There is always going to be a constant challenge to hit your target goals of funding as a nonprofit. You spin your wheels in search for new strategies and here’s the best news - take advantage of the online world and how people interact on it. Whether you are dealing with hefty donors or even small drops in the bucket, it’s important to offer them a consistent, convenient donating process and experience. This experience boils down to maintaining an online website and social presence, organizing an online community board and helping your donors build personal fundraising pages.
Here’s a little snippet into what we know…
Your Website and Online Presence
For starters, I hope we can all agree that print is becoming less and less effective. Only 3% of donors investigate charities by reading mailings or other print materials while 62% of donors turn to charity websites. If you are a nonprofit and you have yet to make a website, it’s never too late. While you are at it, create social profiles on all platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) to start sharing your story. You will touch those who are outside of your local audience and expand your reach to long-lasting donors. And keep in mind, it’s not just about throwing a site online but finding ways to attract people to it - blogs, content, testimonials, staff highlights, etc.
Online Community Board
You have this website and maybe a handful of posts scheduled on social media, but what’s next? You need to be able to consistently inspire and encourage donors to give back, allowing them to truly feel like their impact matters. Hosting an online discussion board for all your donors will promote new fundraising ideas. A board encourages fundraisers to collaborate, brainstorm ideas, share tips and offer advice to one another. You have broken the barrier between nonprofits and donors, treating them as though they are essential to your team - VIPs as we would say. When you get them involved in the process, they know where their money is going and will feel more comfortable to give more.
Help Your Donors Build Personal Fundraising Pages
Here’s where the biggest challenge is for nonprofits as they delve into the techy world - helping your donors build their fundraising pages. Don’t let that solely fall on their responsibility. It’s important to offer specific elements and infrastructure to carry on your mission. Offer appropriate graphic files for uploaded content, create easy-to-use customization elements on the page and add sharing tools so their stories can reach farther than your current audience. You also want to make sure your donors can import emails, embed social links and receive relevant educational tools from you. Features offer a better user experience for the visitor, thus creating more reliable donations.
Being tech savvy and online-ready is a constant challenge. You have to continue to adapt to the way people read content and act on your mission. If you have these 3 down pat, you are already ahead of the game. Your goal is to increase impact per donor - they are your storytellers when you aren’t there.