Your usual fall fundraising event won’t fly this year, and with a pandemic, economic crisis, and worldwide movement for racial justice, your supporters expect something different this giving season. Take this time to evaluate your fundraising program and think intentionally about your strategy and messaging for the rest of the year.
Dip into metrics
First, get a sense of your program with the topline numbers on your AB Charities Dashboard: Are you close to meeting your fundraising goals? Does your average contribution size reflect a strong small-dollar donor base? How many first-time donors have joined your movement?
If you have theories on what strategies your supporters are responding to, run a series of A/B tests on your contribution forms to confirm or refute them. Every nonprofit’s best practices are unique and ever changing, so make this a regular practice!
Check on what your recurring data says: In a tough economy, your supporters may feel more comfortable donating $5 monthly than making a one-time donation of $50. Give folks this opportunity to invest in your work and be in community with you, and let them know how important they are by asking for their feedback or offering a free gift with their donation.
Evaluate how you talk about your work
Gather your team and examine how you talk about your work. Email gives you room to tell your organization’s story and show the impact of your work on individual and community levels — are you making use of that space?
For example: Do you only send fundraising emails, or do you also send emails with updates on your work or community news? Which of those cultivation emails get the most engagement? Do you have a mix of personal stories and big picture or strategic updates?
Find your partners
If you’re on top of your fundraising goals, think about sharing your resources by redirecting your supporters to an organization in your area. You can also fundraise with other nonprofits on a Tandem form to put your money where your partnerships are!
Joining with another organization whose mission intersects with your work can help you be specific about what your values are and why. Describe your partnership with intention, and collaborate with your partner when coming up with messaging.
Look outside your organization
The movement for racial justice and against anti-Black systems and institutions is on people’s minds, and your supporters want to know if and how you’re going to show up in that work. If you have a plan for committing to anti-racism as an organization, talk about it. Otherwise, think about ways you can organize your community to support the racial justice movement and communities suffering from the effects of COVID-19: Consider offering a volunteer action or linking to a Tandem form that benefits organizations fighting for racial justice, community groups working on hunger, health care, or education, or one of the many groups that intersects both movements.
No matter what your organization’s mission is, giving your community ways to show up helps build stronger relationships with supporters in the long run.
Get an outside perspective…
by scheduling a call with your Outreach contact! Getting a fresh pair of eyes on your fundraising program is always a good idea, and your Outreach contact is an expert at making the most of AB Charities’ fundraising tools.
Pause: Take your program’s temperature, approach it with intention, and invest in your partners. The nonprofit world is different today than it was yesterday, but we’re here to support you!
