Creating Compelling Year-End Appeals: 4 Best Practices

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Year-end is an extremely important time for nonprofits due to the elevated generosity of the season. After all, 17-20% of the average nonprofit’s revenue is raised in December alone. That’s why a lot of nonprofits host dedicated year-end giving campaigns, complete with engaging fundraising events, online marketing blasts, and more.

To maximize the success of your fundraising, you must craft engaging, compelling appeals to your supporters for gifts. With so many nonprofits vying for their attention during this season, it’s only natural that you want your appeals to stand out to meet your year-end giving goals.

In this guide, we’ll discuss four best practices your nonprofit should adopt to craft compelling year-end appeals that will inspire your supporters to give. Let’s take a look at how you can make this year-end season your most successful yet!

1. Start as early as possible.

Although year-end giving campaigns are executed in the last few months of the year, that doesn’t mean you should start crafting your campaign strategy and fundraising appeals during that time. Here’s an example of a year-end planning calendar from OneCause:

An example of a year-end planning calendar from OneCause, also described in text below.

  • Summer and fall: Start planning your campaigns by mapping out timelines, nailing down event details, and preparing your marketing strategies.
  • October: Build excitement for your year-end campaigns and get the ball rolling early by promoting your upcoming events and sending key information to your audiences.
  • November: Focus your campaigns on GivingTuesday, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday to boost visibility for your efforts.
  • December: Focus on the holidays and leverage them to inspire generosity. Tap into the altruistic message of this month to capture your audience’s interest.
  • Spring: Steward relationships with supporters, new and old, by creating multiple touchpoints. Thank them for their year-end gifts and explain what they helped your nonprofit achieve.

Plan out what your year-end marketing and appeals will look like as early as possible. Use the data collected from previous year-end campaigns to help you determine what themes and messages are most effective for your audience. For example, if your nonprofit serves the local Indian community, you might highlight Diwali in your early year-end appeals and host a community event to help them celebrate.

2. Personalize appeals.

If you’re notorious among your friends for disliking animals and loving plants, would they have more success asking you to take care of their pet dog or potted monstera during their week-long vacation?

To secure the donations your nonprofit needs to power its mission, your appeals must reach the right people, at the right time, with the right messaging. If they don’t, your supporters won’t feel compelled to take action and may even disengage from your organization entirely.

The best way to ensure that your messages resonate is by customizing your appeals to each audience group. Separate your audience into different groups, also known as segments. Here are a few examples of common nonprofit segments:

  • One-time donors
  • Recurring donors
  • Mid-level donors
  • Major donors
  • Legacy or planned donors
  • Volunteers
  • Staff members

Identify the key characteristics, interests, motivations, and past giving behavior of these groups with the data stored in your nonprofit constituent relationship management (CRM) system. Use this information as the foundation for personalizing your appeals.

Let’s take volunteers, for example. As they regularly donate their time and efforts to support your organization, it’s clear that they’re loyal to your cause and want to help your mission as best they can. In your appeals, thank your volunteers for the support they’ve already given to your nonprofit. Then, frame your ask as an additional way they can make a difference for your organization and highlight where your year-end funds are going. Make sure to be specific! Finally, direct them to your donation page so they can make their gift.

3. Secure emotional buy-in with storytelling.

Adding storytelling elements to your nonprofit’s year-end appeals enables you to secure emotional buy-in, boost interest, and ultimately increase donations. Not convinced? Let’s look at this example of two approaches to discussing an animal shelter’s impact:

  • Recently, we nursed a sick cat back to health and gave him basic behavioral training. Now, he can go to a family that needs a pet.
  • When Chester first came to us, he was malnourished and untrusting of humans. Over our time together, we’ve helped him gain three pounds to reach a healthy weight. With lots of socialization and behavioral training, he’s regained his confidence. Now, Chester’s ready to find a loving family to be his forever home!

Ultimately, both approaches provide the same information. However, the latter takes a narrative-driven angle that keeps the reader engaged and helps them connect emotionally with the impact the nonprofit has made. That’s the power of storytelling—and you can leverage it for your year-end appeals!

According to UpMetrics, these are the key elements of nonprofit storytelling:

  • Character: the who or what the narrative is centered around, usually a person, animal, or place
  • Setting: where your story takes place
  • Plot: the sequence of events that takes place
  • Conflict: the obstacle(s) your character faces in the story
  • Resolution: the final outcome of the narrative

Think back on your year, including the projects you’ve funded, the campaigns you’ve pushed forward, the events you’ve hosted, and the beneficiaries you’ve helped. In all these moments, select a few of the most compelling ones to feature in your year-end appeals. Communicate them using the storytelling elements above to demonstrate your impact to donors and highlight how giving to your organization is a worthwhile investment.

4. Create a sense of urgency.

Leverage the time-sensitive nature of your year-end fundraising goals to create a sense of urgency within your appeals. This is a highly effective tactic, as it encourages your donors to act quickly or even at that moment. When your supporters put off or delay making their gifts, you risk them forgetting to make it entirely. Having an urgent year-end appeal helps you secure their gifts, effectively boosting your fundraising revenue.

Here are a few ways you can create a sense of urgency within your year-end appeals:

  • Time-sensitive language: Use time-sensitive language to emphasize the urgency of your appeal. Highlight how much time supporters have to donate and use vocabulary associated with immediacy, such as “now” or “today.” For example, you might say: “Donate now to help us meet our fundraising goals!”
  • Countdown imagery: Include countdown imagery in your messaging and on your website. For example, have a countdown clock next to a fundraising thermometer that displays how close you are to your goals. Supporters who see this visual will feel compelled to donate to fill up your thermometer.
  • Strong, clear calls to action: Make it clear what action you want your donors to take through clear, succinct calls to action. Additionally, if supporters need to navigate to your donation page or campaign page to make a gift, include those links in your messages for a streamlined process.
  • Remind supporters about tax deductions: For donors who itemize their taxes and look to minimize their tax burden, a reminder about the deadline to donate to claim the deduction on that year’s taxes can spur extra gifts.

Send your messages through multiple channels to maximize the number of donors who see your urgent appeals and increase conversions. Your website, email newsletters, and social media posts are great places to start, as they allow you to connect with loyal supporters and potential new ones.

Year-end is not just a time for fundraising—it’s also a prime opportunity for you to strengthen new and existing donor relationships. With the right year-end appeals, you’ll boost donations for your mission and help your audience connect more deeply with your cause, resulting in more support in the future!

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5 Engaging Year-End Fundraising Ideas for Your Nonprofit

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It’s no secret that year-end giving is critical to nonprofits’ success. Research shows that 30% of annual charitable donations occur in December, and 10% of contributions happen in the last three days of the year!

This end-of-year giving surge is the perfect opportunity for your nonprofit to strengthen its relationships with donors and set itself up to retain their support for another year. To maximize supporter engagement opportunities during this season of generosity, consider supplementing your usual annual giving initiatives with fresh year-end and holiday fundraising ideas.

In this guide, we’ll discuss five of our favorite year-end fundraisers, many of which involve activities your supporters may already participate in during the holiday season. Let’s dive in!

1. Online Shopping Fundraiser

During the holiday season, shopping becomes increasingly popular as people buy everything from decorations to gifts to items that will help them execute their New Year’s resolutions. Consider giving your supporters a way to contribute to your nonprofit and shop more ethically by launching an online shopping fundraiser!

During an online shopping fundraiser, your organization earns a portion of your supporters’ sales totals when they make purchases at participating e-commerce businesses. You can launch this campaign in three simple steps:

  • Partner with an online shopping fundraiser platform—they’ll walk you through setting up your campaign and provide the app your supporters will use to automatically contribute to your organization as they shop.
  • Promote your fundraiser across all of your nonprofit’s print and digital marketing channels so supporters know how to participate.
  • Track your results so you can improve your marketing strategies throughout the holiday season and thank participants for their individual contributions.

Online shopping fundraisers cost nothing to run, and the best programs will provide support throughout the whole process, from handling retailer negotiations to designing marketing materials. Plus, you can leave your fundraiser open after the holiday season ends so participants can continue to support your cause with their purchases all year long!

2. Gift Card Fundraising

Your nonprofit can also tap into holiday gift-giving through gift card fundraising. Similar to an online shopping fundraiser, supporters buy gift cards to popular retailers and restaurants, and a portion of their purchase goes directly to your organization. While the end of the year is an especially good time to launch a gift card fundraiser, this also works as a year-round campaign since supporters will likely need to purchase gifts throughout the year for birthdays, graduations, weddings, and various other occasions.

ShopRaise’s gift card fundraising guide recommends choosing digital gift cards over physical ones for your organization’s fundraiser because supporters can receive them via email within minutes of purchase rather than having to wait for them to come in the mail. Then, they can give the gift card to its intended recipient simply by forwarding the email.

Supporters may also purchase fundraising gift cards for themselves so they can give back to a good cause while eating out or doing their own shopping. If your nonprofit runs a gift card fundraiser and online shopping fundraiser concurrently, a shopper can buy a gift card and then use it to pay for their purchases through your online shopping fundraiser, thereby contributing even more to your mission!

3. Virtual Silent Auction

Put a competitive twist on your supporters’ online holiday shopping with a virtual silent auction! Online auctions take the excitement of a traditional silent auction and make it more convenient for supporters since they can participate from anywhere. They’re also more cost effective for your nonprofit, although you should invest in auction-specific fundraising software to make your event go as smoothly as possible.

In addition to choosing an auction platform, some other key steps for organizing a virtual silent auction include:

  • Setting clear goals for supporter participation and revenue generation.
  • Securing corporate sponsorships to help offset the event’s upfront costs.
  • Procuring a variety of prizes that appeal to your supporters’ interests, from gift baskets to event tickets to vacation packages.
  • Marketing your auction early and often to maximize signup opportunities.

Make sure to collect data during your event so you can analyze it to determine whether you achieved your goals, and make informed decisions when planning future auctions.

4. Holiday eCards

If supporters purchase holiday gifts for their friends and family via your nonprofit’s online shopping, gift card, or virtual auction fundraisers, they may want to buy greeting cards to go with them. With a holiday-season charity eCard fundraiser, you can help them do just that!

To launch your eCard fundraiser, follow these basic steps:

  • Choose an eCard platform that makes it easy for nonprofits to create and sell their own designs.
  • Design a variety of holiday cards featuring your organization’s branding and mission-related imagery where appropriate (for example, an animal shelter might use photos of dogs and cats in holiday-themed costumes surrounded by seasonal decor).
  • Sell your designs by embedding the cards into your digital donation page or adding them to your nonprofit’s online store, and raise funds with each purchase!

In addition to fundraising during the holidays, eCardWidget recommends using your nonprofit’s eCard platform to send eye-catching event invitations and thank donors for their year-end gifts. You can also turn this into a year-round fundraiser by designing eCards for various holidays, birthdays, and other special occasions.

5. In-Kind Donation Drive

While many supporters probably want to buy items during the holiday season, some may also want to declutter their homes heading into the new year or simply give back in a tangible way. Your nonprofit can cater to these individuals by hosting an in-kind donation drive.

As you plan your year-end in-kind donation drive, you have a few options. First, determine what kinds of goods to request from supporters, such as supplies for a program you plan to launch in the new year or items to give to community members in need during the holiday season (food, winter clothes, children’s gifts, etc.). Then, decide whether to collect these goods in person by designating drop-off locations around your area or host your fundraiser virtually by creating an online wishlist so supporters can ship items directly to you.

No matter your approach, make sure to establish clear guidelines about the types and conditions of in-kind donations your nonprofit can and can’t accept. For example, you might state that donated food can’t be opened or expired, or that you’ll only take new, unwrapped toys for your holiday gift drive. These rules reduce the risk of receiving unusable or hazardous items and can help you explain to supporters why you may not be able to accept some of their generous gifts.

For all of these year-end fundraisers, prompt, personalized donor appreciation is critical. By showing supporters that your nonprofit recognizes and values their individual contributions, you’ll be more likely to retain them into the new year and beyond. Happy fundraising!

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6 Fundraising Ideas to Strengthen Donor Relationships

The importance of donor relationships is no mystery to nonprofit leaders. A strong connection between donors and nonprofits often leads to increased engagement and a greater sense of community among supporters. But how can your nonprofit focus on cultivating these connections while raising money for its cause?

In this guide, we’ll explain the role fundraising can play in donor engagement and review six effective fundraising ideas to simultaneously strengthen donor relationships and fund your work.

How can fundraisers help you engage and retain donors?

Fundraisers aren’t just about asking for money. While the main goal is to raise funds for your cause, strategic fundraising campaigns are also opportunities to empower donors, bring communities together, demonstrate your impact, and so much more. The right fundraisers can be powerful tools for engaging and retaining donors long-term.

Specifically, you can use your fundraising campaigns to strengthen relationships by:

  • Learning more about donors’ interests and passions at fundraising events.
  • Encouraging supporters to take the lead on fundraising and deepen their involvement with your nonprofit.
  • Emphasizing the impact you’ve achieved together with their donations and your organization’s work.
  • Giving donors a glimpse into your nonprofit’s future goals, plans, and priorities.

As we explore these fundraising ideas, think about how you might incorporate donor engagement strategies into each one. We’ll discuss a few strategies you can try, but remember that your organization is the expert on your unique donor base—zero in on the tactics you know will resonate with your donors most. Now, let’s dive into our fundraising ideas!

1. Peer-to-Peer Campaigns

One of the most important parts of relationship building is understanding the other person’s perspective. This is why your nonprofit should work to learn more about each supporter and the motivations behind their involvement. Donors who feel recognized and valued will ultimately be more engaged in your organization long-term.

Peer-to-peer campaigns are an effective way to have direct interactions with your supporters in order to learn more about why they love your organization. These campaigns raise money through the advocacy of your supporters, who recruit their friends and family members to donate to your organization. Volunteer fundraisers create and share their own personal campaign pages, typically on social media, through which their peers can donate to your nonprofit.

There are two types of peer-to-peer campaigns your nonprofit might host:

  1. Rolling campaign: This is a peer-to-peer campaign with no time limit. Since they have no deadline, these campaigns can operate alongside other fundraising events and initiatives (think Facebook birthday campaigns).
  2. Time-based campaign: These campaigns raise money by a predetermined deadline and are often tied to events.

In either campaign format, you can see how donors talk about and advocate for your nonprofit. But to build strong relationships, communication must go both ways. By explaining your cause and how donors should advocate for it, donors will understand more about your organization’s perspective and deepen their connection to your cause.

2. Product Fundraisers

Most people enjoy receiving a little something in return for their donations. Not only does this incentivize giving, but it also helps you connect with donors in a memorable way by offering a tangible gift in return for their contributions.

Product fundraisers allow nonprofits to do just that. By selling various products to supporters, your nonprofit will not only raise money for its cause but also offer a gift to donors. Nonprofits can sell a wide variety of products for this type of fundraiser, including:

  • Branded merchandise like t-shirts, water bottles, or stickers with your nonprofit’s branding.
  • Food, such as cookie dough, popcorn, chocolate bars, and other snacks.
  • Seasonal items, including candles or Christmas ornaments for the holiday season or flower bulbs for spring.

This fundraising idea also naturally lends itself to pairing with other fundraising events, giving you double the opportunities to raise funds and engage donors. For instance, ABC Fundraising suggests hosting a cookie-making event or bake sale at the end of a cookie dough fundraiser to maximize your fundraising potential.

3. A-Thon Events

Community fundraising events like A-thons place the focus solely on connection and socialization, enabling you to easily strengthen donor relationships while you collect donations.

A-Thon events are challenge-based activities that raise money and engage supporters through healthy competition. Any variation of this fundraiser works by establishing a challenge and having donors collect pledges from family and friends dependent on their performance in the challenge. Nonprofits can make almost any activity an A-Thon event, from traditional walk-a-thons to specialized bake-a-thons and dance-a-thons.

Since these events are highly customizable, they’re a creative opportunity for nonprofits to learn about and tap into their donors’ interests and hobbies. You can also easily align them with your nonprofit’s mission to boost donors’ feelings of connection. For example, take a look at how All Out Adventures connects supporters to its adaptive recreation programs with a kayak-a-thon:

Fundraising campaign page for All Out Adventures’ annual kayak-a-thon

4. Galas

Challenging activities engage supporters because of the excitement of participating in the activity. In contrast, high-end fundraising events are a calmer opportunity for your nonprofit to build relationships with its donors without the distraction of a high-energy activity.

Both in-person and virtual galas can raise money for your nonprofit’s cause while also allowing your organization’s leaders to speak with donors one-on-one and learn more about them and their families. For light entertainment, your gala could include:

  • Keynote speakers: Recruit one of your organization’s leaders or hire a professional speaker to give a speech related to your nonprofit’s work and the significance of your cause.
  • Raffles or auctions: Consider selling raffle tickets to win special prizes, like a gift basket or discounts at local establishments.
  • Local bands: Invite a local band to provide live music and connect donors with the community.
  • Unique performances: Find unique entertainment, like a comedian or magician, to give a special performance at your event.

While attendees eat and enjoy the entertainment, your nonprofit’s leaders can focus on mingling and getting to know each supporter. This event type also allows donors to socialize with each other, which can further strengthen the community within your nonprofit.

5. Donor-Driven Campaigns

This twist on peer-to-peer fundraising allows your donors to bring their campaign visions to life. And, with the right training and resources from your nonprofit, their passion for your cause can greatly boost your funds. Here’s how a donor-driven campaign works:

  1. Open your donor-driven campaign program to your supporter base and collect signups.
  2. Once the signup window has closed, gather your participants for a fundraising training session. During this session, donors pick what they want their campaign to look like, set goals, and start crafting outreach materials.
  3. Give your participants resources to succeed. These will vary based on the participant’s fundraising idea, but you can provide them a profile on your peer-to-peer fundraising website to start. Also, offer them templates for emails and social media posts so participants can market their personal campaigns more effectively.
  4. Offer coaching throughout the campaign. Set up short meetings with your participants to answer questions and provide advice so they can hit their fundraising goals.

This empowering fundraising idea works because you give donors complete control over how they want to collect gifts and conduct outreach. This flexibility allows them to play to their strengths and builds their personal investment in your cause.

Your nonprofit can also leverage this program to demonstrate donor appreciation. Giving donors control over how they run their campaigns shows them how much you value their passion for your mission. You can also formally show appreciation by hosting a thank-you banquet for all participants after the campaign ends, no matter how successful their personal campaigns were.

6. Volunteer Grants

What better way to strengthen relationships with donors than through volunteering? With volunteer grants, you can encourage donors to increase their involvement by volunteering and donating money without dipping into their own pockets.

360MatchPro defines volunteer grants as “a type of corporate giving program wherein businesses donate to the nonprofits their employees volunteer with.” Essentially, companies that run these programs commit to donating a specific amount of money to your nonprofit when their employees volunteer and report their hours. For instance, a volunteer might earn $50 for your nonprofit for every 15 hours they volunteer, or they might earn a $200 grant after reaching a certain hour threshold.

This fundraising idea shows donors that they can support your nonprofit in a multitude of ways, and it provides opportunities to get to know donors better by interacting with them at in-person volunteer events. To promote this fundraiser, simply let donors know that they might be eligible for volunteer grants and provide information about how they can request a grant.

Nonprofits are always looking for creative ways to raise money, but the most important part of fundraising is cultivating strong relationships with donors. After all, donors are the lifeblood of your organization’s operations. With these fundraising ideas, you can genuinely pursue deeper connections with supporters and celebrate all they do for your organization.

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Effective Donor Segmentation Strategies to Drive Revenue

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Giving trends in the nonprofit sector are reflecting larger economic patterns. While the total revenue raised on GivingTuesday 2023 showed a small increase compared to 2022, the number of donors dropped by 10%. This and other similar trends could be cause for concern as your donors and development team alike contend with inflation and concerns about the future of the economy.

Although they aren’t favorable, these findings shouldn’t cause your organization to panic. Instead, focus on preparing for whatever the future holds by protecting and diversifying your revenue streams. One way to do this is by strengthening and personalizing your digital marketing efforts to appeal to your supporters’ unique giving motivations, boosting donations.

We’ll explore some of the top strategies you can use to inspire more support for your cause using segmentation—but first, let’s cover the basics of this process.

Donor Segmentation Basics

GivingDNA’s guide to donor segmentation defines the term as “a strategy that nonprofits use to separate a donor base into smaller subgroups based on shared traits and characteristics.” Segmenting donors helps you break down your full donor database into more manageable subgroups.

By uncovering distinct preferences and interests through external data insights, you can create segments based on those details that will help you develop more targeted, tailored communications. These groups, or segments, can be based on a variety of characteristics. Some of the most common categories include:

  • Demographic data like age, gender, geographic location, income, and more.
  • Psychographic data, which denotes information about the donors’ lifestyles, interests, hobbies, and values.
  • Giving behavior like gift size, frequency, and recency.
  • Communication preferences, such as preferred communication channels, frequency, and content formats.
  • Engagement history, which reflects donors’ interactions with your communications, attendance at events, volunteer hours, and more.

These categories simply provide a starting point for your nonprofit. Depending on your unique needs, goals, and projects, you might experiment with more niche or specific segments.

4 Ways to Inspire Donations Using Donor Segmentation

Start with an RFM analysis.

An RFM analysis segments your donors based on the recency, frequency, and monetary value of their donations. This type of analysis can help your nonprofit identify the donors who are most likely to give. This way, you’ll gain a baseline understanding of your donor base and be able to allocate your marketing resources efficiently.

Here is a breakdown of each component of the RFM model:

  • Recency: This refers to the amount of time that has passed since the supporter’s last donation. For example, perhaps they made an online gift two months ago after being inspired by your email marketing campaign.
  • Frequency: This metric indicates the number of times a donor gives, usually within the last 36 months or so, representing how often they donate. Some may only give once a year or less, while members of your sustainer program donate each month.
  • Monetary value: This tracks the amount of money a donor contributes to your cause. The best way to calculate this value is to find the donor’s median gift size over a certain time period, either five years or whenever you acquired the donor.

From here, score donors based on each of these components and then filter them into the appropriate segments. For example, let’s say you have a donor who gave three months ago, donates twice per year, and usually gives slightly more than your organization-wide average gift amount. This donor would have a high RFM score and should be placed in a segment for donors who are likely to donate in response to your marketing efforts.

While RFM analyses can be a great place to start, they only provide limited insight. These analyses can help you forecast how donors will respond to your appeals, but they are purely based on past behaviors. Additionally, the RFM model excludes many other important dimensions of donor behavior, particularly why they give.

Examine interests and psychographic characteristics.

Given the limitations of the RFM model, you’ll also need to learn why donors choose to support your cause. When you’ve uncovered their deeper motivations and personal connections to the issue, you can infer which stories, strategies, and appeals would be most effective in your marketing campaigns.

For example, let’s say a healthcare organization that researches multiple sclerosis (MS) and provides services to those battling the disease wants to dig deeper into why donors support the cause. Here is how this organization could use common psychographic traits to segment and appeal to donors:

  • Lifestyle: There is a wide variety of lifestyle factors to consider, such as donors’ opinions, attitudes, social class, and personality. For example, are they adventurous risk-takers or conservative and family-oriented? The healthcare organization decides to segment donors based on their activity level and shares appeals that highlight the importance of mobility in quality of life to those who like to exercise and get outside.
  • Hobbies and interests: This includes the things that donors like to spend doing in their free time, such as golfing, hiking, cooking, creative writing, or volunteering. The nonprofit creates a segment of donors who are passionate about nutrition and healthy, home-cooked meals. Then, it shares educational resources about nutrition, promotes tickets to a healthy cooking workshop, and invites supporters to participate in a recipe contest.
  • Values and beliefs: Understanding donors’ values and belief systems will help you appeal to their sense of purpose. For instance, our example nonprofit could find that many of its donors believe strongly in equality and social justice. In this case, the organization could target the segment with appeals that highlight how its work and research work to address healthcare disparities and provide desperately needed services to those with MS.

For most people, their values, beliefs, and interests are deeply ingrained in who they are. So, you’ll be able to rely on insights from these segments for much longer than other traits that are subject to change (e.g., income), which can help you run profitable fundraising initiatives long into the future.

Track donor lifecycles.

Your donors pass through several distinct phases or “seasons” in their interactions with your nonprofit. Together, these phases make up the donor lifecycle, a process that encapsulates donors’ journey from discovering your nonprofit and donating for the first time to upgrading their support.

Understanding where donors fall in this lifecycle is crucial for properly welcoming new supporters, creating donor stewardship strategies, cultivating major donors, and motivating lapsed donors to re-engage. For example, let’s say you create segments for first-time donors, multi-year donors, and those who haven’t given in the last year. Here is how your communication strategies might differ for each segment:

  • First-time donors: Start with a heartfelt thank-you, then aim to welcome these donors and educate them about your cause. Share a welcome email series or mail them a packet with materials they need to get to know your organization. Inform them of other ways to get involved to encourage them to engage more deeply. Carefully track data about this segment’s preferences and responses to messages to improve your recruitment efforts.
  • Multi-year, active donors: During this phase, focus on stewarding your relationships with donors with the eventual goal of an upgrade. Keep your nonprofit on their minds by frequently communicating with them through their preferred channels. Make sure these messages also consider the other traits we’ve discussed. For example, invite them to fundraising events happening in their local area or share about initiatives that appeal to their special interests.
  • Donors at risk of lapsing: These donors haven’t engaged with your nonprofit in a while—it’s up to you to determine why that is and inspire them to come back! Try sharing a survey asking them why they no longer support your organization to pinpoint weak points in your strategy. This segment likely won’t respond to demands for donations. Instead, start with smaller, more doable asks (e.g., reading a blog post about a specific beneficiary). Ask them to come back, whether they are attending an event, volunteering, or donating.

Knowing where your donors are in their journey not only boosts retention and revenue—it also shows them that you notice and care when they make that first gift or haven’t engaged in a while. They’ll feel valued for their individual efforts to support your work and seen as more than just a dollar sign.

Create donor personas.

Donor personas are profiles of fictional people who represent your target audience(s). Personas are designed to encapsulate the main traits and motivations of each donor segment, giving you a clear image of who those supporters are and what pushes them to take action.

For example, here’s a donor persona for a fictional donor named Clara Thompson:

Sample donor persona (interpreted in text below).

Based on this persona, your team could extrapolate insights about the segment’s preferences. For example, someone like Clara who travels often, leads a busy life, and is passionate about technology would likely respond best to digital communications that make it quick and easy to donate. However, you may have another segment of retired seniors who would rather receive monthly updates via direct mail.

Referencing your entire donor database is important—this shows you organization-wide patterns you might otherwise miss. However, donor segmentation is an invaluable tool that will only become more important as hyper-personalized marketing becomes the norm. Applying these segmentation strategies to your marketing campaigns will give you the knowledge and ability to target donors with messages that feel made for them.

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Reasons to Integrate Your Donor Database and Marketing Tools

As a nonprofit professional, you know there is no one-size-fits-all approach to marketing, donor communications, or fundraising. That’s because the most effective tactics for attracting support and securing gifts depend on your specific mission, resources, and audience. Many organizations turn to donor analytics to better understand how they can refine their strategies and maximize results.

If you’re looking for insights to improve your marketing initiatives and expand your reach, integrating your constituent relationship management system (CRM) and your marketing tools can be a game changer. In this guide, we’ll walk through the following advantages of doing so:

  1. Produce marketing materials that resonate with donors.
  2. Focus on the most effective marketing channels.
  3. Improve donor follow-up communications.

By integrating your donor database with your marketing technology, you’ll be able to connect these tools and streamline the process of leveraging donor data to supercharge your marketing activities. Let’s explore how your nonprofit can benefit from these integrations.

Various useful integrations that nonprofits should implement with their donor database.

1. Produce marketing materials that resonate with donors.

With so much content floating around online, it’s not enough for donors to merely consume your nonprofit’s social media posts and blog articles—you need to find ways to spark their interest and inspire them to take action.

An integration between your CRM and marketing tools allows you to leverage the information you’ve collected about your donors to create accurate audience personas. Personas are fictional representations of the different types of donors in your nonprofit’s audience.

These profiles are based on shared characteristics such as:

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Location
  • Interests/Motivations
  • Communication Preferences
  • Average Gift Size

For example, an animal welfare nonprofit might have one persona outlining the traits, interests, and behaviors of older, major donors and another persona defining its younger, recurring donors.

To connect with its major donor persona, the nonprofit might realize that many of these individuals have large social networks of people who are passionate about animal welfare. As a result, they may reach out via emails or phone calls to see if these donors are interested in becoming a challenge donor, where they’ll make a significant gift if the organization manages to meet a predetermined fundraising campaign goal.

To engage their recurring donor persona, the marketing team could create more social media posts related to involvement opportunities such as volunteering at adoption events or becoming a peer-to-peer fundraiser, since these individuals are more likely to frequent these platforms and may not have as much of a capacity to make larger gifts to the nonprofit.

2. Focus on the most effective marketing channels.

In addition to informing how your nonprofit approaches donor segmentation, integrating your donor database and marketing tools ensures that you allocate your time and resources to the most impactful channels. By tracking and referencing donor engagement on each channel, you can determine which platforms you should focus your efforts on.

For instance, consider the following popular marketing channels and common methods to assess engagement on them:

  • Email. Whether you’re sending out a weekly newsletter or following up to say “thank you” for a donation, email is a tried-and-true way to connect with your nonprofit’s audience. Keep an eye on metrics such as your open rate, click-through rate, and unsubscribe rate to gauge whether donors are interested in your email content.
  • Social Media. From Facebook to Instagram to TikTok, there are numerous social media platforms your nonprofit can use to develop an active presence. However, different members of your audience will have different platforms they prefer. Evaluate your follower counts, impressions, and number of likes and comments to identify which platforms receive the most engagement from your donors.
  • Website. 68% of nonprofits surveyed by Nonprofit Tech for Good have redesigned their website in the last three years. Your website is often the first place prospective and current donors go to find more information about your nonprofit. Keep tabs on the number of new vs. returning visitors, bounce rate, and average session duration to analyze whether your website content appeals to your audience.
  • Direct Mail. Sending direct mail to your donors can be a powerful way to leave a lasting impression on them. Physical letters add a personal touch to your nonprofit’s communications, allowing you to keep your mission at the top of your recipients’ minds. Measure your return on investment (ROI) by reviewing your conversion rate, average donation amount, and donor acquisition cost.

As these numbers shift over time, you can adjust your marketing strategy and evaluate whether the changes you made are paying off. Repeat this process of improving and assessing to boost your results in the long run.

3. Improve donor follow-up communications.

According to Bloomerang’s donation page best practices, you should go beyond a simple gift confirmation page when it comes to appreciating donors for their contributions. With an integration between your donor management software and marketing tools, you can automate follow-up emails that are prompt and personalized with each recipient’s name.

To make a lasting impression with your automated thank-you communications, follow these tips:

  • Set the email to send within 48 hours after the donor makes a gift.
  • Craft an eye-catching subject line that is no longer than 60 characters.
  • Specify the impact of the donor’s gift, such as “Your generous donation will go toward providing veterinary care for our three newest parakeet rescues.”
  • Include compelling images that represent your mission.

Additionally, based on their engagement and giving history, you can share other involvement opportunities that are most likely to resonate with the donor. For example, if you find that one donor enjoys interacting with your nonprofit on social media and has a large online network, you might invite them to launch a birthday fundraiser on your behalf. Or, if another donor attends the majority of your events, you might suggest that they volunteer at your next fundraiser.

Integrating your donor database and marketing tools means that you can leverage more data insights to enhance your outreach, connect more deeply with donors, and ultimately boost your fundraising results. Consult with your CRM provider to explore available integration options and start tapping into the power of your donor data.

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Promoting Your Next Walkathon: 4 Strategies for Schools

Walk-a-thons are simple and affordable to organize, encourage participants to get outside, and can even engage individuals outside your school’s community. Plus, this versatile idea will work for many age levels and groups, from baseball teams to high school marching bands to general school-wide campaigns. With all these benefits, it makes sense that so many schools choose walk-a-thon fundraisers.

But selecting a fundraising idea that everyone is excited about is just half the battle—the other half is promoting your walk-a-thon to attract the participants, donors, and volunteers you need to meet your goals. In this guide, we’ll explore the four top strategies you need to build a solid marketing foundation and make your event a success. Let’s get started!

1. Take a peer-to-peer approach.

Peer-to-peer fundraising (P2P) is a form of crowdfunding in which your supporters promote your campaign and fundraise on your behalf. Typically, participants share your fundraiser online with their family members and friends. This means that your school will have help from dozens of supporters when promoting the campaign.

As a result, P2P fundraising helps your school reach a larger audience, raise more support from new donors, and strengthen relationships with existing supporters by giving them a way to engage more deeply.

Often, schools encourage students to collect pledged donations from their personal networks. These donations are collected after the fundraiser ends. Here’s 99Pledges’s breakdown of the process:

  1. Your school launches its peer-to-peer, pledge fundraising campaign (in this case, a walk-a-thon).
  2. Students receive personal donation pages in addition to a school-wide donation page.
  3. Students share their donation page links with friends and family to collect pledge donations. For a walk-a-thon, they might collect pledged gifts of $5 per mile walked.
  4. After the fundraiser ends, the pledges are donated to your school! For example, if the student walked three miles, they’ll receive $15 from each donor.

Make it easy for participants to spread the word about your fundraiser with dedicated walk-a-thon software or pledge fundraising tools. A solution that specializes in these types of events will be able to provide each of your registered walkers with a pledge page, which they can then easily share.

Encourage your walkers to actively promote their pledge pages to help your school tap into new audiences. Ask your students and families to share them through social media posts and emails, including their personalized fundraising appeals or stories about what your school means to them. Hearing their motivations and reasons to contribute will help put a face to the cause.

2. Use multiple communication channels.

As you and your walkers promote your walk-a-thon, use multiple communication channels to maximize your reach. For instance, most marketing strategies typically rely on both digital and physical outlets to spread the word about campaigns and events:

  • Social media: Your first step is to promote your walk-a-thon on your organization’s main profile pages. Include a link directly to your event page so interested individuals can sign up to walk or make a pledge. Then, encourage your walkers to focus on social media as well. Their friends and families are likely checking these feeds very frequently.
  • Email: Send announcements, appeals, and digital fundraising cards or event invites to your school’s broader community. Include clear instructions for getting involved or donating and links to relevant landing pages. Encourage your walkers (or their parents) to share their personal fundraising pages via email, too. Provide them with pledge request email templates so they don’t have to write marketing messages from scratch.
  • SMS: Connect with your supporters via text messages. Share reminders to donate, updates about the walk-a-thon event, and links to your website or donation page. Text messages are a great way to re-engage any individuals who may have viewed your donation page but not completed it.
  • Print media: Don’t forget about traditional marketing tactics like flyers, posters, and direct mail. Hand out flyers at school and in community hubs (e.g., public libraries) and ask local businesses if you can hang promotional posters in their windows. Direct mail, which is delivered to supporters’ homes, is a great way to engage with older generations and make your efforts feel more personal and trustworthy.

If your school has room in its budget, you can also leverage paid advertising like Google Ads. These are the ads that are marked as “Sponsored” and appear at the top of the search engine results page.

Google does offer a grant program in which qualifying nonprofit organizations receive $10,000 in free Google Ad credits each month. Educational institutions are not eligible for the grant—however, PTAs or booster clubs registered as 501(c)(3) charities could be. Working with a dedicated Google Ad Grant agency can help you determine eligibility, apply for, and manage the grant.

3. Offer special perks and shout-outs.

A prize or reward helps boost the energy and anticipation leading up to your walk-a-thon event! Offer perks like branded t-shirts, water bottles, and more to walkers and donors to inspire extra giving and engagement. Plus, adding your school’s branding to these items will help spread awareness of your campaign when people wear or use them around town.

Aside from using this technique to build anticipation for your event, you can also use it as a recognition strategy. For example, a water bottle or t-shirt given to someone as a thank-you for making and fulfilling a pledge can go a long way. Or, you might shout out top donors on your website or social media platforms to show your appreciation. These efforts will help you retain more supporters for the next campaign by making them feel acknowledged and valued.

Additionally, consider giving your hardworking walkers, event volunteers, PTA members, and donors public shout-outs as well (with their permission). Post about them on your social media profiles and encourage plenty of likes and shares.

4. Establish a sense of urgency.

Your supporters lead busy lives, which can result in them seeing a promotional message for your campaign and deciding to give at a later time. However, Allegiance Group + Pursuant’s guide to maximizing donations points out that this “later” can turn into a “never.” To break supporters out of these complacent attitudes, create a sense of urgency for your event.

Here are some examples of how your school can infuse urgency into its walk-a-thon promotions:

  • Offer limited-time registration for those participating in the walk-a-thon. This will ensure students register early and have plenty of time to fundraise. Look for a registration software that allows you to waive any sign-up fees for a limited time as a reward!
  • Use time-bound goals. Let’s say your school needs to reach its walk-a-thon fundraising goal to purchase a new edition of textbooks in time for the start of the new school year. Spell out this need to your audience and emphasize that your goal needs to be met before the school year starts.
  • Gamify the fundraising process and offer incentives to top fundraisers and donors. For example, create live, public leaderboards that show how much each student has raised. This will incite friendly competition that results in more funding for your school.
  • Set up countdown timers and fundraising thermometers to show how much time you have left to reach your goal. These are especially helpful when you start closing in on your deadline.

Many of your potential supporters may intend to donate or participate in your walk-a-thon but may forget about taking action before the campaign ends. These tactics will motivate them to get involved as soon as possible, helping you garner more support.

As a school, you can promote your walk-a-thon through your own social media pages and urge participants to spread the word as well. By encouraging your community to get involved in the fundraising process, you’ll make them feel like valued members of your school’s team, get them excited about participating in future campaigns, and encourage them to get outside and exercise!

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5 Effective Crowdfunding Practices to Raise More Money

Successful fundraising is all about harnessing the power of a community. Whether you’re a nonprofit raising funds to run its programs or an individual collecting donations for a personal need, crowdfunding campaigns open the door to worldwide support. Anyone who lands on your campaign page can read about your cause and donate with just a few clicks or taps on their device.

But with so much going on across the Internet and so many worthy causes vying for attention, how do you make your online fundraising efforts stand out? In this guide, we’ll walk through five essential practices to incorporate into your next crowdfunding campaign to attract more donors and surpass your fundraising goal.

1. Choose a crowdfunding platform that fits your needs.

Think of a crowdfunding platform as a blank canvas. With the right type and quality, you can put together a campaign that’s nothing short of fine art. Not every platform will have all the tools and features to fit your specific needs. That’s why it’s important to research all of your options, beyond commonly known websites such as GoFundMe.

Keep these considerations in mind when exploring potential crowdfunding platforms:

  • Pricing. Even “free” crowdfunding websites likely come with platform and payment processing fees. Look for a platform that takes only a reasonable and relatively low percentage from the donations you earn so you can get as much out of your fundraising efforts as possible.
  • User experience. Choose a crowdfunding platform that’s easy for both you and your donors to use. You should be able to create an engaging campaign page and begin promoting it within minutes. At the same time, donors should be able to enjoy a streamlined giving process that allows them to make secure payments and even schedule recurring gifts.
  • Integrations. Ensure that your crowdfunding platform can easily integrate with your email marketing, social media, and matching gift tools so you can connect everything you need to support your campaign.
  • Engagement tools. On some crowdfunding platforms, you can take your campaign to the next level by adding a fundraising thermometer to your donation page, enabling peer-to-peer fundraising on your behalf, and planning events.

Note that some platforms have a “Keep it All” (KiA) model while others have an “All or Nothing” (AoN) model. If you start a KiA campaign, you’ll be able to receive the funds you earn,  regardless of whether you meet your specified fundraising goal. However, with an AoN campaign, you can only collect your donations if you hit your goal.

2. Send targeted donation appeals.

Crowdfunding campaigns rely on securing modest gifts from a large number of donors to succeed. To encourage them to support your campaign, you need to find ways to appeal to donors’ individual interests, motivations, and preferences. Most nonprofits have access to this key information in their donor database.

To identify the most effective ways to reach out to your donors, consider their:

  • Engagement history. How long have they been involved with your organization? Have they attended an event, signed up for a newsletter, or served as a volunteer before?
  • Past gifts. Have they donated before? If so, what is their average gift size? How frequently do they give?
  • Communication preferences. How do they typically interact with your nonprofit? Do they seem to respond best to emails, text messages, or social media updates?

Sort your audience members according to these details, and adjust your donation appeals to resonate with each group. For example, if you have donors who typically give $25, you might send them an email discussing your crowdfunding campaign and inviting them to help you reach your goal by contributing $30. While this amount is slightly higher than what they usually contribute, it encourages more generosity while still being appropriate based on their giving history.

3. Create suggested giving levels.

Before donors decide to support your crowdfunding campaign, many of them want to know how their gifts will make an impact. To inspire more generosity, add suggested giving levels to your donation page.

For instance, let’s say that your nonprofit animal shelter has just experienced a natural disaster in its local community. To care for the influx of animals that have come through your doors, you’ve launched an emergency crowdfunding campaign. On your donation page, you might then share that:

  • A $25 donation will feed one of our shelter animals for a week.
  • A $100 donation will cover medical exams and x-rays for one animal.
  • A $250 donation will fund 25 doses of antibiotics treatment.
  • A $500 donation will help provide emergency surgeries for rescued animals.

By including suggested giving levels on your crowdfunding page, you can make sure each prospective donor knows exactly how you’ll use their gift and the type of impact they’ll make. This makes them more likely to support your campaign and potentially make a larger gift than they would have otherwise.

4. Promote matching gifts.

Many donors who give to nonprofit crowdfunding campaigns have the opportunity to make their gifts go twice as far. Thanks to the rising importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) among today’s companies, many businesses will match the donations their employees make to charitable organizations through matching gift programs.

Fundly’s guide to donation requests compiles several key statistics that illustrate exactly how popular corporate giving is becoming:

Statistics that indicate the rise of corporate giving, as mentioned in the text below.

  • 65% of Fortune 500 companies offer a matching gift program.
  • 40% of Fortune 500 companies offer volunteer grant programs.
  • Corporations gave more than $21 billion to nonprofits in 2022.
  • Microsoft has the world’s highest matching gift program engagement with 65% of employees participating.
  • 94% of major U.S. corporations plan to heighten or maintain their charitable giving in the next few years.

However, your donors first have to be aware of this opportunity to be able to submit a matching gift request on your behalf. Start by including a brief description on your donation page, encouraging donors to check their eligibility with their employer. Then, promote matching gifts alongside your crowdfunding campaign in social media posts, email newsletters, and text messages to maximize awareness.

5. Thank all of your donors.

Your crowdfunding campaign’s follow-up strategy can pave the way for more successful campaigns in the future. By taking the time to thank all of your donors, you can retain their support for whatever fundraising needs you may have down the road.

While your crowdfunding platform should automatically send donation receipts that confirm each transaction and share a quick thank-you message, that’s the bare minimum you should do. To demonstrate to donors how much you value their contributions, consider:

  • Posting social media shoutouts.
  • Producing a thank-you video.
  • Creating a digital donor wall.
  • Sending personalized eCards.

According to eCardWidget, eCards are a cost-effective, eye-catching, and versatile way to connect with your donors in various ways. Beyond thanking them for their support, you can send them birthday wishes, holiday greetings, and event invitations. Plus, you can even sell them in an eStore as an additional way to raise funds.

No matter what you’re fundraising for, crowdfunding can help you raise the money you need—as long as you take a thoughtful approach to choosing a platform and engaging your donors.

Throughout your campaign, keep an eye on metrics such as your total number of donors, average gift size, and the time it takes to reach your fundraising goal to assess your progress. By approaching each campaign as a learning opportunity, you’ll be able to improve your results and collect more online donations in no time.

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4 Tips to Acquire Corporate Sponsorships for Your Nonprofit

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Corporate sponsorships are beneficial for nonprofits for various reasons, the largest of which is increased financial support for their mission. Plus, with funding from donors and sponsors, nonprofits will be able to diversify their revenue streams, resulting in a more sustainable financial future.

If you’re looking for tips to secure more sponsorships for your organization, you’re in the right place. With this guide, you’ll be well-equipped to acquire future partnerships, regardless of whether you need them for funding an event, community program, or your next capital campaign.

1. Understand the benefits of sponsorship for businesses.

A sponsorship is a partnership, not a donation, which means that your nonprofit needs to make it worthwhile for potential sponsors. This means offering benefits businesses would find valuable in exchange for their funds. To do that, you need to understand the motivations of organizations that sponsor nonprofits.

Generally, sponsors are looking for the following benefits:

  • Greater brand visibility. According to MassageBook, it’s common for two or more businesses to partner to gain access to the others’ audiences. This means that businesses are specifically looking to sponsor other organizations, like nonprofits, that can increase the visibility of their brand, products, and services, resulting in more customers.
  • Improved reputation. In today’s competitive business environment, companies are constantly on the lookout for opportunities to set themselves apart from their competitors. Supporting a charitable cause will help them improve their reputation as a socially responsible enterprise. Plus, studies have shown that consumers are four to six times more likely to purchase from purpose-driven companies, making a nonprofit partnership even more valuable for businesses.

As you develop your corporate sponsorship strategy, keep these benefits in mind. Focus your communications and proposals on what you can do to form a mutually beneficial partnership that helps you both secure a sustainable financial future.

2. Offer a variety of sponsorship packages.

Sponsorships shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all. Businesses will have different partnership needs and different financial capacities to give. To accommodate these needs, Double the Donation recommends offering various sponsorship levels and packages. Then, potential sponsors can choose how deeply they’d like to get involved with your nonprofit based on these levels.

For best results, clearly outline the benefits your sponsor will receive in exchange for their sponsorship amount. Here’s an example of what you might offer an event sponsor in exchange for their funds:

  • Basic package ($1,000): Acknowledgement of sponsorship in end-of-event thank-you communications.
  • Bronze package ($5,000): Sponsor’s logo added to the event webpage and perk from the previous sponsorship level.
  • Silver package ($10,000): Sponsor’s logo incorporated in event marketing materials, messages, and communications, and all perks from previous sponsorship levels.
  • Gold package ($25,000): Sponsor’s logo prominently displayed on all event materials (including signage and banners), dedicated public thank-you messages on social media posts and email newsletters, complimentary event tickets for company representatives, and all perks from previous sponsorship levels.
  • Platinum package ($50,000): Recognition as a top sponsor of the event, verbal thank-yous during event announcements and in the event’s ending speech, access to VIP events for company representatives, and all perks from previous sponsorship levels.

For instance, a local massage business may be interested in sponsoring your event. However, if they’re newly established, they probably don’t have a lot of extra funds to spare. That’s where your basic sponsorship package comes in—with it, you’ll be able to capture a partnership with this business at a level they’re comfortable with and you benefit from.

3. Thoroughly research potential sponsors.

Unfortunately, not all businesses will be interested in sponsoring your nonprofit. To save your staff members time on proposing sponsorships to organizations that probably won’t be interested, thoroughly research any potential sponsors. In particular, pay attention to if they:

  • Operate in your community. If the business operates in the same community as your nonprofit, this commonality increases the likelihood that they’ll partner with you.
  • Work in a similar vertical. If your nonprofit and the business share a vertical, then it’s likely there’s some overlap between your audiences. A partnership with your organization will give the business another touchpoint with its audience, increasing visibility.
  • Are charitably-inclined. Look for businesses that participate in corporate philanthropy in some way. This could mean they’ve previously sponsored a nonprofit, have a dedicated corporate giving program, or have social good initiatives for their operations.
  • Have the capacity to give. If a business is struggling, its funds will be reserved for its operations. When identifying potential sponsors, look for markers that show the business is doing well and will have extra funds for opportunities such as a nonprofit sponsorship.

Keep an eye out for these generosity indicators to help you determine which businesses are worth pursuing for sponsorships. After you’ve pinpointed a list of qualified candidates, send out sponsorship letters that clearly outline what you and the potential sponsor will receive from your partnership.

4. Don’t overlook in-kind sponsorship.

When most nonprofits discuss sponsorships, they’re usually thinking of receiving funds from businesses. However, in-kind sponsorships can be just as useful and save your nonprofit from spending your hard-earned revenue.

Much like in-kind donations, in-kind sponsorships refer to partnerships where the sponsor provides non-financial benefits like goods or services. This is another way to capture a partnership with an organization that may not have the financial means to sponsor your nonprofit but has other offerings you can benefit from.

For example, let’s say you’re planning a black-tie fundraising gala and you need a suitable event venue. Instead of renting a venue for potentially thousands of dollars, you can contact hotels, country clubs, and other event centers and ask them if they’d be willing to sponsor your event. In exchange for marketing benefits, your nonprofit will be able to use the sponsor’s facilities for free or at a discounted rate.

Or, if your nonprofit is looking to upgrade your tech stack, you may seek out a sponsorship from a company that works in developing business software. Employees from this business can consult with you about your software needs and configure your existing software to better fit your preferences. This is especially helpful if your nonprofit doesn’t employ any particularly tech-savvy staff members.

As you connect with potential sponsors, be sure to steward them just as you would your supporters. Even if a sponsor turns down your request, it’s still worthwhile to stay in communication, as they may be open to a future partnership. For sponsors that accept your request, keep them apprised of the program or event they’re sponsoring. And be sure to update them on how their generosity has impacted your nonprofit!

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Nonprofit Fundraising Event Planning: 4 Essential Tips

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Whether you’re fundraising for a new program or securing funds for your capital campaign, events are essential for nonprofit fundraising. However, with over 1.5 million nonprofit organizations registered in the U.S. alone, your organization must set itself apart from others through its events.

We’ve put together this guide to help you plan a nonprofit fundraising event sure to thrill attendees and encourage their generous support. Whether you’re planning an in-person, virtual, or hybrid event, you’ll benefit from these best practices.

1. Create a memorable experience.

Most nonprofits aim to create a memorable event experience, but that’s much easier said than done. Here are our suggestions for doing so:

  • Send personalized invitations. Set your event apart by sending visually appealing invitations through direct mail and email. To cut down on costs, you can design a special eCard invitation that potential attendees can open to simulate the feeling of receiving a physical invitation. Be sure to include the RSVP link or QR code directly in the invitation.
  • Prioritize inclusivity and accessibility: Ensure all attendees can make the most out of their experience by approaching the event with universal design in mind. This means making your event accessible to all, such as through adding subtitles to visual and video elements, ensuring that your venue is accessible for mobility-challenged attendees, providing allergen-free food and non-alcoholic drink options, and more.

Ultimately, the key to making your event memorable is offering a high-quality and unique experience. Start by ensuring that your event is high-quality, meaning well-organized and entertaining. Then, consider what sets your nonprofit apart from all the others, and use that to jump into the rest of your event planning. Ensure that your event’s activities reflect your mission and cause to create an immersive experience for your donors.

2. Flesh out your budget with sponsorships.

If you’re interested in planning an event that’s outside of your nonprofit’s budget or just want to save your hard-earned funds, reach out to potential sponsors ahead of time to see if they’d be willing to financially support your event. Since you’re likely planning your event well in advance of the actual date, this will give you time to downsize your activities should you not acquire the requested funds.

When it comes to contacting potential sponsors, start with the following organizations:

  • Local businesses
  • Charitable-minded corporations
  • Other nonprofits

Many smaller nonprofits struggle with sponsorship outreach due to a lack of know-how. If your nonprofit shares this struggle, Elevate recommends fundraising books as a top learning resource. With the right books, you’ll learn how to harness the power of sponsorships and other forms of major giving for your mission.

3. Leverage event technology.

While it’s possible to run an event without using much technology, many tools exist to simplify your event planning and event activities. Maximize your fundraising and take work off your team members’ plates with these tools:

  • Event management solutions. Offer convenient online registration and ticketing to simplify sign-up. Plus, you can use these solutions to communicate with attendees before and after the event with reminders of tasks to complete and “thank you for attending” messages.
  • Mobile event apps. For larger fundraising events, attendees can benefit from downloading a mobile event app. Include information about specific activities, your event schedule, and an event map to ensure attendees can participate in the activities they want to.
  • Marketing tools. Promote your event through various communication channels, such as email, text messages, social media, and more. The right solution will also empower you to manage all your marketing efforts simultaneously so you can develop a cohesive marketing plan to attract potential attendees.
  • Virtual event platforms. If your event is virtual or hybrid, a virtual event platform will streamline the attendee experience. These tools allow you to livestream your event, create breakout rooms for mini discussion groups, add virtual exhibits, and more so attendees don’t feel that they’re missing out on an in-person experience.

If you’re unsure which tech tools to purchase for your event, consider booking an appointment with a fundraising event consultant. These experienced professionals will help you decide which solutions will work best for your nonprofit and your event’s unique needs.

4. Learn from past fundraising events.

According to MemberClicks, you need to gather and assess attendee feedback to create even better fundraising events in the future. The best way to do this is with a post-event survey sent through email to all event attendees. Through these, you’ll glean critical insights from your attendees and can steward your supporters toward increased involvement.

Your survey might include the following questions:

  • On a scale of 1-5, please rate your experience at our event.
  • What did you most enjoy about our event?
  • What did you least enjoy about our event?
  • How did you hear about our event?
  • What improvements can we make to improve our future events?
  • On a scale of 1-5, please rate how likely you’d be to attend our future events.

You may also include event-specific questions. For example, if your event is hybrid or virtual, you can ask attendees how easy your virtual event was to attend and if they feel that they would have enjoyed an in-person event better. Allow your event attendees to type their responses to key questions, instead of merely using a multiple-choice format.

Once the survey results are in, carefully assess them for common complaints or popular suggestions. Address these in your next event to provide a more positive event experience and spark continued engagement. Plus, this will show supporters that you value their opinions and are genuinely interested in hosting great events for them.

Organizing and hosting a stellar fundraising event is no easy feat, especially when you consider that it needs to be unique and memorable. However, it’s not beyond your nonprofit’s reach to achieve this goal. With our tips, you’ll be well on your way to planning a fundraising event that inspires generosity in all your attendees.

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3 Marketing Moves to Strengthen Your Membership Recruitment

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Your membership-based organization likely leverages tools like email and social media to market your initiatives and promote your mission. While effective, these marketing strategies are standard and your supporters probably expect them.

Diversifying your marketing strategies can help you reach new audiences, track helpful metrics, and engage your current membership community. Consider elevating your marketing approach past traditional strategies like membership mailers with these savvy strategies:

Before we dive into these tactics, let’s review what sets membership marketing apart from other types of campaigns. Consider your membership-based organization’s current marketing strategies and if any of these would particularly resonate with your target audience.

Membership Marketing Nuances

As a membership-based organization, you have many unique assets that can enhance your marketing efforts compared to other types of nonprofits, including your:

  • Existing membership networks. Your loyal members are committed to the organization and provide access to a valuable network of potential marketers on your behalf. With the right training and materials, you can equip them to become examples of social proof for your membership program.
  • Value proposition. From the enormous networking potential your organization offers to the specialized educational enrichment resources, you have plenty of appealing membership benefits to share in your marketing messages.
  • Core message of belonging. Your membership program is more than a ticket to conferences and industry events — it’s a tight-knit community that can lead to friendships outside of the workplace as well. Offering a built-in community aspect to your potential members offers them a place where they can make friends for life.

Ultimately, the most valuable asset your organization should leverage is your distinct achievements and values. For instance, if your union wanted to attract new members, you could demonstrate your impressive community track record using a member-facing tech-stack to highlight how your member dues fuel your mission.

3 Marketing Moves for Membership-Based Organizations

 

1. Google Ad Grants

As the host of billions of searches each day, Google’s results page is a valuable marketing channel for your membership program. However, it can be challenging to occupy the most visible spots at the top of the results page without paying for expensive ad promotion.

However, for nonprofits with a recognized charitable status, you can apply for the Google Ad Grant, which gives you $10,000 worth of free advertising space at the top of the search engine results page.

Plus, it’s easy for qualified nonprofits to apply. First, check Google’s eligibility requirements to ensure that your organization qualifies.

Getting Attention’s guide to Google Ad Grants’ flowchart explains the next steps to take:

A flowchart that explains the Google Ad Grant application process (as explained below).

  • Do you have a Google for Nonprofits account? If not, sign up for the program.
  • Next, ensure that Google Analytics is installed on your website.

After this process, you can start planning and executing your Google Ad Grants campaigns. If you need help making the most of your grant, consider working with a Google Ad Grants agency to research, launch, and monitor winning campaigns.

2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Even without the Google Ad Grant, you can boost traffic to your membership organization’s website for free by aligning your website with Google’s algorithmic preferences. These practices, also known as SEO, are easy to implement if you use a configurable content management system (CMS) to manage your website content. Here are some easy SEO fixes to start with:

  • Identify relevant keywords. Keywords are terms that users type into the search bar to answer their query. Integrate relevant keywords into your website content so interested audiences can find your organization easily. For instance, a nurse’s union might use keywords like “nurses union,” “union for nurses,” or location-based phrases to attract local audiences.
  • Conduct a user experience and accessibility audit. User experience gauges how easy your website is for visitors to access and navigate. Audit your website to ensure your navigation, content layout, and links all function correctly. Also, make sure your site’s elements are accessible to everyone by adding alt text to images, adjusting color contrast, and screen reader compatibility.
  • Create quality content. If your organization has a blog, you can leverage it as an SEO tool. Search engines prioritize human-first content, and you can satisfy this requirement by writing high-quality, keyword-optimized, educational blog content. Plus, blog posts give you something to link out to in your social media posts.

As you scale your SEO efforts over time, track important performance metrics like bounce rate and site traffic to gauge your performance. Also, monitor your main keywords to see if your membership landing pages move up the results page ranks.

3. Member Referral Programs

As previously mentioned, one of your organization’s greatest assets is your existing member community. You can leverage your community’s connections to market your membership offerings by running member referral programs. Here’s how to launch a program: work:

  • Define the program’s guidelines. In this stage, decide what your organization’s referral program will look like. You should determine elements like how members will track referrals, which incentives you’ll offer, and how you’ll gauge success.
  • Market the program. Spread the word to your membership community by sending emails, hosting information sessions, and mentioning it in membership meetings. Wait a few weeks for word to spread and questions to be answered before officially starting the program.
  • Train your members. Once you’ve collected contact information from interested participants, host training sessions with advice and resources so your members can become experts in your organization’s offerings. For instance, a union member referral program’s training sessions might include training on how to use union membership management tools.
  • Track referrals. Provide a digital space where members can track their successful referrals so no information slips through the cracks. Also, add a question to your membership onboarding survey that asks if they got a referral from a current member, and if so, what their name is.
  • Disperse rewards. Regularly check your tracking mechanism to disperse rewards promptly once your members qualify. For instance, one of your rewards might be a free month of membership dues for five new members signed up.

Evaluate the program’s performance by calculating how many new members were recruited through the program over time. Also, show your appreciation to participating members and collect their feedback so they’re encouraged to continue recruiting.

As you get comfortable managing your new marketing programs, consider how you can implement multichannel strategies to make your marketing messages visible, appealing, and member-centric.

Ultimately, as long as you put your membership organization’s value proposition at the center of your marketing efforts, you’ll attract a crowd that cares about your mission and can benefit from your offerings.

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