6 Year-End Fundraising Tips - The Nonprofit Podcast Ep 91

The nonprofit podcast powered by donorbox. This time of the year, it feels like the to do list is a mile long and the days are just slipping away. If you're finding yourself frantically scribbling down year end fundraising plans, or let's be honest realizing you haven't even started, take a deep breath. You're not alone. Welcome back to the nonprofit podcast. I'm Kara fundraising coach at Donorbox and I'm Jenna, the nonprofit advocate here at Donorbox and we're here each week with practical acti

ons you can use today to take your nonprofit to the next level tomorrow. Recently, a donorbox user reached out with a question that probably resonates with many of you. They said we are brand new to donation campaigns and fundraising. What would you recommend as must dos and activities we should focus on to capitalize on giving Tuesday and the remainder of the giving season. If you've been procrastinating, it's not too late. Today. We tackle some tips in must dos during year end. You bet we know

this time of year can be a mix of excitement and stress for nonprofits. So we've definitely got a handful of tips to help folks navigate it. Hopefully for those who might be feeling a bit behind on their year end fundraising plans. The first thing I would emphasize for the procrastinators out there is not to panic. There's still time to make a significant impact during giving season. Jenna. What do you think are the most important things organizations should focus on before those last 48 hours

of the year roll around something that really sets them up for success. Well, first of all, I agree, there is totally no need to panic. And I'd say start with checking up on the heart of your fundraising strategy, which is your donation page. I think this is a really easy place to start and now is a really important time to run a few more tests, check for clarity and purpose on your donation page and ask friends or coworkers to audit the giving process and those fresh eyes can really catch them

mistakes from spelling errors to broken links, right? That's the last thing you want is someone to click on your donate button and the link is just broken, right? So it's definitely the time to tap into your network for that last minute feedback. That is really great advice. And when we talk about clarity and purpose, are there specific aspects on that donation page that organizations should really pay extra attention to? Well beyond just ensuring that the form fields are clear and concise. Orga

nizations should also, we'll check like the overall layout and design. So are there any distractions that might deter potential donors? Is the call to action, clear and concise and compelling. So it's all about creating that seamless experience that guides the donors through the process without any confusion. So no extra for fields that are unnecessary and really just trying to make it like not so clunky. Right. Yeah, that is really great. Ok. So what's next the next tip on my list is all about

the power of crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is a really exciting and effective method for nonprofits, especially during the giving season. We've been talking a lot about crowdfunding at dinner. Boxley. Yeah. And I've seen some really great crowdfunding campaigns already this season. So what tips do you have for organizations looking to set up a crowdfunding page? Yeah. Well, first of all, crowdfunding is so great during giving season because it's just a really affordable way for both new and establi

shed nonprofits to raise big funds, right? And not only engages your current supporters by consistently updating them on your campaign's progress, but it also really leverages the power of share and with virtual donor walls for social proof and those social media buttons, it's just really great. So for organizations that are thinking about setting up a crowd funding page for the giving season, my tips would be to take a look at your titles and taglines that is a big part of your campaign's brand

ing So those things should be simple, they should be direct and they should stand out. So you can use free seo tools to find the best keywords to plug in for, you know, that better search ability. And then you should also keep the content on your page, easy to understand, try to avoid any industry jargon, just talk to your supporters like you would talk to any other human, right? And this content should really provide a reason for people to subscribe to your campaign so they can get those regula

r updates and also ultimately donate, right? And then another tip I'd say here is that crowdfunding success is often tied to storytelling. So you really need to share stories of your beneficiaries and the projects that you're working on, use those high quality images. You can also add in videos from your iphone if you need to, it doesn't have to be fancy and those are really just important for capturing attention and conveying the impact of the work that you're trying to accomplish, right? And t

hen since crowdfunding is entirely online, you should really maximize your campaigns reached by including those social media sharing buttons on your page. So with one click, your visitors can share your campaign on Facebook and linkedin and whatever platforms are on and it just makes it really easy to expand or reach there. Those are excellent tips, Jenna. All right. So we've knocked out one and two. What is your tip number three. Well, ok, here's the thing. Fundraising can sometimes feel like a

solo journey. I bet a lot of people are not their heads right now. Right. , but the truth is you do not have to do it alone. So tip number three is, don't do it alone, don't do it alone. I love that. You know, that's one reason I think it is easy to procrastinate to think I have to go raise all this money all by myself. Any tips for that, Jenna embrace peer to peer fundraising. So you're bringing in your peer to peer fundraisers. So instead of just donating participants become active fundraiser

s for your organization. So they create those personal fundraising pages is dedicated to your cause. And that really boosts those un efforts and awareness by turning those supporters into ambassadors or heck even marketers or fundraisers for your campaign, which is amazing, right? And then it helps you reach more donors raise more donations and meet those revenue goals for less since your supporters are actively involved and you're not doing it alone. That's the best part. OK. So what should org

anizations consider before implementing peer to peer? There is some work on the front end, right? Yeah. Yeah, there is definitely some work on the front end. So what I'd say is you definitely need to be prepared. Do not wait until the very last minute to set up a peer to peer campaign. There is, yeah, that fair amount of work, including training supporters, creating those toolkits with email templates and social media templates and ensuring that everything is in place for a seamless launch. But

if you start now, you'll be in good shape for your end. So you know, don't leave it till the last week. But if you start now, I think you'll be in really good shape. But to make the process smoother, we've created a great ebook in the donorbox library called Peer to Peer Fundraising one on one. So it includes tips and handy templates to help organizations get set up for success. And it explains a little bit about the difference between crowdfunding and peer to peer because they're similar enough

, they often get confused. So we'll go ahead and link that ebook in the show notes today. Oh, great. You know, both crowdfunding and peer to peer are really great methods to connect donors to an organization. So can I jump in with a tip number? And I really think connection is key in making sure your mission is clear, is going to help everyone who is fundraising for your organization this time of year. So connecting your mission to your donors dollars is absolutely essential. When you make your

message clear about what your donors actively doing and what you're doing is creating a bond between them and your organization. They're advocating on your behalf. They're taking your message into the world and what it is, is you give them confidence to do that for you and then you also giving them confidence that their donation, their friends', donations are really going to the right place into the right organization doing the right thing in the world right now, Jenna, I'm sure you've got some

other thoughts on this too. What are some specific strategies that you've seen organizations do that really helps build this connection and enhance it? Yeah, I think that you're so spot on with that messaging, right? Connecting the dollar to the impact. And now from the tech side, there are ways to create that connection as well coming from it, from that angle, connecting their actions to like a finished outcome. So what I'd say here is use em edible forms or pop up forms on your fundraising pag

e. So you really want to make it easy for donors to contribute directly on your website. So the smoother the donation process, the more likely donors are to complete their donation form. So you're creating a journey from the very beginning, right? From the second they land on your page and feel compelled by that really excellent messaging to clicking that button and just making that process really easy when they are feeling connected to your cause. And then again, going back to that your custom

color code, like your hex code, your brand colors, you really want to use that consistent branding, including those colors to really reinforce your organization's identity and create a cohesive experience for the donor and that may be at the back of your mind, right? But it really truly is important to creating that seamless experience. And then we've talked about this a bit already. But your call to action you guys is the opportunity to bring your donor to the finish line here. So you really wa

nt to clearly articulate what you want them to do and why it's impactful. So for example, a donorbox organization, no baby blisters call to action is medically neglected. Babies. Depend on you. Please choose your monthly or one time gift below. So they never run out of life saving surgeries, right? So there's urgency here for sure, but it's very specific. They're telling you exactly what you want to do and how your dollars will make an impact. So really clear and concise. Yeah, that is truly gre

at advice and it's super simple. That's a 15 minute fix. You know, as you're setting up your fundraising for your donation page, we've talked a lot about the operations, getting your forms ready and empowering and equipping your supporters, making sure it's easy for your donors to give. But let's talk about how to share that message, the big giving season message. Yeah, people need to know that you've got a campaign. So you've got to share that message. So I'd say tip number five here is once is

not enough. Don't just send your appeal once and be done. We've said it a million times here on the nonprofit podcast and on our web webinars and everywhere else. But your potential donors typically need to see your message 7 to 12 times and through various channels before they make gifts. So it's really important to create a multichannel marketing campaign that covers all the ways that you can reach your audience from direct mail, social media, email your website and even phone calls and event

s. And I'll add, if you've created a direct mail appeal, just repurpose that best content from that letter to other channels, you can adjust the tone, the link, the visuals for each platform. It's going to look different in social media than it does in email. But avoid that need to start from scratch and you can break those impactful stories into multiple social posts or emails and really maximize your outreach and create some anticipation while minimizing the time that it takes to do that. So j

ust remember to post regular reminders, express gratitude, share those updates over the next 30 days, but especially do not forget those last two days of the year. That's when at least 10% of all giving is raised. So utilize all of those channels to encourage last minute gifts. Many donors give to meet the current tax year deadline and showing progress towards your goal may really prompt additional contributions, stay active and engaged in those final days and really really make the most of it.

Ok. So I know we covered a lot of ground. But what's the next gem of wisdom for our nonprofits out there? I'd say for the grand finale here. Tip number six is simple, yet powerful. Ask for help. Things can and probably will go wrong at some point. And that's ok. So we've always got you covered at donorbox. We really pride ourselves in having the best support team. Our support team is available 24 7 Monday through Friday and also on the weekends and they're so quick to respond and they genuinely

care about making sure that you're set up for success and many nonprofits appreciate the time and care our support team puts into assisting them. So if you encounter any challenges, please do not hesitate to reach out. You can drop them an email at support at donorbox.org and they'll have your back. Yeah, just another example of you are not alone. So of course, we can't let you go without a practical action. I encourage all of our listeners to create a heartfelt. Thank you campaign. Take a coupl

e of hours in the coming weeks to show gratitude to your supporters, whether it's through a personal email or a handwrit note or a thoughtful card. We even have some donorbox organizations. I know somebody was out delivering cookies the other day to their board members and key volunteers in the area, which is really great. So just expressing that gratitude can set the stage for continued engagement and support all the way through the end of the year and into next. So, Jenna, thank you so much fo

r sharing these helpful tips today. It was my pleasure as always well. And speaking of saying, thanks as we wrap up this week's episode, we want to sincerely thank you our listeners for spending a little of your time this busy season with the nonprofit podcast. I hope you've left with the confidence to take a small step today. That will make a big difference tomorrow. Be sure to click the download button on your podcast player, then leave the nonprofit podcast a review or give it a thumbs up. If

you're listening to the nonprofit podcast on youtube, your review really is a great way to help others. Find us, you're here to help others and we're here to help you. So until next time, stay inspired, that warm feeling when you help someone, it's not just happiness, it's fulfillment and we believe it should be available to everyone from front line heroes to first time fundraisers. Our tools empower you to help others. This is our mission. This is Donorbox, helping you help others.