Identify the philanthropic individuals in your community who care about your mission

A quick and easy way to identify who cares about your healthcare mission is to see who’s funding other wellness initiatives in your area or who prioritizes helping socioeconomically and geographically underserved populations.

You may have gems hiding in plain sight—donors with high capacity who are currently only giving small amounts to your nonprofit. Use Bloomerang to identify your most generous donors and get a sense of their overall giving, including major gifts they might make to other causes close to their hearts.

Tell compelling patient stories

Share stories of patients whose lives were saved or transformed by your free health clinic and spotlight the impact of individual giving in making those happy endings possible.

Always be prospecting

Support for your free health clinic could come from individuals or organizations like hospitals, medical associations, secular community organizations, faith-based entities, foundations established by a hospital sale or corporations, including pharmaceutical companies, biotech companies, and more.

Do community outreach

Participate in local events, health fairs, and community meetings to raise awareness about your clinic and its impact.

Seek out community partners

Partner with local businesses, schools, and community organizations to increase visibility and reach potential donors. Consider how having a corporate sponsor for a free health screening might benefit both the sponsor and your community.

Feed the press 

Seek media coverage by sharing compelling stories and updates about your clinic’s work and impact on the community.

Take it one day at a time

Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. It takes time to build relationships.

By identifying philanthropic folks in your community, uncovering high-generosity donors, sharing compelling patient stories, and actively participating in local events and partnerships, you can cultivate a strong network of individual donors.

Implementing these strategies will not only diversify your funding but also strengthen your community ties, ensuring your clinic continues to thrive and serve those who need it most.

The post Elevate Your Free Clinic’s Impact By Recruiting More Individual Donors appeared first on Bloomerang.

Maximize the volunteer experience

First and foremost, you need to make 100% sure that you are giving your volunteers an excellent volunteer experience before you ask them to give. They need to feel appreciated and valued to be motivated to give.

Here are a few ways to ensure you’re delivering stellar volunteer experiences:

• Treat them just like donors by learning about their interests and sharing their impact.
• Brag about them to their peers, boss, or family members.
• Have fun with them.
• Give them special privileges or incentives.
• Share regular feedback, rewards, and recognition.
• Create a stewardship and retention plan showing how their support makes a difference.

Make the ask

Here are five different strategies and six examples of making the ask to a volunteer.

1. Personalize the appeal to them as volunteers. Thank them for volunteering before making the ask.

Example:

“Thank you for so selflessly [describe volunteer work they did]. You’re an essential part of our team. Today, I’m asking if you can also support us financially. Your donation will help us continue the work you care so deeply about.”

2. Invite them to share why they volunteer at your clinic and tell them why it matters and how it can help.

Example:

“We’d love to hear why you volunteer at our clinic. Share your story with us and consider making a donation to help us continue our mission. Your story and support can inspire others to join our cause.”

3. Make sure your offer [what the donor’s gift will accomplish] is clear and tangible.

Example:

“Every $20 you donate will provide a health check-up for someone in need. It’s a simple yet powerful way to make a real difference in our community.”

4. Reflect on what a compassionate, generous person they are to volunteer.

Example:

“Your dedication as a volunteer shows how much you care about our community’s health. By making a donation, you can further extend your compassion and ensure we continue to provide free, quality healthcare to those who need it most.”

Example:

“As a dedicated volunteer, you already make a huge impact. By donating, you can double your contribution to our mission, ensuring that even more people receive the care they need.”

5. Update them on how their volunteering is making an impact and tie in your ask with the work they did during their volunteer shift, as Feed My Starving Children does in their 3-part volunteer email series, below:

Cultivate and retain “super supporters” for nonprofit success

Bloomerang has coined a term for volunteers who donate (and donors who volunteer!)—”super supporters.” If you’d like to dive deeper into how to cultivate and keep these champions, check out some additional content on the topic:

• Turn Your Dedicated Volunteers into Repeat Donors
• Super Supporters: The Volunteer Who Gave $10,000
• From Volunteer to Donor: The Super Supporter

These articles are loaded with practical tips to help nurture these vital relationships. By tapping into these resources you’ll be ready to build a tribe of super supporters at your organization.

A pep talk to get started

In a survey of close to 2,000 volunteers done by Fidelity Charitable, only 8% didn’t also donate to the nonprofit where they volunteer.

Your volunteers are already deeply invested in your mission, making them ideal candidates for donor engagement. You only need to ask. If you don’t ask, they won’t know you need help.

Just remember to always show appreciation, highlight their contributions, and let them know how their donations are making a difference.

Using these strategies, you’ll not only grow your donor base but also strengthen the community of supporters who believe in your cause as passionately as you do.

So go ahead, make the ask, and watch how your volunteers transform into your most dedicated donors!

For more inspiration, check out this webinar, Turn Your Free Clinics Volunteers into Donors.

The post Engaging Volunteers As Donors At Your Free Clinic appeared first on Bloomerang.

Did you know that volunteers who believe in an organization’s mission are 80% more likely to donate? Not only that, but they are also more likely to contribute 10 times more money to charities than non-volunteers. It’s clear that volunteers and donors go hand-in-hand, and every nonprofit needs both to thrive.

Join us for an insightful session where we’ll delve into the art of turning your passionate volunteers into loyal and engaged donors.

Learning Objectives

• Understand why Donors and Volunteers Lapse
• Master Segmentation Strategies
• Activate the Power of Empathy and Emotional Connection

View this session’s slides on this page.

The post Turn Your Free Clinics Volunteers Into Donors appeared first on Bloomerang.

 
Volunteers who support an organization’s mission are 80% more likely to donate. And they contribute 10 times more money to charities than non-volunteers.
 
Volunteers and donors go hand-in-hand–and every healthcare nonprofit needs both to thrive.
 
Join us to learn how you can turn your passionate healthcare volunteers into loyal, engaged donors.
 
Key Takeaways:

• Understand why donors and volunteers lapse

• Master segmentation strategies

• Activate the power of empathy and emotional connection
 

The post Turning Your Volunteers Into Donors: Insights for Healthcare Nonprofits appeared first on Bloomerang.