Don’t Back Away from the Call to Action

02 Feb Don’t Back Away from the Call to Action

3 February 2026

By David Allen, Development for Conservation

Is there ever a reason for outreach activities not to include a call to action?

It’s a rhetorical question. But a more serious point is that we would all raise a good deal more money if we spent the same or more time fundraising that we now spend on outreach.

The promise of outreach seems sound – if we just show people that we exist, if we provide a service that serves and educates the public, if we raise awareness of conservation and our role in protecting land – if we do all these things, then people will value who we are and reward us by giving money or giving more money.

And to be honest, it works in isolated moments for isolated people who see themselves as being a part of something important.

But it doesn’t work enough.

Because implied “asks” rarely land. Implied calls to action are only rarely heard. The feeling of “that was so fun/cool!” rarely translates to “I should give money now.”

In fact, I believe many land trust people (and committees and organizations) are drawn to outreach activities explicitly because they don’t include an ask.

In this conversation, I am making a distinction between outreach as an end unto itself and outreach as a specific strategy used to increase giving.

If your organizational mission is to raise general population awareness of land conservation issues, then your metrics will be based on public opinion surveys. Recent forays into this realm have not been encouraging. A decade of targeted public education about water quantity, water quality, and watersheds by multiple conservation entities barely moved the needle in public understanding.

But that’s not the point here. The point here is that moving the public opinion needle is not necessarily related to fundraising. And when the point of outreach is to generate support, primarily but not exclusively related to money, outreach needs a call to action.

Here’s how you can help. Here’s what you can do. Here’s the best way to get involved.

And the metrics are how many new donors the events generate and the percentage of current donors who participate.

This isn’t hard, but it will require intentionality and a little training. Here’s are several ideas:

• Work on diversifying your event offerings. The more different kinds of events you host every year, the more different kinds of people will be attracted.
• Pre-registration should be required for all events, even if the events themselves are free. This will be the primary mechanism you can use to collect contact information. You can keep better records about current donor participation and new people participating. You can use the contact information to follow-up using mail and email. And you can better track who actually attends from who registered.
• You WANT donors and non-donors alike to attend your events. You want donors to feel some level of pride in the mission successes you are delivering. And you want non-donors to wonder what they’re missing. So, differentiate between current donors and non-donors at the events. For example use different colors of nametags or print inexpensive logo stickers and ask donors to wear it on their clothing during the event. Everyone else can have a brochure.
• Follow up after all events by sending email thanking everyone for coming and encouraging them to stay involved. Specifically ask all non-donors to make a donation. I suggest asking for a specific gift, but I suggest keeping it fairly low – like $35. Then make it clear that gifts of any size are gratefully accepted.
• Assign a host for every event. The host should be a volunteer and preferably a Board director. This person should greet everyone as they arrive, make a small welcome announcement at some point, introduce any topical experts (staff) who may be present, and sign the thank you messages afterward.
• Train the host: At some point during every outreach event the host should say the following (or words to this effect): This wonderful place (program, project, outcome, or experience) was made possible, in part, by the several hundred donors who support the mission of the land trust every year. If you are one of us, know that we are grateful. If you are not, we invite you to join so this vital work can continue. When you give, you are making a lasting difference for the conservation of nature, protection of wildlife and habitat, support of local farms and farmers, stronger climate resilience, and free access to the outdoors right here, close to home, for everybody. Let me know if I can answer any questions.
• Know that the effectiveness of just about any event will wane over time. More people are coming, but they are the same people every time. This event used to attract 20-30 new donors; not it only attracts 4 or 5. Know when this is beginning to happen and do something to change it up. Or retire the event completely for several years before bringing it back.

February is a great time to lay out an outreach event strategy and calendar for the year. Keep it creative and fun, but don’t back away from the call to action!

Cheers and Have a Good Week!

-da

PS: Your comments on these posts are welcomed and warmly requested. If you have not posted a comment before, or if you are using a new email address, please know that there may be a delay in seeing your posted comment. That’s my SPAM defense at work. I approve all comments as soon as I am able during the day.

Photo by G Halpin courtesy Pixabay