What the Most Successful Nonprofit Fundraising Campaigns Have in Common

You’ve done the right thing. You want your nonprofit’s fundraiser to succeed, so you’ve searched for “best practices of nonprofit fundraising,” or something similar.

We’re glad you found us because we’ve thought about the same thing and we’ve done some research on the topic. Below, take a look at the five key ingredients of successful nonprofit fundraising campaigns.

Branded Nonprofit Fundraising Campaigns

Long before you launch your campaign, carefully design its brand. Decide on a theme, slogan, color scheme, logo… the works! Then, implement this brand on every piece of promotional material. Change your social media profile pictures and banners, and make your campaign logo a prominent feature on your organization’s home page.

Add a pop-up window, inviting website visitors to go directly to your customized donation page. Branding your campaign distinguishes it as a serious fundraiser that’s capable of accomplishing its mission.

Storytelling

Forbes rightly predicted that storytelling would become a huge player in fundraising this year, noting that it “provides a way to connect with the emotions that help drive donor engagement and ongoing support.” It’s crucial to balance statistics with anecdotal evidence.

Tell your story. Show raw footage of volunteers working with beneficiaries, real evidence of change, and emotional reactions to the impact of your organization’s work. This type of appeal will draw donors to your cause and motivate them to give.

Active and Engaged Supporters

Your volunteers are the best in-house fundraisers you have. They can harness the power of social media and cast a net over dozens, hundreds, or thousands of new donors. Peer-to-Peer fundraising, for example, asks your current volunteers and supporters to post a photo or video in which they explain why they donated to your organization and urge their social networks to give, too.

Streamline this by providing supporters with talking points if they need help. You can also provide a downloadable sign, branded with your logo and slogan, to use for pictures.

A Designated Gift Matching Period

Getting a corporate partner behind you adds credibility. It shows donors big and small that a major American player believes in your mission and is willing to throw big money behind it.

Before you launch your campaign, find a corporate sponsor to agree to match donations up to a certain amount, during a specified time of your campaign. Use this partnership as leverage to mobilize your supporters (and their peers!) to give, and stretch their gifts as much as possible.

Throughout your nonprofit fundraising campaign, keep donors, volunteers, staff, and your sponsor updated and excited by tracking your campaign’s progress. Celebrate when you reach certain milestones or every time 10 brand new donors give.

An Effortless Donation Process

Donors want to give without a hassle and know how their money will make an impact. So, provide multiple giving options, including the hassle-free experience of mobile giving. Givelify, in particular, allows donors to bypass registration forms and slow-to-load web pages when they give. Beyond being easy, providing a mobile giving option is plain good sense; the percentage of Americans who use mobile giving is rapidly climbing.

Show donors exactly how their money will make a difference. Create helpful infographics to explain how particular dollar amounts will help your beneficiaries.

For example, maybe $50 will buy your shelter’s cleaning supplies for one month; $100 will buy baby wipes for one month, and $200 will buy diapers for one month. Putting donations in tangible terms encourages donors to give.

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