Promoting your Dedication Page

Dedication Pages are a fantastic way to engage your supporters, and help raise vital donations. We share our top tips for promoting your page, both in print and online.

In Print

• Include your page in your supporter magazine. It's important to have a print-friendly link so it's not too difficult to remember or type, and you'll need to have your page created in good time to be included for any magazine run
• Flyer or leaflet - you could promote your page on a traditional style leaflet, which can be more engaging for older demographics. You could include this as an insert in your magazine or with a donation mailing, or in with seasonal mail that you might already be sending. You could also leave the flyer in a reception area or give to public-facing staff to distribute, or hand it out at a physical event
• Set up a QR code and add this to literature and print media for quick and easy access.

Online

• Email signatures - ask all staff to include a link to the page on their emails (try and provide them with all the copy so it looks consistent)
• If possible include information about your Dedication Page on the homepage of your website. This is especially important for a seasonal campaign, as supporters will expect to find information about it easily when they visit your site
• Populate the page. When first promoting the page try and ensure that it's not blank to start with, as people will often not want to be the first to take part. You could ask staff to add a couple of dedications first if needs be
• Share a press release about your new page, especially if it's for a seasonal campaign
• Share the page in your charity's e-newsletter
• Ask corporate supporters to share and promote the page, via their webpage, intranet or social media
• If you have the facilities you could send a text blast to supporters with the page link

Social Media

• What's the call to action? Be clear on what you're asking your supporters to do, and build your messaging around this. For example, if it's a remembrance campaign for Father's Day, use this for your initial social media posts, so your supporters can begin to engage with the post even if they don't use the page straight away.
• Keep posting about your page, and drip-feed the information to your supporters. This will help them to understand how the page works and what it can offer them, and they then have the option to engage with it over time. Dedication Pages are often a slow burn campaign if they're new to your charity, so give your supporters multiple opportunities to engage with them
• Ask staff and your supporters to share your posts, to reach the widest possible audience. Personal comments and quote retweets explaining the campaign are the best types of shares, if possible
• Don't forget LinkedIn, particularly if you have corporate support for the page, ask your corporate supporters to share your posts
• Use appropriate hashtags on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, for maximum reach
• If possible share video content about your page, as these are the most engaging types of posts so will likely get the best results
• If possible use case study examples in your posts. For example share one of the dedications left on the page, along with appropriate imagery if you have the relevant permissions. This can help explain the purpose and function of your Dedication Page quickly and easily to supporters, and they will engage with the story shared as much as the page purpose
• If your Dedication Page is asking for donations, use fundraising targets and outcomes to engage people with the page, as you would a normal fundraising campaign. For example, if you're fundraising for a specific campaign or piece of equipment, share this with supporters, so they can understand what the page is trying to achieve. You can also share updates when you're halfway through fundraising to refresh the campaign.
• Don't forget to read our top tips for promoting your tribute fund on social media.