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Fundraising Tuesday: 4 Tips for Getting Started with Virtual Product Fundraising

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A guest post by Debbie Salat of ABC Fundraising

As a nonprofit fundraiser, you likely host a variety of different fundraising events and campaigns each year. You can improve upon your current practices by finding fundraising ideas that are easier to implement, more accessible to donors, and more profitable. That’s where virtual product fundraising comes in.

According to Double the Donation, 63% of donors prefer donating online. Virtual product fundraisers allow donors to contribute to your organization in a way that caters to their needs. Additionally, they’re easy to set up, simple to participate in, and offer donors something in return for their donation.

To help you leverage this impactful fundraising method, we’ve created a list of four tips for how to get started with virtual product fundraising.

1. Determine your goals.

Provide focus to your virtual product fundraiser with clear goals. That way, your fundraising team has a complete understanding of the  purpose of the fundraising.

To develop a distinct fundraising goal, follow the SMART goal framework:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Achievable
  • Relevant
  • Timely

These guidelines allow you to set objectives that are easy to track and evaluate. For example, a goal of raising $10,000 over the next six months through a virtual product fundraiser to support people without access to healthcare is a more tangible goal than simply raising money in support of a good cause.

Additionally, sharing these goals with your supporters will provide greater transparency about what you’re raising money for. As a result, you can gain donors’ trust and build lasting relationships with them.

2. Select a product.

The goals you’ve set should drive your product selection. For example, if you’re trying to connect with donors during the holidays through your fundraising efforts, selling holiday decorations could help you achieve that goal.

Check out these examples of different product types you might consider for your fundraiser:

  • Food: Give your donors the chance to buy their favorite snacks and support your cause at the same time. ABC Fundraising recommends selling cookie dough in particular because you can earn up to an 80% profit.
  • Branded merchandise: Turn donors into brand advocates with branded merchandise. Selling t-shirts, hats, and travel mugs with your organization’s logo can help boost brand awareness.
  • Discount opportunities: Allow your donors to save on everyday purchases and give back to your cause by selling discount cards. You can even give back to the community by including local vendors in the discount offerings.

If you’re having trouble deciding which product to sell, think about your donors. What would they most like to purchase? Consider sending a survey to collect donor feedback and get them excited about your upcoming virtual product fundraiser.

3. Promote your fundraiser.

Let your supporters know about your fundraiser by promoting it effectively. You can spark interest in your fundraiser by showing some product sneak peeks beforehand. Then, you can share how to participate once the fundraiser is up and running.

Make sure to promote your fundraiser using a variety of communication channels, such as:

  • Email newsletter. Include a section about your virtual product fundraiser. Make sure to add pictures of the product you’re selling and the link to your online store.
  • Social media. Show off images of the products you’re selling. People will be more enticed to buy snacks and merchandise if they can get a good look at them before they make their purchase.
  • Website. Your website is the hub for updating your supporters about your organization. Create a new page to market your virtual product fundraiser.

To spread even more awareness of your fundraiser, lean on your supporters for help. Encourage them to share your online store link with friends and family. You can even turn it into a contest or giveaway, offering one entry per referral. Then, you can offer some of the products you’re selling as the grand prize.

4. Track your fundraiser’s progress.

One of the reasons why creating clear goals for your fundraiser is so important is that it allows you to measure your success.

One way to measure your success is through a fundraising thermometer. This visual allows you to track donations and provides an easy way for your supporters to monitor the fundraiser’s progress. A fundraising thermometer can also encourage supporters to contribute, especially if you’re close to reaching your goal.

Another way to measure your fundraiser’s success is through Google Analytics. Through the Google Ad Grants program, eligible nonprofits receive $10,000 in monthly ad credits they can use to promote important landing pages on their websites. If you’re part of the program, you can create goals in Google Analytics that align with your fundraising goals and promote your virtual product fundraising page.

While Google Analytics can’t necessarily track donations, you can measure the success of your marketing efforts and determine which are most effective. Then, you can make sure to keep up those methods for future campaigns.

It can be daunting to set up a new type of fundraiser for the first time, but these tips will set you on the right track for a successful virtual product fundraiser. For extra help, consider partnering with a virtual product fundraising provider that can assist you with setting up your online store and managing your fundraiser.

Debbie Salat head shotDebbie Salat 

Debbie Salat is the director of fundraising activities and product development at ABC Fundraising(r) – Debbie joined ABC Fundraising(r) in 2010 and is responsible for launching over 6500 fundraising campaigns for schools, churches, youth sports teams and non-profit organizations all across the USA.

With over 20 years of fundraising experience, Debbie knows the path to success for fundraisers which she shares with groups on a daily basis so they can achieve their fundraising goals.

Fundraising Tuesday: 4 Tips for Crafting an Effective Online Fundraising Campaign

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A guest post by Wayne Elsey, Funds2Orgs

Did you know that over 60% of donors prefer to give online? Online giving allows your donors to give immediately and with ease.

As a nonprofit, you want to prioritize your donor’s experience so they can give quickly, privately, and securely. To increase donor engagement, follow these actionable tips to develop a thoughtful online fundraising plan:

  1. Set a Fundraising Goal
  2. Choose an Online Fundraising Method
  3. Make it Easy to Donate
  4. Use Storytelling to Promote Your Fundraiser

Although online fundraisers do not require planning for a set fundraising event deadline, that does not mean you should view your online fundraising campaign as a “set it and forget it” strategy. Instead, think about how you can measure your progress and engage your donors every step of the way. With this in mind, let’s dive in!

1. Set an Online Fundraising Goal

Align your team with distinct goals, so you can quantify your progress and insightfully structure your fundraiser. Set clear objectives using the SMART method (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound). Sticking to this method will help your team understand what steps you’ll need to take to meet your fundraising goals and what online platform you might use to solicit donations.

Here is an example of SMART goals at work for an environmental nonprofit:

  • Specific: Raise a total amount of $50,000 in online donations to support the nonprofit’s “clean river initiative” and beautify its city’s nearby rivers.
  • Measurable: Achieve a 30% increase in donations compared to last year’s campaign total.
  • Achievable: Develop a comprehensive fundraising strategy that leverages peer-to-peer fundraising and social media advertising to spread awareness.
  • Relevant: Align all marketing materials with clear campaign objectives that explain how the funds will be used to implement prevention measures or purchase new filtration equipment.
  • Time-Bound: Achieve 50% of funding within six months and complete the funding goal within 12 months.

Discuss your SMART goals with your team to make them as specific as possible. Consult your fundraising calendar to decide the best time to implement your online fundraising plan and begin measuring your progress.

2. Choose an Online Fundraising Method

There are several online fundraising methods available. To decide which one your nonprofit should choose, consider your donors’ communication preferences and your existing resources. For example, if your supporters respond well to email appeals, you can look for fundraising platforms with email integration included.

Here are some popular online fundraising methods:

  • Peer-to-peer fundraising involves activating your existing supporters to fundraise on your behalf. Supporters create personal fundraising pages and contact their networks for support.
  • Crowdfunding involves having nonprofits create their fundraising page for supporters to donate directly to them and share with their networks.
  • Matching Gifts requires nonprofits to leverage this corporate philanthropy opportunity that matches their employee’s donations at a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio, enabling them to double their donation’s impact.
  • Text-to-Give allows donors to contribute from their cell phones by texting a specific keyword to a designated phone number that prompts them to complete the donation process.

Your organization can choose one of the above online methods or combine them to reach your fundraising goals. Consult your budget, audience data, and campaign goals to select a fundraising platform that works best for your organization.

3. Make it Easy to Donate Online

Once you’ve selected an online method, prioritize ease of donation. That means double-checking technical aspects like load time that could keep your donors waiting. Give your supporters every reason to donate (and keep donating) by:

  • Optimizing your donation form: To keep your donation form straightforward, only ask for necessary information, including names, donation amounts, contact information, and payment details.
  • Ensuring secure payment processing: Use a reliable payment processor that tracks your donations and protects and secures your donor information. Be transparent about how your donor’s gifts will be processed to put their minds at ease.
  • Offering recurring giving options: Maximize your donations by offering recurring giving options. Funds2Org’s guide to monthly giving recommends communicating suggested recurring amounts for donors to choose from to increase regular donation amounts.

Online donations can sometimes feel removed and strictly transactional. To avoid this, look for additional ways to personalize your online donation process. For instance, you could optimize your donation confirmation form with a heartfelt thank-you message from your nonprofit’s leadership.

4. Use Storytelling to Promote Your Fundraiser

Because online fundraising happens over a longer period, it does not always carry the urgency and hype as an in-person fundraising event. To energize your supporters, incorporate storytelling into your promotional materials to make them feel more connected to your cause.

Use the following channels to rally your donors and make your fundraising goals a reality:

  • Social media: Create Q&A reels explaining the purpose of your fundraiser and on-the-ground posts to capture the challenges and progress of your organization’s work. For example, an organization like CharityWater might post Facebook updates on their well-digging efforts and discuss how many people can now access clean water.
  • Your website: Add your online campaign information to a dedicated website page, so supporters can learn more about your cause and how they can help. Compile testimonials and impactful imagery of your team at work to show supporters how their contributions are used to further your mission.
  • Flyers: Use thoughtful and concise headlines, copy, and imagery to capture your online campaign’s relevance and inspire support. Include a QR code leading to your donation form and social media links encouraging others to join the conversation and learn more.

Kwala’s guide to fundraising flyers recommends using standout statistics to grab viewers’ attention. For example, you might say, “X million people lack access to clean water,” or “By 2050, the plastic in the ocean will outweigh all the fish in the sea.”

You’ll execute an organized online fundraising campaign by following these steps. For best results, consult your audience in each step. Ask questions like which online fundraising method would they prefer. And which social media platforms are of greater interest to them? This way, they’ll most likely engage from start to finish.

Wayne Elsey head shotWayne Elsey is the founder and CEO of Elsey Enterprises (EE) and a member of the Forbes Business Development Council. Among his various independent brands, he is also the founder and CEO of Funds2Orgs, which is a social enterprise that helps schools, churches, nonprofits, individuals and other organizations raise funds while helping to support micro-enterprise (small business) opportunities in developing nations.

6 Top Features of a Successful Online Donation Page

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A guest post from Abby Jarvis at Qgiv

If you had asked a nonprofit twenty-five years ago how they asked for donations, they likely would have responded with some combination of in-person appeals, direct mail solicitation, phone donations, and fundraising events.

Today, many of those traditional methods are alive and well but have been joined by new online approaches.Online has been a growing trend due to convenience—donors can give on the go without digging in their pockets for cash or a check.

But now, online fundraising is more than just convenient—it’s critical. In the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, online options like text-to-give, crowdfunding, and virtual events are the safest ways to engage with supporters.

These digital strategies all converge in one place: your nonprofit’s website. If your donation page is confusing, too long, or—worse—broken, visitors will abandon the page before making a donation. In order to succeed with your virtual fundraising campaigns, you must create a well-designed and functional donation page. 

We’re going to take a look at some of the key components that every great online donation page should have. We’ll break down these six key characteristics that will help your nonprofit’s online donation page stand out and raise more:

  1. Make your donation page easy to find.
  2. Keep the clutter out.
  3. Offer different giving amounts.
  4. Keep it short and sweet.
  5. Offer recurring donations.
  6. Include social media info.

Let’s jump in!

1. Make your donation page easy to find.

This tip relates more to your overall website than to the content of the donation page itself. But clear and intuitive navigation is an important component your nonprofit absolutely cannot afford to overlook.

Imagine this scenario: a potential donor finds themselves on your nonprofit’s blog, sifting through articles you’ve posted over the past few years. One story in particular tugs at their heartstrings, and they feel moved to give to your cause.

But they’re months back in your archive, and you don’t have calls to action on any of your posts. Instead, the user ends up clicking back and forth several times to different pages, looking for a way to give.

They eventually give up because your donation page wasn’t easy to locate.

The issue could have been easily solved had you included a link to the donation form in any (or all) of the following ways:

  • Eye-catching call to action graphics
  • Throughout blog posts
  • At the footer of your website
  • In a prominent location on your navigation menu (Pro tip: make it a contrasting color that makes it even easier to find!)
  • On your website’s homepage

Making your donation page easy to locate is the first step in receiving more online donations.

2. Keep the clutter out.

Your donation page should be free of distractions and links that might lead users away from your form before they complete the donation process.

Once you have a potential donor on your page, you want to make sure they stay there for a while. 

This is not the place to link to blog content or embed a full-screen video about your nonprofit’s mission. You can still include images and text that enhance your donation page, but don’t push donors away before they have a chance to finish their donation! As this guide to digital fundraising discusses, an overwhelming number of images can detract and distract from the main content.

For an example of a donation page that uses content to drive donations rather than distract, see what Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern New Jersey does:

BBBS NJ donation form

The BBBS of Northern New Jersey explains to donors where their donations are going and reminds them that the form is secure. The text and image at the top of their donation form adds to the giving experience and doesn’t confuse or distract donors.

Adding a single, emotional image and compelling copy at the top of your donation page will remind donors of why they’re giving in the first place.

Any more than that, and you run the risk of leading donors away from the donation form.

3. Offer different giving amounts.

When you give donors the chance to choose from a buffet of giving suggestions, your nonprofit ends up receiving higher donation amounts over time. But why?

To answer that question, let’s consider two scenarios:

  1. Supporters land on a donation page with an empty field next to “Donation Amount.”
  2. Supporters land on a donation page with multiple suggested giving levels, for instance, between $25 and $250.

On the first donation page, a donor might give $20. On the second, they may decide to opt for the $25 gift because it’s an easy choice. The options that have been laid out for them can lead to a more generous donation.

Of course, you should always include an “Other” field where donors can fill in their own amount. But offering different giving levels on your online donation form can inspire donors to give larger contributions, especially if the suggested amounts are slightly higher than their original gift.

You can also use the suggested donation amounts to illustrate the impact of the donation. This improves transparency and creates a stronger emotional connection between the donor and your mission—hopefully yielding a larger donation!

For instance, this form from Styles4Kidz helps donors visualize what each donation will accomplish:

donation form

By showing donors examples of what their donations will go toward, your nonprofit is able to reassure them that their contributions aren’t just going in a general fund. They also may choose a higher giving level when they can see the tangible difference their donation can make!

Morweb’s guide to donation page design also advises listing other ways to contribute, such as volunteer opportunities, event registration information, or matching gift information.

4. Keep it short and sweet.

Donors don’t want to fill out a donation form that requires them to give an overwhelming amount of information.

And, while your nonprofit has to collect some information, you should keep the fields that donors have to fill out to a minimum. Get the donor’s name, contact information, and payment details, but leave things like communication preferences for another time.

This way, your supporters don’t get irritated halfway through the donation form and leave in a huff. Plus, they won’t have an excuse to put off making a donation for when they have more time.

After all, fundraisers know that “later” often never comes!

In general, donor conversion drops slightly if a form includes even one additional mandatory field. Conversion rates drop sharply if there are two or more additional mandatory fields. Even making the fields optional doesn’t make a huge difference on the number of donors completing their gift.

Simpler is better.

The less information donors are required to give out during the donation process, the more likely they’ll be to make it to the final step.

5. Offer recurring donations.

In the fast-paced world we live in, it’s easy to forget your clothes at the dry cleaners, to feed the dog, or to give your monthly gift to a nonprofit. You can help donors with one of those tasks (and no, it isn’t  swinging by the cleaners or feeding Fido).

Offer a recurring donations option on your online donation page to encourage supporters to give a monthly, quarterly, or yearly gift without ever having to revisit your donation form. 

According to Qgiv’s guide to donor retention, nearly 70% of donors only make one-time gifts. Securing regular support right from your donation page can help decrease this donor attrition rate and give you more reliable revenue streams.

6. Encourage social sharing.

You’ve probably already integrated social media into your overall online fundraising campaign, but don’t skip the opportunity to add it into your donation page, too!

By adding social media sharing buttons on your donation form, you can give your donors the chance to brag on themselves and give your nonprofit some good press at the same time.

These sharing capabilities won’t reveal any personal information about the donation itself, but they do encourage your donors to spread the word about their contribution in general, and perhaps persuade others to give to your cause.

Plus, if supporters tag your organization, it will be easier for you to re-share their posts as an appreciation tactic. Publicly honoring your donors (with their consent) is a great way to show gratitude.

 

Author: Abby Jarvis

Abby Jarvis QgivAbby Jarvis is the Nonprofit Education Manager for Qgiv, an online fundraising service provider. Qgiv offers industry-leading online giving and peer to peer fundraising tools for nonprofit, faith-based, and political organizations of all sizes.

When she’s not working at Qgiv, Abby can usually be found writing for local magazines, catching up on her favorite blogs, or binge-watching sci-fi shows on Netflix.

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