Schools can do so much more for students when they have a robust support system. For example, parents encourage their students outside of the classroom by helping them with homework or cheering them on at their games and concerts. Students’ families are often the first to support your school financially. Local businesses may step up to sponsor your school or spread the word about fundraisers and other projects.
However, it’s up to your school to engage these potential supporters. Reaching your community with personalized communications is crucial, and the right technology can help you do so. Plus, these tools make interacting with your school more convenient, boosting the chance of parents donating, browsing your website, or sharing about school activities.
In this guide, we’ll walk through three strategies you can leverage to get more support for your school fundraisers, clubs, sports teams, and more. Let’s get started!
Leave paper forms, payments, and processes behind and switch to digital instead. There are several benefits to doing this. Digital options allow your school to reach people at any time, from anywhere. Engaging with your school online is much more convenient, making your community more likely to do it. Additionally, being able to pay fees or register students for extracurricular activities in just a few clicks will appeal to busy parents.
Using school management software, your school can go paperless and eliminate:
Your school can also leverage online school directories and contact lists that are accessible to parents, students, and staff. These databases facilitate easy communication and networking within your school’s ecosystem.
More and more, people expect experiences that are tailored to their unique needs, interests, and preferences. 69% of customers say that they appreciate personalized experiences with brands. Further, these preferences are beginning to bleed over into their interactions with other organizations like nonprofits and schools.
As Getting Attention explains, generic fundraising appeals no longer have what it takes to elicit emotional connections and encourage actions (like donating) from supporters. Instead, you’ll need to customize communications by greeting them by name, mentioning past donations, adhering to communication preferences, and asking for contributions within their donation level.
Technology like a school database provides your school with streamlined data insights and tools for building custom experiences. Here are some of the ways your school can use it to personalize communications with a variety of community stakeholders:
These personalized experiences help your school cultivate meaningful connections, enhance engagement, and strengthen relationships with a diverse group of community members. Technology makes it easier to learn about and segment your audiences so personalization is a breeze.
In addition to helping you communicate effectively, your school’s technology can streamline other processes. Specialized fundraising and marketing tools have features designed with organizations like yours in mind. With these solutions, you can set up fundraisers, manage donations, and automate messages in just a few clicks.
When it comes to specialized tools, consider investing in solutions such as:
You may also need tools to help organize and automate marketing messages. Solutions like social media calendars, email campaign tools, and automation software give your school a dedicated workspace for crafting compelling marketing messages and setting up triggers that time your messages with precision.
Technology can spark and nurture new connections with a variety of community members, from parents to parks to businesses. These relationships open the door to important partnerships and sponsorships which, in turn, provide more funding and opportunities to your students.