Successful Fundraising Tips for 2022 (Part II)

At the end of 2021 we published the first part of our list of successful fundraising tips for 2022. The initial tips included:

1. Make Your Outreach Personal
2. Review Your Current Database
3. Keep Donor Retention Front and Center in 2022
4. Let Your Donors Know How Their Gift is Making a Difference
5. Communicate with Your Donors
6. Shopping and Bidding for a Cause

This blog will cover 8 additional fundraising tips for your nonprofit organization to implement this year:

7. Give Impact Updates About Your Organization
8. Gratitude in Giving
9. Recruit Volunteers
10. Create a Call to Action
11. Share Your Connection to the Organization
12. Have Donors Help Spread Awareness
13. Take Advantage of Email Signatures

Give Impact Updates About Your Organization

Directly reach out to donors and tell them about the exciting achievements happening within your nonprofit. Donors want to know! Messaging is key so tell donors why their contribution is important and show how it's making an impact. By emailing impact updates donors are able to personally see the difference your nonprofit has made within the community.

Send weekly, monthly, or semiannual updates about your nonprofit. Keep your donors informed about the achievements of your organization. Donors collectively want and need to know how their gift is making a difference and furthering their cause. For example, if your nonprofit builds a playground in the community, let donors know when the project was finished and how it's benefiting kids in the local community.

Gratitude in Giving

You know the saying, “thank you goes a long way.” This phrase especially holds true for your donors. Make them feel appreciated regardless of the gift size, a simple thank you email can be automated so as soon as someone makes a donation, they receive an email thanking them for their contribution.

For individuals that make large donations, go the extra mile and handwrite the donor's address on an envelope. Include a real stamp and personally write their name inside the letter with a signed thank you. Have a quality control checker look over the letters and make sure the address is written properly as well as the name of the donor. Handwriting a personal thank you note makes your donors feel acknowledged and they will be more likely to donate again in the future.

Recruit Volunteers

Sometimes people need to engage with the organization on a different level to feel inclined to donate. Once you launch the fundraiser, provide volunteering opportunities. Some people might choose to initially volunteer their time, then later decide to donate. The impact volunteering has is oftentimes a lot stronger than people assume. After you recruit volunteers, be sure to create a handbook to help guide them through volunteering with your organization. Download a free Volunteer Handbook Template here.

Create a Call to Action

To encourage donors to donate to your fundraiser, you want a strong call to action. This call to action should include the mission of your organization. Instead of hoping to get money from each donor, a best practice would be to include suggested donation amounts, or different ways they can donate to your organization. It’s also important to avoid any confusion with your call to action. Your donors should be able to read the call to action and understand what they are giving money to and why. The more straightforward the call to action, the better it will influence donors.

Share Your Connection to the Organization

Emotions are a powerful tool and can win many donors over. If you have a personal connection to the organization and its mission, share it with your audience! Sometimes hearing someone’s story, or their why, can encourage their decision of whether to donate or not.

Have Donors Help Spread Awareness

The more people who hear your fundraising message, the more money your organization can raise. Having your donors spread awareness to their circles can help spread your message, and potentially gain new supporters. It is very likely that some of your donors have friends or family members who also donate to nonprofits, and they may be inspired to help out a cause that their loved one is passionate about.

Take Advantage of Email Signatures

Sometimes we all need a reminder, and an email signature is a subtle way to do just that. Leading up to the fundraiser, you can place a sentence or two about the fundraiser in your signature to remind potential donors. It may seem like a small gesture, but it can go a long way in keeping your fundraiser at the top of donors’ minds. We recommend changing the signature as soon as your organization announces the fundraiser.

Closing Thoughts

It’s never too late to start implementing new strategies to help reach your fundraising goals! If you missed Part I of these fundraising tips for 2022, you can view the list here.

For free digital fundraising and donor relationship management demo and consultation, click here.