In a typical year, can be challenging. Competing with worthy causes in your own community, operating on modest budgets, and continuously trying to innovate practices to create lasting results is hard work.
Nonprofits are always looking for new ways to raise funds and increase donations. These can be incorporated into your plan and help you achieve success in 2022.
Drive Memberships and Recurring Donations
Recurring programs have skyrocketed in recent years, and for a good reason. They provide a steady and dependable stream of revenue for . However, instead of hoping donors will renew their gifts from year to year, nonprofits can offer the mechanism for donors to “set it and forget it”.
These monthly recurring donations often result in a higher average gift for the long-term and provide opportunities for nonprofits to maintain a relationship with the throughout the entire year. Instead of only a single acknowledgment following a one-time gift. In fact, “recurring donors give 42% more per year than one-time donors”, according to Matchpro.
Encouraging donors to move from an annual to a monthly gift can be challenging. It also requires intentional efforts and cultivation from your . However, for donors currently giving less than $100 annually, a well-crafted letter or is effective to present the benefits of transitioning that gift to a monthly .
These messages should lead with the benefits. This includes equipping your organization to do good work consistently, reducing the burden on donors to give a larger amount all at once, and enabling the organization to plan better, and anticipate the resources available.
For donors giving more than $100, a personalized, handwritten letter, such as the ones made by Handwrytten, sent via first class mail elevates the solicitation experience and reinforces that the values the relationship.
A personalized, handwritten letter sent via first class mail elevates the solicitation experience and reinforces that the values the relationship.
6 New Year’s Resolutions for Nonprofits
Taking stock of your past efforts can help guide future choices in 2022 and promote with donors. By committing to taking each year for re-evaluation, your will continue to be successful.
These six resolutions for nonprofits are a terrific starting point in revamping your struggles.
- Use
- Use Mobile-Friendly Websites with Videos
- Clean Up Your Contact Database
- Analyze the Data
- Use and Expand SEO Efforts
- Enhance the Experience for the Target Audience
1. Use
Today, if you want to make a mark in the world, your requires accounts. Whether it is LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, more than ever, online users are using as the way to give online.
The Giving Report outlines several trends in online giving. The top that inspires consumers to donate is Facebook, measuring a significant 56%, with Instagram in second place at 20%.
These two popular networks account for inspiring 76% of the users to donate, making it necessary to join the ranks of to remain successful.
2. Use Mobile-Friendly Websites with Videos
While nonprofits will see website traffic from desktop computers often, more individuals are using mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. These devices can make viewing web pages challenging if they are not optimized correctly.
Ensuring that visitors can navigate through the home page and forms with ease will minimize frustration and lower your bounce rate. The easier your website is for mobile users, the higher chance they will donate before leaving your site.
Additionally, using videos in platforms can grab a viewer’s attention immediately when compared to providing a post for them to read through. A typical online user will watch up to 100 minutes of online videos every day. This statistic is 25% higher than data reported only two years ago, making videos even more essential for a successful online presence.
3. Tidy Up Your Databases
After each fiscal year, tidying up any straggling details will help your first quarter move smoother.
- Work through your database and verify information or make any necessary changes.
- Ensure all donations and gifts are recorded accurately for easy reporting.
- Consider merging data into programs to save time and overhead costs.
Not only will your be better prepared for the coming year, but correct and efficient ways to access data information can help when adjusting your goals and processes.
4. Analyze the Data
Collecting information from donors and website hits will not help your if you do not analyze it for possible adjustments. Whether you have staff on-hand to examine your data or hire a third-party for recommendations, moving towards improvement each year is critical to keep on top of the newest trends in the sector.
5. Use and Expand SEO Efforts
Google and Bing can be two of the best SEO tools for your . Exploring Google Analytics and Bing Places for Business will help digital users find your easily, therefore increasing the chances for online donations.
Thankfully, these platforms are relatively easy to navigate, but there are third-party companies that specialize in using SEO tactics and can help improve your efforts online using them.
6. Enhance the Experience for the Target Audience
There are few better places to tell your ‘s story and demonstrate your impact than your website. The organization’s website serves as the hub-the place where all other activities culminate in one desired action-making an .
Naturally, a website has other uses. It’s a lifeline for forms and surveys, event sign-ups, volunteer recruitment, and event calendars. But its primary benefit is serving as the mechanism for financial support. According to a 2020 report, 13 percent of all funds raised came from online donations, the largest share as a percentage of total giving in the report’s history.
Optimizing your website to enhance the audience’s experience will increase the response for online giving. Every website platform is different. Some have built-in online giving capacity, and others require third-party tools like PayPal, Snowball , or DonorBox. Regardless of the software you use, the online giving experience must include several site components.
Online Giving Starts on the Home Page
When potential donors land on your home page, you have a mere second or two to form an impression. The donor will then decide if they want to stick around to learn more. Therefore, your home page should be visually appealing with clear messaging. What you do, who you do it for, and why it matters should all be noted. In addition, the navigation should be easy to use. The link to give online needs to be in at least two different places.
The Donate Page Needs More Than a Form
Don’t mistake assuming that they are ready to enter their credit card when someone gets to the donate page. The “abandoned cart” rate used for business commerce metrics applies here, too. There’s an extremely high percentage of website visitors who decide they are not ready to commit.
The page avoids this pattern and demonstrates such impact and needs compelling a to give. Your online giving page should have emotion-evoking photos with captions, a restatement of your purpose, and impact statements that show the outcomes of your work.
The form should be as simple as possible with the fewest fields required, showcase security features, and be mobile-friendly. And, the confirmation page should instruct the on what to expect next-an email acknowledgment, handwritten letter from a board member, receipt, etc.
Send Handwritten Letters Online In Bulk
In some instances and for specific uses, handwritten notes for nonprofits is still very much a viable solution for nonprofits to raise money. However, executing a mail takes intentionality and planning.
Using Handwritten Letters
Many potential donors receive dozens of typed requests every year for support from many . While they look professional and come from a reputable source, choosing a handwritten note can add a more personal touch.
Handwriting is a lost art form in many industries. This style can have the reader spend more time glancing at your letter and identifying with your organization. Written letters exhibit a sense that the sender took time out of their day to send an individualized note.
However, manually writing hundreds of letters can take time. Handwrytten can replicate handwriting styles to automate the process, saving you time and still connecting to your target audience.
Use Corporate Partnerships to Enhance Visibility
Another profitable is to seek out corporate partnerships.
The partnerships between corporations and are vital to communities. Companies want to show their customers they care about local causes and invest in their neighborhood needs. Likewise, nonprofits rely on corporate partnerships and sponsorships to produce events and programs that deliver their clients’ services.
These sponsorships also provide much-needed visibility. As a result, companies are often willing to spend their advertising dollars on promoting the event or program where they attach their name as a sponsor.
Finding the right corporate sponsorships is vital. However, nonprofits should avoid targeting the largest company in town simply because they can say yes. Instead, the best is to identify the companies that match based on other factors-employee relationship, overlap in customer/ bases, and related causes.
Once leaders identify potential corporate partners, creating a professional and informative corporate sponsorship proposal is critical. This personalized outreach should follow a personal conversation. Most importantly, the proposal should focus on the business’s benefit, not the organization.
Final Thoughts
As you consider which of these trends to implement in your own , consider which ones might inspire you if you received them from your own charity of choice? And, don’t feel rushed to implement them all at once. The customizable options provided by Handwrytten are a great starting point.
As you begin your in 2022, take time to audit what worked in 2021, record your baseline metrics, and set goals for the year ahead. Then, experiment with a mix of strategies you’ve used before and incorporate something new when you can.
Remember that donors hear from multiple organizations at once. The message you present must be memorable and meaningful. Support your organization’s purpose with stories of those impacted, along with facts and figures.
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