Have you ever struggled to translate your organization's mission into a compelling fundraising message? Have you ever been moved by another organization's message and thought—why didn't I think of that? If so, this post is for you!

This 5-step guide will break down the creative process into practical steps that will help anyone generate fresh and innovative ideas for their organization's cause.

Step 1: Inspire

Inspiration can strike us anywhere, but we can also actively cultivate it by following these steps:

  1. As you are shopping online or sorting through your mail, take a few moments to consider how other marketers get your attention or inspire you. Consider how those techniques could be recycled or reinvented for your mission.
  2. Look back at your organization's previous creative. Often old creative can spark new ideas or remind you of effective messaging.
  3. Current events can highlight what people care about and lend a fresh perspective to your work. While it can be challenging to keep up with the news cycle, it can lead to new ways to frame your work that will resonate with donors.

Step 2: Prepare

After you’ve gotten some inspiration, it’s time to get prepared! Try the following:

  • Run a report of your fundraising results for the last decade or as far back as possible. Look at what stands out. Which messages had the highest response or raised the most revenue? If you're no longer using those topics or techniques, consider if there are ways to refresh them for today's audience.
  • Look at your organization’s current messaging outside of fundraising. Are there new stories or messages that you could use to craft a compelling offer?
  • Take some time to daydream! Often when we are busy washing the dishes or riding a bike, our minds find new solutions to creative challenges.

Try this activity before a creative meeting to inspire your team to bring their best ideas. Use our example organization to practice bainstorming, or sub in your own organization and campaign objectives.

Step 3: Collaborate

The illustration below shows us the two parts of the creative process. The first, known as “divergence,” is when we generate as many ideas as possible without filters.

It's essential during this phase to employ "Yes, and …" thinking…to acknowledge and build off each other's ideas instead of simply shutting them down.

Even those with the best intentions can shut down creative ideas by focusing too much on the practical details or previous results. When we do that, we never get to the best ideas.

So, let the wild, wacky ideas flow. Listen to ideas you may think are impossible or won't work. Let go of the practical! There will be time for that later.

Step 4: Focus

After we get all our ideas out, it's time to put on our analytical hats. This is the “convergence” part of the illustration above.

Now it’s time to consider issues like budget, timeline, previous results, organizational directives, etc. Use those as a guide to selecting or modifying the best ideas as you begin crafting your fundraising strategy.

Make sure you create a system to keep the other ideas you may want to return to for another campaign.

Step 5: Evaluate

After you've narrowed down your creative concept, you want to ensure you have all the components of an irresistible offer! You can use this simple checklist: 

  • Who: Have you established a one-to-one connection with the donor?
  • What: Have you asked the donor to take action, like signing a petition or filling out a survey?
  • Where: Have you established your work's scope and/or location?
  • When: Do you have a deadline or urgency so the donor will respond immediately?
  • Why: Do you have an emotional hook to pull on the donor's heartstrings?
  • How: Is there a straightforward way to respond?
  • Ask: Did you ask the donor for a specific gift amount?

This five-step guide to the creative process will help you and your team unlock new ideas and generate effective concepts. Get ready to find your next big idea to benefit your fundraising program. Let us know what you uncover!

About the author: Leigh Corrigan-Owens serves as a Senior Account Executive & Creative Services Lead at Mal Warwick Donordigital. She leads MWD's award-winning creative services team and has over a decade of experience as a direct response strategist. She's a Virginia-native but currently lives and works in Pittsburgh, PA.