Top tips to keep contributors in your corner
Many of us have been there. You’re a nonprofit running a fundraising campaign and a new donor contributes. Success! Naturally, you add them to your database. That same donor might contribute to your next campaign, too, and possibly the following one as well. But then, they don’t give anything to the fourth, and by the fifth … crickets … they’re not even opening your emails. They’ve apparently come down with a dreaded case of “donor fatigue”, a condition where donors become tired of nonprofit outreach and become reluctant to respond generously, if at all.
It’s both very common and completely understandable. With today’s rising cost of living and people (and their funds) being pulled in so many different directions, they might not be able to donate as much or as often as they’d like. Thankfully, though, it’s preventable—if you incorporate the following tips in your fundraising strategy. There’s a lot of competition for attention and donations in the nonprofit fundraising world, so, to stand out and attract people who will stick with you for the long haul, try these tips.
Be real
With so much reliance on AI these days, a lot of marketing and communications content sounds eerily the same. While it’s only smart to use AI to help generate ideas, and clean up or tighten some language, you need to show genuineness in your fundraising campaign communication. People want authenticity, not perfection.
Show impact, not just need
This is probably the most important tip. Rather than focusing on the severity of the problem or cause that your organization is trying to address, show donors what you’re doing with their donations and how their contributions are having a positive impact. Donors want to feel the difference they’ve made, and success stories do just that while offering a heartfelt reminder of their impact and an open invitation to keep supporting. This could mean sharing testimonials from the community you serve or videos of your mission in action. Let’s say you organize a shore cleanup. You could put together a short highlight reel of the event, with before and after footage. Essentially, you want to use written or visual storytelling tools to show donors how their contributions are being used to help make the community a better place.
Make it easy
Give people as many ways to support your organization as you can. This could mean monthly recurring gifts, stock donations, in-kind gifts, or legacy gifts to suit different donor preferences and capacities. And, if it’s possible and would work for your organization, offer people the chance to volunteer, if a financial contribution isn’t possible for them. The point is to establish and nourish connections.
Show gratitude
To make donors feel valued and recognized for their contributions, send thank-you notes, make personal calls, or host appreciation events. And outside of appeals and fundraising campaigns, send check-in messages that don’t ask for money but instead show appreciation and build connections.
Keen to do more?
If you need help reaching the goals of your nonprofit’s fundraising campaign, drop us a line below. And for more fundraising advice, check out our blog 11 Fundraising Tips and Tools to Boost Your Impact.
