When it comes to fundraising today, many donors want an easy-to-use digital way to donate. Millennials currently make up the largest demographic and their preferences are changing the way many organizations market themselves. Millennials are very comfortable with using technology for everything – including donating money. The best way to set your organization up for success is to have a clear and powerful digital presence.
The first step is to create a clear, user-friendly site. Today’s modern donors won’t trust an old, outdated site with their dollars and they don’t want to send a check in the mail. If you want to raise more funds for your organization, invest in your digital presence. If someone wants to give money to your organization, make it as easy as possible. Remember, good design isn’t just pretty pictures, good design also means telling a story through your site. Good design is also purpose-driven and results in more donations.
Once you have a beautiful and functional website, consider implementing these other simple tips to help you convert more fans of your organization into lifelong donors.
1. Amplify Your Current Campaign Message
If your non-profit is focused on a specific campaign or reacting to a current event, a simple way to amplify your message is to update your homepage and social profile images with the messaging. Include important information like the campaign hashtag, when the campaign is ending, and your goal you’re hoping to raise. This is a simple way to tweak the design of your homepage and current social profile photos to add a sense of urgency to donors and to create images to share on your feeds.
2. Simplify Your Donation Page
You got your users where you hoped they would go – your donation page! Don’t distract them with anything other than their donation options and the fields to input their payment and contact information. Keep the rest of your page simple by minimizing your navigation bar and side bars. Keep your donor focused on easily submitting their information and only add necessary info about how their donation is changing lives.
3. Digital Event Planning
Maximize the efforts of your in-person events by having a smart digital strategy for planning and inviting donors. If your event requires tickets, use Eventbrite’s online ticketing platform for fundraisers. Their platform has built-in reports, promotion and social sharing tools, and will get your event live and optimized in minutes.
Using a platform that integrates with Facebook is a great feature to consider because adding your event to Facebook Events will encourage others to attend your fundraiser. Facebook offers interested individuals social proof – proof that other people are interested and attending an event – and will help your Interested RSVPs convert into Going RSVPs.
4. Provide Multiple Ways to Give
Turn your donors into true advocates of your non-profit by making giving exceptionally easy for them. When users come to your donation page, offer different giving options like monthly gifts, corporate gift matching programs, allow donors to set up personal donation pages to promote their own fundraising goals, and sign up for AmazonSmile to receive donations when your donors shop online as they usually do.
5. Send Thank You Emails
No matter how much someone gives, always send a message to thank them. In your emails, illustrate how their funds will be used. Also use your email to remind them of the ways they can make their donation go further by checking to see if their company matches donations, by following your organization’s social media accounts, and by sharing a message about their donation on their personal accounts. If your organization has a newsletter, encourage them to sign up and stay in touch. Don’t put all of this information in a thank you email though! Set up simple automated thank you messages with only one or two added suggestions for how to make their donation go further. If you’re sending an email or note personally, consider asking the donor for feedback or to share the emails of some of their network who may be interested in donating too.
