Miraculous Last Minute Chanukah Marketing Ideas

Tomorrow evening we light the first candle on the menorah and gather our families together to retell the Chanukah story. We recount the miracle of how a small cruse of oil meant to last only one day kept the rededicated Jerusalem Temple menorah lit for eight days . So, enjoy your latkes, jelly doughnuts, and chocolate gelt and if you still have room and the energy to create a few additional holiday messages for your constituents, here are eight to consider.

1. Videotape and post online a Chanukah thank you message from your staff to all your supporters…the cornier, sillier, simpler the better. Send an email pointing people to it.
2. Send a tweet to your Jewish friends asking them to visit your web site and drop some gelt in the pot for the needy in your community. (Note: Have a virtual pot ready to receive!)
3. Ask every staff member to write 8 personal email letters to supporters of your organization they know telling them why they appreciate their support and what their generosity means to them.
4. Commit to securing 8 new email addresses per staff/lay leader by the eighth night of Chanukah.
5. Make a post-Chanukah plan that includes 8 promises you will keep to find more ways to reach more people; tell more stories that will move more people; try new and untested approaches that might not work; thank your staff and supporters in surprising ways.
6. Measure one thing well and keep measuring it for the next 12 months.
7. Keep one promising idea alive for 8 months even if it has not yet demonstrated success. Let staff add ideas to the “marketing ideas oil pot” for the entire year.
8. Quick! Put a Chanukah message on the homepage of your web site (you won’t believe how many of you haven’t done it!) that spreads the message of joy, hopefulness and thanks .

Chag Sameach.

Gail Hyman is a marketing and communications professional who currently focuses her practice, Gail Hyman Consulting, on assisting Jewish nonprofit organizations increase their ranks of supporters and better leverage their communications in the Web 2.0 environment. Gail is a regular contributor to eJewish Philanthropy.