Some nonprofits may assume that “best practices” are only a concept that applies to larger organizations, but they can be a valuable addition to any organization’s marketing and fundraising strategy. Especially in the early stages of an organization’s development, following these principles can help ensure that everything from organizational structure to volunteer recruitment is done right.
1. Make your appeal a conversation
Nonprofits often consider their fundraising campaigns a simple transaction — a donor donates. Then a fundraising team sends out a follow-up email asking for repeat donations or monthly support. But that’s not enough for long-term donor retention and sustaining relationships with your supporters.
That’s why many organizations focus their fundraising on telling stories, which helps to build trust and loyalty with donors. Those stories can be as simple as sharing the story of a family impacted by a particular program or issue. Or they can be more complex, like sharing how a specific group of donors achieved an important goal and how their contributions were essential in achieving that goal.
2. Create special events for donors and their families
Special events are a great way to engage your audience and highlight your impact. They can be in person or virtual and are a great opportunity to get your supporters together with partners for fun activities.
3. Share success stories and pictures
The more people hear the story of how your organization has helped someone, the more likely they are to give. This is why many nonprofits share success stories with their supporters through social media and email newsletters.
4. Segment donors and personalize communication
Using data to segment your donors into groups allows you to send emails and other communications that are more relevant to them. This is especially useful for monthly giving campaigns because the same message might be mailed to recurring donors, while it’s less personal to people who haven’t donated in a while.
5. Leverage social media for fundraisers
Facebook and Instagram are increasingly becoming popular social platforms for nonprofits. With billions of active monthly users, these platforms are a powerful way to reach new supporters and boost donations.
6. Recurring donation programs
If your nonprofit has projects that require a large amount of funding throughout the year, consider implementing a recurring gift program for those who are committed to giving in this manner. You can do this by creating a campaign page and adding it to all of your other marketing materials.
Recurring donor programs are a great way to cultivate ongoing support from your existing donors and encourage new ones to become long-term members of your organization. This will ensure that your nonprofit always have a pool of money for its critical work. It also makes your donors feel as though they’re doing a good deed and that their generosity will have an immediate impact on the world.