By Mark McLean, Vice President, Nonprofi t Solutions, Data Axle

What is omnichannel marketing?

An omnichannel campaign uses a variety of marketing tactics across various platforms during a short timeframe. This approach maximizes a campaign’s reach and optimizes donor engagement through multiple touchpoints. Executed correctly, an omnichannel campaign creates an immersive experience for your audience.

Why omnichannel now?

In 2020, as nonprofits worked to help those in need, many saw a surprising surge of charitable giving and new donors due to the pandemic. As we adjust to our new normal, nonprofi ts need to work to retain these new donors. The average donor retention rate is between 40-45%. We’ve learned that donors acquired during an episodic emergency are hard to retain and convert into regular givers. However, there are opportunities to engage these donors that you should pursue. Diversifying your channel mix is a great place to start.

The importance of “Donor First” strategy

Putting donor needs and interests first is the best way to make sure you stand out from the crowd in an increasingly saturated market. “Donor First” means using data to develop an audience of your most likely prospects and most engaged donors and developing personalized creative that will resonate with them and follow them to their preferred channels. New technologies and platforms have given nonprofits an exciting array of channels to choose from when attempting to retain current donors, spread cause awareness, and attract new donors. Channels such as email, Short Message Service (SMS), display, push notifications, social media, direct response television, Connected TV (CTV), and podcast media buys are all options