Fundraising Marketing: 10 Tips for Successful Fundraising Marketing

Fundraising, also known as ‘development,’ is the process of gathering voluntary contributions of money or other resources by soliciting donations from individuals, corporations, nonprofit foundations, or government agencies.
Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to raise money for nonprofit organizations, it is sometimes used—in conjunction with fundraising marketing—to identify and court investors or other sources of capital for nonprofit ventures.
Traditionally, fundraising mainly consisted of soliciting donations on the street or door-to-door, and this system saw significant growth through presence-based fundraising. However, in recent years new forms of fundraising, such as online fundraising, have emerged, which often build on older methods like grassroots fundraising and should definitely be supported by fundraising marketing.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1 Fundraising Marketing: 10 Tips for Successful Fundraising Marketing

Methode	Zielgruppe	Mittel
Individuelles Fundraising	Alle Fundraising-Projekte	Online und offline
Direktmailing	Fundraising für ältere Generationen/Gemeinschaften	Offline
Online-Spenden	Die meisten Fundraising-Projekte Ausnahmen sind einige gemeindebasierte Fundraising-Projekte	Online
Mobile	Die meisten Fundraising-Projekte	Online
Events	Gemeinnützige Fundraising-Projekte	Offline

Nonprofit fundraising is exciting. It is the lifeblood of charitable organizations and can serve as an opportunity to raise awareness for a cause and spark donor interest through targeted fundraising marketing.

Fundraising can also be a massive undertaking. Since it is likely your primary source of income as a nonprofit, raising money can feel like an annoying, endless effort. It can even seem daunting and should be supported by a fundraising marketing strategy.

But it doesn’t have to be. Great fundraising marketing can (and should!) be learned and mastered. Building a nonprofit fundraising marketing plan is the best way to equip your volunteers, avoid fundraising pitfalls, and create a sustainable organization.

That’s why we’ve created this guide to fundraising marketing. Below you’ll read more about the fundamentals of nonprofit fundraising, the various ways to raise money, and how to build a simple fundraising marketing strategy. Read on to get started, or use the chapter links to jump ahead.

What Is Nonprofit Fundraising?

Nonprofit fundraising refers to the process of collecting money to support a nonprofit or charitable organization. Nonprofits can solicit donations through various digital and traditional channels, with the use of fundraising marketing leading to improved outcomes and encouraging both individuals and corporations to provide a range of giving options.

Nonprofit organizations may be philanthropic, religious, educational, artistic, or scientific in nature. Some churches and universities qualify as nonprofits because they do not generate profit—every dollar received is spent on their mission or to sustain the organization itself.

Vorteile des Fundraising	Nachteile des Fundraising
In den meisten Fällen ist die Ursache ehrenhaft.	Menschen dazu zu bringen, ohne einen materiellen Return on Investment zu spenden, ist immer schwierig.
Kann mit sehr niedrigen Marketingkosten durchgeführt werden	Erfordert sehr spezifisches Marketing
Von praktisch jedem machbar	Die meisten Fundraising-Versuche scheitern

Nonprofit Fundraising Ideas

There are so many ways to raise money for a nonprofit organization using fundraising marketing. Some equip individuals to give, while others target businesses and corporations. Many nonprofits have succeeded with a multi-channel fundraising approach. By diversifying your fundraising marketing methods, donors have more ways to give. A donor might be motivated by one method but complete their gift through another—such as seeing a mailer but donating via text.

Before implementing any of these ideas, be sure to review the IRS fundraising guidelines.

Individual Fundraising

Individuals historically give the most to nonprofits. In 2017 alone, individuals donated $286.65 billion, accounting for 70% of all charitable giving worldwide.

Direct Mail

Direct mail is a proven fundraising marketing tactic. It’s cost-effective, fast, and repeatable. The key? Write a great fundraising letter. In today’s world, direct mail should be just one of many fundraising marketing tactics you employ. Don’t forget to offer an online giving option as well.

Online Giving

Online giving refers to any donation made online—such as through your website, social media, or a crowdfunding site. Online giving is quite simple. It also serves as the primary giving method for most other fundraising marketing tactics: last year, over 30% of online gifts were motivated by email and 25% by direct mail. Even if donors don’t discover your campaign online, they’re likely to visit your website and give when prompted elsewhere.

Social media has become a booming fundraising marketing tactic. Facebook allows individuals to host fundraisers in their News Feed and on their birthdays. The platform has also released a ‘Donate Now’ button for business pages. At a minimum, Facebook and other social networks serve as highly effective fundraising marketing channels to promote your nonprofit and its mission.

Mobile Giving

People are rarely without their phones, and charities know it. Today, there are several ways to give via mobile device. Some charities have apps through which you can donate. Other apps—like Charity Miles, Feedie, and Walk for a Dog—allow people to give back through everyday activities such as running, walking their dog, or sharing meals on social media. Companies can sign up on these apps to support nonprofits.

Let’s not forget texting, the most popular way to communicate on a smartphone. Last year nearly 50% of gifts came via a text link. You can send links via SMS or encourage donors to give by texting a keyword.

Events

Events are likely the most common means of raising money for nonprofits. These types of events include 5K runs, golf outings, silent auctions, charity dinners, craft fairs, and talent shows.

Events are a common peer-to-peer (p2p) fundraising marketing method, where your supporters are encouraged to raise money on your behalf. Corporations can also sponsor events.

Corporate and Business Fundraising Marketing

Nonprofit fundraising isn’t limited to individuals. About $5 billion is raised through workplace giving each year. There are many ways companies can encourage other businesses to give—and likewise motivate their own employees to do the same.

Matching Gifts

The matching gift process involves a company matching its employees’ donations. Ninety percent of companies offer some form of matching gift program. These programs help businesses give back and help donors double their impact. Tools like Double the Donation make it easy to market and administer these programs.

Volunteer and Corporate Grants

Companies grant volunteer grants when their employees have completed a certain number of volunteer hours. This encourages employees to donate their time and holds companies accountable for charitable giving. Volunteering can also serve as a great team-building or corporate outing.

Corporate grants are monetary awards that companies or corporations give to nonprofits. Companies can award these grants directly to an organization or select recipients from a pool of applicants. Nonprofits should seek out grant opportunities and apply for corporate funding.

In-Kind Donations

In-kind donations refer to non-monetary items given to nonprofits and organizations. These typically include food, beverages, or supplies for an event; professional services such as accounting or legal work; or equipment for a construction project. In-kind gifts are usually accepted from companies with which the nonprofit already has a relationship.

Cause-Related Partnerships

Cause-related partnerships or cause marketing occur when a nonprofit teams up with a business to raise money. When restaurants donate a portion of the evening’s proceeds or a retailer gives a percentage of sales—that’s a cause-related venture.

How to Build a Nonprofit Fundraising Marketing Strategy

Developing a nonprofit fundraising marketing plan or strategy for your next campaign helps you focus your efforts and guide your day-to-day fundraising activities when things get tough. It also ensures that your fundraising team is aligned on specific tactics or events that may be part of your strategy.

Walk through the following steps to assemble your nonprofit fundraising marketing strategy.

1. Define Your Fundraising Goals, Mission, and Story

Start with the end in mind. What is your goal for this fundraising marketing campaign? Better yet, what is your overall goal for this year? For the next three years?

This figure should be driven by your organization’s needs. To determine those needs, return to your mission statement. If your fundraising goal answers the question ‘How much money do you need?’, your mission answers the question ‘What do you need the money for?’

Defining your mission will inform your fundraising: ‘What will you do with the money raised? How will it contribute to your organization’s purpose?’ Donors will ask these questions, so outline the answers in advance.

A recent study found that transparency among charities could increase donations by 50%. Two-thirds of donors also say understanding the impact of their gift would encourage them to give more. By being open about how you spend your funds, people are more likely to support your cause.

Don’t hesitate to share your organization’s story as well as the stories of those you help. A 2010 study found that ‘charity choice is largely determined by donors’ personal affiliations and preferences, their desire to help people with whom they feel some affinity, and cause preferences based on personal experiences.’ A donor’s similarity to your cause or beneficiaries can also motivate them to give.

62% of donors research charities before giving. Make sure you publish your story on your website so donors can read it and connect with you.

62% of donors research charities before giving. Make sure you publish your story on your website so donors can read it and connect with you.

2. Frame Your Message

What do you want to communicate as part of your fundraising marketing? Tell your organization’s story, promote a special event, sell tickets for a fundraiser, or launch a new initiative? How will what you say impact your audience? View your message from their perspective. Why should they care? With the flood of information we all face daily, how will you stand out?

Follow these simple checkpoints to create fundraising marketing campaigns that are Connected, Rewarding, Actionable, and Memorable (CRAM), and your campaigns will break through the noise and capture your donors’ attention.

Connect with what matters to your audience, prompting them to feel part of a community, feel good, and belong.
Reward people for their action, both emotionally and tangibly. The most effective rewards are immediate, personal, credible, and reflect your audience’s values.
Actions that are specific, easy to undertake, and measurably advance your mission offer immediate satisfaction. Keep your call to action specific, simple, and shareable.

Memorable campaigns are unique, impactful, personal, tangible, desirable, and closely tied to your cause.

3. Identify Your Fundraising Team or Specialist

Fundraising marketing campaigns involve a variety of moving parts. Even if your entire organization is involved, it’s best to appoint a single person or small team to lead fundraising activities.

These people will handle tasks such as:

Promoting the fundraising campaign
Organizing fundraising-specific events
Training and leading volunteers
Managing and analyzing funds received
Measuring campaign performance and identifying improvements

Some nonprofits also hire a fundraising specialist to manage these tasks.

4. Create Your Prospect List

Who will you target for your campaign? Which communities, businesses, organizations, neighborhoods, and demographic groups will you solicit? Can your volunteers, board members, and beneficiaries help you compile a list of potential donors?

This list will guide your fundraising marketing. Whether you choose direct mail, social media, crowdfunding, events, corporate sponsorship, in-kind gifts, or other tactics, having a list of prospects ensures you know exactly who to reach out to.

5. Develop a Fundraising Marketing Campaign Plan

This involves planning every step and precisely defining how you will raise money. First, decide which tactics you will use for your fundraising marketing. Remember, offering a variety of giving options will likely increase the number of gifts you receive.

Next, determine how you will promote your overall campaign. How will you market your organization and drive donations? How will people learn about your events, sponsorship opportunities, cause partnerships, and more?

Note: How you collect funds (fundraising tactics) and how you promote your fundraising efforts (fundraising marketing) are two different things. This step in your nonprofit fundraising strategy helps you define both.

Finally, consider how you can set up recurring giving so your organization doesn’t have to actively solicit donations as often.

Nearly 50% of donors are enrolled in a monthly giving program, such as this one for Charity: Water.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE9UvT5ujyg

Offering a recurring giving option can actually help you raise more money—the average monthly online gift is $52, or $624 per year, compared to the average one-time gift of $128.

6. Marketing Channels

Your fundraising marketing plan should specify a broad range of promotional venues— as many as your budget allows. This includes using your own website, placing a donate button on every page, and asking other site owners to link to your donation page. Other marketing channels can be used simultaneously, such as print newspaper ads—including online editions—TV commercials, public service announcements, paid radio spots, direct mail, mass email blasts, and more. The wider the reach, the greater your potential donor pool.

How will you reach them? Some donors prefer direct mail, while others respond to the immediacy of email. From social media to advertising to partner announcements—each channel demands its own unique voice. Keep your messaging fresh by tailoring tone and style to your audience. And coordinate your efforts: focus on the same core message across channels to build public awareness of your organization and mission.

Popular ways to convey your message online include:

Your website (desktop and mobile)
Blogs and social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.)
Paid advertising (Facebook ads, Google Ads, radio & TV, print or online banner ads)
Earned media (PSAs, collaborative exchanges with peer organizations, etc.)
Communications (newsletters, e-newsletters, direct mail)

7. Envision and Track

In addition to your mission statement, your marketing guide should include a detailed outline of your goals. Add comprehensive descriptions that outline the steps needed to execute your fundraising marketing. Develop ways to measure the results of your plan. For example, create a tracking tool—such as a spreadsheet—for each fundraising event you host, logging the types of promotions you initiated, participants’ responses to each outreach, and the total funds generated by each marketing effort. Tracking your marketing operations over time will paint a clear picture of which tactics succeed and guide your future promotional efforts.

Planning isn’t enough—you must track your progress and adjust your strategy flexibly.

8. Use Data

Nonprofits have an opportunity to transform their organizations by building a culture of data use. Leveraging data can help make decisions and improve outcomes. It can answer some of the most critical questions nonprofits face today, such as which donors are most likely to give, which donors are most likely to lapse, and which volunteers or donors are likely to become the best long-term supporters.

A first goal for nonprofits in 2018 toward creating a data-driven fundraising program is to invest time in building healthy data. Simple tasks like verifying email addresses, mailing addresses, and phone numbers—and setting up protocols to keep information up to date—are the first steps in helping organizations more easily identify fundraising opportunities and bring in more capital.

9. Say Thank You—and Then Thank You Again

No matter how you choose to raise money for your nonprofit, always remember to express gratitude. Sending a thank-you letter and a donation receipt is good IRS practice, but it also helps build relationships with your donors and supporters.

Donor loyalty is as important as customer loyalty. Nurturing relationships through transparency can reduce the pressure of constant fundraising. Put your donors first, alongside those your organization serves, and your nonprofit will thrive in the long run.

Conclusion

Nonprofit fundraising is crucial for charitable organizations. By exploring tactics and building a nonprofit fundraising strategy, organizations can set themselves up for long-term fundraising success and impact.