3 Ways to Find New Donors
Fundraising is a foundational feature of nonprofit strategy. Without donors and their generosity, nonprofits wouldn’t advance their mission. The resources from donors are what drive organizations forward toward their vision for the community. With this in mind, many nonprofits hit a lull in fundraising where they feel they are not able to continue finding new donors as they have in the past. So we want to offer insights on three innovative ways to develop new donors and build a community of donors that advance your mission. Whether your organization is struggling with fundraising or simply looking to up your game, these strategies are worth your time. Let’s take a look at these fundraising and development strategies.
Broaden Your Fundraising Channels
Each member of your audience is different and uses different methods to donate or find organizations to support. Different experiences, skills, and interests all add up to different preferences when it comes to ways to connect and give. Just among social media platforms, each platform attracts different age groups and different interests. These differences even boil down to whether users are seeking giving opportunities. For example, Facebook remains the best platform for community building and interacting with that community, making it a great platform for building a digital nonprofit community of donors and volunteers. Meanwhile, Instagram is a platform prevalent for marketing, particularly through influencers and the development of brand identity. Considering the strengths and weaknesses of platforms and fundraising channels is key to building a comprehensive strategy that connects with your entire audience.
When it comes to the medium for giving, opening up your organization to accept dollars in all kinds of ways. Broad fundraising channels will allow your organization to take advantage of all the interest in giving. For example, younger donors are more able and willing to use mobile payment systems including Venmo, Zelle, or Apple Pay. They also seek out fundraising that is integrated into other digital systems such as text-to-give or purchasing from e-commerce stores where a portion of the purchase goes to an organization. Combining the ability to connect across many platforms and facilitating the preferred giving methods of those connections is key for developing a comprehensive and successful fundraising strategy.
Polish Your Image
Building on the ideas put forward in the previous point, you have to stand out across all of those platforms in order to find new donors. Unfortunately, it is not as simple as showing up and finding success. While showing up is the first step, you will have to cut through all of the noise on social media in order to make new connections. How should you do this? A couple of easy ways to start standing out is through prioritizing donor experience and using mission-based marketing. Technology is supposed to streamline our lives and make them easier, but what we often experience is a wave of overwhelming messages and advertising. This noise makes it harder to find what we want and harder for your organization to connect with your target audience. Nevertheless, prioritizing your mission when building marketing campaigns is key. Put your program plans and program success at the forefront of your digital marketing in order to build your digital image around those features. This process is often best supported by storytelling and real accounts of your efforts. Building an authentic image is a great way to cut through much of the noise on social media. Next, build a profile, website, and donation system that prioritizes donor experience to help support your marketing efforts and secure donors. Donors will be turned away by a confusing website, mismatched social media accounts, and a clumsy online donation or volunteer registration platform. The best way to improve all of your features for user experience is to test them frequently and always work to improve them. Always accept feedback and use it to improve your online personality
Build a Solid Community
Donors want to know why they should give to your organization. We have covered that your personality needs to shine and a primary way of doing this is through mission-focused marketing campaigns and storytelling, but there is another facet. When building your online personality, focus on building a community. Social media has created a lot of distance between people. Attract new donors by taking them behind the scenes to see what your organization is really about. Share your success but also share what you are working to improve. Share the positive feedback but also share the story of where there is work left to do. This ties into being authentic as we have previously mentioned, but it also works toward building a community by bringing your audience behind the impersonal veil of social media. Your audience will be able to get to know your organization and will be more willing to support it.
Building a social media following is difficult. Even more difficult is building that following into an audience of strong supporters and donors. Regardless, it is important for nonprofits in today’s world to pursue this avenue of development. A strong online community can form a consistent flow of volunteers, digital visitors, donors, and members. While building that community is difficult, it surely is not impossible, and with the right strategies, hard work, and consistency, your organization can build a following of donors that you connect with on a level different than just clicks and likes. In a world with all types of online networks and audiences, forming the right connections is challenging but all the more appreciated by donors and nonprofits alike when done correctly. Try out these strategies to better connect with donors online and drive your mission forward.
NMBL Strategies has worked with nonprofits for years, helping in some of the greatest nonprofit developments of the previous 20+ years. In that time, we’ve raised more than $100 million, developed millions of dollars more in earned income, and most importantly, developed the strategies and insights behind these efforts. Let us bring that experience to your nonprofit today and ensure your financial future is in good hands.
