Let’s face it. We all know there is no “magic bullet” to completely overhaul and improve your fundraising strategy.
And of course, it’s important to think about your long-term approach.
But as a development professional, you don’t always have the time or bandwidth to focus on the big picture. Sometimes, you need results right away! Luckily, there may be some quick changes you can make in your strategy to improve your fundraising capacity.
Let’s cut to the chase. Because it doesn’t matter how compelling your storytelling or ask strategy is if it’s not easy for donors to give!
Accept donations in more ways.
Imagine this. It’s a Sunday and you’re walking in the park. A stranger approaches you and says, “I believe in your nonprofit’s mission and have $1 million I want to give to you right here, right now. But it’s all in quarters, and I’m leaving in 3 minutes.”
We’d bet you’d stop everything you’re doing and find a way to take this organization changing gift! Logistically, that’s moving 50,000 pounds of quarters into your accounts. No easy task, but you’ll find a way, right?
Well, it takes a lot less effort to make sure you’re accepting a donor’s preferred payment method on your donation page!
Was this hypothetical scenario a little silly and outlandish? Yes. But you get the point 😅
You probably won’t see a $1 million donation.
But small online gifts add up over time.
And taking more forms of payment is one of the best things you can do to improve your fundraising potential.
Typing in their credit card shouldn’t be the only way supporters can make a difference online. So, you should consider accepting PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and even cryptocurrency to make sure you never miss a gift.
Clear up your CTA.
Remember, less is more, especially when it comes to making the ask! So, stay focused in appeal letters and other solicitations.
Emphasize how a donor’s gift will be used to make a difference. And connect your asks in appeal letters and reply cards to something tangible so your supporters understand how their donation will make an impact.
“A donation of $50 ensures a delicious Thanksgiving meal for a family in your community.”
Then, you can take it a step further by thinking differently about the clickable buttons in your emails and website. It’s all about reminding donors what they’re really doing with their money.
So even “Join the Cause” or “Do Your Part” will generate more clicks than a simple “Donate”!
READ MORE: Making your nonprofit’s call-to-action more attractive.
Cut down on clicks.
Take a walk in a donor’s shoes. Pull up your nonprofit’s home page, navigate to your donation page, and make a small $5 gift.
How was the experience? Was it difficult to accomplish on a mobile device? How many fields of information did you enter? Did anything else feel needlessly tedious?
Your online giving process might be more complicated than it needs to be.
So, what can you do about it?
Start by pre-filling information in your form for those who have given through your website before. Asking a donor to type in their name, email, and credit card information every time they donate wastes their time!
This includes any images, banners, and in-text links as well as the CTA button.
If a donor is clicking in this email, they don’t need to be convinced to give again when they land on your site. And making them click from an email to your homepage and then navigate to your donation page creates a lot of extra steps and friction.
Rethinking how you use links in your emails can help you improve your fundraising with minimal effort. So, even the most overwhelmed or smallest development departments can get started here and see results fast!
READ MORE: Can you improve your donor conversion rate?
These are only simple solutions.
Everything we discussed in this post can help you raise more with your outreach and don’t require an overwhelming amount of time or effort. So, they’re a great place to get started if you want to improve your fundraising potential!
But these issues may not be the only reason you’re struggling to raise the money you need to make the world a better place.
You’re not alone if you feel like you don’t have the time or resources to go beyond starting somewhere simple. And sometimes, it helps to gain a different perspective on how you approach your communications strategy.
