This is a guest blog from Beacon Design by ChemArt
Sometimes fundraising is less about engagement and more about how you communicate with your donors or potential donors. As a nonprofit organization, it’s important to be transparent and show the impact that you’re making. You can do this by creating an annual report to show what funds have been donated and where exactly they’ve been allocated to. Another option would be to share the success of the donations and how they’ve closely impacted the community with statistics. The transparency not only helps your current donors to feel involved and see where their funds are going, but will show new donors what you’re doing.
Whether you’re creating a social media channel, website to drive donations, or flyers, make sure it’s branded and use compelling imagery. You can tell your story with your brand and some captivating images - all of which can be done on a website or social media. Show your donors the value of what they’re donating to by giving them an idea of how donations have assisted the community in the past. A well-branded page helps to build the trust and make donors feel like they’re in the right spot and donating to the right organization and not a fake page pretending to be your organization.
Giving a gift with a donation can give a lasting impression, but you could also think about giving gifts at a tiered donation level. There are a few important pieces that go along with the gift giving idea though, it’s essential that the organization is giving something that aligns with the organization and its mission. A custom keepsake is a great way to give your donors a piece of the organization to take home with them. These custom keepsakes can be printed or etched to show logos or specific pieces about your nonprofit organization like buildings or animals. Whatever is important to your organization is important to your donors, give them a piece of it to bring home. When nonprofit organizations create annual custom programs, it allows them to build collectors year after year.
Make sure that your website or donation page is flawlessly mobile. If your mobile page looks different or acts different than your regular website your donors might find it confusing or think that the page isn’t your organization. To create that similarity between the two and connection allows your donors the peace of mind and make the connection that it is your website. All while feeling secure that they’re not being taken advantage of by a hacked site. A mobile site also allows your donors to make their donation straight from their phone, if they pull up a site that isn’t user friendly on mobile, you may lose their attention and the donation. At this point in the technological world, if you aren’t where your donors are you are going to lose them to someone who is.
Another idea to increase your overall fundraising dollars is to hold an event. Many nonprofit organizations can recruit the assistance of the community to help have certain things donated like prize raffles, locations for the events, services, and more. You can give out gifts, custom keepsakes make great giveaways to thank your donors, hold raffles where they can win or donate more money to the organization. Build a larger awareness by asking your donors to share their experience at the event on social media, or even ask them to bring friends and family. While events may take a lot more time planning, the success from an event could be astronomical for your organization.