Since nonprofits are dependent on donations to fulfill their goals, effective fundraising is a must. Here are some nonprofit fundraising tips that can help you build a successful fundraising campaign:
One of the most important aspects of successful fundraising is to have a clear message. This means that you have to clearly communicate to potential and existing donors what your mission is, and who the beneficiaries are.
You can do this by creating a landing page with a strong call to action and striking imagery, together with your clear message. For example, if you’re raising money for soup kitchens for the poor, your home page can feature an image of a soup kitchen at work. Then, you can include text telling people exactly where their donations are going, as well as a “Donate” button so they can immediately give money.
You can also use this approach if you’re running a direct mail campaign. The first page of your brochure or mailer should have a striking image as well as text that tell donors that this is how their money will be used. Once you have caught their attention and impressed on them the importance of your mission, you can provide details of how to donate.
Another important thing you can do is to suggest donation amounts. Although you can, of course, give people the option to donate what they want, it would be better if you provided various giving levels. This not only makes it easier to make the decision to give, since the donor will simply click on or check the amount they feel comfortable with, but also increases the average donation amounts.
You can also encourage people to give a recurring monthly donation. Doing this not only ensures that your nonprofit has a predictable monthly income, but it also helps you to retain donors for longer periods. To effectively do this, you will have to provide donors with a simple way to be able to opt-in for a recurring donation.
Another way to encourage people to donate is by providing them with social proof, that is, that others have already supported your cause. One way you can do this is by tweeting a screenshot of your donation page that includes the amounts already given, as well as your fundraising goal.
You can also consider giving a small token to donors. But you have to make sure that the gift is in line with the donors’ interests. The gift should also be branded with your logo, so that they will be reminded of your organization when they use it.
Finally, make sure that you’re transparent in how you use donors’ money. Give them a way to access your financial information, such as providing downloadable pdf files of annual reports and audited financials.
