You need to make a lot of decisions about your fundraising campaign; one of the most important is how long it should be. Here are some things to consider during your planning phase.
Picking the right type of campaign
Ask yourself this question: Do you want to run a high-impact but short fundraising campaign – where it’s all systems go – or do you want to stagger your approach and run a slow-burn campaign that will give you more opportunities to engage with your supporters, but require sustained commitment? There are pluses and minuses to both, and the approach you choose will affect your overall fundraising strategy, so think carefully about which one is best for your campaign.
Type 1: Short campaigns 30-90 days
When they work best: if you’re running more of a crowdfunding-style campaign (i.e. seeking smaller amounts from a larger number of supporters).
Why they’re great:
• You can make the campaign more dynamic and intense
• You can really push the urgency message out to your donors
• It gives you a shorter, more concerted period to focus on your campaign
• You can tweak, measure and optimise your campaign efforts and maximise your results
See this approach in action: Check out our Artist profile with Jade of Death who ran a fantastic crowdfunding campaign for 43 days and raised more than $17,000 for their webseries.
Jade of Death’s campaign ran for 43 days, raised over $17,000 and engaged more than 80 supporters.
Type 2: Longer campaigns 4-12 months
When they work best: If you have a series of concerts, or a season of performances.
Why they are great:
• You can discuss your campaign at every event and offer tax deductibility to donors and attendees at every opportunity
• You can foster deeper relationships with major donors
When running a longer campaign, you’ll experience lulls and stagnant periods with fewer or no donations. Before your campaign launches, think about ideas and opportunities to share your campaign and discuss your project during these quieter periods.
See this approach in action: PLEXUS, a new and growing contemporary chamber music ensemble based in Melbourne, have successfully used the ACF to fundraise for a number of seasons. Read more about their fundraising strategy.
Melbourne-based contemporary chamber music ensemble PLEXUS has successfully run longer campaigns to support their seasons
Other important considerations
When you’ll get the money
We provide the funds to you in the form of a grant in the month following the end of your campaign. For this reason, we generally recommend ending your campaign towards the end of the month so you have less time to wait before receiving your funds. Artists who choose to run their campaign for more than 9 months have the option to receive funds monthly during their campaign.
Want to know more? Read our post on what happens once your campaign has finished.