Without fundraising, your organization wouldn’t be able to stay up and running, further your causes, or help those that you serve.
In other words, fundraising is absolutely crucial to your success. Almost all nonprofit efforts tie into fundraising in some way.
But with the introduction of increasingly advanced technology, fundraising is constantly changing. Many organizations aren’t sure how to navigate this ever-evolving landscape.
Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. In this guide, we’ve compiled a list of nearly 30 strategies (most of them digital) that will help you rock your fundraising!
Use the navigation on the left to jump down to the categories your organization is most interested in, or read through our guide to gain a more comprehensive fundraising strategy.
Website Fundraising Strategies
Your nonprofit’s website is the cornerstone of your digital fundraising efforts.
It’s how many supporters will first come into contact with you, and it’s where the majority of them will give online.
That being the case, it couldn’t be more important to optimize your website!
By doing so, you’ll be able to raise more now and consistently engage your donors, so you can establish the deeper relationships that will help you raise more down the line.
Ensure your website is up-to-date.
An up-to-date website will establish greater credibility with your donors and extend their site visits, both of which result in more online donations.
Tell your story.
By telling your story on your website, you’ll be able to relate to donors on a more personal level and make your cause more compelling.
Include a “More Ways to Give” Page.
By including a “More Ways to Give” page on your website, you’ll appeal to more of your donors’ preferences, resulting in higher levels of donor engagement.
Make Sure It’s Mobile-Responsive.
A mobile-responsive website creates a good user experience for all browsers and results in more mobile donors.
Online Donation Form Strategies
Your online donation form is the key player when it comes to facilitating online donations.
It’s where donors will actually be submitting their contributions, so it couldn’t be more important to optimize your form.
When your form is user-friendly and accessible, your donors will be far more likely to give to your organization online, and you should see higher digital retention and conversion rates.
That means improved fundraising results both now and in the future!
Brand your form to your organization.
Branding your form to your organization results in more online donations, because donors will be certain that they’re always interacting with a nonprofit they know and trust.
Use a Unique Form for Each Campaign.
Creating separate donation forms for each of your fundraising campaigns makes your forms more specific, which leads to increased online donations.
Include Emotionally-Compelling Images.
Placing an emotionally-moving image on each of your donation forms can make your forms more compelling.
Keep Your Form Minimal.
Minimizing the amount of required fields on your donation forms will make it much more convenient for donors to give online, which leads to a higher volume of donations.
Include Multiple Giving Levels.
By presenting donors with multiple giving levels, your online donation forms will subtly influence them to give more.
Encourage Recurring Gifts.
By including the option to set up recurring giving on your online donation forms, your organization will see more recurring donors, and thus, gain a more valuable base.
Email Fundraising Strategies
Email is one of the primary digital outreach channels that nonprofits use to keep up with their donors.
Organizations use emails for a number of things, including asking for donations, of course!
In fact, about 1/3 of online gifts are made as a result of email marketing.
However, since donors actually have to leave their email and visit your website to submit a donation, convincing them to give over email definitely takes a bit of strategy.
Read our tips to learn how you can make your email outreach as compelling as possible to see better fundraising results!
Split-Test Subject Lines.
Split-testing can help your organization craft more powerful subject lines so that more donors will open your emails.
Be Direct.
Being direct in your emails makes your donation asks more explicit. When donors know exactly what you’re requesting, they’ll be more likely to help!
Keep It Short.
Keeping your emails between 150-250 words creates the best chance that donors will read the entirety of your emails and make it to the ask.
Engage Before Asking.
When you use your email campaigns to engage donors outside of the donation process, your organization will be able to build the long-lasting relationships that result in more donations.
Segment Your List.
By segmenting your email list, your organization can more effectively cater to the needs and preferences of each of your constituent groups to see greater engagement.
Match Emails to Your Donation Page.
Consistency is key to getting your donors to trust you. Matching up your emails with your donation pages never leaves any doubt in donors’ minds about who they’re communicating with.
Follow Up Properly.
Proper follow-ups will make your donor base feel more valued, which leads to a higher number of recurring donors. Make sure to include both a thank you letter and a donation receipt!
Social media has quickly become one of the most popular communication channels and can be an excellent outreach channel for nonprofits.
If you play your cards right, social media can help your organization raise a lot of money in a short amount of time and expand your reach significantly.
All it takes is a concerted effort to engage your supporters and an openness to trying out new fundraising trends.
Check out some of our strategies to see how you can make the most out of your social media presence to win more donations.
Set Aside 15 Minutes Per Day Per Site.
Regularly setting aside time to focus specifically on your social media sites will allow your organization to stay on top of engaging your followers.
Run a Peer-to-Peer Campaign.
Peer-to-peer campaigns can help your organization see better fundraising results and a more expansive supporter base.
Add a “Donate Now” Button to Your Facebook Page.
Adding a “Donate Now” button will make giving through Facebook much more convenient for your followers.
Participate in #GivingTuesday.
#GivingTuesday is one of the newest trends in fundraising and can help your nonprofit reach your fundraising goals in just 24 hours!
Recruit Social Influencers.
Social influencers are respected social media presences who agree to share positive opinions about your organization. They can really help you grow your social media reach!
Advertising Strategies
While advertising isn’t a fundraising strategy in and of itself, strong advertising can do wonders for the success of your fundraising.
Advertising allows you to get the word out about your campaigns and events, which raises more awareness of your cause and work.
By running advertising campaigns, you’ll be able to reach more donors and keep engaging existing ones to see better fundraising results all around.
Keep reading to learn some excellent advertising strategies that are sure to help your organization gain more exposure!
Take Advantage of Online Affiliates Programs.
With online affiliate programs, your organization can raise a little extra cash just by surfing the web as you normally would!
Explore Ad Retargeting.
Ad retargeting is a particularly effective strategy because it appeals to your inbound leads based on their preferences. No more missed opportunities here!
Consider Investing in Facebook Ads.
Through Facebook, your organization can run highly targeted ads that cater to your supporters’ preferences and are thus more likely to engage them.
Advertise Online Fundraising in Offline Outreach.
To receive the most donations, your organization should be creating coherent advertising and outreach strategies that incorporate both online and offline channels.
Social Media Fundraising Strategies