You may have gotten excellent attendance at your last event, had a really promising 1:1 coffee chat, or absolutely crushed your last tabling session, but ultimately your hard work might result in nothing without proper follow up.
Following up with people is so important for continuing to engage them in important conversations about effective giving, and for moving people further along in your journey to pledge.
Contents:
Best practices
Create a structured follow up plan. Who will send out the emails? When will the emails be sent, and what is your call to action? Be sure to have a clear plan for who will do it, when they will do it, and what the content will be.
-
- e.g. You just had your first event of the semester and 30 people came. Several of your executive members had 1:1 chats with attendees during the event. Each exec member should follow up with the people that they formed a connection with, and personally invite them to your upcoming giving lunch. They should reach out no more than 48 hours after the event, while OFTW is still fresh in their minds!
Check whether anyone at the chapter knows them. If someone is a friend of one of your members, that member should reach out to them. People are more likely to respond to your call to action if they know the person who is asking! You could also check your lead tracker sheet to see if the person was added by one of your members! If you do not have one already, here is a template.
Always have a call to action. When you are following up with someone, always have a clear ask at the end of the email or message, for how they can get more involved. This could be inviting them to a giving lunch, asking them to go for a coffee chat, or to apply to visit your pledge week table. Just make sure that there is a question at the end, so it is clear that you expect a response, and include any necessary links.
Follow up as soon as possible after an event. Try to do this within 24 hours, and no more than 48 hours after. Do not wait a whole week, because the likelihood of them responding decreases by ~60%. Get their attention while OFTW is still fresh in their minds!
If someone is interested in pledging but they are not quite ready yet, send them the best possible resources, and or offer to get coffee and talk more.
For people who have taken the pledge already:
- Send a thank you note! They will receive automated emails from OFTW HQ after signing up, but it is good practice for you to thank them individually as well. This goes a long way in making sure they don't cancel in the future.
- Ask them to get involved with the chapter. These folks may be interested in becoming Student Ambassadors or joining the chapter in the future. Offer them some options for getting involved!
Key resources:
Menu of follow up resources - includes suggested email copy!
