We all need more money. And online fundraising is here to stay, whether you love it or hate it. The hack is building a two-sided relationship that’s focused on mutual gains. Donors provide the funds and nonprofits use them in a way that donors can feel proud for supporting. But how do you build relationships like that to scale? How do you build trust online and start the conversation? What can you do to attract more donors that stick around?
This guide pulls together our best fundraising advice to answer all of your burning questions. We cover everything from the best practices to set your nonprofit up for digital fundraising success, to the methods and tools that can help increase fundraising efforts, to the marketing campaigns, strategy and content that has the best chance of convincing donors to give or give again.
No matter where you are in your online fundraising journey — just starting out, fixing a broken system or looking to up-level your asks — we have a resource for you. Happy fundraising!
Best Practices for Fundraising Online
Just because your nonprofit can accept donations online, doesn’t mean potential donors are going to be comfortable with your donations process. Learn the best practices for gaining donors’ trust and making them feel secure in their decision to give.
Digital Fundraising: 9 Common Mistakes to Fix Yesterday
Donor Interviews: Who, What and Why to Ask
Fundraising Research Reports: Summaries and Takeaways
No Money, No Mission? What It Means to Build a Culture of Philanthropy
Create Donor Personas That Improve Your Fundraising [TEMPLATE]
Focus on Your Donate Page
There’s a lot of pressure out there to create the perfect Donate page, but it all boils down to a few key elements. Keep the content brief and compelling, keep the process secure and don’t ask for what you don’t need. Dig into our top advice on this ever-elusive page.
Up-Level Your Online Donation System
Your Donate page is only as good as your online donation process. It should be secure, branded and built into your site. Grow your impact with an online donation system created with ease and best practices in mind.
Increasing Online Fundraising
You’re set up for online donations and are comfortable with your process, but how do you step up your game? You may need to hop on a new trend, a shift in strategy, a streamlined donation process, or maybe you need to spend more energy on retention. Work through our round-up of resources to boost online fundraising wins.
The Donor Flow Optimizer for Nonprofit Websites
Grade your nonprofit’s online donation process and identify opportunities to turn more website visitors into donors.
Improve the Donor Experience
When your online donor experience is smooth and trustworthy, supporters give more. But while the idea is simple, the logistics can get tangled in difficulties with fees, information storage and third-party services. Get our best tips on improving the experience for your donors.
Tools for Online Fundraising
There aren’t endless hours in the day, and, contrary to what your board thinks, you don’t need to be spending all of your time and energy on direct fundraising. Check out these tools to add a little automation and a few more avenues for online donations to your toolbox.
[SWIPE FILE] Marketing Your Nonprofit’s Matching Gift Challenge Campaign
Peer-to-Peer Fundraising: How to Get Started With Supporter-Run Fundraisers
How to Find Donors Online with Search Engine Optimization
How The Swifty Foundation Found Online Fundraising Success
At The Swifty Foundation, they needed to find a way to celebrate the legacy of Michael, a 15-year-old visionary who battled brain cancer, while charting the path forward for childhood cancer research. Thanks to the ease of creating and updating content, a new website has given the foundation control over their message in ways that inspire, build confidence and raise funds.
Fundraising and Marketing
Sometimes the fundraiser or development staff and the marketer are the same person, and sometimes they’re not. However the dynamics at your organization work, there are opportunities to partner up. Annual appeals, year-end fundraising, donor re-engagement… a marketing mind can be a powerful force to boost fundraising gains.
3 Ways to Connect Your Fundraising and Marketing Efforts
How to Work with the Fundraising Team to Meet Your Marketing Goals
How to Get Started with Major Gifts Fundraising as a Marketer
Building an Annual Appeal Strategy for Your Nonprofit Marketing
Cause Marketing for Nonprofits: Partnering with For-Profit Businesses
Content That Drives Donations
You have the process and the tools nailed down, but what do you say to potential and past donors? Whether you’re reaching out via email, social media or on your website, check out inspirational content that drives donations.
Creative Content That Works for Email Fundraising
Tracking Data and Measuring Results
We’d be remiss to exclude the tools to track and measure your organization’s fundraising success. Get tips on evaluating your fundraising data, learning from mistakes and celebrating wins.
