mutual respect, understanding, and support. You can do this by being consistent, transparent, and responsive in your communication. You can also do this by creating a sense of community and belonging among your attendees. You can invite them to join your online groups, forums, or events, where they can interact with each other and with your staff or beneficiaries. You can also showcase their stories, testimonials, or feedback, where they can share their experiences and opinions.
The last step in your follow-up plan is to analyze and improve your outreach event and your follow-up activities. You want to measure your performance, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and learn from your feedback and results. You can use different tools and methods, such as surveys, analytics, or CRM systems, to collect and analyze your data. You can also use different metrics and indicators, such as attendance, satisfaction, engagement, conversion, or retention, to evaluate your outcomes. By analyzing and improving your follow-up plan, you can optimize your outreach strategy and increase your non-profit's impact.