Learn how to increase your donations for your small or medium-sized nonprofit with these six effective fundraising strategies and tactics.

Absolutely, storytelling is a powerful tool to inspire donors and engage them in the mission of your nonprofit. Narrating the story of your organization's genesis, vision, and the transformative impact you've had can form an emotional connection that numbers and statistics often can't. Utilizing compelling language, vivid images, and impactful videos can bring your story to life, providing donors a tangible sense of the difference their support makes. Whether it's showcased on your website, conveyed through social media, integrated into newsletters, or included in thank-you letters, your story should be a consistent thread that ties together all your communication channels.

In addition to telling your story, you may wish to focus on telling your constituents' stories. Donors (especially at the transformative level) are interested in the detail of the impact their philanthropic contributions have on an individual level, as well as at a community level. Steward them with stories that are specific, heartfelt, and authentic and their engagement will deepen, leading to sustained giving to your organization. Remember, it's a cycle!

How can you increase donations for small and medium-sized nonprofits?

If you run a small or medium-sized nonprofit, you know how challenging it can be to raise enough funds to support your mission and programs. You may have a loyal base of donors, but you also need to attract new ones and increase the average gift size. How can you do that without spending a lot of money or time on marketing and fundraising campaigns? Here are some tips to help you boost your donations and grow your impact.

1 Tell your story

One of the most effective ways to inspire donors is to tell them your story. Why did you start your nonprofit? What is your vision and goal? How do you make a difference in the lives of your beneficiaries and community? Use emotional and compelling language, images, and videos to show your donors the impact of their support. Share your story on your website, social media, newsletter, and thank-you letters. Make sure your story aligns with your brand identity and values.

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Puneet Singh Singhal

Co-founder Billion Strong | Empowering Young Innovators with Disabilities | Curator, "Green Disability" | Exploring Conscious AI for Social Change | Advaita Vedanta | SDGs 10 & 17 |
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Absolutely, storytelling is a powerful tool to inspire donors and engage them in the mission of your nonprofit. Narrating the story of your organization's genesis, vision, and the transformative impact you've had can form an emotional connection that numbers and statistics often can't. Utilizing compelling language, vivid images, and impactful videos can bring your story to life, providing donors a tangible sense of the difference their support makes. Whether it's showcased on your website, conveyed through social media, integrated into newsletters, or included in thank-you letters, your story should be a consistent thread that ties together all your communication channels.

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Sarah Sexton

Donor Storytelling, Done for You | For Fundraising Teams, Nonprofit Service Providers | Healthcare, Hospitals, Higher Ed
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In addition to telling your story, you may wish to focus on telling your constituents' stories. Donors (especially at the transformative level) are interested in the detail of the impact their philanthropic contributions have on an individual level, as well as at a community level. Steward them with stories that are specific, heartfelt, and authentic and their engagement will deepen, leading to sustained giving to your organization. Remember, it's a cycle!

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2 Segment your donors

Not all donors are the same. They have different preferences, motivations, and capacities to give. To increase your donations, you need to segment your donors based on criteria such as donation amount, frequency, channel, interest, and engagement. By segmenting your donors, you can tailor your communication and appeals to their specific needs and wants. For example, you can send personalized emails, offer different giving options, and invite them to exclusive events. Segmentation can also help you identify potential major donors and cultivate long-term relationships with them.

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3 Optimize your website

Your website is your online storefront, and should be easy to navigate, informative, and appealing. It should also have a clear and prominent call to action to donate. To optimize your website for donations, you should implement a simple and secure online donation form that accepts multiple payment methods and recurring donations. Additionally, providing social proof and testimonials from other donors and beneficiaries, displaying your contact information and social media links, using responsive design and mobile-friendly features, and tracking and analyzing your website traffic and conversion rates are all important steps to take.

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4 Leverage social media

Social media is an effective tool to reach and engage potential and existing donors. It can be used to raise awareness and visibility for your cause and nonprofit, share your story, impact, and updates, build trust and credibility with your audience, encourage user-generated content and word-of-mouth referrals, create and join online communities and networks, as well as launch and promote online fundraising campaigns and events.

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5 Thank your donors

Donor retention is essential for your nonprofit's sustainability and growth. It is important to thank your donors promptly and sincerely after each donation in order to make them feel appreciated and valued for their contribution. You can thank your donors by sending a personalized email or letter that acknowledges their gift and its impact, calling them or sending a video message, recognizing them on your website, social media, or newsletter, sending them a thank-you card or gift on special occasions, or inviting them to tour your facilities or meet your beneficiaries. Doing so will help ensure your donors stay connected and involved with your nonprofit.

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Amy Kettner

Empowering purpose driven RedHawks to give back in ways that work for them.
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You can never thank them too much. Beyond the thank you receipt for their initial gift, set aside a day, week, or month to demonstrate how important they are. You can center around a national holiday like Thanksgiving or Valentine's Day, choose your organization's anniversary or other important date, or celebrate donor appreciation week with your fellow nonprofits. No matter the size of their donation make sure your donors are thanked and feel special that they have a personal relationship with your cause.

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6 Test and improve

Finally, it is essential to test and improve your fundraising strategies and tactics. Monitor and measure your fundraising performance and results using various metrics and indicators, as well as collect and analyze feedback from donors and prospects. Doing so can help you identify what works for your nonprofit and audience, optimize your fundraising channels, increase donor satisfaction, experiment with new ideas, and grow donations and impact.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Michelle Stein

Equipping fundraisers with the skills that bring in bigger gifts and build stronger donor relationships | Fundraising Trainer and Consultant
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Use your size to your advantage! Small and medium-sized organisations are in the brilliant position of being able to adapt quickly. They can be agile. This is their strength. For high-value donors, this is a significant drawcard. Don't under estimate it!

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David Morin

Fundraising Leader | Board Member | Entrepreneur
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Top-of-funnel approaches like lead generation campaigns will help ensure you have a steady stream of email addresses (for a cost) and well written articles can help ensure a steady stream of freshly-cookied website users. Both of these audiences will give you future targeting opportunities while spreading the word about your cause and org.

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How can you increase donations for small and medium-sized nonprofits?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Tell your story

2 Segment your donors

3 Optimize your website

4 Leverage social media

5 Thank your donors

6 Test and improve

7 Here’s what else to consider

Fundraising

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How can you increase donations for small and medium-sized nonprofits?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Tell your story

2 Segment your donors

3 Optimize your website

4 Leverage social media

5 Thank your donors

6 Test and improve

7 Here’s what else to consider

Fundraising

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

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