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Fundraising Tuesday | Nonprofit Marketing: How to Build and Maintain Donor Trust

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A guest post by Mike Snusz of Tatango

The success of your nonprofit hinges on the relationships you build within your community. To inspire donors, volunteers, and corporate partners to join in your collective impact, you must first establish a foundation of trust.

Your donors want to make a difference. Before they decide to give to your organization, they need to be sure that you’ll deliver on your promised impact. In fact, according to Independent Sector, 83% of U.S. donors state that nonprofits must earn their trust before they support them, and 80% need to see proof of impact to continue their support.

In this guide, we’ll discuss four essential marketing strategies to build trust and strengthen your donor relationships.

1. Use text messaging for one-on-one communication.

Modern technology has fundamentally changed how people interact with one another. Think about the most recent interactions you’ve had with your friends and family. Chances are, many of them occurred over text messages or phone calls.

Smartphones provide a convenient and personal way to stay in touch with your audience. After all, 46% of Americans spend five to six hours a day on their phones. By incorporating text messaging into your nonprofit’s marketing strategy, you can open the door to more authentic, one-on-one conversations with donors.

According to Tatango’s nonprofit text messaging guide, this communication channel is particularly powerful due to benefits such as:

  • High open rate. Subscribers open 99% of the text messages they receive from organizations they support, which is four times higher than the open rate for email marketing messages.
  • High read rate. 90% of text subscribers open messages within just three minutes of receiving them.
  • Personalization. Your nonprofit can segment its text subscribers and only send them messages that are personally relevant to their interests and preferences. In doing so, you can illustrate how much you value them as individual contributors to your mission.
  • Maximized reach. With the right tools, you can mass-send tailored text messages to your entire audience, saving your staff time without sacrificing personalization.

Beyond sending fundraising appeals and broadcasting important updates via text, you can make the most of the channel by encouraging donors to share feedback and ask questions. This type of direct engagement can make them feel like you care about their input and bring them closer to your nonprofit.

2. Make transparency a priority.

When donors give to your nonprofit, they want to know what happens to their generous dollars. By focusing on improving transparency across your marketing communications, you can enhance your organization’s reputation and convince donors that your mission is worth supporting.

A few key ways to boost your nonprofit’s transparency include:

  • Presenting detailed financial information. Make it easy for donors to find your Form 990 and other financial documents, such as your balance sheet or income statement, by adding them to your website. Consider adding infographics to help them visualize your financial performance.
  • Providing frequent impact updates. Through email newsletters, social media posts, and blog articles, inform donors about your latest accomplishments and how their contributions made them possible. If you encounter any challenges or setbacks, be open about sharing them with your audience, along with the steps you’re taking to address them.
  • Publishing annual reports. An annual report allows your donors and other community members to view a snapshot of your nonprofit’s activities, accomplishments, and financial health over the past year. These reports hold your nonprofit accountable for the goals you set at the beginning of the year and allow you to celebrate your most impressive wins with your community.

To ensure that you’re only communicating accurate progress and results to your donors, keep your nonprofit’s database organized and up to date. Double the Donation recommends following data hygiene best practices such as developing data entry standards and using data appends for more effective internal and external reporting.

3. Collect and share authentic stories.

Facts and figures can go a long way toward persuading donors that your nonprofit is a reliable and powerful force for good within the community. However, compelling stories are what leave a lingering impression in the minds of your donors.

To keep your donors invested in your mission, collect personal stories from:

  • Beneficiaries
  • Donors
  • Volunteers
  • Board members

Once you’ve curated a collection of stories that demonstrate your impact and the importance of your cause, share them on your nonprofit’s website and social media pages. Then, use text messages and email newsletters to encourage more donors to explore these stories and connect with the people within them. Just be sure to ask for permission before sharing someone’s name or picture in your marketing materials to respect their privacy and preferences.

4. Promote multiple ways to contribute.

As you spread the word about your latest fundraising initiatives and ask for donations, ensure that donors feel comfortable giving to your nonprofit by providing them with several ways to contribute. For example, you could create a “Ways to Get Involved” page on your website, where you describe various opportunities such as:

To provide options that appeal to your specific donor audience, send out a survey to gather their direct input. You may learn that your donors are interested in giving through their smartphones, using donor-advised funds, or exploring cryptocurrency donations.

As you prepare to infuse your marketing materials with transparency and build trust through meaningful donor conversations, make sure you have the right tools to support your efforts. Research nonprofit text messaging platforms, website builders, and other innovative marketing solutions to equip your team for success. Before long, you’ll have a well-developed multichannel marketing strategy that nurtures strong, lasting relationships with your nonprofit’s donors.

Mike Snusz, Director of Nonprofit Customer Experience at Tatango

Mike Snusz brings 19 years of digital fundraising experience to his role as Director of Nonprofit Customer Experience at Tatango, a text messaging platform for nonprofits and political campaigns. Prior to Tatango, Mike spent 15 years at Blackbaud leading a team of digital consultants that helped nonprofits improve their online fundraising, monthly giving, email marketing and peer-to-peer fundraising programs. Mike started his nonprofit career managing the Ride For Roswell from 2003 to 2005 in his hometown of Buffalo, NY.

 

Fundraising Tuesday: 4 Innovative Strategies To Inspire Donors To Keep Giving

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A guest post by Jessica King of Getting Attention

Your nonprofit’s future depends on how much you inspire your donors today. However, with limited time and resources, keeping donors motivated to continue giving can feel like an uphill battle.

This guide is here to help! We’ll explore four inventive strategies to keep your donors inspired and committed to your cause, helping your nonprofit to build and retain a thriving supporter community.

Use Google Ads to Promote Fundraisers

Google has captured 90% of the global search engine market share, so chances are that most of your audience uses it. By tapping into Google’s extensive platform, you can stay connected with your current donors and reach new interested supporters.

One of the best ways to do that is with Google Ads, which places your website’s content at the top of search page results for relevant queries. You just need strong landing pages for your latest fundraisers and compelling ad copy.

You can also use Google Ads’ advanced targeting features to reach different segments of your audience based on their demographics, interests, location, and online behavior. This ensures that your ads are seen by the individuals most likely to be interested in your cause.

Getting Attention’s nonprofit advertising examples article shares several examples of powerful Google Ads, like this one from the Glacier National Park Conservancy (GNPC):

A Google Ad from the Glacier National Park Conservancy

For context, GNPC raises funds for preservation, education, and research initiatives related to the park’s natural and cultural resources. To fund its mission of preserving and protecting the park, the organization sells merchandise like Glacier National Park hats, hydro flasks, and informational guides.

In the Google Ad above, they’re promoting an educational resource about camping in the park. This ad is designed for people who are likely to visit and gives helpful information for their trip. It positions GNPC as a trusted resource and encourages users to explore their site to learn more about their work and the park.

How To Get Started

The best part of Google Ads is that nonprofits can benefit from the Google Ad Grants program, which provides eligible organizations with up to $10,000 per month in free advertising credits. This allows your nonprofit to run search ad campaigns without straining its budget.

Apply for Google Grants by researching your eligibility, creating a Google for Nonprofits account, and filling out the grant application. Once approved, focus on relevant keywords and create ad copy that highlights the impact of donations and includes a clear call to action.

Offer Diverse Giving Opportunities.

While donors want to support your mission, every donor also has their own preferences for how they want to support your nonprofit. Promote different ways to engage with your cause, such as:

  • Fundraising events. Host in-person and digital events to bring your community together. Your events can range from gala dinners and charity auctions to fun runs and virtual meetups, offering diverse experiences that appeal to different interests.
  • Recurring donations. Offer supporters the option to set up monthly or quarterly donations. A recurring giving program makes it easy for donors to contribute consistently by making giving automatic.
  • Workplace giving opportunities. Employee giving programs like matching gifts, volunteer grants, and payroll deductions extend donors’ impact and allow them to give back effortlessly.

Choose in-person or digital fundraising campaigns to engage donors based on your audience’s preferences. Pay attention to how they’ve engaged with your cause in the past to determine future activities.

Create Impact Reports

Share impact reports to show donors you’re putting their gifts to good use. NXUnite’s donor recognition guide suggests either featuring a list of donors in your annual report or creating a separate “gratitude report” to exclusively showcase donors’ impact.

These reports build trust by demonstrating how donor support translates into tangible results. Here are key elements to include in your impact reports:

  • Beneficiary and volunteer stories to communicate the impact of contributions and build an emotional connection
  • Quantitative data such as the number of people served, programs implemented, or resources provided
  • High-quality visuals like photos, infographics, and charts to make information easier to digest

Once your report is ready, share digital versions via email newsletters, your website, and social media platforms to ensure it reaches a broad audience. Consider creating a dedicated page on your website where donors can access current and past reports. For major donors or stakeholders, you might also provide printed copies.

Get Creative With Appreciation

Sincere thank-yous make donors feel valued and appreciated, encouraging them to continue their support. Reaching out with appreciation forges a deeper connection and reinforces the importance of their support.

Here are three effective strategies for thanking your donors and inspiring ongoing generosity:

  • Send personalized thank-you eCards. Custom eCards are a unique and heartfelt way to thank your donors. Tailor each eCard to include the donor’s name, a specific example of how their contribution will be used, and a personal message of appreciation. This creative approach not only shows donors that their individual support is valuable but also allows for visually engaging thank-you messages.
  • Publicly recognize donors. Highlight your donors in newsletters, social media posts, and on your website. Share stories and photos that celebrate their contributions and the impact they’ve made.
  • Host donor appreciation events. Organize appreciation events, such as thank-you dinners, virtual meet-and-greets with your nonprofit’s leadership, and exclusive webinars that provide updates on your projects. These events offer donors an opportunity to interact with your team and ask questions.

By consistently and creatively thanking your donors, you can build a loyal and engaged donor base. Just be sure to connect with them in the ways they find most meaningful, whether that’s email, direct mail, phone calls, or social media.

Fundraising Tuesday: How Passive Fundraising Can Boost Your Nonprofit’s Revenue

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A guest post by Korri Piper of ShopRaise

Imagine launching another new fundraiser for your nonprofit’s cause without having to invest in event promotion or ask donors to give more out of their own pockets. Passive fundraising can make that dream a reality!

ShopRaise’s passive fundraising guide points out that there are still a few active steps you must take to make these campaigns successful, such as thanking participants and marketing—but this is a small effort compared to other fundraising activities. Plus, these low-hassle initiatives offer a high return on investment as small contributions add up over time.

Let’s unpack a few ways that passive fundraising can boost your nonprofit’s revenue.

Provides a steady revenue stream

Because passive fundraisers can be run year-round, they create a dependable stream of revenue that supplements income from your other campaigns. For example, donors can continue participating in your shopping fundraiser every time they make an online purchase, even if you also host a one-time virtual or in-person event.

With this steady source of income, your nonprofit can:

  • Increase its financial sustainability: Passive fundraisers allow nonprofits to collect donations fairly steadily. This way, you can predict your income more easily and stabilize your financial health.
  • Reduce the pressure to fundraise: When your nonprofit needs funds, you might be scrambling to find a successful fundraising idea. Passive fundraisers provide a steady source of income to sustain your operations without constantly planning new campaigns.
  • Use resources efficiently: Generating income passively enables your nonprofit to allocate its resources to mission-critical activities. For example, a matching gifts tool that automates match requests can double the donations you already receive, providing more income that your nonprofit can use to develop its programs or improve community outreach.

Plus, when you host passive fundraisers alongside your other campaigns, you’ll receive funds from a variety of sources. This way, your nonprofit can recover quickly in case a funding source falls through or you incur higher expenses than expected.

Increases donor engagement

Donor data collection, segmentation strategies, and personalization likely describe your nonprofit’s donor engagement plan. In addition to these strategies, passive fundraising offers a unique way to catch their attention and keep them interested in giving.

Let’s take a look at the ways passive campaigns lead to increased engagement using the example of a shopping fundraiser:

  • They make giving convenient: Passive fundraisers allow donors to contribute without altering their regular routines. With a shopping fundraiser, donors can participate simply by downloading an app or browser extension and making purchases online as usual. This makes donors more willing to participate in your fundraiser.
  • They deepen donor involvement: Since they require such little effort, passive fundraisers ease your donors into increasing amounts of support. Using our example of shopping fundraisers, supporters connect with your organization first by shopping for your cause. Over time, their small contributions will keep your mission top-of-mind and can encourage them to explore other involvement opportunities, especially if you thank them for their contributions.
  • They create a sense of community: By helping donors give in easy ways, passive fundraisers let supporters feel like a part of your nonprofit’s community. Donors can serve the common goal of contributing to your mission through everyday activities, such as shopping online.

Passive fundraisers don’t just increase engagement—they also help you engage more donors. The low commitment of these campaigns makes them accessible to a wider range of donors. This way, your nonprofit can raise more by reaching more donors.

Keeps fundraising costs to a minimum

The saying “You have to spend money to make money” is often true for nonprofit fundraising—most campaigns are an investment. Whether you pay for a venue, tech support, or an omnichannel marketing campaign, the costs can quickly add up.

Passive fundraisers, on the other hand, are designed to generate funds with little to no direct expense. They’re highly cost-effective and help you raise more by spending less. Here’s how:

  • They minimize upfront costs: Setting up a passive fundraiser requires little to no upfront spending, depending on the type of fundraiser you run. Also, many of these fundraisers, like gift card campaigns, raise unrestricted revenue that you can put toward any area of your budget.
  • They have lower administrative costs: Since passive fundraisers run themselves, most of their processes are automated. This means less spending on staffing, volunteer coordination, or other administrative costs. Some passive fundraising platforms will even provide marketing support, so you can save money on promoting your campaign as well.
  • They offer a high return on investment (ROI): Reduced costs and continuous funding make passive campaigns a lucrative fundraising method. Although individual contributions from passive fundraisers are usually small, they add up over time to make a significant difference for your mission.

Before starting a passive fundraiser, create a plan for how you’ll use the revenue from those campaigns. With a designated purpose for your passive fundraising income, you can focus instead on allocating your resources where needed to fund your initiatives and overhead expenses.

Getting Attention calls digital fundraising “one of the most effective ways to…meet supporters where they are.” This is the key to passive fundraising! Your nonprofit can boost its revenue by making donations easy for both you and your supporters. When you consider the ways it can boost your nonprofit’s revenue, passive fundraising is a no-brainer!

Korri Piper, Sales and Marketing Consultant & Director of Vendor Relationships at ShopRaise

Relationship director, project manager, writer and general life enthusiast. Let me tell you how online shopping can solve the world’s problems.

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