You got this.
Surviving the
2024 Canada Post strike
With the news that a national postal strike is beginning today (Canada Post announcement; CUPW statement; Canadian Press news article), we’ve been working with our mailhouse partners to develop an action plan as we all negotiate this disruption to direct mail fundraising campaigns.
While none of us have a crystal ball, we’re all in agreement that this strike will end, likely sooner than later, given past experiences (Unfortunately, this will be the fifth significant labour disruption at Canada Post I’ve experienced in my 25-year career in direct mail fundraising).
Here’s what I recommend:
If your campaign is in the mail already, it’s a good idea to ensure your donors know how they can make their gift, even if they can’t send it in the mail:
Add a pop-up message on your website homepage.
Add an alert message at the top of your online giving page.
Prepare all of your staff to take phone calls from worried donors and those who want to make a gift over the phone.
Prepare your team with all the tools they need to speak with donors and process their gifts over the phone.
Take the opportunity to have a conversation with your donor if they are interested… update their contact record, ask if they have questions, and perhaps even have the chance to discuss a monthly gift.
Send email updates to all your donors and other supporters (who are emailable, i.e., have not opted out of email messages), letting them know about the other ways they can give, including calling you or making their gift online. And it’s a good idea to carefully and kindly share the potential impact of this strike on your fundraising efforts, of course remaining neutral on the strike itself. This will help your donors understand the importance of making their gift another way.
Consider reaching out to a Telefundraising agency and running a telephone outreach campaign (this can be a compelling reason for donors to switch to monthly giving, too, since their gift is processed automatically and not reliant on the postal service)
Ask the agency if they can also run an SMS (text message) campaign.
Use your social media channels to update your audience on the strike, alternative ways to make their gifts, and the potential impact on your busy fundraising season revenues.
Encourage them to Direct Message you with questions or concerns.
Review your online advertising and lead gen campaigns and consider including messages about the strike to encourage more donors to click through to donate online.
If your campaign is NOT in the mail already, do all of the above and:
Keep your production going with your mailhouse partners… the strike will end, and you will want to be first in line to get your campaign in the mail as soon as possible.
Add a simple insert into your mail package to inform donors about the post-strike impacts and potential delays.
Share other ways donors can give (by phone, online, etc.) to ensure their gift is received as quickly as possible.
If you’re running a matching gift campaign with a deadline, remind donors of the deadline and consider approaching your matching gift donor/sponsor to ask for an extension on the deadline.
This is a big challenge for you and your organization. But you’ve got this! Just keep focused on communicating with your donors and letting them know how they can help. The strike will end. Donations will continue to come in. You will survive.
With the right approach, you have the opportunity to deepen your relationship with your donors through phone conversations and special messaging online, plus the potential to move some donors to a monthly gift.
Please reach out to me directly if you need a sounding board or just need some personal support from a fellow fundraiser. You shouldn’t have to face this alone.
-David Kravinchuk, Philanthropy Firebrad, The Common Good