PAC managers will tell you the most common reason they hear from people who do not contribute to a PAC is that the person either didn’t know or was confused about what the PAC actually does. Other challenges PAC professionals usually know too well include:
- Reduced open rates on solicitation emails
- Declining contributions and participation rates
- Trouble demonstrating the value of the PAC to association or company management
- Challenges getting prior approvals and/or payroll deductions
Here at Beekeeper Group, as we prepare for the Public Affairs Council’s PAC Conference in Miami, we’ve reflected on some creative ways our clients have addressed these challenge and have summarized some best practices that have emerged.
The first step for our PAC clients has almost always been to take a critical look at their current communications and materials. Too often, these materials aren’t the least bit compelling or interesting and do very little to engage the recipient or begin to tell the story of the PAC’s past success.
For this reason, our creative PAC clients understand that you must:
- Show, Don’t Tell: People are too busy to read through a lot of information, and are looking to get information in short, easy to consume formats. It’s worth the time to invest in videos, animations, infographics and other media formats that visually explain how your PAC works and why participation is important. We’ve done this for a number of clients including AllState, Johnson & Johnson, and the American Optometric Association.
- Create a Branded Campaign: Campaigns foster a sense of community and belonging. When it comes to PAC solicitation, rather than just another email from the association or corporation asking for dollars why not create a campaign theme and message to unite everyone behind a common goal? The branded campaign theme can be carried over to the email message, donation landing page, and any supporting materials. One client we worked with on this tactic saw an increase of 33% in participation.
- Optimize for Mobile: Do you know what percentage of your donor base is looking at your solicitation on a mobile device? It’s likely higher than you think. It’s critical to ensure that your landing pages, donation platform, and other core elements look good and work on a mobile device. We’ve designed mobile responsive PAC sites and mobile apps to address these issues for a number of clients.
If you you’d like to see what Beekeeper Group can do for your PAC, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us or come find us March 7-10 at the Public Affairs Council’s PAC Conference in Miami.