Jay Love, Author at Bloomerang

Nonprofit CRM Software: Explore 20+ Solutions for 2024

Jay Love — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 09:00:45 +0000

When it comes to donor data, there’s a lot to keep track of. Giving histories, gift amounts, and frequencies can reveal a lot about future willingness to give. Plus, understanding motivations, interests, and passions can help you connect with supporters on a deeper level. A nonprofit CRM helps you keep all this information organized and easily accessible.

According to the Nonprofit Tech for Good report, 67% of nonprofits use a CRM to track donations and manage communications. In this guide, we’ll cover what you need to know about nonprofit CRM solutions and the best platforms to consider. Here’s what to expect:

What is a nonprofit CRM?
What are the benefits of nonprofit CRMs?
Top nonprofit CRM solutions available
Essential nonprofit CRM features
Steps to find and implement the right nonprofit CRM for your needs

Your nonprofit’s CRM is an essential tool for scaling up your fundraising and donor engagement efforts, so your team should be experts in knowing what type of platform to look for.

What is a nonprofit CRM?

A nonprofit CRM (also referred to as a donor management system) is a software platform that allows nonprofits to store, update, and report on supporter data. From tracking conversations and donations to event registrations, you can note every interaction you have with a supporter in your nonprofit CRM.

Once you have information about your supporters’ interests, engagement histories, and past interactions with your organization, you can reach out to them with personalized messages that speak to their motivations. This type of stewardship helps boost donor retention.

What are the benefits of nonprofit CRMs?

The 2024 Nonprofit Technology Trends Survey found that the top internal challenge for nonprofits in 2024 is a lack of automation and organizational efficiency. Manual, time-consuming reporting, lack of visibility around metrics, and disparate systems were also noted as top challenges.

Nonprofit CRM helps organizations face these roadblocks effectively with an all-in-one platform for donor management, reporting, finances, and automation.

Specifically, here are three ways nonprofit CRM software can benefit your organization:

Save time through automation. A robust CRM platform can automate processes such as transferring donor data from your donation page to your donor database, sending thank-you emails and donation receipts, and generating reports based on important metrics.
Stay organized and keep your team on the same page. With a nonprofit CRM, you can review all information relevant to your constituent engagement in one place. Whether you need to review donor, volunteer, or member information, any staff member can access supporter data through your CRM.
Improve donor cultivation. Your CRM solution can help identify mid-tier and major donor prospects. You can create a communications cadence to reach out to these supporters, help them build stronger connections to your mission, and ultimately send them a personalized donation request based on their giving capacity and past donation amounts.
Foster more genuine donor stewardship. Your CRM software can level up your donor appreciation strategy, helping you track donors’ preferred communication platforms and ways they like to be recognized for their support.
Increase donor retention. Some nonprofit CRM solutions (like Bloomerang!) are specifically designed to help nonprofits retain more donors. Bloomerang gives users access to a dashboard that actively tracks your retention rate to keep it top of mind for your entire team. Plus, donor engagement scores and supporter timelines help you identify your most engaged supporters who are good candidates for maintaining or increasing their giving.

Once you understand the benefits of this software, you can start distinguishing between different nonprofit CRMs and choose the one that’s the most appropriate for your organization’s needs.

Essential nonprofit CRM features

Different software solutions prioritize different features to help you assess donor data in different ways. However, most nonprofit CRMs share a few standard features to help nonprofits evaluate and act on donor data.

Ensure any CRM you invest in offers features such as:

Donor profiles

Nonprofit CRMs automatically create donor profiles for supporters who contribute or interact with your nonprofit. These profiles include relevant information based on your goals, such as contact information, interests, engagement history, and more.

Use the data in your donor profiles to create donor segments, which are groups of donors who share similar characteristics. For example, you can create segments for new donors, long-time donors, major donors, corporate donors, and so on. Use your CRM to send personalized marketing content to each segment that’s relevant to their interests to encourage further engagement.

Marketing tools

Your nonprofit CRM should include several marketing solutions (or integrations with top marketing platforms).

Be sure your nonprofit CRM can create both:

Letters and mailings. Design and save direct mail communication documents like solicitations and acknowledgments. Saving these in your CRM makes it easy to send them quickly when necessary.
Engaging emails. Similar to direct mailings, make sure you can create and save templates for your nonprofit’s emails. This can help save time when drafting donor outreach campaigns.

As you create these outreach materials, it can also be useful to run them through communication audit features. For instance, the Ahern Audit runs the “you test” and grade-level tests. These assessments ensure you center donors in your messaging and write between a 6th- and 8th-grade reading level to make your messages easier to skim.

Custom dashboard

A custom nonprofit dashboard will track key performance indicators and present findings front and center for your team. For example, Bloomerang’s dashboard data updates daily with donor retention information.

Your dashboard should provide a high-level overview of your progress toward achieving your goals, specifically the goals related to your fundraising strategy. Be sure you can customize the views on this dashboard so that you can keep track of the metrics most important to your organization.

Integrations

Manually entering data can take a lot of time and is subject to human error. Integrations save time and reduce data transmission issues. Search for a nonprofit CRM that offers additional software integrations to simplify your nonprofit’s ongoing tasks.

Look for CRM software that integrates with other commonly used solutions such as:

Fundraising software to capture your nonprofit’s donations and event registrations.
Event software like Qgiv to easily plan, manage, and report on your nonprofit’s fundraising events.
Marketing software like Mailchimp to streamline your email and direct mail strategies.
Prospect research software like DonorSearch to access additional donor insights.
Accounting software like QuickBooks to record and track all financial transactions.

Intentionally connecting your software through smart integrations helps you manage the transfer and storage of your organization’s data so you can leverage it in campaigns.

Online donation pages

Create a donation page for your nonprofit’s website to capture gifts and contributor information. Your donation pages should offer suggested giving options, recurring donations, and customizable fields to collect donor information.

Your donation pages should also be mobile-friendly. 57% of nonprofit website traffic in 2022 came from users on mobile devices, meaning it’s crucial that your donation pages can be easily viewed and completed using a mobile device.

When your donation form integrates with your nonprofit CRM, you can transfer the data you collect directly into the most relevant donor profiles.

Supporter timelines

Timelines give a visual representation of specific donors’ engagement. You can easily see when donors have given, volunteered, attended an event, or interacted in any other way with your organization chronologically without searching through cluttered lists. The feature provides further context into each donor engagement.

Plus, the best timeline features will also provide highlights of key interactions so that the most important information is easily accessible. These highlights may include the lifetime value of the supporter, the number of years they’ve supported your mission, and the rate at which they’re increasing their donations.

Customized reports

Reports provide an in-depth view of your nonprofit’s progress toward your goals. Customized reporting features make it easy to create reports based on your specific goals. Plus, you can even save report templates so you can pull the same type of information from quarter to quarter. Then, compare data over time, allowing you to constantly find optimization opportunities for your various strategies.

The best nonprofit CRM software will provide you with pre-built reporting templates that you can use in addition to custom reporting features.

Steps to find and implement the right nonprofit CRM for your needs

With such a wide range of solutions to choose from, how can you find the right nonprofit CRM for your unique organization? Use the following steps to find the platform that best fits your requirements and implement it effectively:

1. Cast a wide net with your initial research.

Develop your list of top potential solutions by:

Thinking through your existing challenges – what do you want out of a CRM solution that you don’t have currently?
Reading referrals from trusted nonprofit resources and software reviewers like G2 or Capterra
Using search engines to find additional solutions and further expand your list

Create your list by choosing several top solutions that offer most or all of the features you’re looking for.

2. Assess your budget.

Note the costs associated with each solution, including any additional fees that may be required for startup or implementation. We recommend the following tips to make the most of your nonprofit CRM budget:

Invest in a scalable solution. Scalable solutions allow your nonprofit to choose a plan with the features you need at the moment for a lower price. Then, as you continue to grow, you can add additional features to better meet your needs.
Ensure the software pricing is clear. Unfortunately, many software providers try to hide fees related to implementation and training. Conduct ample research so your organization knows exactly what is included in the purchase before you make it. During demos, ask about implementation or migration costs to be absolutely sure you know what’s coming.
Ask about training resources for the solution. As your nonprofit grows and develops, you’ll need to continue training to ensure your software also reflects your needs. Look for a solution with training resources and customer support that will help you set up your software and maximize your return on investment.

It’s worth it to carefully consider your budget up front so you don’t end up having to ultimately switch to a different solution and spend more on data migration costs down the line.

3. Finalize your top options.

Once you have compiled a list of possible solutions, it’s time to narrow down candidates to find your nonprofit CRM. The following questions should help:

Research the features available from each nonprofit software solution. Do these features meet the immediate needs of your nonprofit?
Consider your nonprofit’s future goals and plans. Does the provider offer scalable features to meet those down-the-line needs?
Is the software within your nonprofit’s budget?
Will you be able to try the software out during a trial period before investing?
Will an implementation team help you set up the solution?
Does this implementation cost extra?
Do you have access to training materials to use the software to the best of your ability both now and in the future?

Be sure to request a demo for each of your top options, and don’t be afraid to ask questions along the way. Here are some questions you may consider asking:

Is this software available offline?
Are there internal controls to ensure data security?
How often is the software updated?
Who are some of your other customers?
What is the real cost breakdown of this solution?

Taking notes during each demo will come in handy as you compare similar solutions to make your final decision.

4. Make a decision with the help of key stakeholders.

Make sure to run the nonprofit CRM software decision past your fundraising team, who will be working with the solution daily. You’ll need enough information to make a solid case to advocate for your software choice. Consider their input and feedback about the common pain points they face in your current system and the potential drawbacks they see for your top options.

Your entire team may not agree with your final decision, and that’s okay. Address any remaining reservations and ask team members to fully commit to your new solution once you’ve landed on it. This will help the transition go more smoothly.

5. Create an implementation plan.

Once you’ve made your choice, your job isn’t done! You’ll need to develop a nonprofit CRM implementation and training plan. The plan should look something like this:

Set a goal for when you want the system to be fully operational.
Work closely with the implementation team and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Ask for support when you need it. Make sure you take advantage of unlimited email and chat support from a provider. Or, call when you need to.
Consider implementation consulting. Even for a small fee, sometimes implementation consulting is absolutely worth it and can make all the difference in your use of the nonprofit CRM.

Create a step-by-step plan with specific deadlines to reach full implementation of your nonprofit CRM. Do your best to adhere to these deadlines. That way, you can quickly get back to connecting with supporters and growing your audience.

6. Train your team on your new system.

Host several training sessions to get team members up to speed on the new platform. Give access to training materials that team members can use at any point if they need a refresher.

Wrapping up

Nonprofit CRM software is the backbone of effective nonprofit strategies. It’s where you collect, organize, and store important information that will power your fundraising initiatives. Choosing the right software is, therefore, an incredibly important decision to make.

To dive deeper into the topic, check out these additional resources:

Buying Fundraising Software: 6 Important Factors to Consider. Purchasing new nonprofit software is a decision that requires thoughtful planning. Use this buyer’s guide to help make your choice.
Donor Database: The Buyer’s Ultimate Guide For 2023. A robust donor database is a core component of your nonprofit CRM. Learn more about how to find a CRM with a powerful donor database in this guide.
7 Best Practices for Effective Donor Management. The right nonprofit CRM will help improve your donor management approach. Explore more donor management tips with this resource.
The Fundraiser’s Guide to Buying Software. Online fundraising tools can make a world of difference when it comes to your nonprofit’s success, but how do you know which features you need to be successful? This guide will help make your journey easier!

The post Nonprofit CRM Software: Explore 20+ Solutions for 2024 appeared first on Bloomerang.

The 9 Best Volunteer Apps for Better Engagement in 2024

Jay Love — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 18:44:58 +0000

Why are volunteer apps important? According to the Volunteer Management Progress Report, recruitment was the top challenge and priority of volunteer coordinators in 2023. Volunteer apps help widen your reach to new audiences, stay in touch with current volunteers, and build stronger relationships through a positive volunteer experience.

This guide will cover top volunteer apps, features to look out for, and best practices for using your app effectively. Here’s what to expect:

Features to look for in a volunteer management app
Best volunteer apps for 2024
How to make the most of your volunteer app

Whether you’re looking to manage volunteers for an event or start an employee volunteer program, a volunteer app can help you keep your program on track and reduce stress for all involved.

Features to look for in a volunteer management app

A well-designed volunteer app helps nonprofits track volunteer impact, deliver important information, get insights on the success of their program, and much more, all in one system.

Let’s explore specific features to look out for:

Features for your staff

You can help your staff stay organized and reduce stress by giving them access to all of your volunteer program’s resources at their fingertips. Here are some volunteer management app features that can benefit your staff:

Bird’s-eye view of your entire volunteer program schedule. Your team will be able to view and fill empty shifts with ease using a weekly or monthly calendar. This can also help you analyze shift attendance in real time.
Check-in and checkout tools. Staff members can check in volunteers using their phones, streamlining the process and allowing volunteers to get right to work. Also, you can quickly view volunteer information such as skills, preferences, and qualifications to assess which roles will be the best fit for each volunteer.
Communication system to send updates and messages to staff and volunteers. Send personalized messages, impact reports, shift reminders, new upcoming opportunities, words of appreciation, and other important updates through real-time notifications.
Document sharing. This helps ensure that every volunteer understands and has access to the code of conduct, any waivers they must complete, and safety information, allowing them to reference this information at any time.

Features for your volunteers

90% of Americans own a smartphone. That means your volunteers will easily be able to access your volunteer app and the benefits it offers them, including the ability to:

Sign up for opportunities on their mobile devices. Offering a self-schedule feature empowers your volunteers to sign up for shifts that work best for them and their availability. This can boost volunteer satisfaction and save your administrative team time that would have otherwise been spent managing shift sign ups.
Review their personal schedules. Ensure your volunteer management app allows volunteers easy access to their schedules to help reduce no-shows. This saves them time from communicating back and forth with their volunteer manager or having to look at the system on their computer.
Track their hours and easily check into shifts. Your volunteers may want insight into how many hours they’re contributing to your organization for their own reference and satisfaction. They may also need to report volunteer hours to their school or employer to be eligible for volunteer grants based on hours worked.
Stay in the know about all updates and reminders. Your volunteer app should keep your volunteers in the loop at all times with shift reminders, alert notifications, and appreciation messages.

Best volunteer apps for 2024

The right volunteer app for your organization will streamline your program management and be easy to use for all staff and volunteers. Let’s explore the top volunteer management apps to consider, along with the benefits and considerations noted by real users on G2 and Capterra.

Bloomerang Volunteer

When it comes to keeping your volunteer program organized and staying in touch with your supporters, Bloomerang Volunteer is our top volunteer app recommendation. Bloomerang Volunteer streamlines ongoing tasks, allowing volunteer managers to save time and refocus their energy on what matters most—reaching program goals, creating genuine relationships with volunteers, and furthering their nonprofit’s mission.

Features

The Bloomerang Volunteer mobile app makes managing and communicating with volunteers simple. Here are the top features of this mobile app for volunteer managers:

Access your master volunteer schedule at your fingertips to make quick schedule changes.
Manage check-ins from a mobile device and automatically track attendance.
Fill schedule gaps and send automated shift reminders to boost attendance.
Share resources and documents with volunteers.
Connect with volunteers using personalized outreach.

For supporters, the Bloomerang app improves the volunteer experience by allowing them to:

Self-sign-up for shifts based on their availability.
Review their personal schedules.
Accept and send in-app communications.
Review documents, such as maps and waivers, before their shifts.

Benefits

Volunteer communication, scheduling, engagement, and appreciation—complete all these activities from anywhere with Bloomerang’s patented volunteer app! You can also sync volunteer profiles to your Bloomerang donor database to identify volunteers with high giving potential.

Volunteers are 66% more likely to financially support their favorite nonprofits compared to non-volunteers. With Bloomerang’s prospect identification tools, such as the Generosity Score, you can easily determine which volunteers are most likely to give and direct your fundraising efforts toward those individuals.

Pricing

Bloomerang Volunteer starts at $119 per month.

SignUpGenius

SignUpGenius makes it easier for event coordinators to manage their volunteers with a user-friendly volunteer management app. It allows volunteers to sign up for shifts, and all you have to do is send them a reminder.

Features

Here’s what you can do with this volunteer app:

Create a digital sign-up sheet in minutes by choosing from professionally designed templates or creating a custom form.
Send automatic email or text reminders to volunteers to improve attendance rates.
Allow volunteers to sign up from any device and add items to their digital calendars.

Benefits

This app offers organizations a quick and easy way to recruit volunteers and encourage them to sign up for shifts that best suit them.

Considerations to keep in mind

SignUpGenius doesn’t provide access to a volunteer management database with comprehensive volunteer profiles, unlike more robust options like Bloomerang Volunteer.

Pricing

Plans start at $8.99 per month.

Golden

Golden’s volunteer platform makes organizing your volunteer logistics easy for coordinators. It also makes it easy for passionate volunteers to find opportunities that align with their interests and values.

Features

Golden’s iOS and Android apps offer features such as:

Location-based services that show volunteers nearby opportunities they might be interested in.
A frictionless sign-up process that volunteer managers can share over text, email, or any social media platform.
Field organizing that allows volunteer coordinators to manage volunteers from any device while on the go.

Benefits

Golden is a turnkey platform, meaning it’s easy for organizations to get up and running quickly without having to learn complex new software.

Considerations to keep in mind

Some basic features are only available at higher price points, such as SMS notifications and branded email communications.

Pricing

Starts at $1,200 per year (or $110 per month billed monthly).

360MatchPro Volunteer Hub

Unlike the other tools in this list, 360MatchPro Volunteer Hub isn’t a volunteer management solution. Instead, it’s a platform that helps nonprofits make the most of corporate-sponsored volunteering by maximizing volunteer grants and paid volunteer time off (PVTO).

Features

This platform equips nonprofits with the following tools:

Volunteer program search widget that allows corporate volunteers to easily search for their workplace volunteer benefits, like volunteer grants and PVTO.
User-friendly search field you can easily incorporate into your existing registration forms.
Robust integrations with a variety of other software platforms to streamline volunteer data tracking.

Benefits

Nonprofits can combine the Volunteer Hub with 360MatchPro’s matching gift database to centralize all corporate giving activity in one platform.

Considerations to keep in mind

This solution is specifically tailored to maximizing corporate giving, so it would supplement a different tool with robust volunteer management capabilities (like Bloomerang!).

Pricing

Contact 360MatchPro for pricing information.

Get Connected

Get Connected is a volunteer management app offered by Galaxy Digital that allows volunteer managers to utilize a geolocation service feature to remind volunteers to check in and out of their shifts.

Features

Volunteer managers and supporters can use this app to:

Leverage geolocation tracking that automatically reminds volunteers to check in and out of opportunities.
Automatically create a volunteer hours log that directly attributes hours to each volunteer’s profile.
Check volunteers in quickly and efficiently with a mobile kiosk.

Benefits

With all of these automatic features, administrators can save time, enabling them to focus on other important aspects of their volunteer program.

Considerations to keep in mind

Users note a desire for greater customization capabilities for reports and the app’s appearance.

Pricing

Contact Galaxy Digital for pricing information.

Mobilize

The Mobilize volunteer management app offers nonprofits a platform that makes it easy to manage events and recruit volunteers. Nonprofits, advocacy organizations, labor unions, and progressive campaigns commonly use this app.

Features

Leverage this volunteer app to:

Send automated emails and text messages to supporters who sign up to volunteer.
Access real-time data from events.
Send feedback surveys right after any event via email and SMS.

Benefits

This solution ensures all your volunteers can sign up, engage, and have an enjoyable volunteer experience without feeling overwhelmed.

Considerations to keep in mind

Some users noted that Mobilize may send too many event reminders ahead of a volunteer activity, potentially drowning out other important messages from volunteer coordinators.

Pricing

Contact Mobilize for pricing information.

POINT

POINT’s volunteer management app makes it easy to engage and manage your volunteers with analytics tracking, communication features, and recruitment tools to find the right volunteers for the right roles.

Features

This volunteer app allows volunteer coordinators to:

Access all of your program’s information from a centralized admin dashboard.>
Offer volunteers a thorough look at their impact with a personalized impact tracker profile.
Enable volunteers to easily become donors with a micro-donation platform.

Benefits

POINT is completely free to join, making it an accessible option for small nonprofits or organizations on a tight budget.

Considerations to keep in mind

You might find the free version limiting, as features like check-in stations, background checks, waivers, and program management are only available at higher price points.

Pricing

The Core plan is free, and paid options start at $99 per month, billed annually.

Giveffect

Giveffect offers an all-around view of your volunteer program’s activities, saving you time and reducing redundancies.

Features

Use Giveffect’s mobile app to:

Use your mobile device as a volunteer check-in kiosk.
Automate scheduled emails, payments, reminders, and other important notifications.
Get real-time reports and data updates on everything from volunteer recruitment to quality control.

Benefits

With Giveffect’s volunteer management app, your nonprofit can experience scheduling ease and eliminate any manual data entry.

Considerations to keep in mind

Giveffect markets itself as “10-in-1 Nonprofit Software,” offering multiple tools in one platform. If your organization just needs volunteer management, you may end up paying for solutions you’re not using.

Pricing

Plans start at $399 per month.

VolunteerMark

VolunteerMark offers essential tools to help nonprofits efficiently run their volunteer programs and engage with volunteers. Their app provides automatic sign-up processes, hours tracking, and more.

Features

The VolunteerMark app allows you to:

Leverage simple volunteer communication features to boost engagement.
Access dashboard views for event and volunteer stats.
Offer volunteers self-scheduling opportunities or specifically invite volunteers to certain opportunities that align with their preferences and skills.

Benefits

With their user-friendly platform, administrators can easily track and manage their volunteers with a click of a button.

Considerations to keep in mind

Users noted that the app’s interface looks a little dated and can be clunky for volunteers to use.

Pricing

VolunteerMark offers a free option, and paid plans start at $34 per month.

Helper Helper

Helper Helper lets volunteer managers create comprehensive reports to gain insights into your volunteer program and volunteer satisfaction levels. A wide range of organizations uses the Helper Helper platform, including companies, schools, nonprofits, and universities.

Features

With Helper Helper, your organization can:

Spark friendly competition among volunteers and acknowledge top volunteers that had the most impact.
Record and track volunteer engagement and easily prepare annual reports.
Segment opportunities to help streamline how volunteers search for new ways to get involved.

Benefits

With this volunteer management app, you can improve your program’s efficiency and track hours to better understand your community service efforts.

Considerations to keep in mind

Some users noted onboarding challenges and a lack of training resources.

Pricing

Contact Helper Helper for pricing information.

How to make the most of your volunteer app

After you’ve chosen your volunteer management app and gotten it up and running, using the platform to the fullest will allow you to have a high return on investment. Follow these tips to make the most of your volunteer app:

Train volunteers to use the app. Introduce volunteers to the system during your volunteer orientation. This way, your volunteers will know where to go to access important information and stay up-to-date with upcoming events and opportunities.
Train staff members to use the app. Make sure staff members who will use the app regularly are familiar with the ins and outs of the technology and how they can use it to simplify management processes.
Monitor your shift calendar to keep an eye on open opportunities. With your volunteer app, you can effectively track volunteer schedules so you always have enough hands on deck.
Create engaging, accurate role descriptions. This not only ensures that the right volunteers are signing up for the right roles but also increases the chances of your volunteers being satisfied with their roles. Make sure your role descriptions are thorough and that they mention logistics like the skills you’re looking for and the time commitment.
Send automated communications, such as shift reminders. Take advantage of shift reminder features to send alert notifications. Allow volunteers to communicate with your organization through the app so they can get any questions answered.

Make sure to reach out to your app provider to ask questions, receive technical support, and ensure you’re using each feature to its full potential.

Wrapping up

Your volunteer management app should make your life easier by keeping volunteer schedules, communications, and calendars organized in one convenient place. Now that you’ve read about what features to look out for in a volunteer app, the potential options to consider, and how you can make the most of your app, it’s time to let your volunteer management app do the hard work!

For more information about effective volunteer management strategies, check out these additional resources:

How to Create a Volunteer Recruitment Plan: 5 Strategies. Learn how to recruit more volunteers with the help of your volunteer app and other resources and strategies.
Volunteer Engagement | Strategies for Smart Organizations. Engaging volunteers helps retain them for the long term. Use these tips to keep volunteers invested in your mission.
15+ Volunteer Appreciation Ideas to Build Relationships. This guide outlines volunteer appreciation ideas to foster positive, long-lasting supporter relationships.

The post The 9 Best Volunteer Apps for Better Engagement in 2024 appeared first on Bloomerang.

What is Peer-to-Peer Fundraising? The Ultimate Guide

Jay Love — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 13:00:31 +0000

One of the most rewarding aspects of working at a nonprofit is the community of supporters you get to build and connect with. By bonding over your shared commitment to your cause, you can develop lasting relationships and secure continued support for your organization.

Chances are, your nonprofit’s supporters would enjoy being more involved in the fundraising process to help you gather even more donations for your cause. With peer-to-peer fundraising, your community members can take the initiative and expand your fundraising efforts to reach others in their networks.

Peer-to-peer fundraising is a type of online fundraising campaign in which nonprofit supporters take an active role in supporting their favorite organizations. In this guide, we’re going to cover the ins and outs of peer-to-peer fundraising through the following sections:

What is peer-to-peer fundraising?
Types of peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns
Benefits of peer-to-peer fundraising
How to get started with peer-to-peer fundraising
Marketing peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns
Peer-to-peer fundraising ideas
Top peer-to-peer fundraising platforms
Tips for your next peer-to-peer fundraising campaign

To start, we’ll revisit the basics to make sure we’re all on the same page when it comes to peer-to-peer fundraising.

What is peer-to-peer fundraising?

Peer-to-peer fundraising (sometimes shortened to P2P fundraising) is a fundraising strategy where individuals organize personal campaigns to raise money on behalf of a nonprofit organization.

Organizations recruit volunteers among their supporter bases to launch personalized campaign pages. Volunteers then reach out to their networks of friends and family to collect donations for their campaigns.

What is the difference between peer-to-peer fundraising and crowdfunding?

While peer-to-peer fundraising and crowdfunding share some characteristics, they are two separate strategies.

Both crowdfunding and peer-to-peer fundraising require your nonprofit to rely on its network of supporters reaching out to their friends and family (usually leveraging social media) to raise money on behalf of your nonprofit.

The difference lies in how your campaign is set up and how you share it. While crowdfunding campaigns empower your supporters to share the same campaign page across multiple sites and platforms, peer-to-peer fundraising empowers your volunteers to launch their own personalized pages to raise funds on your behalf.

As a result, your peer-to-peer fundraisers can create campaign pages that include personal information about their connections to your organization. This specificity and individualization further encourage new supporters to give to the campaign due to their relationship with your volunteer fundraisers. In fact, 39% of Americans say they’ve donated to a cause because of a request from a family member or friend.

Types of peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns

There are three primary types of peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns: rolling, time-based, and giving days.

Rolling campaigns

Rolling peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns operate without a time limit. They’re designed to raise a certain amount of money and those funds don’t have a set deadline.

If you want to give supporters the option to raise money on behalf of your nonprofit at any time, you might set up a rolling campaign on your site. That way, they can create a personalized campaign page whenever they want and dedicate the revenue to your annual fund.

An example of a rolling campaign is Alex’s Lemonade Stand’s fundraisers. Anyone can use the nonprofit’s resources to host their own lemonade stand fundraiser at any given time.

Time-based campaigns

Time-based peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns are more common and require participants to raise funds by a specific deadline. These types of peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns are often tied to events.

For example, an organization may launch a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign leading up to its annual walk-a-thon, like the Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk. This campaign would allow you to spread the word about the event, increasing revenue for the general campaign through peer-to-peer fundraising.

Giving days

Giving days operate like condensed versions of time-based campaigns that only last 24 hours. These campaigns create a sense of urgency for your supporters to reach their personal goals and help your nonprofit achieve its overarching goal in a short amount of time.

For these types of campaigns, your nonprofit can lean into established giving occasions like GivingTuesday or create its own giving days that make sense for your cause. For instance, an animal shelter may host a giving day on National Rescue Dog Day to raise funds for dog adoptions.

A real-life example of a giving day is American Red Cross Giving Day. Taking place during Red Cross Month, this day is dedicated to raising funds for families affected by home fires and other disasters.

Benefits of peer-to-peer fundraising

Hosting a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign allows you to cast a wide net and earn donations from many people simultaneously. It’s not just about accessing funding, though. Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns also offer opportunities for nonprofit organizations to connect more deeply with their supporters.

These campaigns can allow you to:

Expand your network. Since your supporters are reaching out to their friends and family, you can expand your network to those new audience members. They’ll get a sense of your brand and what your organization is about and might be interested in learning more about your nonprofit.
Allow supporters to get more involved. If you’re always reaching out to your supporters and asking for money, they may feel burnt out and unappreciated. Asking them to help raise money on your behalf is not only easier on their wallets but also provides a new and unique way for them to show their support.
Engage supporters virtually. You can launch and host peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns entirely virtually. That way, supporters can conveniently get involved—no matter where they’re located.
Grow your social media presence. Peer-to-peer campaigns spread like wildfire on social media, so they naturally help grow your nonprofit’s social media presence. You can expand your social media presence by interacting with supporters’ posts about their fundraising pages and encouraging them to reach their goals.

Before you launch your peer-to-peer campaign, choose which goals are most important for your organization, both in terms of revenue and engagement opportunities. That way, you can make focused decisions that drive your objectives forward.

For example, you may use your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign to engage your current supporter base and increase your retention rate. In this case, you might set goals regarding the percentage of current supporters you want to recruit to participate in the campaign. Then, you can specifically focus on encouraging supporters to participate, stewarding them, and showing your appreciation as they raise funds for your mission.

How to get started with peer-to-peer fundraising

Follow these steps to launch your own peer-to-peer fundraising campaign.

1. Determine your campaign’s goals.

Chances are, you’ll have multiple goals you’d like to accomplish. Determine all of your goals, and rank them in order of priority.

For example, you might decide that you have four goals for your campaign:

Raise money.
Steward existing supporters.
Expand your social media presence.
Expand your brand recognition.

From here, you need a revenue goal that will meet your needs. Let’s say that you want to raise $20,000. If you recruit 50 volunteers, you can encourage them to set a goal of raising $400 each for your campaign. If they’re successful, you’ll hit that $20,000 goal.

2. Choose a peer-to-peer fundraising platform.

Pick the software platform that will help your nonprofit reach its peer-to-peer campaign fundraising goals. Look for a solution with the following features:

Individual and team fundraising pages
Customizability
Gamification tools
Branded event pages
Social sharing tools
Fundraising thermometers

If you already use a dedicated peer-to-peer platform, add your campaign’s details to your main information page. Highlight the basics of your campaign, including your overarching goals and what the funds raised will support.

3. Recruit your peer-to-peer fundraising volunteers.

Start recruiting supporters to fundraise on your behalf by presenting the campaign’s objectives and goals. Position the opportunity as a way to get more involved with your nonprofit and become an ambassador for your cause.

It’s best to recruit supporters who have already shown a demonstrated interest in your cause. These may be avid volunteers, regular event attendees, dedicated donors, or engaged social media followers.

After you’ve recruited your supporters, show them how to launch their own campaign pages and make the most of the opportunity. Help them create their own compelling fundraising appeals based on their experiences with your nonprofit. People are more likely to give money to a person rather than an organization, meaning their unique words and appeals will drive more support than a generic message from your organization.

4. Support your fundraisers.

Support your volunteer fundraisers during every step of your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. Provide tips throughout the campaign to show them how to take their fundraiser to the next level.

For instance, you might recommend:

Making the first donation to the campaign to kick things off. This shows potential donors that they’re not starting from scratch.
Reposting the peer-to-peer fundraising page at regular intervals on their social media accounts.
Using groups on social media, such as Facebook groups, to reach people with similar interests.
Leveraging other platforms like email and word-of-mouth marketing to reach new audiences.

Regularly check in with your supporters to assess their progress toward their individual goals. These check-ins will keep their motivation high as they continue to raise funds for your organization.

5. Celebrate reaching your goal.

When you hit your goal, celebrate! Reach out to all the supporters who helped fundraise on your behalf and thank them for their involvement.

On a smaller scale, when individual fundraisers hit their goals, reach out to congratulate them. Encourage them to continue raising money for the campaign so they know they can keep going and surpass their goal.

6. Thank all of your supporters.

After the campaign ends, it’s time to say a lot of thank yous. Thank every fundraiser for getting involved, and don’t forget to show appreciation for the donors who contributed to the campaign’s success.

Avoid lumping your donor and volunteer segments together. Instead, create personalized communications depending on how each individual participated in your campaign to reach everyone on a personal level.

To show your appreciation for your fundraisers, consider the following:

Write emails and letters thanking them for their support.
Provide prizes for your top fundraisers.
Send updates about the project they raised funds for.
Send a survey to get their feedback on the campaign.
Create a special event for these fundraisers, or invite them to participate in a VIP activity at an existing event.

To show your appreciation for your donors, you might consider the following:

Send additional newsletters or information about your mission.
Call them to say thank you.
Send handwritten thank-you notes.

These appreciation strategies will close out the campaign and make sure it ends on a high note for everyone involved. They will also encourage people to get more involved in the future, increasing your organization’s retention rate for these types of campaigns.

7. Track key campaign metrics.

Directly after the campaign, build a report of the key metrics that determine your campaign’s success.

Some of the metrics you might decide to analyze include your:

Average donation size
Supporter retention rate
Number of new donors who contributed
Marketing platform success rate
Average amount raised per fundraiser

Analyze these metrics and identify opportunities for improvement. Then, make a note of these opportunities for the next campaign. We recommend conducting this analysis directly after the campaign so the details are still fresh in your mind.

Peer-to-peer fundraising ideas

Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns can take many forms. Consider your development plan and the type of campaign that will best fit your needs.

Check out this comprehensive list of P2P fundraising ideas for even more ideas!

5K race

A 5K is a great way to inspire friendly competition among supporters while raising funds for your mission. Use your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign to spread the word about the event and encourage participants to launch their own personal campaign pages ahead of time. That way, even those who can’t attend can donate and support your cause.

Walk-a-thon

Similar to your 5K race, you can encourage your walk-a-thon participants to raise funds for your cause before and during the event. Have supporters set up peer-to-peer pages and ask for pledges based on the distance they walk (i.e. $5 per number of laps or miles).

Sports tournament

Sports tournaments are exciting opportunities that encourage people to come out and support their local teams. Ask each team to set up a fundraising page as a part of your peer-to-peer campaign so supporters can cheer on their favorite team and show support by contributing to the campaign. The team that wins the tournament and the one that raises the most money for your nonprofit should receive a reward.

Team sports

Raising money for a single sports team is another great way to leverage a peer-to-peer fundraiser. Let’s say your nonprofit organizes a pick-up kickball game to raise money. Each team member can raise funds using their own personalized campaign page leading up to the big game.

Read-a-thon

Read-a-thons are perfect peer-to-peer fundraising opportunities for kids. Encourage them (with the help of their parents or guardians) to set up a campaign page and ask for sponsorships for the number of pages they read in a set period of time.

Holiday party

Your nonprofit’s holiday party is an exciting time for your organization. Invite supporters to attend and raise money leading up to the event. You might even offer a discount for entry (if you require an entry fee) for supporters who raise a certain amount of funds.

Merchandise campaign

Merchandise campaigns are special types of peer-to-peer campaigns where you sell merchandise to raise donations. Your supporters create their own campaign page connected to your organization. Then, when the supporters’ friends and family make a donation of a certain size, they’ll receive a t-shirt, mug, or other branded merchandise.

Tips for your next peer-to-peer fundraising campaign

Peer-to-peer fundraising can be challenging, especially if you’re new to it. That’s why we’ve compiled several tips that you can use to maximize your campaign and help you succeed.

Here are our top tips for success:

Center your supporters in your appreciation efforts. In your follow-up communications after your fundraiser, explain what donors and fundraisers made happen through their dedicated support. For example, instead of saying “Our nonprofit can now purchase 12 new beds for shelter dogs,” say “Because of your generous support, 12 shelter dogs will have a comfy place to sleep.”
Encourage fundraisers to personalize their campaign pages. Provide training materials for your supporters, instructing them on how to personalize their campaign pages. Advise them on what content works best for peer-to-peer pages. For instance, images that feature the fundraiser at a nonprofit event or a beneficiary are especially impactful. Your fundraisers should also engage their networks with stories about their personal experiences with your cause.
Leverage fundraising thermometers. Fundraising thermometers allow your donors to see exactly how much more money you have to raise to hit your fundraising goal, incentivizing donors to give. Brand your thermometer to your organization, and feature it on various campaign pages and your nonprofit’s website.
Use leaderboards to gamify the campaign. Turn your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign into a competition by adding leaderboards to the mix. Rank your leading fundraisers for everyone to see and celebrate your top earners. After the campaign, award the winner with a prize.

Using the right online giving tool is essential for ensuring you can enact these various peer-to-peer fundraising tips. Prioritize the features you need for your specific peer-to-peer campaign, and compare different software providers to choose the one that’s best for your organization.

Our recommended peer-to-peer fundraising platform: Qgiv

To host an effective peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, you’ll need a platform that allows your supporters to customize their campaign pages and promote them to a wide audience. We recommend using Qgiv, an all-in-one peer-to-peer fundraising platform.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive, user-friendly peer-to-peer fundraising platform, look no further than Qgiv. With Qgiv’s intuitive software, you can empower your fundraisers to customize their pages and encourage their networks of friends and family to contribute.

Check out some of the incredible features Qgiv has to offer:

Team fundraising capabilities. Have your fundraisers team up to raise even more for your cause. With the ability to assign team captains, set recruitment and fundraising goals for each team, and leverage team leaderboards, the sky’s the limit for how much your participants can raise.
Customizable events. Want to pair your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign with an event? Qgiv allows you to easily accept registrations from any device through custom event pages—whether you’re hosting a 5K, walk-a-thon, or anything in between.
Gamification elements. Make fundraising more fun with gamification. You can inspire friendly competition with leaderboards, reward fundraisers for hitting their goals with badges, and launch recruitment and fundraising contests that keep your supporters engaged.
Email and social tools. Supporters can email their friends and family directly from their personal dashboards, making it easy to spread the word about your campaign. They can also use customized email and social post templates created by your team to keep communications consistent and on brand.
Online store. Smash your fundraising goals by selling event merchandise in your online store to drive additional revenue. You may also create and sell sponsorship packages directly from your event page to keep everything in one place.

Plus, Bloomerang’s partnership with Qgiv allows nonprofits to put supporter relationships at the heart of every fundraising campaign. By combining Qgiv’s fundraising tools with Bloomerang’s donor management software, you can seamlessly sync your fundraising data and use it to build stronger donor relationships. With all of your fundraising data and tools in one place, you can unlock unparalleled insights that allow you to fortify your fundraising strategy over time.

Wrapping up

Peer-to-peer fundraising allows your organization to raise funds, increase your donor retention rate, and generate excitement leading up to fundraising events. No matter where your supporters are located, they can get involved and become champions of your cause, helping you maximize your fundraising efforts.

If you’re looking for even more information about fundraising and how peer-to-peer fundraising will fit into your overall strategy, check out these additional resources:

14 Exceptional Nonprofit Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Platforms. Explore more top peer-to-peer fundraising platforms your nonprofit can leverage in this guide.
35 Exciting Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Ideas. Build an engaging peer-to-peer fundraising campaign that will get your supporters involved using these peer-to-peer fundraising ideas.
15 Top Online Fundraising Platforms to Ramp Up Donations. There are plenty of virtual fundraising platforms available not just for peer-to-peer fundraising but to also manage all types of online fundraising campaigns. Review 15 top solutions here.

The post What is Peer-to-Peer Fundraising? The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Bloomerang.

27 Recommended Affordable or Free Nonprofit Software Tools

Jay Love — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 19:47:54 +0000

Software solutions keep the nonprofit sector in motion. 67% of nonprofits use a constituent relationship management system (CRM) to track donations and manage supporter communications. That’s just the start—nonprofit software tools come in many varieties, offering support for marketing, event and auction planning, form building, and much more.

However, many nonprofits operate with tight budgets. According to a National Council of Nonprofits report, the vast majority of nonprofits operate at the grassroots level, and 88% have budgets less than $500,000. If your organization falls in this range, you may be interested in free, discounted, or affordable software solutions to help carry out your strategies while staying within budget.

This guide highlights the top affordable and free nonprofit software solutions to turn to for support. We’ve grouped these solutions into the following categories:

Donor Management
Fundraising
Project Management
Communication
Design
Forms
Marketing
Events
Website Content Management System

As you assess each option, keep in mind that seemingly “free” platforms may still come with costs. Even platforms with no recurring monthly or yearly fee may require a transaction or processing fee to process donations. Carefully consider fee structures to find the right balance between access to features and a high net donation amount.

Free Nonprofit Software Disclaimer

When looking at software solutions, it can be tempting to choose a free or the cheapest option available. On one hand, this saves your team the time you’d spend researching products and determining which one is a worthy investment, as well as the money you’d spend making that investment.

There are many reasons why opting for a free fundraising solution could be tempting to your nonprofit:

You might be curious about the impact that paid donor database solutions can have on your nonprofit. Is it worth it to spend the money?
You may not see a significant difference in the features you’ll use when comparing free and paid options.
You may not want to change how you currently manage donors, which means you’d like to invest as little as possible in a different solution or approach to donor management.

These are all reasonable considerations. However, we’ve seen that when it comes to free fundraising software, you often get what you pay for. That means you likely won’t see the results—increased fundraising revenue, increased donor retention rate, increased average gift size—that you would likely see when using a paid solution. Plus, these free solutions can often limit your ability to fundraise effectively, costing you even more money than what you’d spend to invest in a paid fundraising software solution.

Why you might not want to choose free nonprofit software

An important thing to keep in mind when looking at free fundraising software solutions is that they often come with additional costs, meaning they’re not actually free.

Let’s take Salesforce, for example. Many of our nonprofit customers have switched from Salesforce to Bloomerang. In almost every case, customers were drawn to the fact that the Salesforce nonprofit CRM was free. However, once they started using the software solution, they realized that it was more complicated than they thought.

Often, they had to pay a consultant to help them set up their database and teach them how to use it. We’ve even heard some customers say they paid up to $15,000 to do this! Even with the consultant’s help, they had to endure a lengthy implementation period; it was months before the system was set up.

As you can imagine, customers ultimately ended up paying more money and spending more time than they would have if they had just invested in a dedicated donor database like Bloomerang.

Now let’s look at Excel, which a lot of nonprofits initially use to track their data.

Although it may seem like this is an easier way to manage data, it comes at the cost of the following drawbacks:

Security: What happens if your computer is stolen and someone gains access to all of that donor data?
Features: You’ll likely need to invest in other software solutions to send emails, collect online donations, etc., which will make it harder to organize and sync your data.
Accessibility: It may not be easy to share the sheet with others at your organization. And, the more people you share the spreadsheets with, the more potential security risks there are.
Support: There’s no one readily available to help answer your questions or fix something if you have an issue with the program.

Based on what our customers tell us, it’s often better to seek out an affordable paid solution built specifically for nonprofits.

Best Free Nonprofit Software for Donor Management

Donor management software, also known as nonprofit CRMs, are solutions that allow nonprofits to store donor information, track interactions over time, identify prospective major donors, and maintain ongoing communication with supporters.

Bloomerang

Platform overview: Bloomerang is an affordable, powerful, and easy-to-use fundraising software solution that will give you the functionality you need. You can access the full functionality of our platform starting at just $125/month.

Top features: With Bloomerang, you’ll get access to essential features like:

Unlimited users
Access to Bloomerang Academy, where you’ll find free resources and classes that are designed to help you become a more effective fundraiser
Unlimited online forms, including online giving and event registration pages
Email marketing tools
Complimentary email and chat support

You’ll also get exclusive features not offered by any other software solutions, like:

Constituent Engagement Level
Constituent Generosity Score
Communications Audit Tool
Research-backed Donor Engagement Surveys measuring donor satisfaction, commitment, trust, and intimacy
Sustainability Scorecard
Donor Retention Wheel

Because Bloomerang is built to grow with you, you’ll also have the option to upgrade to other features as you need them.

Want to learn more about what Bloomerang’s user-friendly, robust, and affordable nonprofit donor database has to offer? Schedule a demo to find out how your nonprofit can leverage Bloomerang’s tools to better manage and retain your donors.

Client success story: We’ve seen plenty of examples of organizations that have switched from free fundraising solutions to Bloomerang and experienced a boost to their fundraising and donor management strategies. One of those organizations is the German American Heritage Center (GAHC), a nonprofit dedicated to preserving German heritage and sharing knowledge about the German immigrant experience.

The GAHC had been using Excel to manage campaigns but didn’t have a way to view each donor’s giving history and other crucial donor information. They sought a more expansive, easy-to-use system to manage donor data and grow supporter relationships.

Their team found its solution in Bloomerang. They were able to benefit from Bloomerang’s intuitive interface, donor-centricity, and custom field functionality.

Kelly Lao, Executive Director at the German American Heritage Center, said the Bloomerang system allowed the GAHC to turn more lapsed or new donors into sustained givers. The team can now easily view top donors, consistent donors, and lapsed donors who are most likely to give again.

View Bloomerang’s customer results page for more success stories from organizations that have made the switch to Bloomerang.

Fees or limitations: Bloomerang is committed to transparent pricing. The Bloomerang Payments processing fee is 2.2% + $0.30 for credit and debit card transactions, 2.2% + $0.49 for PayPal transactions, and 0.8% + $0.30 for ACH transactions. Our platform also gives donors the option to cover processing fees, which they choose to do about 70% of the time. When donors cover processing fees, nonprofits take home about $99 for every $100 raised.

Donorbox

Platform overview: Donorbox is an online fundraising platform that prioritizes increasing nonprofit revenue through donation forms that convert. Nonprofits can access a donation button they can add to their websites, along with text-to-give, peer-to-peer fundraising, crowdfunding, membership, and events features.

Top feature: Donorbox’s UltraSwift Checkout feature allows donors to quickly complete payments in just a few clicks, promoting higher conversion rates.

Fees or limitations: The Donorbox standard plan is $0/month with a 1.75% platform fee. With a 2.95% platform fee, users can access more features, like events and memberships.

GivingFuel

Platform overview: GivingFuel offers donor management and fundraising software at affordable rates. The platform contains a donation page builder, nonprofit CRM, recurring gift functionality, and more.

Top feature: Users gain insight into online traffic, transaction times, website visits by device type, and conversion rates with real-time analytics.

Fees or limitations: The starter plan is $0/month with a 4.99% credit card fee per donation.

Best Free Project Management Software for Nonprofits

Project management software is specialized productivity software that makes it easier for teams to collaborate on projects, set deadlines, and keep their fellow team members up to date on the status of different tasks. Nonprofits can use this software to track fundraising campaign progress or assign roles within a larger project.

Asana

Platform overview: Asana’s project management platform supports streamlined workflows with features like customizable project layouts, multiple ways to visualize task lists, custom labels and fields, and more. Ultimately, the platform seeks to make it easy to customize your workflow to your nonprofit’s needs.

Top feature: The tasks feature helps teams break down large projects into manageable steps with clear task owners and agreed-upon timelines.

Fees or limitations: Asana’s Personal plan for individuals and small teams is free but only allows for 10 team members to use the platform. Eligible nonprofits can receive 50% off of the Starter or Advanced plans.

Trello

Platform overview: Trello is another project management and productivity platform focused on giving organizations greater insight and control over their workflows, with boards, views, and templates.

Top feature: Trello’s no-code automation function, called Butler, helps ensure that tasks don’t fall through the cracks by triggering automated actions, suggesting automation based on common repetitive tasks, and integrating with other apps for cross-platform automation.

Fees or limitations: Trello’s free plan allows for up to 10 boards per workspace and 250 Workspace command runs per month.

Monday.com

Platform overview: Monday.com enables workflows based on your organization’s needs, including views like Gantt charts, Kanban, and more. Run Agile sprints, marketing campaigns, and other initiatives to support your nonprofit’s goals.

Top feature: Monday.com’s mobile app allows you to stay organized while on the go. You can create new tasks, communicate with stakeholders, and share updates across teams.

Fees or limitations: The free plan is targeted toward individuals, with a three-board and two-user limit.

Top Free Communication Tools for Nonprofits

86% of employees and executives attribute workplace failures to a lack of effective communication. Communication and messaging tools help employees get in touch quickly and efficiently to keep projects moving forward and promote accountability.

Slack

Platform overview: Slack is a messaging platform that enables employees to send and receive multimedia messages, including regular chats as well as audio and video clips.

Top feature: Slack’s foundational feature is channels. You can create channels for different projects, campaigns, teams, or topics. This keeps all conversations focused.

Fees or limitations: Slack’s free plan is limited to 10 app integrations and limited version and messaging histories.

Google Workspace

Platform overview: Google Workspace for Nonprofits is a flexible productivity and communication platform with multiple apps to streamline team collaboration. This includes Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Slides, Meet, and more.

Top feature: Google’s Drive app is a helpful resource management solution for nonprofits. You can centralize your team’s documents, images, videos, and other resources into one accessible location. This can streamline everything from new employee onboarding to cross-team collaboration and secure file sharing.

Fees or limitations: The free plan for nonprofits is limited to 100 participants for video meetings and 30 GB of cloud storage per user.

Dropbox Sign

Platform overview: Nonprofits may need to share important documents and agreements, such as employment contracts or conflict of interest policies. Dropbox Sign enables organizations to prepare, send, sign, and track documents.

Top feature: Dropbox offers automated reminders so your nonprofit doesn’t have to chase down missing signatures.

Fees or limitations: Dropbox Sign starts at $18/month for one user and 3 TB of storage.

Best Free Nonprofit Software Tools for Graphic Design

Your nonprofit’s brand is an essential marketing tool—81% of consumers say brand trust is a deciding factor when determining whether to make a purchase. Graphic design tools help your nonprofit develop and distribute cohesive branded materials while staying within your budget.

Canva

Platform overview: Canva is a free online graphic design tool with special features for nonprofits looking to increase brand awareness. Using Canva, you can start a new design from scratch or choose a template based on your marketing goals and needs.

Top feature: The platform’s AI solution, Magic Studio, helps kickstart the creative process by brainstorming ideas for written copy and images. The solution can even generate videos and images based on text inputs.

Fees or limitations: Canva’s free plan for nonprofits allows for one team of up to 50 users. Additional users are 50% off.

Adobe Express

Platform overview: Adobe offers several paid graphic design tools, like Illustrator and Photoshop. Their free tool is Adobe Express, which allows users to develop everything from newsletters and presentations to videos and annual reports.

Top feature: Adobe users have access to a robust asset library of over 195 million royalty-free Adobe Stock collection photos, videos, and music.

Fees or limitations: The Adobe Express Premium Plan is free for all nonprofits. Nonprofits can have 250 generative credits per month for generative AI features like Text to image and Text effects.

Top Free Nonprofit Software for Forms

There are many moments throughout nonprofit work where a form can come in handy. Whether you need to gather volunteers’ dietary preferences for an event, ask donors for feedback, or survey your nonprofit’s staff about when they’d like to have your office Christmas party, form software can help you design the right form to gather crucial information.

Jotform

Platform overview: Jotform is a free online form builder that allows users to create forms from scratch or using a template.

Top feature: Jotform has a wide range of integrations with other software platforms, including CRMs, email platforms, payment processors, and storage apps. This enables nonprofits to seamlessly transfer data between platforms without having to fret about potential data losses.

Fees or limitations: The free plan has a five form limit and only enables 100 monthly submissions.

Cognito Forms

Platform overview: Cognito Forms empowers nonprofits to create forms for gathering donations, recruiting volunteers, and soliciting supporter or staff feedback.

Top feature: The no-code, template-based form builder offers a quick and easy way to get started while still allowing your nonprofit to customize forms with your unique branding.

Fees or limitations: The free plan is limited to one user and 500 entries per month.

Google Forms

Platform overview: Google Forms is another part of the Google Workspace ecosystem. This tool enables users to build forms in just minutes, collaborate with team members to add questions, and share the forms on a website or social media.

Top feature: Analyze your data using charts that are updated in real-time. Visualize trends and patterns to make data-driven decisions.

Fees or limitations: The Workspace personal plan is free, with a limit of 15 GB per user.

Best Free Nonprofit Software for Marketing

Nonprofits use all types of platforms to spread their messages—according to the 2023 M+R Benchmarks report, nonprofits sent an average of 60 email messages per subscriber in 2022. In addition, nonprofits sent 21 text messages per subscriber per year, representing a 28% increase in volume from 2021. Social media is as popular as ever, with 99% of nonprofits on Facebook and 95% on Instagram and X (Twitter).

Nonprofits need a way to promote their missions and fundraising opportunities to a wider audience, and marketing software provides the tools needed to get the word out.

Google Ads

Platform overview: Google Ads are digital advertisements that appear across the Google ecosystem, including Search, YouTube, and Discover. These ads can help drive traffic to your website by targeting users who research topics similar to your nonprofit’s mission.

Top feature: Your nonprofit can achieve optimum performance with Google’s AI, which helps create more relevant ads that appeal to your audience and drive conversions.

Fees or limitations: Nonprofits can access $10,000 per month in free Google Search advertising via the Google Ad Grant. To maintain access to the grant, organizations must comply with regulations such as maintaining at least a 5% click-through rate each month and maintaining a high keyword quality.

Constant Contact

Platform overview: Constant Contact is an email and digital marketing platform that meets users at their level, whether they’re just starting out or at an advanced level. In addition to support for email campaigns, nonprofits can also use the platform to launch social media and SMS marketing.

Top feature: Ensure timely messages are sent with marketing automation, which helps to maintain engagement and build stronger relationships over time.

Fees or limitations: Constant Contact offers a 20% discount off standard pricing when prepaying for 6 months or a 30% discount when prepaying for 12 months. The standard pricing is $35/month and includes three users and 10 GB of storage.

MailChimp

Platform overview: MailChimp is another email marketing solution that helps organizations optimize their email campaigns with segmentation, automation, and reporting features. The platform also offers tools for managing social media, SMS, and website campaigns.

Top feature: MailChimp’s reporting and analytics tools allow users to centralize data across platforms, such as Google Analytics and Shopify sales reporting. This way, you can analyze the results of multiple campaigns side-by-side.

Fees or limitations: The platform’s free plan is limited to one user, 1,000 monthly emails, and one primary marketing audience. MailChimp also offers a 15% nonprofit discount for certain features.

Hootsuite

Platform overview: Hootsuite is a social media marketing platform that integrates with multiple top social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Create and publish social media posts, track analytics, and monitor brand mentions.

Top feature: Take social media interactions a step further with engagement tools, which help you respond to messages from followers, comment on other posts when appropriate, and track engagement over time.

Fees or limitations: Hootsuite offers a discount of 75% with Hootsuite for nonprofits. The professional plan is $24.50/month.

Top Free Nonprofit Software for Events

81% of U.S. donors attend nonprofit fundraising events. Events are an effective way to bond with supporters, build stronger relationships, provide value to your community, and increase fundraising revenue. Explore top nonprofit solutions for virtual and in-person events.

Zoom

Platform overview: Zoom is a virtual meeting platform that allows teams to collaborate and gather even when working remotely. Nonprofits can also use Zoom to livestream events, making them available to broader audiences.

Top feature: Zoom’s event platform simplifies event management with hybrid ticketing options, a mobile companion app, a virtual expo floor, and more.

Fees or limitations: Zoom’s free plan is limited to 40-minute meetings and 100 attendees. Nonprofits can access a 50% discount via Techsoup.

Google Meet

Platform overview: Google Meet enables secure video conferencing across a variety of device types, including mobile, tablets, and desktops.

Top feature: Google Meet offers multiple ways to make video calls more accessible, such as live captions and noise-canceling features.

Fees or limitations: The free plan for nonprofits is limited to 100 participants for video meetings.

Eventbrite

Platform overview: Eventbrite provides online ticketing software to drive registrations. Create customizable event pages, multiple ticket types, social posts to promote events, and more.

Top feature: The Eventbrite organizer app helps event coordinators manage ticket sales, check-ins, and merchandise sales while on the go.

Fees or limitations: The free plan is limited to 25 tickets and 250 marketing emails. There are no fees for free events but a 3.7% + $1.79 service fee per ticket and a 2.9% payment processing fee per order.

Best Free Content Management Systems for Nonprofits

Content management systems (CMS) are tools that enable organizations to manage content on their websites. This includes creating pages and blog posts, managing forms, enabling e-commerce, and more.

WordPress is by far the most popular content management system for all organizations, with about 43% of all websites and 60% of nonprofits using the platform. But there are many other options available—explore a few free and affordable platforms here.

WordPress

Platform overview: WordPress is a free, open-source CMS, meaning anyone can view and change the software’s code to suit their needs. Nonprofits can start a website from scratch using available templates or work with a web designer (usually the preferred method) to build a custom website tailored to their needs.

Top feature: WordPress is generally considered to be highly user-friendly, with a simple editing experience that allows even inexperienced users to upload content with ease. The WordPress Block editor is very intuitive and beginner-friendly, with added features to support search engine optimization and enhanced content readability.

Fees or limitations: The WordPress free plan offers unlimited pages and users. However, you’ll have to pay for your domain name and website host (many hosts offer free domain names). A website host is a platform that houses your website and makes it publicly available on the internet. Prices vary based on the hosting provider you choose.

Drupal

Platform overview: Drupal is also an open-source CMS that many nonprofits use to build secure, scalable websites. Drupal is considered one of the most flexible CMS platforms, with modules that expand a website’s functionality.

Top feature: Drupal offers advanced security features to keep online data safe. These features include access controls, database encryption, and frequent security patches.

Fees or limitations: Drupal is free, but it is considered a more complex CMS, meaning your nonprofit would likely benefit from working with an experienced designer to make your site look and work great. The same caveats regarding domain and hosting fees also apply.

HubSpot

Platform overview: HubSpot offers not only CMS functionality, but also CRM software, a marketing hub, commerce tools, and more. Their marketing software helps track engagement from multiple angles—conversions, website traffic, leads, new contacts, and more.

Top feature: HubSpot’s CMS features a simple drag-and-drop page editor that doesn’t require any coding or advanced technical expertise.

Fees or limitations: The free plan for HubSpot’s CMS software offers basic features but lacks added functionality like live chat and email support and advanced SEO recommendations.

Additional free nonprofit software resources

Now that you’ve reviewed the pros and cons of no-cost fundraising tools, as well as a few top options, you can determine which solutions are worth it for your organization.

Looking for more information about nonprofit software? Learn more about how to make the most of the top nonprofit software solutions available to you with the help of these resources:

Fundraising Apps: 25+ Tools To Help Your Org Raise More. Fundraising apps help you raise more for your nonprofit’s mission. Take a look at this comprehensive list of the best platforms available.
19 Incredibly Easy Online Fundraising Ideas and Expert Tips. Want to revamp your online fundraising strategy? Check out this complete guide to effective online fundraising tips and ideas.
What is Donor Management Software? 9 Best Solutions. Ready to invest in a new donor database? Take a look at Bloomerang’s software buyer’s guide and ranking of the top donor management solutions.

The post 27 Recommended Affordable or Free Nonprofit Software Tools appeared first on Bloomerang.

How to Choose the Right Donor Database: Ultimate Guide

Jay Love — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 09:00:00 +0000

A donor database is much more than a glorified phonebook for nonprofits. When nonprofits invest in the right donor management tools and use them properly, they can become an incredible asset. These solutions optimize and expand your fundraising and donor stewardship activities to help form long-lasting relationships.

In 2022, 41% of nonprofit professionals reported that limited staff capacity was their organization’s biggest challenge, the second-most popular answer after rising expenses. Donor database software helps increase your team’s capacity by automating processes and helping save time.

In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about donor databases to help you choose the right solution for your nonprofit. Here’s what we’ll cover:

What is a donor database?
Benefits of a donor database
Features to look for in a donor database
How to find the right donor database
How to budget for your donor database
3 tips to make the most of your donor database
7 top donor database solutions to consider

Carefully read through each step before making this important investment decision for your nonprofit. Let’s get started.

What is a donor database?

A donor database is a software solution that nonprofit professionals use to access insights into their supporters’ engagement histories, track key fundraising metrics, and measure success.

Along with storing donors’ contact and demographic information, this technology helps build relationships with supporters by saving previous engagement data, such as past donations or events attended.

Benefits of a donor database

Your nonprofit might already use a variety of tools to manage donor relationships. You may wonder, “What’s the advantage of investing in another software solution on top of the solutions we already use?” A donor database offers the following benefits:

Data centralization. Think about the multitude of interactions you have with your donors. From emails to events to personal phone calls—your donors have multiple ways to engage with your organization as you introduce them to your mission. Donor database software provides a central location where nonprofit staff members can find information regarding each of these interactions.
The ability to personalize donor outreach. Using the information stored in your donor database, you can personalize your donor outreach materials with donors’ names, past interactions, and interests. For example, suppose you know that a supporter has attended many of your nonprofit’s events in the past. In that case, you might decide to send a personalized invitation to your next event opportunity. They’ll feel seen and acknowledged because you understand how much that particular supporter enjoys events.
Reporting capabilities. Your donor database stores and generates reports on essential donor trends and patterns. This allows your nonprofit’s staff to take a closer look at which strategies are most effective and which aspects of your fundraising or marketing efforts need improvement. You can use this information to improve your fundraising and marketing return on investment (ROI) by focusing your efforts on the most engaged supporters and reaching out to them with targeted messages.

A donor database takes your nonprofit’s fundraising to the next level, ensuring that you can manage and grow supporter relationships sustainably over time.

Features to look for in a donor database

Now that you know the advantages that a donor database can offer, it’s time to choose the right solution for your nonprofit. There are three major considerations when searching for a new donor database: common, special, and nonprofit-specific features.

Common donor database features

To effectively keep donor data organized, manage reports, and enable data segmentation, you should look for a donor database with the following necessary features:

Robust supporter profiles. Use robust profiles to manage information about your supporters, including their donation histories, volunteer hours, sponsorships, grants, and more. Leverage information in these profiles to build relationships with your supporters and encourage continued engagement.
Segmentation. According to research from Epsilon, 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences. Segmenting supporters based on information in each donor profile helps provide a more personalized experience. For example, an animal shelter might have a segment of supporters who prefer dogs and another for those who prefer cats. They might use different marketing messages and imagery to appeal to each group. Bloomerang’s segmentation eBook can provide more insight into smart ways to segment your database if you’re just getting started.
Scalability. The solution you choose should have options to scale up or down depending on your nonprofit’s needs. This ensures you can continue using the same solution as your nonprofit continues to grow. You can simply level up your donor database solution to gain access to the additional records or functionality your nonprofit needs.

These are standard features that your organization will find in any quality donor database. If a donor database doesn’t have these features, steer clear. Chances are, you’ll grow out of the solution very quickly.

Special donor database features

In addition to these necessary features, your nonprofit should also keep an eye out for the unique features of each platform that help maintain long-lasting donor relationships. Here are a few additional features that will support your nonprofit’s goals:

Giving potential. When it comes to requesting a donation, your donor database should keep track of potential major gift opportunities. When your donor database harnesses the data from a trusted prospect research provider, you can effectively illustrate a prospective donor’s giving capacity and propensity to donate to causes like yours. For example, Bloomerang offers a generosity score feature that uses publicly-available wealth data to identify potential major donors or donors who are likely to increase their giving amounts.
Engagement meter. An engagement meter provides a quick at-a-glance view of the engagement level of each supporter. This shows how often they interact with your organization, allowing you to re-engage supporters at risk of lapsing. On the other hand, you can reach highly engaged supporters for additional or higher contributions.
Email marketing. Designing emails directly in your donor database makes it easy to use the segments you’ve created to their fullest extent. Draft and design your email based on targeted group interests, then send it out directly to the desired list of constituents.
Goal progression. Look for a solution that offers the flexibility to set success metrics that are meaningful to your community and its goals. Be sure you can track your fiscal YTD progress, which is your nonprofit’s progress toward exceeding last year’s fundraising and engagement goals.

Platforms like Bloomerang offer these special features built-in so you can easily leverage these tools to identify new fundraising opportunities and reach supporters with personalized messages.

Nonprofit-specific donor database features

Because every nonprofit is different, there may be some tools that you’d benefit from, while other organizations won’t see the same positive results.

To determine the unique list of features that will benefit your specific organization, follow these steps:

Take inventory of your current software. Are you currently taking full advantage of your existing investments? What features of your current software solutions do you like the most?
Identify the functionality that is missing from your current software strategy. What are your pain points?
Decide what features will fill the holes in your current strategy. Write them down and ask about them during demos.

Identifying your nonprofit’s most essential features will help keep you organized and focused as you develop lists of potential solutions and narrow them down.

How to find the right donor database

Now that you know what to look for, you’ll be wondering how to find it. There are many nonprofit donor databases out there, all claiming to be the best. So how can you decide which one is the best choice for your organization?

The short answer? Research.

You’ll need to conduct a lot of research about your organization’s needs and the various systems available to decide which one is the right choice. Here are the research steps we suggest:

Divide potential features that you’d like to see in your new donor database into “needs” and “wants” lists. Your needs should be the must-haves in a donor database. That way, as you conduct research, if a potential solution doesn’t have some of the “needs” on your list, you can immediately eliminate them from the prospective solutions.
Start compiling a list of top options. You don’t need to be too specific about the solutions you list here. It’s simply a starting point for your research. Search the web and check referral pages to get a sense of the solutions on the market.
Eliminate any donor database that doesn’t have everything on your “needs” list of features. Comb through your major list of databases to develop a shorter list of potential solutions that include all of the features you need to have. Now, you’ll be left with many solutions that could work for your organization.
Compare these solutions with your nonprofit’s budget. If any solutions are drastically over your budget, eliminate them from the list. A solution that you can’t afford (or one that you know you won’t be able to afford in the future) will only decrease your overall ROI. We’ll dive into the budgeting process more deeply in the next section.
Compare software features for the remaining solutions with your organization’s “wants” list. Identify the solutions with all of your “needs” and most of your “wants.” After you’ve eliminated those without a good number of your “wants,” you’ll be left with a concise list of possible solutions.
Schedule demos for your shortlist options. Before joining these demos, create a list of questions to ask the team of software experts. Be sure to ask these questions in every demo and reach out after the demo concludes if more questions arise.
Choose your solution! After you’ve had demos of each software (potentially more than one for your favorites), you should be ready to pick the software that is best for your nonprofit.

It does take a lot of time to conduct the necessary research to choose a donor database. However, that time is well worth it to spend up-front because the right solution will serve your nonprofit effectively for years to come.

How to budget for your donor database

Nonprofit budgeting is a necessary but sometimes complex step of the software buying process. Organizations often struggle to create a concrete budget because of the highly variable nature of donations, grants, and other such funding.

Let’s take a closer look at some budgeting considerations before you invest in your new platform.

Free donor database software

The challenges associated with budgeting can make it incredibly tempting to look into a “free” donor database. The temptation of free donor database solutions can be especially significant for nonprofits just getting started.

However, there are some pros and cons that you should consider before test-driving a solution that is advertised as free.

Pros: The significant advantage of a free donor database solution is that it provides a trial version for your organization to use the tools without the risk of losing money. You can start at the free level of a scalable solution to see how you like it. However, you probably won’t stay at this free level due to limited features and capabilities. Check out the next tier of payment and work that into your budget, as you’ll likely need to scale up relatively quickly.
Cons: Donor database software that advertises itself as free frequently needs extensive customization, which can require outside help. Downgrading to Excel sheets or other “free” solutions may lack security, features, accessibility, and support.

When it comes to software, always think of free options as trials. You’ll still need to incorporate any costs associated with scaling up the solution into your final budget.

Steps to develop a donor database budget

The first thing your organization will need to do is determine your current financial situation. You can do this by analyzing your organization’s balance sheet. Make sure you’re financially stable before deciding to make a long-term investment like that for donor database software.

After you’ve determined your nonprofit’s current financial standing, you should find the actual cost of a new software solution. The true cost of the solution will include all of the following:

The monthly or annual fee for software access.
Any implementation costs
Training costs for your staff members
Consultation costs
Installation costs for solutions hosted on-premise rather than cloud-based

Once you’ve determined your solution’s true costs, you can work them into your nonprofit’s annual budget.

3 tips to make the most of your donor database

After investing in a donor database system, you want to ensure you’re doing everything you can to make the most of the system and achieve a high ROI. We’ve compiled a list of top tips to ensure you’re using your donor database software to the fullest extent possible:

1. Leverage integrations

When you invest in a new donor database, it’s essential to consider how that solution will fit into your existing software strategy. That’s why it’s helpful to search for software that offers multiple integrations.

Integrations enable seamless data flows between different platforms to ensure you can leverage donor information across multiple systems. For instance, integrating your donor database with a peer-to-peer fundraising platform allows your organization to streamline the creation of new donor profiles in your database as new supporters give to the campaign.

Your database solution should seamlessly work with a variety of other tools, including:

Fundraising tools
Matching gift software
Email marketing platforms
Prospect research tools
Accounting software

These integrations allow you to minimize manual data input as much as possible to save time for what matters: your mission.

2. Use built-in automation tools

Automation can help your organization save time. Automating processes using the data stored in your donor database will help make informed choices, reduce your manual workload, and increase your fundraising ROI.

For example, you can automatically send thank-you messages to your supporters after they give or save donor data directly to the right profiles when supporters give to your organization.

Keep in mind that the key to automation is clean data. Practice effective data hygiene to keep your data organized, accurate, and complete. Follow these steps to implement useful data hygiene regulations:

Regularly scan your database for duplicate profiles.
Run your system through the NCOA to discover address changes and deceased individuals within your network (many top-of-the-line donor databases, like Bloomerang, will do this automatically)
Create standardized processes for inputting data like email addresses, phone numbers, and home addresses.

Taking these steps will improve your data’s accuracy, helping you increase your ROI by ensuring that you’re reaching real people with your message.

3. Track overarching progress

Individual profiles are one of the most valuable tools in your donor database for maintaining personal connections and relationships with your supporters. However, to make the most out of your solution, you should also track your organization’s overall progress toward your predetermined goals.

There are two primary ways you can leverage your donor database to analyze organizational progress:

Customized reports. After discussing your goals and metrics, you can create custom report templates to measure progress and report back to your team.
Your dashboard. Customize your donor database’s dashboard so that you can check in on progress every time you open up the system. For example, you might include your donor retention rate, current fundraising campaign revenue, and other metrics that are most relevant to your goals.

When you track your metrics and goal progression using your donor database, all of your data will be stored in a single place, making it easy to find at any point as you work through your strategic plan.

7 top donor database solutions to consider

To help kick-start your donor database research, we’ve compiled a list of seven top solutions to consider:

1. Bloomerang

Bloomerang’s donor database offers all of the features that nonprofits need in their day-to-day activities, plus additional special features to level up their fundraising. The software solution is rooted in the technical expertise of world-renowned fundraising consultants and practitioners.

Bloomerang has been developed specifically to improve donor retention and relationship-building strategies for nonprofits.

Bloomerang’s unique features include:

Comprehensive donor profiles designed to track all supporter interactions. You can track engagement using a timeline to get a visual representation of your nonprofit’s supporters’ involvement. Measure email open and click-through rates, volunteer hours, donations, and more. Then, Bloomerang will develop an engagement score for each supporter to help you identify your most engaged donors to reach out to and cultivate strong relationships.
A wealth screening tool. In partnership with DonorSearch, Bloomerang offers a comprehensive wealth screening tool to identify prospective major donors and sort donors into groups based on giving capacity. This allows you to make the most of the giving opportunities present in your current supporter base.
A communications audit tool. This tool counts the number of times you use the word “you” versus first-person “I” or “we” language. You want to use “you” at least twice as frequently for effective communication. You can also measure the reading level of these messages to make sure your content is accessible to your target audience.
Training and support through Bloomerang Academy. This resource offers additional training, tips, and tricks whenever you need them. Training videos will help you take advantage of the advanced features offered as a part of Bloomerang’s donor database. This tool is in addition to the free email and chat support provided by the Bloomerang team.

Bloomerang’s expert knowledge about and passion for the nonprofit space means their donor database software goes above and beyond the average solution.

Plus, Bloomerang’s donor database integrates seamlessly with its fundraising platform. That means users who leverage both the donor database and online fundraising tools can easily capture all donor data from their digital donation page, automatically add it to new or existing donor profiles, and use the data to further personalize their supporter outreach.

2. Salesforce

Salesforce is a popular CRM option for nonprofit and for-profit organizations alike. You can build out this extremely customizable solution with various apps and integrations to provide the additional functionality your organization needs in a complete Salesforce ecosystem.

While this solution is often well-suited for large organizations, smaller nonprofits might consider starting with different software for their first donor database. Salesforce can be expensive to customize, often requiring a consultant or tech expert to help create the perfect solution. Once you build it, it offers everything a nonprofit needs for success, but configuring it requires a higher up-front cost that many organizations find difficult to afford right off the bat.

3. Charity Engine

CharityEngine is an “all-in-one solution” for donor management. Their mission is to provide all the tools that nonprofits need for success so that organizations don’t have to worry about purchasing multiple software solutions for each activity. This means that in addition to a donor database, CharityEngine offers online donation pages, peer-to-peer fundraising, email marketing, a website builder, advocacy software, and more.

4. Neon CRM

Neon CRM is a cloud-based donor database that is a part of the Neon suite of tools. This solution offers features that enable nonprofits to manage donors, members, and fundraising campaigns. The solution’s fundraising tools make it simple to track relevant fundraising KPIs and make strategic adjustments as needed. Neon also has specialized tech consultants on hand to help you get set up with their solution.

5. Little Green Light

Little Green Light offers donor management software to manage donors, volunteers, and members from one platform. Their donor database tools include constituent profiles, goal-tracking for activities like major gift asks and grant proposals, and customizable reports. Little Green Light offers a 30-day free trial for new users looking to test out the platform and see if it’s right for them.

6. Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT

Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT is a donor management platform that prioritizes high ROI for its users. Raiser’s Edge NXT offers AI-powered suggested donation amounts, end-to-end gift management, and prospective donor insights to help unveil hidden fundraising potential within your donor group.

7. DonorPerfect

DonorPerfect’s donor database is designed to help nonprofit professionals save time, raise more, and connect with their supporters on a deeper level. Their software acts as a fundraising hub for multiple campaign types, including annual appeals, crowdfunding, monthly giving, and more. The DonorPerfect platform is also customizable so nonprofits can display the data and reports that are most relevant to their strategies.

Wrapping up

This guide should be just the beginning of your nonprofit’s donor database research. Finding the right platform for your nonprofit takes time and careful collaboration with the team members who will use the solution daily. To learn more about donor database software and donor management in general, check out these additional resources:

How to Buy Fundraising Software That Lasts: Essential Guide. The right software is an investment that will benefit your nonprofit for years to come. Be intentional about your choice with the help of this complete guide.
The 9 Best Nonprofit CRM Solutions (Updated for 2023). Explore more nonprofit CRM options to make donor database management simple.
7 Best Practices for Effective Donor Management. This resource reviews best practices to leverage your donor database and effective strategies to better manage and steward your donors.
The Ultimate Fundraising Software Checklist. Kick off your search for the perfect fundraising software with this comprehensive checklist!

The post How to Choose the Right Donor Database: Ultimate Guide appeared first on Bloomerang.

Effective Donor Management: 7 Best Practices for Nonprofits

Jay Love — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 12:49:22 +0000

Generous donor support keeps your nonprofit’s lights on, allowing you to work toward your mission more efficiently. That’s why it’s critical to have a clear donor management plan. How you engage donors, personalize your interactions with them and show appreciation for them all impacts whether they continue supporting your cause.

In this guide, we’ll look at how you can create a well-rounded donor management approach to support your long-term fundraising strategy and goals. We’ll cover:

What is donor management?
Why is donor management important for nonprofits?
Stages of the donor management process
7 tips to improve your donor management strategy

Donor management is a multi-faceted process, requiring input from different teams within your nonprofit’s staff. But when all the pieces come together, your nonprofit will benefit from loyal support, increasing your donor retention rate.

What is donor management?

Donor management is the steps your nonprofit takes to acquire new donors, collect donor information and use that information to cultivate strong supporter relationships.

Because donor relationships are some of the most important relationships your nonprofit has, it’s important to optimize every stage of the donor management process. Creating a positive experience for your supporters increases the chances that they’ll continue supporting your cause for the long term.

Why is donor management important for nonprofits?

As a nonprofit professional, you know that most donations don’t just appear out of thin air. The donation cultivation process requires consistent outreach and relationship-building efforts to secure ongoing gifts. A dedicated donor management strategy makes it easier to foster consistent support.

Managing and growing donor relationships offers the following benefits to nonprofits:

Increase your fundraising return on investment (ROI). Constantly having to acquire new donors can be costly and time-consuming. Retaining donors through effective donor management and stewardship tends to be more cost-effective and allows your organization to gain access to a reliable fundraising stream.
Foster word-of-mouth marketing. When donors have a positive experience engaging with your nonprofit, they’ll be more likely to speak highly of your organization to their family and friends. This can attract new supporters to your cause.
Greater donor lifetime value. Highly engaged donors tend to give more over time and often increase their donation amounts. This can increase the donor lifetime value (DLV) of your most involved donors, helping to create a more sustainable revenue stream.

It may take some time to develop a donor management strategy, but these benefits make it worth the time and effort because they support long-term growth.

Stages of the donor management process

It’s helpful to look at the donor management process through the lens of the donor journey or lifecycle. The donor journey is the process by which new supporters learn more about your organization and determine whether they want to donate to your cause.

The four stages of the donor journey are awareness, research, decision and retention. Let’s take a closer look at each phase and how your nonprofit can optimize the donor management process throughout each step.

Awareness

In the awareness phase, potential new supporters hear about your organization for the first time. This is the stage where you’ll first make contact with individuals who may eventually become donors, meaning it’s crucial to make a positive first impression.

Creating targeted marketing campaigns is the most effective way your organization can manage potential donors at this stage. There are plenty of ways you might reach new supporters for the first time, including through:

Google Ad campaigns
Social media campaigns
Event promotions
Direct mail outreach

The more touchpoints you can have with potential new donors, the more likely you are to catch their attention and spark their interest.

Also, consider developing personalized outreach materials. Studies have shown that 62 percent of consumers who make online purchases said that a brand would lose their loyalty if it delivered a non-personalized experience.

Personalize your outreach by addressing emails and direct mail with recipients’ names or referencing their past involvement with your nonprofit, whether as an event attendee, volunteer or social media follower.

Research

After hearing about your organization, potential new supporters will conduct further research about your cause and your mission. In this phase, it’s important to ensure your online marketing materials are designed to clearly communicate what your nonprofit does, why it matters and how donor support makes a difference.

To help facilitate the research process, ensure the following marketing platforms are optimized to spread information about your mission:

Your website. Make sure your website features a robust About page, community testimonials, past annual reports, information about donation uses and other content that helps potential new supporters understand what your organization is all about.
Your social media pages. 32% of donors say they are most inspired to give via social media, more than any other channel. Maintain an active presence on the social media accounts your nonprofit uses, whether on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, etc. Share information about events, volunteer opportunities and fundraising campaigns. Also, create posts that offer insight into your organization’s history and current strategic goals. Social media is also the perfect place to feature the behind-the-scenes work of your nonprofit in action.
Your email newsletters. Use your email newsletters as an opportunity to spotlight different aspects of your nonprofit’s mission. Include interviews with community members, volunteers, staff members and other important stakeholders. Incorporate plenty of photos and other visual content to help bring your mission to life.

Ultimately, your goal should be to make it easy for new audience members to understand your organization on a deeper level in just a few minutes by looking at any of your digital marketing platforms.

Decision

In this stage, new audience members decide whether they want to show their support and donate to your cause.

Offer multiple ways for donors to give depending on their preferences, including:

An online donation page. Your online donation page should be easily accessible on your website. Include buttons or links on your home page and main menu that send website visitors directly to your online giving form. Make sure your donation page is streamlined and simple so that donors can quickly fill it out. Also, offer the option for donors to turn their one-time gift into a monthly donation to help encourage more recurring giving.
Direct mail fundraising. Ensure your fundraising request letters include a pre-addressed envelope for supporters to send in a check or cash donation.
In-kind donations. Make sure donors are aware of your in-kind giving opportunities. Some donors may work for or own companies that often have surplus products they can donate to your cause. Others may simply prefer donating items rather than monetary gifts.

Once donors decide they want to give, you want to ensure your donation processes are as straightforward as possible. This increases the chances that donors will follow through on their intention to give and feel more inclined to donate again in the future.

Retention

The donor journey doesn’t end once an individual has donated. In the ongoing stewardship and retention phase, your nonprofit must work to stay engaged with donors, cultivate stronger relationships and ultimately encourage them to become recurring donors.

There are three aspects of the retention process:

Donor appreciation. The first thing you should do after donors give is thank them for their contribution. Send an automatic thank you email and donation receipt so donors know that you received their gift. Then, continue your appreciation efforts with a more personalized email or letter. You can even call donors to thank them over the phone. A Bloomerang study found that calling donors twice within 90 days after their gift boosted retention from 33% to 58%.
Donor stewardship and engagement. Donor engagement and stewardship are the relationship-building efforts your nonprofit undertakes to foster stronger donor relationships. These efforts include inviting donors to events or volunteer opportunities, sending donor surveys to gather their feedback and sharing the impact of donations.
Follow-up donation requests. After stewarding your donors, you’ll eventually be ready to request another donation. At this point, it’s important to use what you know about donors, including their past donation amounts, to request an appropriate donation amount.

By carefully managing and cultivating donor relationships, you can make the donor journey a cyclical process and promote more recurring gifts.

Next, we’ll dive into some tips and best practices for optimizing your donor management at every stage of the donor journey.

7 tips to improve your donor management strategy

As you streamline each step of the donor lifecycle, there are several tips, best practices and tools you can use that will help simplify the donor management process.

1. Set realistic goals

Setting donor management goals can give your nonprofit’s team an objective to strive for that will guide all of your donor outreach efforts. Your goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant to your organization’s overall mission and time-based.

Set an overall donor management goal for your organization each year as well as goals for every campaign. For example, you might set yearly goals to acquire 200 new donors or increase your donor retention rate to 50%. Then, you might set smaller goals for your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, such as recruiting at least 50 volunteer fundraisers or calling every person who gives to the campaign to say thank you.

2. Track metrics

Determine quantifiable metrics to assess your donor management progress. These metrics should be relevant to your goals. For example, you might track donor engagement analytics such as:

Donor retention rate (how many donors who gave last year give again this year)
Donor acquisition cost (how much your nonprofit spends to acquire one new donor)
Donor lifetime value (how much value a donor offers your nonprofit over time)
Email open and click-through rates
Social media engagement metrics

You can use several tools and resources to identify and analyze these metrics, including your:

Donor database

Online donation software (this might be part of your donor management system)

Email marketing platform

Social media platforms

Work with your team to determine which metrics you’ll track, when you’ll report on each metric and who is responsible for updating each metric. View metrics reports regularly to understand what’s going well and which areas of your donor management approach need improvement.

3. Invest in donor management software

A donor management system is a software tool that allows nonprofits to store, organize and report on supporter data. You may have also heard this platform referred to as a nonprofit CRM.

Donor management software benefits

Investing in powerful donor management software offers many benefits. This tool allows nonprofits to:

Personalize donor outreach. When you track donors’ information such as full names, donation and volunteer histories, event attendance and other data, you can personalize donor outreach messages. For instance, rather than sending a generic thank you email that begins with “Dear Donor,” you can send a personalized message that addresses the donor by name and thanks them for their specific donation amount.
Track fundraising progress. Your CRM allows you to track fundraising metrics and other analytics related to your fundraising campaigns. This makes it easy to see how your events and campaigns have changed over time.
Identify potential major donors. You can use your donor management software to identify donors who have the potential to become major donors. Donor management systems like Bloomerang provide insight into who your most engaged donors are and which donors have the highest giving capacity.

It’s important to look for robust donor management software that offers a wide variety of features to meet your nonprofit’s needs. Typically, it’s better to look for a more robust system upfront that can grow alongside your nonprofit rather than sticking with an inexpensive but less built-out option.

Donor management software features to look for

Every donor management system will look slightly different, but there are a few must-have features to seek out if you’re looking to invest in a new solution. Look for software with these features:

A donor database. This is the tool you’ll use to build, view and update donor profiles.
Online giving tools. An online giving platform allows you to create an online donation page and process digital donations. This provides a better donor experience, empowering them to give from anywhere, at any time.
Reporting features. Your donor management system should be able to run reports on a variety of topics, including marketing and fundraising campaigns, donor engagement metrics and other annual planning insights.
Integrations. Integrations allow you to extend your donor management software’s functionality by adding the other software tools you’re already using. This ensures seamless data transfers between your CRM and platforms like your email marketing tool or event management system.

For example, Bloomerang is a top donor management platform that offers these essential features, plus additional special tools like a generosity and engagement score to identify your most engaged donors who are likely to level up their giving. Learn more about Bloomerang’s platform here:

Schedule demos with your top options to get an idea of what the software looks like in action. Ensure your solution offers training and support to make the implementation process as smooth as possible.

4. Ensure donors know the impact of their gifts

Donors want to know that their gifts actually made a difference for your cause. Seeing the impact of their donations first-hand can encourage them to continue giving.

In your donor communications, share progress updates on how donations have helped you achieve a goal, complete a project, fund a program or work toward another objective. Include photos that demonstrate progress, such as photos of your volunteers sorting thousands of food items using your new equipment or images that show the construction of your new facility.

You can send emails with branded donor recognition eCards that include statistics about the impact of donor support and images of your mission in action. You might even recruit volunteers or community members to write thank you messages to donors letting them know the impact their gifts have had on them personally. Both of these outreach methods can build a strong emotional connection with your donors and encourage long-term giving.

5. Segment donors to personalize communications

Using the information in your donor database, you can segment supporters based on their shared interests or behaviors, creating smaller donor groups. Then, you can create tailored content for each group rather than sending generic, one-size-fits-all messages to your entire donor base.

You can segment donors based on a variety of criteria, including:

Recency: This involves grouping supporters based on how long they’ve been involved with your organization. For example, you might create groups for new donors and long-time donors.
Frequency: This describes how often donors give, whether monthly, annually, irregularly, etc.
Amount: This involves grouping donors based on how much they give, including small, mid-tier or major givers.
Interests: You can also segment donors based on specific topics within your overall mission that they’re most interested in. This might involve creating groups for donors who are most interested in your volunteer program, community outreach or after-school program.

Segmentation is an effective way to create more personalized outreach content while still saving your team time. Donors will appreciate your efforts to send messages that align with their interests and motivations. As a result, you’ll start to see increased engagement and a higher ROI for your marketing efforts.

6. Regularly update donor information

Your donor information is only valuable if it’s accurate and complete. With accurate donor information, you can rest assured that you’re sending marketing messages to the right addresses, phones and emails. This will increase your marketing ROI since you won’t waste time and effort sending messages to incorrect addresses or phone numbers.

To ensure that your data stays clean and updated, implement a data hygiene process for your team to follow when inputting and updating the information in your database. Ensure your data hygiene procedures include these steps:

Regularly audit your database to identify inaccurate or outdated information. Review your donor data frequently to identify any incomplete, inaccurate, outdated or duplicate records.
Remove any inaccurate data. Removing outdated or incorrect information prevents your database from becoming overwhelmed with useless information.
Standardize your data input procedures. Create a standard set of data-entry regulations for staff members to follow when updating donor records. For example, you might include guidelines for standardized input of names, email addresses, phone numbers and home addresses.
Supplement your internal records with external data from an append. An append, such as an email or phone append, is the process of pulling data from a third-party source to fill gaps in your internal records. This process can help provide a more complete picture of your donors and help you gain access to contact information you didn’t previously have.

It’s helpful to find donor management software that completes these processes automatically. For instance, Bloomerang’s donor management system performs automatic daily updates for information such as birthdays, addresses and donor wealth information. This can save your team’s time and help ensure your records are as accurate and comprehensive as possible.

7. Communicate with donors regularly

As you carry out your donor stewardship efforts, it’s important to strike the right communication balance. You don’t want to flood your donors’ inboxes. However, you don’t want to fall off their radar and have them forget you, either.

Creating a communication cadence can be a helpful way to ensure you’re engaging with donors regularly without overwhelming them. Your cadence might start with a thank-you email after a donor gives for the first time. Then, you may send several additional messages spread over a few months.

Using a multichannel outreach strategy allows you to have multiple touchpoints with donors that feel fresh and unique. Consider using the following platforms as part of your multichannel communications:

Email
Social media
Direct mail
Phone calls

Use your communications to highlight additional ways to engage that don’t involve donating, such as volunteering or attending events. This shows supporters that you value all kinds of support, not just donations. Plus, when donors participate in these opportunities, they may feel a stronger connection to your cause, encouraging them to stay involved for the long haul.

Wrapping up

As you can see, donor management takes time and careful planning to cultivate long-lasting supporter relationships. Using robust donor management software and marketing tools makes the process easier, helping you keep all donor management activities under the same roof.

Ultimately, effective donor management is about using the information you have about your donors to personalize your interactions with them and create a better experience. For more information on optimizing your donor management approach, check out these additional resources:

Donor Stewardship: Expert Tips To Build Strong Relationships. Relationship-building should be the foundation of your donor management strategy. This guide offers tips for building meaningful relationships.
What is Donor Management Software? 9 Best Solutions. Bloomerang’s donor management software buyers’ guide offers tips for the decision-making process and reviews 16 top solutions for nonprofits.
Major Gifts: The Ultimate Guide to Kickstart Your Program. Managing major donors requires an even more personalized approach. Kickstart your major gift strategy with the help of this guide.

The post Effective Donor Management: 7 Best Practices for Nonprofits appeared first on Bloomerang.

How to Set Up A Nonprofit Donation Page: 30+ Best Practices

Jay Love — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 20:07:24 +0000

Your online donation page is your virtual fundraising hub, providing donors with a way to support your cause from anywhere, at any time.

However, just because someone lands on your nonprofit’s donation page doesn’t mean they will make a gift. According to the M+R Benchmarks 2023 report, the average nonprofit donation page conversion rate is just 19%.

This guide reviews best practices to help you create an effective online donation page that drives conversions and boosts revenue. We’ll cover:

What is a donation page?
Why do nonprofits need optimized donation pages?
30+ donation page best practices for nonprofits
How can nonprofits set up a donation page?

What is a donation page?

A donation page is an online form that nonprofit supporters can use to contribute funds toward your organization.

Donation pages allow supporters to give anywhere, at any time. These pages can help you reach a global audience with your organization’s mission. They also provide a secure way for donors to submit donations remotely rather than in person.

Why do nonprofits need optimized donation pages?

To reach a wider donor audience and keep up in today’s digital-first world, your nonprofit needs to have more than just a run-of-the-mill donation form. You need an optimized giving page that exceeds donors’ expectations and boosts your organization’s reputation.

Optimized donation pages offer multiple benefits, allowing you to:

Appeal to supporters’ giving preferences. 63% of donors prefer to give online using a debit or credit card, making this the most popular giving option. However, 42% of people will leave a website due to poor functionality, underscoring the importance of having a well-designed, fast-loading donation page.
Allow supporters to give at the moment of inspiration. With a convenient online giving process, supporters can give to your organization immediately, rather than having to pull out their checkbooks. They can immediately submit a gift whether they’re using a computer, mobile phone, or tablet to view your website.
Gather donor data to personalize marketing outreach. By integrating your giving page with your nonprofit’s donor management system, you can immediately transfer donor information to your supporter database. For example, you can use your giving page to gather donors’ names, contact information, payment methods
Reassure supporters with a secure giving process. Your donation page should offer a secure giving experience, with PCI-compliant payment processing and other cybersecurity measures that protect donors’ sensitive information. A secure donation page reassures donors and increases trust in your nonprofit, improving supporters’ overall impression of your organization.

If your donation page looks less than stellar, don’t stress! The next section explores tactical, low-lift tips to optimize your giving form and increase conversions.

30+ donation page best practices for nonprofits

We’ve grouped each best practice into the following categories:

Optimized design
Simple giving process
Secure payment tools
Donor-friendly content
Easy sharing options

Feel free to jump to a certain section if you’re looking for specific advice, or read through the full post. Let’s get started!

Optimized design

The structure and look of your donation page play a major role in whether supporters feel motivated to complete the form. Implement these best practices to develop a clean, engaging, and intuitive donation page design:

1. Choose the right online fundraising platform.

A robust nonprofit fundraising platform makes it easy to create and promote your online giving form. These platforms take the guesswork out of donation page design by offering tried-and-true templates that still allow you to fully customize your page to your organization.

Plus, they offer a variety of features for stewarding donors after they contribute using your online donation page. This includes sending donors personalized thank you messages and adding them to a new donor communications cadence.

Powerful online giving platforms like Bloomerang + Qgiv enable you to optimize your online donation process with:

Dynamic, responsive donation buttons to include throughout your website
Customized online giving forms for general fundraising and specific campaigns
Ticketing and event tools that empower attendees to make one-time or recurring donations while registering for events
A robust donor portal where supporters can review their donation history, update their credit card information, and manage their recurring gifts
Peer-to-peer and crowdfunding tools that put supporters in the fundraising driver’s seat

If you’re interested in upgrading your online donation platform, think strategically about your options. Read reviews and testimonials and request demos for your top options. Make your final decision with the help of team members who will use the platform daily.

2. Include a compelling reason to give.

Use your donation page to remind prospective donors why you’re fundraising and what your goal is. Include a brief description of your fundraising purpose at the top of the page and a compelling image that highlights your mission.

For example, the ASPCA’s donation form includes a succinct description of the ASPCA’s mission to end animal abuse and neglect. It describes how donors’ gifts can help support that mission and make a difference for animals in need. Plus, it includes a carousel of suggested donation amounts with photos of different animals that the organization has helped.

This powerful combination of text and images sparks compassion and empathy in donors, encouraging them to follow through with their intention to give.

3. Connect donation amounts to specific impacts.

Connect specific donation amounts to different impacts that donors can make. This helps donors visualize how their donations actually make a difference. Plus, donors may feel encouraged to give more when they see the additional benefits they can bring to your organization’s work with a higher donation amount.

Take a look at a real-world example of this on the Nashville Food Project’s online donation form. The form lists four suggested donation amounts and how the organization uses those gifts:

These examples are powerful because they’re specific and descriptive. The donation page tells donors exactly how their support will fuel the organization’s mission and also provides an opportunity to review community impact reports to learn more about how donations are used.

4. Brand your donation page to your nonprofit.

Your nonprofit likely put a significant amount of time and effort into developing your branding strategy. You chose your logo, colors, and fonts deliberately to reflect your organization’s mission and values. Then, you incorporated your branding throughout your marketing materials, such as your website, social media, and direct mail.

Similarly, your online donation page should also be fully branded to your organization. A branded donation page reassures donors that they’re giving to the right organization. Plus, it helps spread brand awareness and recognition.

Include the following brand elements on your donation page:

Logo
Colors
Font
Tone
Message

For example, the Habitat for Humanity online donation page is branded with the organization’s logo, colors, and imagery:

While visual branding makes your forms easier to recognize, you should also include your organization’s voice on your forms. Include your mission statement on your donation page to inform people exactly what your nonprofit does to help the community. Tell your potential donors how their gift can make a difference in your efforts.

5. Only ask for necessary information.

Keeping your donation form simple and short allows donors to fill out the form as quickly and easily as possible.

Only ask for necessary information such as:

Names
Donation amount
Contact information (to follow up later and thank donors for their gifts)
Payment details

This information is all you will need to process donors’ gifts and connect with them later to show appreciation and offer more ways to engage with your organization. Only collecting necessary information can also help keep your CRM less cluttered, making it easier to access important donor information.

6. Make your donation form mobile responsive.

Mobile users make up a growing number of online donation transactions, as well as 57% of nonprofit website traffic. Mobile-friendly pages also help your SEO results, making your donation pages easier for your donors to find online.

Look at your donation form in the mobile view to ensure there aren’t any formatting errors that could disrupt the mobile experience. Ask these questions as you review the page:

Are the images clear and fully visible on the page?
Is the text large enough to be read on mobile devices?
Are the form fields easy to click on in the mobile view?
Does the page load quickly (in three seconds or less)?

If you answered no to any of these questions, review and edit your donation page in the mobile view of your content management system.

7. Ensure your donation page is accessible.

Online accessibility is the process of making websites more inclusive by ensuring that people with permanent or temporary disabilities can use them. Accessibility is essential for making the web more inclusive, but unfortunately, 96.3% of website homepages have accessibility failures.

To increase your online donation form’s accessibility, design it with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) in mind. These guidelines provide clear instructions for making your site more accessible. Here are a few examples of guidelines that apply to nonprofit donation pages:

Ensure there’s sufficient color contrast between the background and foreground text. Color contrast is the difference in brightness between the background and text. The text should be distinct enough to be easily read, even by individuals who have visual impairments.
Avoid any flashing or strobing elements. These can create a negative user experience and even cause seizures.
Include alternative text for images and captions for videos. Alternative text is metadata you can add to each image that describes the image in detail. This ensures that screen readers and search engines can interpret images.
Label form fields using descriptive text that isn’t inside the fields themselves. This ensures that these descriptions can be read by screen readers and other assistive technologies.

By making your online donation form accessible, you ensure that anyone who wants to donate can do so without barriers. This can support your organization’s wider goals of making all of your opportunities, from donating to volunteering, more accessible for all community members.

8. Use A/B testing to assess different versions of your form.

Use A/B testing to assess how your audience responds to different donation page designs. A/B testing is the process of designing two different versions of your giving form and using website analytics to determine which page had a higher conversion rate.

Consider using different images, suggested donation amounts, and page formats (multipage vs. single page) to determine which options your audience responds best to.

For example, here’s what an A/B image test might look like:

Make sure to just change one page element at a time when conducting A/B tests. This allows you to pinpoint which changes make a difference.

9. Pay attention to aesthetics.

Don’t underestimate the power of a clean, engaging, stylish page design. An aesthetically pleasing donation page can enhance your brand image and provide a better giving experience. Studies have even shown that 81% of people think less of a brand with an outdated website.

Consider incorporating evergreen design trends that make your page timeless. Elements like lots of white space, strong color contrast, and large buttons will always be in style because they’re both streamlined and user-friendly. Adding these elements will ensure that you don’t need to constantly update your giving form to keep up with fleeting trends.

10. Optimize your submit button.

The submit button is the most important call to action (CTA) on your online donation form. It’s the final button donors will click to submit their gift. It should stand out on the page and make it clear that by clicking the button, donors will send their funds to your organization.

Play with the wording and formatting of your submit button. For example, you might try different phrases, such as “Give Now,” “Submit,” or “Donate Now.” Conduct A/B testing to see if one type of wording leads to greater conversions.

You can also try different font styles or button colors to see which option leads to the greatest audience interaction.

11. Use compelling imagery.

Humans are visual creatures—we’re drawn to images, especially ones that feature other humans. Our brains can interpret visual information very quickly, making photos a useful tool to incorporate into your online donation page. Research shows that photos of people are particularly memorable, with an average memorability score of 82 percent, compared to photos of nature at 61 percent.

Choose just one compelling hero image to include in your giving form to remind donors who they will help through their gifts. For example, the Covenant House donation page includes an image representing the young people that the organization supports:

Including just one image keeps the main focus on the giving process while giving donors an inspirational reminder of what their gifts can accomplish. The goal is to create an emotional response to your cause without overwhelming your donors.

12. Include a fundraising thermometer

People are more likely to give if they feel the need for funds is time-sensitive. One way to encourage this sense of urgency is a fundraising thermometer, which helps your donors see how much more you need to raise for your campaign.

Including a fundraising thermometer on your nonprofit donation page increases your donors’ excitement and lets them visualize how much they can help your campaign progress. You can also embed your thermometer on different web pages to share your progress with more of your supporters.

Use a tool like Bloomerang’s free fundraising thermometer generator to develop a visual quickly and easily.

Simple giving process

Your donation page should be streamlined, allowing supporters to complete the form as quickly as possible. Your form should also make it easy for supporters to maximize their giving if they want to. Use these tips to simplify the giving process:

13. Offer suggested giving amounts.

Suggested donations are the giving amounts that you highlight on your donation form to give supporters an idea of the types of donations that will help your organization the most.

Offer a range of suggested donation amounts on your giving page. Base the lowest amount on your median donation amount to eliminate outliers, and set the other numbers at increasing intervals. For example, you might offer a suggested donation range of $25, $50, $100, and $200.

You can also use A/B testing here to determine the giving amounts that result in the most donations. For instance, you might run an experiment by setting two different suggested giving ranges and evaluating which range leads to a higher donation total. You might also try arranging your suggested donations from low to high and high to low to determine which arrangement yields more donations.

14. Use social proof.

Social proof is the social-psychological idea that people imitate the behavior of others to conform to the “right action” in any given situation.

You can subtly incorporate social proof into your giving process to encourage donors to give in specific amounts.

Check out how the CARE online donation form highlights the most popular donation amount within their donation suggestions:

This strategy works because of social proof—the social-psychological idea that people imitate the behaviors of others to conform to the “right action” in any given situation. Giving suggestions make donors feel more comfortable with their donation choice.

Highlighting your most common donation amount can make your donors’ giving decisions even simpler.

15. Spotlight matching gifts.

Highlighting matching gifts on your donation page can be a great way to maximize supporters’ donations. Businesses with these programs match donations that their employees make to nonprofits and other charitable organizations. Companies usually match at a 1:1 ratio, but some match at a 2:1 or even 3:1 basis.

Help donors research their matching gift eligibility by incorporating a matching gift database within your donation process. Embed the database in your giving form, donation confirmation page, or a dedicated matching gift page on your website.

When donors access the database, they’ll research their company’s name to see if their employer offers matching gifts. They’ll be able to review the program’s guidelines, such as the minimum and maximum donation amounts, the match ratio, and employee eligibility rules.

Then, donors will view the next steps for how to apply for a match, such as the forms they’ll need to fill out. After they’ve completed these steps, your organization will benefit from the additional funding that matches will bring in.

You can make the process even simpler by using a matching gift tool that offers autosubmission. Rather than navigating to their companies’ gift-matching portals (which adds time and complexity to the process), donors just need to submit their company emails. The matching gift platform will automatically process the request.

16. Offer multiple payment options.

These days, there are multiple payment options for all types of online transactions, from paying bills to shopping online. Your online donation form should be no different.

Depending on your donation page integration capabilities, you might offer payment options such as:

Credit/debit card
PayPal
Venmo
Apple Pay
Google Pay
Bank transfer

Some of these options may even influence donors to give more. For example, if a donor happens to have $50 in their Venmo balance, they might consider donating the entire amount rather than their initial choice of $30.

Offering a variety of payment options appeals to a wider range of donor payment preferences and helps make the donation process more convenient.

17. Eliminate distractions.

As mentioned, your donation page should be simple and streamlined to keep donors’ focus on giving. Avoid unnecessary distractions like:

Pop up messages
GIFs or flashing elements
Unneeded form fields with irrelevant questions
Auto-playing videos

These elements can distract donors from their intention to give and lead to a negative user experience.

18. Make it easy to become a recurring donor.

Provide an option for donors to turn their one-time gifts into recurring donations on your donation page. This can be as simple as including a check box that says “Turn my one-time gift into a monthly donation.” For example, look at how the Michael J. Fox Foundation giving form prompts donors to make monthly gifts:

Offer a brief description of your monthly giving program and how it helps your organization. For instance, you might describe how your monthly giving program provides a reliable fundraising source in case your organization has to quickly respond to unexpected challenges. Also, describe any benefits monthly donors receive, such as free merchandise, early event registration, or exclusive publications.

It can be helpful to distinguish your monthly giving program from other fundraising efforts by giving it a unique name. For example, Doctors Without Borders calls its monthly donors “Field Partners.” This title makes monthly donors feel like true partners in working toward the Doctors Without Borders mission. To choose your monthly giving program’s name, consider how you can convey its fundraising purpose clearly and concisely through a unique name.

19. Enhance page performance.

Load speed has a major impact on your donation page’s conversion rate. The likelihood that someone will bounce from your donation page increases by 32% when page load time goes from one to three seconds.

To ensure faster load speeds, enhance your donation page performance with the following tips:

Compress and optimize images.
Optimize your code by reducing unused or unneeded characters.
Enable browser caching to improve load speeds on follow-up visits.

Run your donation page through a testing tool like PageSpeed Insights to understand how it’s performing and identify necessary improvements.

Secure payment tools

Your payment processing tool is the platform you use to process donors’ gifts. A secure, reliable payment gateway enhances donors’ trust in your nonprofit. Enhance your donation page security with these tips:

20. Let donors know what you need their information for.

It’s important to give donors agency throughout the giving process. When they know why your organization needs their data and what you’ll do with the information, they’ll feel more comfortable trusting your nonprofit with that data.

For example, check out how the Girls Who Code donation form keeps donors informed about how the organization uses email information:

The form lets donors know that the organization will use email information to send donors a donation receipt. It also allows donors to opt in or out from receiving future communications.

21. Embed your giving page into your website.

Avoid sending supporters to an unfamiliar third-party website to submit their donations by embedding your giving form directly into your website. This ensures that there are fewer steps involved from when a supporter decides to donate and actually completes the transaction.

Plus, when your online donation form is fully branded to your organization and integrated into your website, supporters will feel more comfortable giving you their sensitive payment information.

22. Use a secure payment processor.

A payment processor is a digital system that allows you to manage financial transactions, such as online donations. Your payment processor should be easy to use, secure, and fully integrated with other tools, such as your CRM.

With a robust payment processor like Bloomeran Payments, you can benefit from features like:

Daily deposits to your organization’s bank account
Simple setup
Integration with your CRM
PCI compliance
An option to let donors cover processing fees
Real-time payment tracking

With these tools, you can track donations and access donor information. Store this information in your CRM to follow up with donors and offer them additional ways to engage.

Donor-friendly content

Donors are the end-users of your online donation page, meaning you should design the form with their preferences and interests in mind. Here are a few strategies for incorporating donor-friendly content into your donation page:

23. Provide information about donor portals.

If you’re still deciding on a new online fundraising platform to invest in, look for a solution that allows donors to create their own accounts in a donor portal. With a donor portal, donors can manage their recurring giving, update their payment information, and view their donation history.

Donor portals give supporters more control over how they support your organization. These portals can also save your staff time since they won’t have to spend time updating donor information themselves.

Use your donation confirmation page or follow-up emails to describe the benefits of creating a donor account and provide instructions on how to do so. You can also allow donors to save their information after inputting it into your giving page to automatically create their accounts. This allows you to get donors into the system right after they make an online contribution.

24. Optimize your donation confirmation page.

The donation confirmation page is your organization’s opportunity to start building long-term relationships with donors, so you should use it to offer supporters additional ways to connect with your nonprofit.

Ensure your confirmation page includes:

A heartfelt thank-you message
Social sharing buttons
Additional ways to get involved, such as by signing up for your email newsletter or checking out your event calendar

Here’s an example of what your confirmation page could look like:

Remember, your confirmation page shouldn’t be the only place you thank donors—you should also send a follow-up email with a longer thank-you message that describes the impact of donors’ gifts, as well as a donation receipt. However, this page represents a crucial first step in the long-term donor stewardship process, so it should be considered an essential element of your online donation process.

25. Use your donation page to collect donor data.

When you use a robust online donation platform (like Bloomerang) to manage your online donation process, you can collect donor information from your giving form and automatically transfer it to your CRM. Then, you can follow up with donors using personalized thank-you messages that include donors’ names and specific donation amounts.

Here’s the information you can store in your CRM for future reference:

Donors’ preferred names and titles
Donors’ specific donation amounts
Donors’ payment information (to have on hand if supporters want to make another donation or if there are any issues processing their donations)

By storing this information, you can follow up with donors and continue stewarding them after they give online. This can lead to more donations from these supporters in the future.

26. Customize your form field options

Find a donation page tool that allows you to create customized fields for your donors, but keep your form as simple as possible. Offer custom fields for tribute or memorial donations to be made in someone’s name or create fields for additional details you may need to collect from your donors, such as volunteer options. For example, here’s an example of a memorial giving option on the Humane Society of Broward County giving page:

To keep your donation pages simple while asking for extra information, use conditional logic. With conditional logic, some fields will stay hidden unless a donor answers a different field to provide more information. For example, if your donor chooses to hear about volunteer opportunities, you can add a conditional logic field to ask for their phone number or other details.

Another way to add custom fields while keeping forms easy to fill out is to use multi-step forms. Multi-step forms allow you to ask for information in chunks rather than in one long form, which makes the form feel less complicated for your donors to go through while still being able to collect extra information.

27. Allow donors to choose where their donation goes

Your donors want to know where their money is going and how their generosity helps to further your cause. Give your donors the option to choose a specific project within your organization that they want their gift to go toward within your donation page. This ensures your donors’ gifts help the projects most important to them.

With a multi-restriction system, you can give your donors the option of picking further sub-restrictions within the project they decide to support. For example, if your organization works in different locations, your donors can choose which area receives the funds for the project they decide to support.

Easy sharing options

After designing an optimized online donation form, your work is not done. You’ll also need to find creative ways to promote the form to a wider audience. Try these promotional strategies to increase awareness and engagement with your donation page:

28. Promote your donation page using Google Ads.

Google Ads are the sponsored search results that appear at the top of the page for certain search terms.

For example, take a look at this sponsored ad from the ASPCA that appears when you search “donate to animal shelter”:

Promoting your donation page via Google Ads is an effective way to reach an audience of people searching for terms relevant to your nonprofit’s mission.

As a nonprofit, you may also be eligible for the Google Ad Grant, which offers $10,000 per month in free Google advertising to qualifying organizations. Eligible organizations must hold 501(c)(3) status, have a functioning website with valuable content, and agree to the program’s requirements.

Optimize your Google Ad strategy by choosing high-volume, relevant keywords to target, creating compelling content for your ads, and tracking your conversion rate and click-through rate to assess your progress.

29. Optimize your website’s CTAs.

Include call-to-action (CTA) buttons on your homepage, blog posts, about page, and event pages that lead users to your online donation form.

Ensure these buttons are bold, with contrasting colors and compelling text urging website visitors to “GIVE NOW” or “DONATE.”

Take a look at this effective example from the Freedom Service Dogs of America website:

The large, red “DONATE” button stands out against the white background and smaller main menu items at the top of the page.

30. Share your donation form on all marketing platforms.

The more platforms you use to share your donation page, the more potential donors you can reach. Promote your digital donation form by:

Including a link to it in your social media bios
Incorporating the link into your social media posts
Sharing the link in your email outreach
Adding a QR code to your direct mail that leads to the form

This gives donors plenty of ways to connect, whether they’re using their mobile device or laptop or checking the mail.

31. Include social sharing options.

Incorporate social media sharing buttons that make it easy for supporters to share the page with their networks. For instance, as mentioned, your donation confirmation page should offer social media buttons so donors can share their donations with their family members and friends online.

Incentivize donors to share your donation link by commenting on their posts to thank them or entering their names into a prize drawing.

32. Incorporate your donation page into fundraising campaigns.

In addition to promoting your giving form in day-to-day social media posts, emails, and letters, you can also include it in specific fundraising campaigns to drive revenue.

Link to the form throughout fundraising initiatives such as:

Giving days (like Giving Tuesday)
Virtual or in-person fundraising events
Crowdfunding campaigns

You should also encourage supporters to share your donation page link when you’re hosting an online campaign, such as a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign or social media video challenge.

33. Follow up with donors after they give.

After a donor gives for the first time via your online donation page, use their contact information to start forming long-term relationships with them.

Keep donors engaged by:

Sending a welcome email series to introduce them to your nonprofit
Inviting donors to participate in upcoming events or volunteer opportunities
Showing donors the impact of their gifts by sharing statistics or testimonials from community members

Stewarding new donors is an essential part of retaining them for the long haul. Personalize your messages to new donors using their names and referencing their past interactions or donation amounts. This shows donors that your nonprofit sees them as individuals.

How can nonprofits set up a donation page?

Now that you’ve reviewed essential best practices to keep in mind for building your donation page, you’re ready to start designing the form. But how can you turn your plans into reality?

Setting up your donation page first requires investing in an online donation platform that enables you to create an unlimited number of fundraising forms with the help of a user-friendly interface. We recommend Bloomerang + Qgiv, a powerful platform that combines the best of donor management and fundraising tools into one intuitive system.

Follow these steps to use Bloomerang + Qgiv to design your compelling donation page:

Step 1: Determine whether you want your form to be a single-page or multi-step form.

Qgiv enables both styles—either option can work based on your preferences.

Step 2: Choose your suggested donation amounts.

Use the best practices above, such as basing suggestions around your median donation amount, to set reasonable suggestions on your giving form.

Step 3: Select recurring giving frequencies.

Qgiv enables giving frequencies of weekly, every other week, monthly, quarterly, semiannually, and annually. You can choose to offer all of these options or just a few.

Step 4: Brand the page to your nonprofit.

Add your logo, brand colors, and a background or header image.

Step 5: Add custom and conditional fields.

You can add custom fields to the second step of the form (called “donor details”) or the third step (called “additional details”). We recommend including just one or two custom fields to keep the form streamlined. Choose from multiple field types including free-form responses, checkboxes, drop-downs, and multiple selection. Ask supporters anything you want to know about, whether their interest in volunteering, their T-shirt size, or their dietary restrictions.

Step 6: Add images to different donation amounts.

Show donors the true impact of their gifts by adding real photos that illustrate the positive effects of giving at different levels. For example, you could show an image of one child being helped for your lowest donation amount and a photo of a group of children for your highest suggestion.

Step 7: Optimize your donation confirmation page and receipts.

Make your confirmation page more engaging by adding images, a video, and social sharing widgets.

Customize your email receipts by adding images, incorporating your branding, and featuring a unique, compelling subject line. You can also use tags to automatically input donor information like their names and gift amounts.

Step 8: Embed your donation form into your website.

Qgiv users who embed their donation forms into their websites see a 2.4x increase in overall donation conversion rates, one-time donation conversion rates, and recurring donation conversion rates.

Wrapping up

The way you design and promote your nonprofit’s donation page can have a major impact on your overall online fundraising success. A strong donation page drives donations and sets the stage for future donor engagement.

If you’re looking for more tips on optimizing your online fundraising process, check out these additional resources:

The 25 Best Fundraising Software Solutions to Boost Results. Looking for new fundraising software to support your online donation process? Review the top options that might work for your organization.
How to Buy Fundraising Software That Lasts: Essential Guide. How can you find the best software solutions for your nonprofit? Start with this buyer’s guide to simplify the process.
How to Upgrade Nonprofit Donors Using Suggested Donations. Want to learn more about how suggested donations impact online fundraising? Explore this strategy in more depth with this post.
Interactive Donation Form Templates: The layout of your donation form has a major impact on donor conversion rates. These templates will help you decide which format is right for you.

The post How to Set Up A Nonprofit Donation Page: 30+ Best Practices appeared first on Bloomerang.

How to Buy Fundraising Software That Lasts: Essential Guide

Jay Love — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 18:22:12 +0000

Your nonprofit is quickly growing, bringing in more donations than ever before and fostering a strong donor base. These advancements mean you have the budget available to invest in new fundraising software that can streamline your fundraising tasks and empower you to raise even more.

Now, you’re probably wondering how to find not just a robust fundraising platform, but buy fundraising software that serves your organization for the long term.

This resource was made for nonprofits like yours! In this buyer’s guide, we’ll cover everything you need to find the right fundraising software for your organization’s needs. We’ll explore:

Types of fundraising software to consider
7 essential fundraising software features to look for
5 steps to buy fundraising software
5 questions to ask when buying fundraising software

It’s worth taking the time to research potential solutions, discuss options with your team, and deliberate before coming to a final decision. The right fundraising solution can serve your nonprofit for years to come and dramatically increase your revenue.

Types of fundraising software to consider

When you think about fundraising software, you probably first think of online donation platforms that allow nonprofits to facilitate online gifts. While online giving platforms are an essential type of fundraising software, they aren’t the only tools that will help grow your fundraising results and build stronger donor relationships.

Keep in mind that the most effective fundraising software offers multiple tools within the same platform. An all-in-one fundraising solution, like Bloomerang, will give your nonprofit the flexibility and scalability it needs to manage fundraising campaigns without having to invest in a ton of different solutions.

Let’s explore a few of the most helpful types of fundraising software that your nonprofit can use.

Online giving platforms

Online giving or donation platforms bring your nonprofit’s online fundraising strategies to life. These solutions include tools that allow nonprofits to host successful online campaigns, including:

Donation forms. Your website’s donation form is the tool that your nonprofit uses to collect donations. Your donation form should be fully branded to your organization, mobile-friendly, and straightforward to make it easier to fill out. It should also offer donors suggested giving amounts to help them determine their donation amount much faster.

Peer-to-peer fundraising pages. In peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, supporters create personalized fundraising pages and collect gifts on behalf of a nonprofit. To host successful peer-to-peer campaigns, you need an online giving platform that allows supporters to personalize their fundraising pages with information about their connections to your mission. Adding a personal touch to their online donation pages can reach donors on an emotional level and drive greater support for your nonprofit.

Crowdfunding functionality. Crowdfunding involves raising many donations, typically small gifts, from a large group of people. In a crowdfunding campaign, your nonprofit creates a centralized fundraising page and promotes it to a wider audience. You should be able to easily share the page using social media and email to get the word out.

Text-to-give software. Mobile giving is essential for nonprofits—in fact, the majority (57%) of nonprofit website traffic in 2022 came from users on mobile devices. In a text-to-give campaign, donors will text a keyword to a phone number assigned to your nonprofit. In response, they’ll receive a link to your online donation form that they can fill out from their mobile devices. An online donation platform that offers built-in text-to-give software can allow your nonprofit to seamlessly promote your campaign to your existing donor pool.

Your online giving platform should be backed by a reliable, secure payment processing system. The system should have anti-fraud measures in place and be PCI-compliant.

In addition, your giving platform should offer multiple payment options, such as credit or debit cards, Venmo, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and cryptocurrency. This ensures that donors can give right away using their preferred payment method.

Donor management solutions

Donor management systems, also known as nonprofit CRMs, are software solutions that allow nonprofits to track donor interactions and giving histories, create donor segments, and develop communications campaigns. These solutions typically include features such as:

Constituent timelines. Track donors’ engagement histories, such as the date of their first donation, events they’ve attended, and volunteer opportunities they’ve participated in.
Donor profiles. Store pertinent information, like donors’ contact information, mailing addresses, preferred communication platforms, employment information, and more, in robust donor profiles.
Information about donors’ engagement levels and giving potential. Your donor management system should provide data about who your most engaged supporters are. For example, Bloomerang’s platform provides an engagement meter based on past donor interactions, such as volunteer experiences or marketing engagement. Bloomerang also has a Generosity Score feature that identifies potential donors with the help of publicly available wealth data.
Customized donor reports. Generate customized reports based on your nonprofit’s current donor engagement priorities. Save your most-used reports as templates to reuse in future data analysis.

Donor management software takes supporter interactions a step further by fostering ongoing communication and relationship-building efforts. Ultimately, these platforms can help your nonprofit retain more donors over time, building reliable revenue streams.

Marketing and engagement software

Marketing tools are essential fundraising resources because they help get the word out about your fundraising campaigns. Here’s a quick overview of some of the most useful marketing platforms:

Email marketing platforms allow you to schedule email campaigns in advance, segment your subscribers, and measure email marketing metrics.
Website analytics tools enable you to track metrics such as time on page, bounce rates, and conversion rates for different pages.
Social media scheduling tools help you schedule posts in advance, track changes in your audience over time, and identify your most engaged social media followers.

These solutions often include automation options that send out communications to donors based on certain triggers, such as right after they give or at regular intervals throughout the year. For example, 32% of nonprofits send out an automated welcome series to new online donors, which can be a great way to provide a positive first impression.

7 essential fundraising software features to look for

No matter what type of fundraising software you invest in, there are a few crucial features you should look for that ensure that the software will deliver a high return on investment. Your fundraising software should include features like:

A user-friendly interface

Account for your staff’s level of expertise to find a solution that your team will actually be able to use effectively. If many of your staff members don’t have a strong technical background, ensure your fundraising software is highly intuitive and user-friendly for beginners.

On the other hand, if your team is more advanced and ready for a more complex fundraising solution, take that into consideration throughout the buying process as well.

Look into scalable solutions that offer more advanced features at different price points. This can allow you to level up your fundraising over time as your team gets more used to the new platform.

Customizable tools

You should be able to customize different features within your software system, including:

Donor profiles. For example, you should be able to add custom data fields for information you want to track, such as donors’ volunteer histories, birthdays, or donations to similar nonprofits.
Donation page design. You should be able to easily customize your online donation page with your nonprofit’s unique branding and messaging.
Communication templates. Communication templates can help you save time, and having the ability to customize those templates can reinforce your brand recognition.

Customizability allows you to configure your platform to suit your unique needs. Some fundraising solutions tend to be ready to go out of the box while others require greater configuration. For most nonprofits, especially growing ones, it helps to look for a solution that strikes a balance between customization and ready-to-use functionality.

Ability to integrate with other software solutions

Integrations are connections between software solutions that allow them to transfer data and communicate with each other. Check to see whether your top fundraising software choices integrate with any existing platforms you’re currently using. These platforms may include:

An email marketing tool. An email marketing integration will allow you to leverage donor data from your fundraising tool to segment subscribers more accurately. For example, your fundraising tool can identify first-time donors, and your email tool can automatically sort them into a group with other new supporters.
A matching gift platform. Integrating a matching gift platform into your fundraising process ensures that donors can research their matching gift eligibility right within your online donation page. This helps your nonprofit spread awareness of matching gifts and helps donors submit these gifts much faster than before.
Accounting software. Accounting tools like QuickBooks simplify tracking expenses, revenue, and invoicing. Integrating an accounting solution with your fundraising tools keeps fundraising and financial data available within one system.
A prospect research service. Prospect research software can help identify potential new donors with the capacity and willingness to make a large gift. When your fundraising software integrates with a platform like DonorSearch, you can combine insights from a robust prospect research database with your nonprofit’s internal data. This can help identify new prospective donors who exhibit similar characteristics as your existing major donors.
A volunteer management solution. Managing all supporters, including volunteers and donors, from one system offers many benefits. First, it allows you to identify volunteers with the capacity and willingness to become donors. It also allows you to invite donors to volunteer and deepen their connection to your cause.

Integrations should be seamless, meaning they should allow different systems to be completely compatible with your fundraising software. Ask your potential vendors whether they offer integrations with your current systems. If they don’t offer every integration you’re looking for, check to see if they have plans in the future to build new integrations.

A positive donor experience

Donors are the front-end users of your fundraising platform, so the solution should be tailored to their needs. For example, your fundraising software should allow you to create a donation page that is:

Streamlined, with only essential form fields for contact information, payment details, and donation amount.
Mobile-friendly and easy to fill out from any device.
Accessible, with high-contrast colors, alternative text for images, and clearly labeled form fields.

Your fundraising system should also allow donors to take control of their engagement by adjusting their recurring giving amount or changing the frequency of their gifts.

The more your giving platform appeals to donors’ preferences, the more likely they are to actually use it, and the more your nonprofit can raise!

Support from the provider

A fundraising platform that offers ongoing implementation support and training can help you increase your return on investment. Your software provider should offer expert support from their team in the following ways:

Onboarding and implementation support, including support for migrating your data from your old fundraising platform to your new system.
Staff training resources, such as digital courses or videos.
On-call, live chat, and email support options to connect with your software provider in the ways that work best for your team.
Data appending and hygiene services to update your database with missing information, such as addresses, and keep your database clean.
Free resources, including downloadable guides and a frequently updated blog that explores the latest fundraising best practices.

Your new fundraising platform has the greatest chance of succeeding when your entire team knows how to manage the system effectively. Your software provider should be a leader in the fundraising space and devote their time to helping your organization succeed.

Infrastructure maintenance and improvements

Your software vendor should regularly update software as technology advances for better cybersecurity and debugging developments.

Ask your vendor if they have a publicly accessible changelog. Review the changes they have made to their software over time and ensure they are updating this log regularly.

Security

Any fundraising solution you use should have several safeguards in place to keep sensitive donor information secure. Look for a platform that offers security features like:

A PCI-compliant payment processor. This means that the payment processor aligns with standards set by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council.
Encryption of donor data. Encryption converts donor data into unreadable code that can only be transmitted back to its original form using a key.
Unique, lengthy passwords. Long passwords with different character types are harder to crack. Set password requirements for staff members using your fundraising software and donor database.
Multi-factor authentication. Require staff members to verify their logins using multi-factor authentication. This might include sending them a text or email with a unique code they can use to log in to your fundraising platform.

Maintaining security fosters donor trust, ensuring that supporters will feel comfortable giving you their sensitive payment information.

5 steps to buy fundraising software

After considering common types of fundraising software and key features to look for, you’ll be ready to make a decision about which platform is right for your organization.

Follow these steps to find a platform that suits your needs:

1. Set goals and must-have features

Create a list of objectives your nonprofit is looking to achieve with the help of your fundraising software. For example, you might be looking to:

Increase donation page conversions by 30%
Leverage a smoother integration between your online donation page and donor database to steward new donors more effectively
Access more robust segmentation tools that allow you to group donors based on shared characteristics and create more tailored marketing campaigns

Then, identify the features that you absolutely need from your new system to accomplish your goals. For instance, you might need filtering and segmentation functionality, streamlined donation pages, or an integrated donor management and online giving platform.

2. Determine your budget

Decide how much your nonprofit can devote to investing in a new fundraising system.

Keep in mind that free fundraising software solutions may not offer the features you need to truly level up your fundraising, making them not a great use of your time and energy.

For first-time fundraising software buyers, we recommend shopping around to see what the starting price is for a few different systems to give you a general idea of the typical cost of these systems.

Don’t forget that the listed price of fundraising software isn’t the final price you’ll pay. Lookout for down-the-line costs for your fundraising software such as:

Training fees. Training fees are considered a startup cost so that your organization can learn how to best use the software solution.
Payment processing fees. Payment processing fees are used in the collection of online donations in order to process credit or debit card payments.

Although there are usually some payment processing fees for online donations, they are rarely over a few percentage points.

3. Assess reviews

Check out software reviews submitted by real users. Resources like G2 or Capterra can be helpful for accessing unbiased opinions. If you see any glaring contradictions with your list of goals, remove the platform from your list.

4. Participate in demos

Attend demos for your top fundraising software options. As you watch the walkthroughs, pay special attention to the following elements:

The built-in features of each platform and any add-ons that may cost extra
Security measures in place
Opportunities to scale up or down based on your needs

Make sure that staff members who will use your fundraising platform daily are invited to participate in the demo process.

5. Make your final decision with the help of key stakeholders

Team members who will use the fundraising platform regularly should be deeply involved in the software buying process. Consult with your fundraising team to ensure that they’re on board with your ultimate choice. If you can’t receive unanimous approval, make sure to understand each team member’s reservations and address their concerns.

5 questions to ask when buying fundraising software

Often, the software-buying process can come down to a final choice between two platforms that are very similar. How can you know which option is truly the best for your organization? Ask yourself the following questions to narrow down your decision:

1. Does the software vendor share our priorities?

Your software provider should understand the key pain points in the nonprofit industry. When they do, they’ll design and update the software in a way that helps solve those real-world problems.

Inquire about whether the provider has a place for customers to make improvement suggestions. Ensure that they listen to common concerns but don’t adjust the software to try to suit every customer’s needs. This can reveal a lack of vision and a cohesive strategy.

2. What is the timeline for getting the software up and running?

How much of your team’s time will you have to commit to launching your new system? Since starting up with new software will require data transfers, you’ll likely need to spend a decent amount of time ensuring all of your information migrates successfully.

Investigate whether your provider offers installation support and data migration to make the process as quick and painless as possible.

3. What does the training process look like for the software?

How long will it take for your team to get comfortable with the new software? This is where user-friendliness comes into play. The more intuitive and user-friendly the system is, the easier it will be to train team members.

4. Will this software effectively fill gaps in our current fundraising approach?

Ultimately, your fundraising software should mitigate the primary obstacles or slowdowns your team faces when it comes to fundraising. Ensure your new platform actually helps fill gaps in your strategy. Flashy bells and whistles may look impressive but aren’t worth your time if they don’t actually address your key issues.

5. Can the software scale up as our organization grows?

When weighing all of your software choices, inquire about the scalability of each option. Scalable pricing structures allow you to choose a system that has the features you need without paying extra for the features you don’t require. You may choose to scale up after a few years if the software helps you grow.

Wrapping up

Understanding how to buy fundraising software will help your nonprofit make the best ultimate decision for your needs. Carefully consider the features and priorities of each top platform. Armed with this research, you’ll find a software solution to fit your organization’s specific needs.

For more information about buying fundraising software, check out these additional resources:

The 25 Best Fundraising Software Solutions to Boost Results. Explore top fundraising solutions available and the features of each platform to help find the right solution for your nonprofit.
Nonprofit CRM: The Buyer’s Guide + 9 Solutions (2023 Update). Looking specifically for a nonprofit CRM to better manage donor data? Our buyer’s guide can help!
14 Best Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Platforms for Nonprofits. Peer-to-peer fundraising software can help your nonprofit reach more participants and grow your audience. Explore 14 top platforms with this roundup.

The post How to Buy Fundraising Software That Lasts: Essential Guide appeared first on Bloomerang.

15 Top Online Fundraising Platforms to Ramp Up Donations

Jay Love — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 13:30:36 +0000

Online fundraising is essential for nonprofits, but these types of initiatives come with unique challenges. Average online fundraising revenue declined by 1% in 2023, a continued downward trend after two years of monumental growth inspired by the global pandemic. To ramp up fundraising even in the face of challenges, your nonprofit must equip the right online fundraising platform for your needs.

This guide dives deep into virtual fundraising platforms your nonprofit can use to strengthen your online fundraising strategy, comparing features, costs, and more. We’ll cover:

What are online fundraising platforms?
What are the different types of donation platforms?
Top online fundraising sites for nonprofits

First, let’s discuss the basics of fundraising platforms and why they’re a good investment for your nonprofit.

What are online fundraising platforms?

Online fundraising platforms or fundraising sites for nonprofits are software solutions that your organization can use to solicit, accept, and process donations made via the internet.

These platforms can be used for year-round fundraising for your annual fund or they can be used for individual fundraising campaigns hosted during certain times of the year. For example, one tool might power the standard online giving page on your website, while simultaneously using another different platform to host a timely crowdfunding campaign for a specific program. Both of these virtual fundraising platforms raise money online, but in different ways and under slightly different circumstances.

Benefits of online fundraising platforms

An online fundraising platform offers the following benefits for your fundraising strategy:

Store and assess donor data to create targeted outreach campaigns. With the help of an online fundraising solution that’s integrated with your nonprofit CRM, you can automatically store donor information in donor profiles. This allows you to track all donor interactions and reach out to donors at the right times.
Give donors an easy way to show their support. Supporters can use these platforms to give quickly and easily from their laptops, desktop computers, and mobile devices. Many online fundraising sites also have tools for supporters to gather donations on behalf of your organization.
Report on fundraising data. Fundraising platforms can consolidate all fundraising data in one system, allowing you to get an at-a-glance view of your ongoing fundraising campaigns. By using a fundraising tool that integrates with other software solutions, you can ensure seamless data transfers between platforms, enhancing your reporting capabilities.

Essentially, online fundraising platforms are robust systems that increase fundraising efficiency by consolidating fundraising data, reports, and donor information in one place.

Features to look for in a virtual fundraising platform

Online fundraising platform features vary based on each solution’s main focus, but some solutions offer multiple features within one system. Here are a few common features of fundraising platforms:

Customizable donation pages
Peer-to-peer and crowdfunding functionality
Communications and marketing tools
A secure payment processing platform
Recurring giving opportunities
Donation analytics
Text-to-donate capabilities

For most nonprofits, it’s often worth finding an online fundraising platform that offers multiple or all of these features within one system. That makes it easier to keep your data organized and immediately accessible.

Common costs associated with online fundraising tools

Before we dive into our list of top fundraising sites for nonprofits, it’s helpful to know the common costs and payment terminology associated with these solutions. Here are a few types of fees to know about:

Platform fees: The cost of using the fundraising platform, typically billed annually or monthly.
Processing fees: Charges from payment processors (like PayPal or Stripe) to process online transactions.
Transaction fees: A percentage or fixed fee levied on each donation.

There may be additional fees depending on the system you invest in, such as data migration or platform implementation costs.

You may also be interested in using a free fundraising platform. These solutions are budget-friendly for growing nonprofits looking to level up their fundraising. However, some platforms that initially seem free may come with unforeseen startup costs. Do your research before choosing a platform to ensure you understand all the costs required for the full setup process.

What are the different types of donation platforms?

Donation platforms encompass more than just solutions for accepting online donations. These software tools can manage a wide variety of fundraising activities, including:

Crowdfunding: Create a primary campaign page and share it via social media, email, and other digital platforms to collect donations from a wide audience.
Peer-to-peer fundraising: Empower supporters to create personal fundraising pages based on your nonprofit’s main campaign page and share their pages with family members and friends.
Auctions: Plan silent and live auctions with tools that make it easy to procure items, plan the event, facilitate bidding, and deliver items to winners.
Events: Plan and carry out engaging nonprofit events such as walk-a-thons, concerts, galas, and other fundraising opportunities.
Merchandise: Design custom, branded merchandise, such as T-shirts, mugs, or hats, to sell to supporters and generate a new revenue stream.
Text-to-give: Use a centralized platform to create a text-to-give keyword and facilitate SMS donations.

Our list below includes options for each of these fundraising activities to help you find the right tool for your specific needs and goals.

Top online fundraising sites for nonprofits

Because fundraising platforms can be used in so many different circumstances and there are so many providers out there, we’ve compiled a list of the top solutions and compared each platform based on features and pricing.

Fundraising platform	Favorite feature	Pricing
Bloomerang	Donor profiles	Starts at $119 per month
Qgiv	Mobile-friendly fundraising campaigns	Free to get started with
Fundraise Up	AI-powered donor stewardship suggestions	4% fee per transaction
Donately	Donation pages	4% platform fee
Snowball Fundraising	Text-to-give process	2.9% + 30¢ transaction fee
Bonfire	T-shirt fundraising	3.5% processing fee
OneCause	Mobile bidding	Depends on the package
Regpack	Registrations	$125 per month with a 2.1% payment processing fee
Handbid	Auctions	3.5% + 30¢ credit card processing fee
Eventbrite	Event ticketing	Scalable pricing based on tickets sold
Gratavid	Donor appreciation videos	Contact for pricing
TrueGivers	Data hygiene and screening	Minimum $2,500 for use of the platform as a service
DonorSearch	Prospect research and wealth screening	Contact for pricing
GiveButter	Multi-platform fundraising tools	2.9% + 30¢ processing fee
360MatchPro	Matching gift fundraising	Starts at $999 per year

1. Bloomerang

Online fundraising platform overview:

Bloomerang is the top donor management solution on the market. Our specialty is helping nonprofits build relationships with supporters through their fundraising campaigns.

Once supporters give to your nonprofit through your virtual fundraising platforms, this information is stored in your Bloomerang database. This data can then be used to improve your donor retention strategy, which leads to more revenue.

Our favorite features:

Some of the features Bloomerang offers include:

Robust donor profiles. The profiles provide a centralized view of each donor’s engagement with your nonprofit and help you create effective messages based on your donor data.
Interactive dashboard. Customize your dashboard to show the fundraising metrics most important to your nonprofit’s mission and campaign success. You can use it to keep an eye on your donor retention rate, campaign progress, and more.
Customized reports. Pull reports with the most important metrics for your nonprofit’s success. These reports provide in-depth information about your top donors, monthly supporters, loyal constituents, and more.

Bloomerang was built by fundraising professionals in the industry, ensuring the software is equipped with the tools necessary to capture data and engage your audience both now and in the future.

Pricing:

Bloomerang’s pricing starts at $119 per month and scales based on the size of your nonprofit.

2. Qgiv

Online fundraising platform overview:

Qgiv offers a virtual fundraising platform that lets nonprofits make the most of online and hybrid event opportunities. Their event pages are only the beginning; they also provide registration and ticketing pages to attract and process attendees.

Our favorite features:

Qgiv is one of the most effective and successful virtual platforms for events because of its features like:

Peer-to-peer software. Generate excitement leading up to your next event with Qgiv’s peer-to-peer fundraising software. Ask volunteers to invite their friends and family to attend your next event while also spreading the word about your upcoming event opportunity.
Online auction tools. If you’re hosting an auction, you can take it online with Qgiv. Supporters can view auction items and bid online during virtual, in-person, or hybrid events.
Text-to-give software. Qgiv’s text-to-donate platform can be used during events, allowing supporters to give to your organization via their mobile device.

Qgiv has several integration partners that can help you make the most of your fundraising strategies and events, including Salesforce, DonorPerfect, and Bloomerang. The Bloomerang integration allows your nonprofit to map all of the data you collect through Qgiv campaigns to the correct donor profiles in your donor database.

Pricing:

Get started with Qgiv’s free plan, or level up to their $25 per month Giving Essentials plan. Learn more about pricing.

3. Fundraise Up

Online fundraising platform overview:

Fundraise Up is a virtual fundraising platform that is dedicated to creating a speedy giving process for supporters. This dedication to speed helps drive conversions, earning your organization more donations through your website.

Our favorite features:

The Fundraise Up platform includes the following features:

Mobile responsiveness. With Fundraise Up, all of your donation pages automatically resize to fit any size screen. This means all of your supporters will have a smooth donation process, no matter if they give from their laptop, tablet, or mobile phone.
Suggested donation amounts powered by machine learning. Suggested donation amounts can create a sense of social proof, giving supporters a frame of reference as to how much is “normal” to give. Using Fundraise Up’s AI technology, you can determine the right donation request amount for each donor and determine the best times to request upgrades.
Powerful peer-to-peer fundraising features. These features include donor portals where fundraisers can view their stats, such as how much they’ve raised so far and who is giving to their pages.

Fundraise Up also integrates seamlessly with your Bloomerang donor database. All of the donation information collected via Fundraise Up pages will be reflected automatically in the donors’ profiles and the funds raised will be recorded as a part of the campaign in Bloomerang.

Pricing:

Fundraise Up’s pricing starts with a self-managed option that extracts a 4% transaction fee. Learn more about pricing.

4. Donately

Online fundraising platform overview:

Donately provides a virtual fundraising platform for nonprofits, churches, businesses, and agencies. They provide donation pages that are specifically designed to convert more website visitors into donors.

Our favorite features:

These modern donation pages include features such as:

Customization options. Catch your donor’s eye by leveraging Donately’s customization features to brand your fundraising pages to your organization. Then, embed that page directly into your website for a seamless user experience.
Recurring donation buttons. By including a recurring donation button directly on your donation page, you’ll encourage supporters to give on a regular basis.

Donately provides a dashboard that makes it easy for your nonprofit to gather fundraising data from your donation pages. You can view all kinds of insights from this dashboard, such as the average donation amount and weeks with the highest donation volume.

Pricing:

Donately offers a free plan with a 4% platform fee. Learn more about pricing.

5. Snowball Fundraising

Online fundraising platform overview:

Snowball Fundraising offers a virtual fundraising platform designed for text-to-give campaigns. This solution is perfect for events and on-the-go fundraising campaigns where supporters can contribute by simply texting the number associated with your campaign.

Our favorite features:

Snowball’s text-to-donate functionality is a user-friendly feature for both donors and nonprofit staff.

Here’s what the text-to-give process looks like using Snowball’s software:

Your nonprofit chooses a toll-free or shortcode number to associate with your campaign.
Supporters send a customized trigger word and their donation amount via text message to the associated number.
Supporters receive a link that connects them directly to your organization’s giving page.
Supporters click the link and their donation is processed in seconds from their mobile device.

Using this software, supporters at your auction can also leverage your dedicated phone number to submit bids for various auction items.

Pricing:

Get started with the free Essential plan that comes with a 2.9% + 30¢ transaction fee. Learn more about pricing.

6. Bonfire

Online fundraising platform overview:

Bonfire is a t-shirt fundraising platform that allows your nonprofit to set up an online store that supporters can visit to buy your organization’s branded t-shirts.

Our favorite features:

To make the most of your t-shirt fundraising campaigns, Bonfire offers the following features:

Customizable t-shirts. Upload your own artwork to the Bonfire platform or use their design tools to create a shirt that is branded to your organization. Feature different branded designs for specific campaigns or offer a collection of staples all year long.
Various merchandise types. While Bonfire brands itself as a t-shirt fundraising platform, you’re not limited to only selling t-shirts. Bonfire also offers hats, tank tops, sweatshirts, mugs, pet clothes, and more, all of which can be branded to your organization.
Branded online stores. Use your organization’s own logo and colors to customize your online store.

Although there’s a processing fee to use the software, registered nonprofits receive a heavy discount.

Pricing:

Verified nonprofits can access a reduced 3.5% processing fee.

7. OneCause

Online fundraising platform overview:

OneCause offers a number of solutions as a part of its online fundraising platform, all of which can be used to enhance your online fundraising strategies. However, their platform’s bread and butter is the mobile bidding solution.

Our favorite features:

OneCause’s mobile bidding software provides tools that help with every step of the online auction process, including:

Developing solicitation letters and tracking various items’ procurement status as you work to fill out your auction item list.
Selling variously priced ticket packages.
Encouraging people to bid on their favorite auction items directly from their mobile devices. They’ll receive alerts when they’re outbid, increasing engagement and potentially jumpstarting bidding wars.
Allowing your auction winners to check out directly from their phones.

OneCause offers unlimited auction events as a part of their software subscription package. If you host auctions throughout the year, OneCause is an effective and efficient way to get the event tools your organization needs.

Pricing:

Visit the OneCause website for information on pricing plans.

8. Regpack

Online fundraising platform overview:

Regpack’s online fundraising platform is first and foremost a registration solution. Your nonprofit can encourage supporters to sign up for your various classes through custom registration pages and embeddable registration forms.

Our favorite features:

Regpack supports different types of learning opportunities, such as:

Online courses. If you offer online learning opportunities for supporters, volunteers, or other community members, use Regpack to set up a streamlined registration process. Gather insights about conversions, learn about the individuals who signed up, and raise funds all at the same time.
Camps. Do you offer camps or similar opportunities? Regpack can help facilitate camp sign-ups, streamline operations, and get data-driven insights to inform future camp offerings.

Regpack’s software can create a seamless registration experience with conditional logic. Conditional logic allows your nonprofit to personalize the registration process for all of your supporters. For example, you might ask your event attendees about dietary restrictions. Those who say they don’t have any notable restrictions will move on to the next question, while those who say they do will be prompted to give additional information.

Pricing:

Regpack’s pricing starts at $125 per month with a 2.1% payment processing fee.

9. Handbid

Online fundraising platform overview:

Handbid is an auction platform designed for nonprofit organizations. They provide auction software as well as other fundraising tools for hosting peer-to-peer and crowdfunding campaigns.

Our favorite features:

This virtual fundraising platform offers a number of unique opportunities for nonprofits to engage their audiences, including:

Web-based and live event auctions. Choose the options that will best engage your particular audience.
Livestreaming tools. Your nonprofit can livestream various auction activities and opportunities during your virtual and hybrid events.
Handbid TV. Handbid offers a broadcast of live metrics from the auction so supporters can see how you’re progressing toward your fundraising goals.

Handbid’s platform provides multiple convenient ways for your supporters to stay engaged in your auction.

Pricing:

Handbid offers custom auction packages. All packages come with a 3.5% + 0.30 credit card processing fee.

10. Eventbrite

Online fundraising platform overview:

Eventbrite offers a basic event registration solution for organizations or individuals, whether they’re trying to raise money or simply encouraging more people to attend a free event. It’s the perfect solution for small nonprofits that are just getting started with virtual and in-person event opportunities.

Our favorite features:

Eventbrite offers essential event-hosting features, including:

Customized event pages. Customize your Eventbrite page with your organization’s logo, colors, and images.
Ticket sales. Sell tickets through your event registration page. For events giving away free tickets, the Eventbrite platform is also free!
Attendee marketplace. Your organization can gain access to new viewership through the Eventbrite attendee marketplace, which allows those who follow Eventbrite to see your event and sign up.

Eventbrite is perfect for organizations that are just starting to throw events.

Pricing:

Eventbrite is free for your first 25 tickets sold and pricing scales up from there. Learn more on the Eventbrite pricing page.

11. Gratavid

Online fundraising platform overview:

The average donor retention rate is around 45%. Increasing your donor retention rate is one of the fastest paths to increasing your revenue. And how do you increase this rate? By showing appreciation for your supporters.

Gratavid is a software solution that enables your nonprofit to send personalized thank you video messages to each of your supporters.

Our favorite features:

This software offers features that give you the ability to:

Customize your videos to match your brand.
Add social sharing buttons to spread the word about your appreciation.
Send videos through email and text messages.
Integrate with other top platforms on the market, including Bloomerang.

Thank you videos are the perfect way to thank your supporters who give via virtual fundraising platforms.

Pricing:

Contact for pricing.

12. TrueGivers

Online fundraising platform overview:

TrueGivers provides nonprofits with insight into the donors in their databases through CRM data hygiene and enhancement sergices.

Our favorite features:

The software provides helpful features such as:

National Change of Address updates. Get notified when a supporter’s address changes. That way, you can reach them via direct mail and encourage them to update their credit card information if necessary.
Deceased information. When you know that someone has passed away, you can reach out to their family and offer condolences for their loss.
Notification emails. Get updates about your supporters’ information, allowing you to take required actions right away.

TrueGivers is most helpful when paired with a donor database, allowing you to keep your supporter information updated.

Pricing:

The platform as a service is a minimum of $2,500 per month. Most users leverage this service as a CRM integration, with varied pricing. Visit the TrueGivers website for custom data services pricing information.

13. DonorSearch

Online fundraising platform overview:

DonorSearch is a prospect research tool for learning about your supporters’ philanthropic and wealth indicators, providing insight into their capacity and affinity to give. This enables you to identify potential mid-tier and major donors.

Our favorite features:

The best part about DonorSearch is how nonprofits can use it to create better-informed fundraising strategies and connect with donors on a more personal level. For example, you can use DonorSearch’s tools to:

Create a VIP package for your next hybrid or virtual event, inviting mid-tier and major supporters with a more upscale experience.
Develop specialized outreach for your major supporters before, during, and after a virtual fundraising campaign.
Ask prospects to get involved in ways other than donating, like volunteering.

DonorSearch also integrates with a number of donor databases, including Bloomerang. This means you’ll see each donor’s generosity and engagement data in their Bloomerang profile.

Pricing:

Contact the DonorSearch team for pricing information.

14. Givebutter

Online fundraising platform overview:

Givebutter is a virtual fundraising platform that allows your organization to launch campaigns, and events, collect and process donations from your website, and send emails and texts to your donors. Supporters can give however is most convenient for them as Givebutter accepts a number of payment methods, including Venmo, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, ACH, and standard credit cards.

Our favorite features:

Givebutter’s platform also offers other types of fundraising tools, like:

Peer-to-peer fundraising. Leverage Givebutter’s peer-to-peer and multi-team fundraising functionality to raise money during campaigns and events.
Ticket sales. Use Givebutter’s event ticketing software to sell tickets to your next gala, race, or reception. There’s a QR code featured on each ticket, making it easy for your supporters to scan their tickets when they arrive at your event.

Givebutter also integrates with Bloomerang! All you’ll need to do is copy your Bloomerang API Key into Givebutter. Then, you can configure your integration settings, mapping your information so that it appears automatically in your donor database from your Givebutter forms and fundraising pages.

Pricing:

Givebutter has no platform fees but a 2.9% + 30¢ processing fee.

15. 360MatchPro

Online fundraising platform overview:

360MatchPro by Double the Donation is a matching gift platform that can help amplify your fundraising efforts and increase the revenue from your virtual fundraisers by identifying corporate giving opportunities.

Our favorite features:

You can leverage 360MatchPro to discover and automate the matching gift identification process through tools like:

Email domain identification. This tool identifies potential matching gift eligibility by scanning the email domains of your supporters through a matching gift database. Then it connects supporters who have email addresses from companies that offer these programs with their company’s matching gift application.
Email automation. Send automated emails to each of your eligible supporters, informing them about the potential to double (or even triple) their donation to your organization through their employer’s matching gift program.
Revenue dashboard. Use the dashboard to track your revenue that comes in from matching gifts.

Many donations are eligible to be matched, but donors don’t often know that. With Double the Donation, you can identify and inform these supporters of this opportunity, raising even more funds.

Pricing:

The Standard plan is $999 per year. Learn more about pricing.

Wrapping up

Make sure your organization is ready for your next online fundraising campaign by choosing the right software solutions to meet your needs.

If you’d like to learn more about virtual fundraising and software that can amplify your strategies, check out these additional resources:

19 Incredibly Easy Online Fundraising Ideas and Expert Tips. As you start planning your next fundraising campaign, check out these helpful virtual fundraising ideas.
The 25 Best Fundraising Software Solutions to Boost Results. If you’re looking for even more fundraising solutions for your nonprofit, check out this guide.
How to Buy Fundraising Software That Lasts: Essential Guide. Before you purchase your next virtual fundraising platform, read this guide to help make the right decision.

The post 15 Top Online Fundraising Platforms to Ramp Up Donations appeared first on Bloomerang.

19 Incredibly Easy Online Fundraising Ideas and Expert Tips

Jay Love — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 13:30:09 +0000

Online fundraising has been on an upward trajectory for years. But after two years of impressive growth influenced by the global pandemic, average online revenue dropped in 2022 by 4%. Moving forward, nonprofits must find new ways to connect with supporters online and retain their donations over the long term.

Having a comprehensive online fundraising strategy is crucial for modern nonprofits. When your nonprofit uses online fundraising platforms and follows best practices, you can meet your supporters where they are—online—and enable them to give quickly and easily.

In this guide, we’ll cover the ins and outs of online fundraising, explaining how you can leverage various platforms and fundraising ideas to engage your supporters virtually. Here’s what to expect:

What is online fundraising?
How to start fundraising online
19 effective and simple online fundraising ideas
Online fundraising platforms for nonprofits
Tips for a successful online fundraising campaign

Use the tips and ideas in this guide to create your own online fundraising plan and to determine the fundraising tools you’ll need to accomplish your ultimate goals. But first, let’s review a few online fundraising basics.

What is online fundraising?

Online fundraising is the process of raising funds from supporters via the internet, usually using an online donation page. It’s a quick and easy way for individuals to support missions they care about.

The benefits of online fundraising

Online fundraising offers benefits for both your organization and your supporters. Your nonprofit can expand its reach and encourage additional contributions, and your supporters can more easily donate to your cause. Here are additional benefits of online fundraising for your donors and your nonprofit:

Benefits for donors

Donors want to be able to give the second they’re inspired, so asking them to physically bring their donation to you or to send the donation via mail will likely mean you miss opportunities to secure much-needed revenue.

Offering online fundraising opportunities makes the process of donating easy for your supporters.

Online fundraising allows your supporters to:

Give at any time. Supporters can hop on their computer or phone and give immediately at any time of the day.
Give from anywhere. The majority of giving forms are now optimized for mobile, allowing supporters to give via their mobile devices. This means they don’t need to be in front of a computer to donate.
Set up recurring donations. Your nonprofit can provide an option for donors to make a recurring donation and automatically contribute without coming back to your donation page every month or quarter.
Share the gifts they’ve made. You can include social media share buttons on your online donation form. This allows donors to immediately share that they’ve supported your mission with friends and family members. This not only allows your supporters to share their involvement, but also spreads your organization’s mission further and inspires individuals with no previous connection to your organization to give.
Make secure donations. Organizations that invest in PCI-compliant online fundraising solutions can take proper cybersecurity measures to ensure that their online donation process is secure.

Benefits for nonprofits

Your nonprofit benefits from online fundraising as well. Online fundraising allows you to:

Receive immediate feedback on your marketing efforts. Online fundraising technology allows your nonprofit to better understand which marketing campaigns effectively drive donations and where there’s room for improvement.
Capture donor information in your donor database. When donors give online, you can capture their personal information and save it to your donor database. You can then leverage this information to build relationships with these donors and encourage future donations.
Leverage a cost-effective fundraising strategy. The cost of online fundraising software can be fairly inexpensive, only requiring a small platform fee and processing fee. Plus, some solutions give your supporters the option of covering that processing fee, making it even more cost-effective.
Increase brand awareness. People will see that others are supporting your nonprofit online. Even if they don’t give right away, they’re more likely to remember your nonprofit in the future and potentially donate at another time.

How to start fundraising online

Whether you’re just getting started or you’re optimizing your existing online fundraising strategy, the following steps will help you get the most out of your online fundraising efforts.

Determine your online fundraising budget

Review your revenue goals for your online fundraising platforms. Then, determine the amount you’re willing to spend to hit those goals and lead to a healthy return on investment (ROI). And remember: Every nonprofit budget is different, so be sure to stay within your means when you craft your online fundraising strategy.

For example, let’s say you want to raise $100,000 in annual revenue through your online fundraising strategy. You might decide to allocate $10,000 for the necessary software and infrastructure to raise that funding. If that’s the case, your goal should be to raise $110,000 to hit that revenue goal while making up for your expenditures.

Choose an online fundraising platform

Choose the software solutions that will facilitate your online fundraising efforts. Follow these steps to help you choose the right solution for your organization.

Determine the types of fundraising software or apps you’ll need. Create a list of the features you’ll need to host successful campaigns. Categorize these lists by must-have and nice-to-have features.
Explore the available fundraising platform options using Google and software reviews.
Narrow down your list by comparing the features in the software solutions against your must-have features. Then, compare the solutions based on your budget. Once you find the solutions that are in your budget, see which ones also have those nice-to-have features you’d like to use. You may be tempted by free fundraising software, but keep in mind that free platforms often don’t offer the level of features you need to launch comprehensive online fundraising campaigns.
Now that you’ve identified your top picks, go to their websites and ask for demos. You may need several demos before you’re ready to buy fundraising software. Before the demos, compile questions you have about using the software solution. Ask about any implementation fees, hidden costs associated with the solutions you’re interested in and what type of customer support is available for you.
Purchase the solutions that meet your nonprofit’s needs. Then, create an implementation plan and timeline so you’re ready to go when it’s time to host your next fundraising campaigns and initiatives.

Launch and promote fundraisers

Before you launch your fundraisers, test your donation buttons by donating to the campaign yourself. This way you’ll catch any error or glitch and can fix it before asking your supporters to give.

This is also the time to create marketing materials for each segment of your nonprofit audience. You can make adjustments to these materials during the campaign, but having them prepared ahead of time will save you time.

Promote your fundraisers on multiple platforms and in multiple ways, including:

Email. Sending emails allows you to create personalized messages and deliver them directly to your supporters’ inboxes.
Website. Include a button on the homepage or in the main navigation of your site so donors immediately know where to donate.
Social media. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok are great for engaging with younger donors. Keep in mind that you can also leverage social media tools for your fundraising campaigns. For instance, you might ask supporters to conduct Facebook fundraisers on your behalf. Don’t forget to thank these supporters for their help!
Direct mail. Send letters directly to your supporters to inform them about upcoming online campaign opportunities and provide the URL or QR code for them to visit in order to contribute.

For any communication platform you choose, remember that messages sent to your entire donor base are less likely to gain traction than messages tailored to different supporter segments. Use the data you’ve collected about your donors to draft the messages that will best resonate with them and inspire them to get involved.

19 effective and simple online fundraising ideas

These online fundraising campaigns are easy to get up and running and can help your nonprofit bring in significant donations. Browse the list to find online fundraising ideas that work for your nonprofit’s mission and goals.

1. Peer-to-peer campaign

Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns empower supporters to raise funds on behalf of your organization. Supporters set up their own online donation pages and solicit gifts from their friends and family.

These campaigns require specialized software and can be an effective way to drive interest and raise funds leading up to an event. If you host a peer-to-peer fundraiser, provide guidance for your volunteer fundraisers by sharing content and images to include on their online pages. Encourage and reach out to them throughout the campaign and congratulate them when they reach their goals.

See a peer-to-peer campaign in action

Every year, regional Special Olympics programs host polar plunge fundraisers. A polar plunge involves jumping into freezing cold water, typically during the winter months. Supporters register to raise funds from family members and friends and have the chance to participate in the event.

Here is an example of a polar plunge event page from the Special Olympics North Carolina chapter:

Participants have the opportunity to earn free merchandise based on how much they raise. For example, those who raise $50 receive a complimentary t-shirt.

2. Text-to-give initiative

A text-to-give or text-to-donate campaign can be helpful for engaging supporters via their mobile devices. Here’s how a text-to-give campaign works:

Your organization makes an account with a text-to-give provider.
You choose a keyword related to your campaign and receive a dedicated phone number.
You promote your keyword and your platform’s dedicated phone number to supporters.
Supporters text the number and receive a link to fill out your online donation form.

A text-to-give campaign works well when paired with fundraising opportunities such as giving days because it enables donors to get involved immediately just by pulling out their cell phones.

See a text-to-give initiative in action

The American Red Cross has been a pioneer of text-to-give campaigning for many years. Supporters can text to donate to causes like helping natural disaster victims and reducing measles deaths.

The organization’s text-to-give options are straightforward, inviting donors to choose from recommended gift sizes rather than entering a custom amount.

3. Crowdfunding campaign

Crowdfunding involves creating a campaign page and collecting small contributions from a wide range of supporters. These funds can be used for specific campaign purposes.

Unlike peer-to-peer fundraising, crowdfunding uses a single donation page to raise funds. However, these campaign pages can also easily be shared, which inspires support and encourages donations from a number of different sources. Include social sharing buttons on the campaign page to enable supporters to share the campaign.

See a crowdfunding campaign in action

There are plenty of crowdfunding campaign examples on GoFundMe, the world’s largest crowdfunding platform. Here’s a fundraising page supporting koalas impacted by wildfires in Australia:

The page explains the fundraiser’s purpose and how the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital used donations to install drinking stations in burnt areas. The fundraiser was so successful that the organization was able to expand its efforts to also launch a koala breeding facility.

4. Facebook fundraising

As mentioned, Facebook offers fundraising tools that nonprofits can use to raise funds directly through the social media platform. It’s also one of the only platforms that cover the payment processing fees, ensuring your nonprofit receives all of the revenue you collect.

You’re likely already familiar with Facebook birthday fundraisers, which allow supporters to raise funds for a specific nonprofit from their friends and family instead of gifts for their birthdays.

In addition to the fundraisers you can host directly on Facebook, it’s also a great place to promote your other fundraisers like peer-to-peer and crowdfunding campaigns.

See a Facebook fundraiser in action

Explore the Facebook fundraising hub for examples of popular fundraising campaigns on the platform.

You can get a sense of what types of campaigns perform well and the elements that help these fundraisers succeed.

5. Matching gift drive

Corporate matching gift programs are a type of corporate social responsibility initiative where companies match gifts made by employees to eligible nonprofits. These gifts can be matched at a 1:1, 2:1 and even 3:1 ratio.

These contributions can make a huge difference for nonprofits, but 78% of match-eligible donors don’t realize that their company offers a matching gift program.

With a matching gift drive, you can use a matching gift software solution to identify supporters whose donations are eligible to be matched. You can then reach out and ask them to submit a matching gift request with their employer.

Throughout the drive, you can share information about matching gifts using communication platforms like social media, email and your website to spread awareness of these programs.

See a matching gift drive in action

The American Red Cross has a landing page devoted to sharing matching gift information, including a form entry field for visitors to research their matching gift eligibility.

Creating a page like this for your website allows you to spread awareness of matching gifts and make it easy for donors to submit these contributions.

6. Online fundraising auction

Online auctions provide an option for supporters to bid on auction items via their computer or their smartphones. This opens up the traditional auction setting from a strictly in-person event to a virtual or hybrid opportunity.

Invest in online auction software that allows you to add descriptions for auction items and accept bids from your loyal supporters. You might even decide to host auctions more often as online platforms usually have lower overhead costs than in-person events. If you do decide to host a number of auctions throughout the year, incorporate themes into your events to provide unique experiences for your supporters.

See an online fundraising auction in action

Here’s an example of an online auction for the Cavalier Rescue of Alabama hosted on BiddingOwl:

Supporters can browse Cavalier-themed auction items and support the rescue organization when they place their bids.

7. Influencer campaign

Influencer marketing is becoming increasingly popular in the nonprofit sector as people spend more and more time on social media platforms. Statistics show that the average daily social media usage of internet users worldwide is 147 minutes per day, representing a significant portion of the time that people spend on the internet.

An influencer campaign involves reaching out to a social media influencer or nonprofit ambassador who will promote your organization’s campaign or donation page to their online audience. It’s helpful to find someone who already has a proven affinity for your organization’s mission and a large social media presence.

For a successful partnership, equip your influencer with images, written content and hashtags they can include in their posts. Encourage them to personalize their posts with details about their personal connection to your cause.

See an influencer campaign in action

There are thousands of examples of celebrities working with brands and nonprofits to promote social good. For example, after a deadly tornado hit his home state of Kentucky, rapper Jack Harlow teamed up with KFC to donate $250,000 to the people affected.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @jackharlow

8. Merchandise sale

Another way that your organization can raise funds online is through online merchandise sales. Create merchandise with your brand’s logo, colors and fonts, then sell your items through an online store.

T-shirts, mugs, hats, water bottles, tote bags and face masks all make great options for your nonprofit’s next online merchandise fundraiser. Ensure the products you sell are high quality by ordering several for yourself before marketing the opportunity to your supporters. The goal is that they’ll use their merchandise in public, spreading brand awareness for your cause.

See a merchandise fundraiser in action

The Richmond Animal Welfare Foundation launched a merchandise fundraiser on Bonfire that raised over $100,000 from 7,312 supporters.

The fundraiser featured stylish t-shirts and hats in a variety of colors, each with the organization’s logo.

9. Google Ad campaign

Google processes billions of searches per day, making it a crucial platform for connecting with individuals who are researching vocabulary related to your nonprofit. With a Google Ad campaign, your organization can bid on relevant keywords to earn ad spots at the top of search results pages.

Pursuing a paid Google ad strategy can be a great way to supplement your organic search engine optimization (SEO) efforts on your website. Plus, you can gain access to $10,000 per month in free Google ad spending by applying for the Google Ad Grant program.

There are plenty of digital marketing agencies that can help you get your Google Ad campaign up and running, such as Feathr or Getting Attention. Working with one of these agencies can be immensely beneficial if your organization doesn’t have a ton of Google Ad experience or extra time on your plate to devote to this strategy.

See a Google Ad campaign in action

Review some examples of Google ads by searching for terms related to your nonprofit. For example, here’s what the search engine results page looks like when you search “food bank” in the Atlanta, Georgia area:

You’ll be able to see the sponsored ads that pop up at the top of the page, including location-based ads. In this case, these ads are all related to organizations that help fight hunger. They either lead to donation pages or resources for those in need.

With funds from the Google Ad Grant, you can get your nonprofit’s landing pages to the top of Google for relevant terms.

10. eCard campaign

Greeting cards never fail to bring a smile to the face of everyone who receives them. You can bring that same joy to your online community with an eCard campaign.

With a donation eCard campaign, donors give to your nonprofit, then send an eCard to a friend or loved one that includes information about why they gave. They can also donate in honor of a loved one and send them an eCard letting them know they made a gift on their behalf.

An eCard campaign helps boost referrals and introduce new audiences to your organization’s mission. Promote mission awareness by finding an eCard platform that allows you to brand your eCards to your nonprofit.

See an eCard campaign in action

Habitat for Humanity launched an eCard campaign to facilitate tribute giving during the holiday season. The campaign allowed donors to recognize and honor their loved ones by donating in their name and notifying them about it. Supporters were able to give someone the gift of knowing that they helped further a good cause.

11. Virtual 5K

Virtual events help community members feel connected, even when they’re physically apart. A virtual 5K is a virtual event that encourages donations and friendly competition.

In a virtual 5K event, participants still run 3.1 miles, just from the comfort of their own neighborhoods or homes. Ask racers to track their run using a fitness app like Strava or Runkeeper and submit their times online after completing the race.

Participants can raise funds through pledge fundraising or by paying an entry fee. Offer supporters a complimentary t-shirt or water bottle in exchange for their support.

To promote a sense of community surrounding your event, encourage participants to share their times within your Facebook group or wear their branded t-shirts while completing the race. Post photos of your first, second and third-place finishers on your social media pages and thank all involved for their generous support.

See a virtual 5K in action

For St. Jude’s 2023 walk/run, participants can register online and engage in the event from anywhere.

The landing page for the event includes a fundraising leaderboard with top supporters, which shows gratitude for engaged participants and encourages others to increase their support.

12. Virtual trivia night

Trivia is another engaging event that brings out the friendly competition within your supporter base. Invite supporters to participate in an online trivia tournament. Raise donations by requiring an entry fee.

To increase event engagement, consider planning a themed trivia night. For example, the theme could be 80s pop culture, classic movies or the holiday season.

Reward your trivia champion with a cash prize or gift card.

See a trivia fundraiser in action

As you plan your virtual trivia night, there is one handy place that offers an abundance of creative ideas for themes, flyers and more: Pinterest!

Browse around to get a sense of how other organizations approach trivia fundraising events. You can even find good trivia questions to ask based on different themes.

13. Virtual concert

A livestreamed concert can bring all the fun of a summer concert to your supporters without the heat, bugs and dust! Invite local musicians to perform and inform them about your nonprofit’s cause so they can discuss it between songs. Supporters can tune in from the comfort of their homes to hear their favorite local singers and support a good cause.

Consider asking local businesses to sponsor your online concert to cover any overhead costs, such as livestreaming equipment or musician fees.

See a virtual concert in action

In 2020, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime hosted a virtual benefit concert to support victims of human trafficking. The event featured 30 artists from around the world and raised $3,600 in donations.

Artists voiced their support and made appeals to donors, providing greater support for the cause.

14. Social media challenge

In a social media challenge, nonprofits invite supporters to complete a task or activity and document it on their social media to raise awareness and funds.

One of the most well-known social media challenges of all time was the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which allowed The ALS Association to boost its annual research funding by 187 percent.

Other engaging social media challenge ideas include:

A fitness challenge, such as walking 10,000 steps per day
A hair-related challenge, such as dyeing your hair crazy colors or cutting your hair to donate it and sharing a video of the process
A photography challenge, such as sharing photos that are meaningful or that bring joy
A gratefulness challenge, such as sharing one thing you’re grateful for every day for a week

See a social media challenge in action

Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, people around the world were looking for ways to support Ukraine and the people affected by the situation. The global community united for a social media movement called Stand Up for Ukraine. The movement involved a social media rally on April 8th, 2022 and a pledge drive on April 9th.

The event went viral online, with dozens of celebrities voicing support for the cause. The campaign resulted in $10.1 billion raised in new cash grants and loans to support Ukrainian refugees.

This example showcases the incredible power of viral campaigns to reach people worldwide and inspire massive support.

15. Online class

The best online fundraisers give donors something in return for their support. That’s exactly what you can do with an online class or workshop fundraiser. In exchange for a ticket fee, supporters can attend an online class to learn or practice a new skill.

Consider class ideas like:

Cooking classes
Creative writing workshops
Cocktail-making seminars
Craft workshops

See an online class in action

There are plenty of online class examples across the web, especially from the for-profit sector. Here’s an example from Cozymeal of a “Health-Boosting Mocktails” online cooking class:

Feel free to survey your audience to gather information about the types of classes they’d be most interested in.

16. Giving Day campaign

Giving days are intense, short-term fundraising bursts, typically taking place over a 24-hour period. Giving Tuesday is the world’s largest giving day, typically bringing in billions of dollars for worthy causes each year. Launching an online fundraiser for Giving Tuesday, complete with a marketing campaign, is an effective way to make the most of this charitable time of year.

In addition to launching a Giving Tuesday campaign, you can also create a giving day on a date of your choosing. For example, you might choose the anniversary of your founding date. Use your social media pages and email newsletters to build hype for your giving day starting a few weeks in advance. You can update and share a fundraising thermometer graphic to showcase your progress and how far you have left to reach your goal.

See a Giving Day campaign in action

The Atlanta Community Food Bank celebrated its 44th birthday with a giving day and a matching gift drive. This message inspires urgency by asking supporters to give by midnight to triple their donation. It also aligns each giving amount with a specific impact, showing donors exactly what their gifts will accomplish.

17. Targeted email campaigns

According to a Bloomerang study, almost 90% of nonprofit professionals said they plan to use email marketing in 2023 to reach supporters:

Email is an effective platform for reaching supporters on a regular basis, but it’s even more effective to create a targeted email strategy based on segmentation.

Most email marketing platforms allow you to segment your subscribers based on shared characteristics. For example, you might create segments for new donors, long-time donors, monthly donors and lapsed donors.

Then, send each segment tailored content based on their interests. You may send new donors a welcome packet to introduce them to your organization, and monthly donors an impact report that describes the positive change that your monthly giving program has enabled.

Personalize your email subject lines with supporters’ names when relevant. For example, you might say “Paula’s 2022 Giving Roundup” or “Event recommendations for Martin.” This will catch recipients’ attention and make them more likely to open your messages.

See a targeted email campaign in action

Here is an example of a compelling email message from CARE Australia recapping donors’ impact throughout the previous year.

This message is effective because it includes specific statistics that convey the massive scope of donors’ support paired with images of individuals who have benefited from that support.

18. Online shopping fundraiser

With an online shopping fundraiser, shoppers can support your nonprofit while making purchases at their favorite online stores. When you partner with an online shopping platform, your supporters can download an app or browser extension, shop at participating retailers and a percentage of their purchase is given to your nonprofit at no additional cost.

These fundraisers don’t disrupt supporters’ normal online shopping processes, allowing them to give with no additional work on their part. This type of fundraising can add up over time as you spread the word about this simple giving option.

See an online shopping fundraiser in action

Take a look at this example from ShopRaise about how online shopping fundraisers can add up to make a large impact:

You can see how small contributions from each website lead to a decently sized donation that donors didn’t have to reach back into their wallets to contribute.

19. Video fundraising

Hearing about your nonprofit’s mission is helpful, but seeing it brought to life through video is an exceptionally powerful way to drive support. Fundraising videos elicit emotion and make your mission feel more real to new and existing supporters alike.

Testimonials from those your organization has helped can be especially impactful because potential donors can see who their gifts will help.

Video fundraising example

Check out this video from charity: water that tells the story of Mamie, a woman who gained access to clean water because of the nonprofit’s efforts:

The video ends with a compelling call to action letting viewers know that they can help people like Mamie access clean water faster by donating today.

Online fundraising platforms for nonprofits

As you carry out your online fundraising strategy, fundraising software will help you capture and process donations, manage donor information, send personalized communications and more. Our favorite online fundraising solution is Bloomerang.

Bloomerang is an online fundraising platform that helps nonprofits acquire, engage and retain donors. You can customize your online giving pages and encourage additional donations through pop-up donation buttons on your website.

Bloomerang also provides peer-to-peer features that make it easy for supporters to get involved in your next campaign, event management capabilities for your in-person or virtual events and a donor portal that supporters can use to see their donation history and update their credit card information.

The best part is that Bloomerang is fully integrated with your donor database. This means that the information you capture through online fundraising automatically syncs in Bloomerang, which helps you build relationships with donors and supporters so you can retain them for years to come.

Tips for a successful online fundraising campaign

Use these tips to create engaging campaigns and streamline supporter contributions.

Tell stories

One of the best ways to engage supporters is to use effective storytelling strategies.

When people read stories, their brains release chemicals like dopamine and oxytocin. These chemicals make the reader feel good and evoke empathy—they’ll often keep reading because they want to know what happens next.

As you craft the message for your donation pages, emails and other marketing materials, tell a story about how this campaign will help your mission.

Include the key elements of a good story:

Protagonist: This is usually the individual the campaign is helping. Although your campaign may help multiple people, it’s better to tell one person’s story as it’s easier for people to identify with an individual than with a group.
Conflict: Highlight the issues your protagonist faces and how it impedes their daily life.
Resolution: People need motivation to give. Tell them how donating to your campaign will help the protagonist solve their problem.

Simplify fundraising forms

A common problem nonprofits face when they start raising money online is donation form abandonment. Supporters will navigate to a donation page, but if it’s too lengthy or asks too many questions, they may end up leaving the page without donating.

One way that your nonprofit can combat this is by making the donation process as simple as possible. Keep your donation form on a single page so supporters don’t have to skip from page to page; the fewer clicks they have to make, the better.

Limit the questions on your donation page to only those that are necessary for the gift. You can always send out a survey to supporters after they give or include a couple of optional questions for them to answer on the gift confirmation page to collect additional information.

Brand your fundraising materials to your nonprofit

While other campaigns will take place outside of your website, your donation page is the backbone of your online fundraising strategy. Therefore, ensure this resource is designed to showcase your organization’s brand effectively.

Brand your donation form to make it cohesive with the other design elements on your website, like fonts and colors. Even better, look for donation forms that can be embedded directly into your website.

Enable recurring gifts

Invite donors to become recurring supporters by offering a monthly donation option on your donation page.

Recurring donations are important for your nonprofit’s donor retention strategy. Monthly donors are shown to have a retention rate of 90% compared to the average of 46%, so encouraging these contributions can increase your organization’s retention rate as a whole.

Remember that recurring gifts shouldn’t encourage a “set it and forget it” attitude. Encourage monthly donors to get involved with your mission by engaging in volunteer opportunities or hosting peer-to-peer fundraising pages. This keeps them engaged in your mission and grows their relationship with your organization.

Offer suggested donations

Many supporters land on donation pages and think, “How much is ‘normal’ to give to this organization?” Offering suggested giving amounts gives supporters a reference to choose how much to give to your organization.

You can encourage donors to select one of your suggested giving amounts by explaining what giving at different levels accomplishes. For instance, you might say that a $20 donation helps purchase a new leash for a shelter dog, a $50 donation funds a month of dog food and a $100 donation helps buy a new small dog crate.

Optimize your donation page for mobile

Maximize your fundraising revenue by ensuring that your donation page automatically adjusts to match each screen size. Look for this feature when comparing potential fundraising solutions.

You can also launch mobile-focused campaigns to encourage supporters to use their phones to give to your cause. Text-to-give campaigns are a perfect example of this, providing the opportunity for supporters to text a dedicated mobile number and receive a link to your donation form.

In conclusion

Don’t forget to thank your donors when they give online. Showing appreciation is the best way to encourage more gifts from your supporters in the future because it lays the foundation for a strong relationship with your cause. As you build out your online fundraising strategy, don’t forget to build in appreciation techniques that you can use to steward supporters.

To learn more about online fundraising, check out these additional resources:

How To Develop A Successful Nonprofit Fundraising Strategy. To fundraise online successfully, your nonprofit needs a comprehensive strategy. Use this guide to help build a strategy from the ground up.
7 Best Practices for Effective Donor Management. Building strong relationships with donors will help your online fundraisers thrive. Use these seven best practices to start cultivating strong relationships.
Donor Management Software: Buyer’s Guide + 16 Top Solutions. Donor management software can be used with your online fundraising platform to help manage supporter relationships. If you’re looking to invest in a new system, start with this buyer’s guide.

The post 19 Incredibly Easy Online Fundraising Ideas and Expert Tips appeared first on Bloomerang.

The Essential Nonprofit Annual Report Template & Full Guide

Jay Love — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Many nonprofit professionals greet the annual reporting process with apprehension. This is because nonprofit annual reports have a bad reputation. They’re often seen as a drain on time and resources.

However, you don’t need to dread the creation of your annual report! When well crafted, this resource can be a vital tool to retain and grow donor support.

This post is designed to guide your organization through the nonprofit annual report creation process. We’ll walk you through tips to make your report as effective as possible (with helpful templates along the way to provide formatting examples). Here’s what to expect:

What is a nonprofit annual report?
Nonprofit annual report template
Best practices for creating your annual report
Tools for creating your nonprofit annual report
Inspirational nonprofit annual report examples

Ready to dive a little deeper into nonprofit annual reports and learn how you can craft yours to maximize the impact at your organization? Let’s get started.

What is a nonprofit annual report?

A nonprofit annual report is an externally-facing resource that recaps an organization’s accomplishments and challenges within a year. The audience for this report is the donors, volunteers, constituents and other stakeholders who have been involved with the organization’s projects and programs throughout the year.

Traditionally, this report was a printed document or brochure shared with relevant stakeholders. Nowadays, annual report formats vary widely. They can be presented as PDFs, videos, interactive web pages, online booklets or in other unique formats.

Are nonprofits required to publish annual reports?

In short: no. You may be thinking of Form 990 — every year, nonprofits are required to submit a Form 990 to the IRS. This document contains information about your nonprofit’s revenue and expenses throughout the year. Because this information is publically available, supporters can use your nonprofit’s annual Form 990 to track your financial transparency.

Technically, Form 990 is the only required annual report for nonprofits. However, your annual tax form doesn’t thank your donors, make them feel proud or give them new reasons to engage and grow their relationship with you. A comprehensive annual report can fill this role. That’s why we highly recommend including a full-fledged annual report in your annual strategy.

Nonprofit annual report template

So, what should a nonprofit annual report include? Here is a basic template that can provide a starting point for building your annual report strategy:

As shown in the template, your annual report should include the following elements:

Your organization’s mission statement. Feature your mission statement at the very beginning of the document. This will provide context for those who may not be as familiar with your organization and serve as a reminder to those who are.
Financial information. Again, be as straightforward as possible with these numbers for transparency with your supporters. Donors want to know how you used their funds, so show them that your nonprofit is a responsible steward of their donations by providing context behind major expenses. Get specific about what you were able to accomplish by including statistics about the total number of people you helped, animals you rescued, etc.
Projects from the year. What projects did you start? What did you finish? Which digital fundraising campaigns were most successful? What still needs to be done in order to reach your nonprofit’s goals? Include photos or videos to show what your efforts looked like.
Appreciation for your contributors. This is a great opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate your nonprofit’s donors. You can also thank other key stakeholders like volunteers, corporate partners and board members.

Since there is no legal requirement for nonprofits to publish annual reports, there are no specific guidelines for what you must include in your report. However, if you completely omit your financial information from your report, for instance, some supporters may consider it fishy. Promoting full transparency is key to maintaining donor trust and your nonprofit’s reputation.

Best practices for creating your annual report

Now that you have a basic understanding of the elements of an annual report, you can build on your approach to make the report as engaging and effective as possible. Here are a few best practices to keep in mind when developing your nonprofit’s annual report:

1. Incorporate your annual report into your larger strategy

Your annual report will provide the greatest long-term benefits when it supports a larger goal and strategic plan for your organization. You can recoup the time and resources spent creating the report by turning this report into a valuable donor engagement and retention tool.

For example, you can use your annual report to bolster your fundraising strategy. You can support your donor retention efforts by spotlighting top donors and partners in your report and highlighting exciting upcoming initiatives for supporters to get involved with.

You can also use the report to further your marketing approach. Consider the core messages your organization has pushed throughout the year. How can you incorporate those same messages, tone and visuals into your annual report?

Carefully thinking through the purpose of your annual report will help you create a resource that reinforces and supports your other strategic goals.

2. Create a donor-centric nonprofit annual report

Your annual report should be donor-centric to reach your audience on a personal level. Review these strategies for keeping your report centered on your supporter community:

Consider your audience

Your annual report’s format is a key decision to make and you can base the choice on what you anticipate your audience will read. Understanding your audience demographics and preferences is the first step to ensuring your annual report is designed for their needs.

You may have some donors who want all of the details about your organization’s efforts as soon as possible. They value and appreciate a book-style annual report with detailed stories, infographics and charts.

You may also have some donors who won’t sit down to read your newsletter, much less a lengthy annual report. You may consider sending a single page of infographics rather than a full report to these donors.

Apply a you-attitude throughout the document

A you-attitude is all about presenting accomplishments as your donors’ rather than your organization’s. Try to keep supporters centered at all times. For instance, compare the following sentences:

Versus

The second sentence uses you-attitude and is more likely to hold the attention of your supporters throughout a document like your nonprofit annual report. This subtle shift lets the donor know you’re truly grateful for their support.

Create visuals to feature important metrics and information

It can be overwhelming to pick up a large packet of information with pages and pages of text. Instead, break up the text with infographics, graphs and charts, images of supporters and volunteers and other interesting graphics.

Visuals make it easier for supporters to scan your nonprofit annual report and pull out the data that means the most to them.

3. Choose a nonprofit annual report format

The traditional nonprofit annual report is a book-length document. Since some donors prefer having extensive information about your organization, these lengthy reports aren’t a waste of time and energy.

Sending comprehensive annual report booklets to the right donors can pay off, like in the case of The Rhode Island Foundation. This organization published a well-designed, well-written report. They cut down on the number of reports they mailed directly (and made the report available online) but made sure to continue sending the paper version to some local lawyers.

An elderly man walked into the office of one of these local lawyers, prepared to write a will and get his affairs in order. While he waited to be seen, he picked up one of the copies of the Rhode Island Foundation annual report. He hadn’t quite known what to do with his sizable estate before that moment. Years later, upon his passing, the Rhode Island Foundation received a small fortune from that generous man, all thanks to a printed annual report.

This story illustrates the benefits of a traditional report format. However, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t adapt to the times. Analyze your audience and create your annual report according to what they’re most likely to respond to.

Remember that you can always post your full report online and use other formats to summarize information and invite your supporters to visit your website to view the entire document. For example, let’s review some other unique formats that you may use to convey your annual report:

Large Postcard

Postcards are designed to be brief so that supporters can quickly and easily skim the information rather than read a lengthy document (or book). Your goal shouldn’t be to jam-pack this postcard with all of the information that you would include in a traditional report. Instead, you should highlight only the most important details.

Your postcard should:

Convey impact and results. Due to limited space, you may need to be selective about the most important metrics to incorporate. Remember, this is the opportunity for your nonprofit to show the world the good you’ve done in the last year.
Visually display information. Make sure the information is easy to read. Charts, graphs and prominently-displayed statistics help draw attention to the most important aspects of the postcard.

While you may not have the opportunity to include every detail in this format, you can leverage additional platforms alongside your postcard. For example, you may leave out appreciation messages for major donors in your postcard, but include a QR code leading to a virtual donor recognition wall to show your gratitude in another way.

Here is a template for what your annual report postcard might look like:

This template includes financial information, a short summary of the accomplishments during the year and key statistics that reveal the organization’s impact.

Self-Mailer

Another option for sending your nonprofit annual report is creating a 2-4 page document self-mailer. Self-mailers can be incredibly useful because they bypass the issue of getting your supporter to open an envelope in the first place since the address and postage are printed directly on the document. It’s easy for your supporters to simply open the document and read what it says.

Follow these best practices when designing a self-mailer:

Include clearly stated next steps. When you designate the next steps supporters should take to further engage with your organization, you ensure the mailer won’t just get lost with their junk mail. By incorporating a list of upcoming events or the URL for your donation page, you increase the likelihood that they’ll keep the report for a longer period of time.
Incorporate plenty of images. Break up the text with images to engage your readers without distracting them from the copy. Be sure the mailer is visually compelling and not overwhelming for your readers.
Keep your copy concise. You have more space with a self-mailer than a postcard, but it’s still somewhat limited. Condense your copy to make sure it’s short, sweet and to the point, but still cover all of the important aspects of your annual report.

While this type of nonprofit annual report is designed to be physically mailed, it’s also a good idea to send a PDF version via email to gain the attention of those who might have missed it in their mailbox.

Here is an example of what your self-mailer could look like. It contains the same information we highlighted in the postcard, but in a multi-page format:

Video

A well-designed, compelling video is a great way to not only tell your supporters but also show them the impact they made on your organization’s mission. Follow these steps to create an effective video:

Be picky about your videographer. Video annual reports need to be professional in order to make an impact on your supporters, and hiring a videographer is the easiest way to ensure this. As you review your top options, carefully examine their past videos. If they don’t inspire you, move on. Home movie quality just won’t cut it.
Follow a prepared script. Gather your staff’s best writers to craft the script to discuss all of the important metrics and accomplishments that you want to highlight in your annual report. The other shots in the video will support the speaker’s words.
Use relevant footage. If your organization focuses on reducing water pollution, then show footage of rushing rivers and streams. If you help abandoned animals find new homes, incorporate clips of dogs meeting their new families for the first time. Use the video format to its fullest potential by including maps when discussing location or by featuring videos of volunteers when you discuss their involvement.

You can share your video report on your website, social media and email newsletters.

4. Choose compelling visuals for your nonprofit annual report

Your report’s images and graphics should be thoughtfully chosen. Here are a few examples of the types of visuals you might include in your annual report:

Brand the visuals to your nonprofit. Your entire annual report should flow together cohesively. This means you should make sure your logo is prominently displayed and that your usual colors and fonts are used in images and infographics.
Diversify the type of images you use. Instead of only including photos of your constituents or staff, diversify your images to help convey more information. For instance, pie charts are a great opportunity to display financial allocations and statistics graphics help draw the reader’s eye.

Keep donors engaged. Don’t overwhelm your readers with too much text or too many images. Rather, there should be a healthy balance of text and images.

Images should never be distracting. They should be helpful guides when it comes to conveying important information within your nonprofit annual report.

Ask for volunteers to review the document and provide feedback about the imagery used before you send your report out. Or, you might hire a professional graphic designer to help organize all of the information in a visually compelling way.

5. Be honest and appreciative in your nonprofit annual report

Honesty really is the best policy, especially in your nonprofit annual report.

Sometimes things don’t go as planned and you may not reach a specific goal or complete a certain project. However, if you try to cover up mistakes or missed opportunities, you can foster mistrust among supporters.

If you haven’t quite accomplished one of your goals within the last year, briefly mention it in the annual report. Then, follow it up with a game plan to adjust your strategy and show your donors that you’re taking a proactive approach.

Address information such as:

What the setback was and what caused it
Data-informed adjustments you’re planning to make to address the issue at hand
How and when the setback should be addressed in the future

Stay transparent about all of your nonprofit’s activities, including finances, campaign results and external threats, such as any data breaches you may have experienced.

6. Use your nonprofit annual report to look forward

Providing information about your future plans and projects will get people excited about what’s in store for your nonprofit.

When looking forward, make sure to spell out the expectations regarding your organization’s future actions and goals:

Remind supporters about goals in progress. For example, you might provide an update as to whether or not you’re on track for the capital campaign that you started in 2022 and will wrap up in 2025.
Get donors excited about the next long-term project for your organization. What major changes are on the horizon for your nonprofit? Let donors know what opportunities you’ll be pursuing next year to show that you’re constantly seeking new ways to grow and evolve.

Forward-facing plans excite your donors and inspire them to continue contributing in the future.

Make sure that after you’ve provided insight about your future plans, you also provide opportunities for your supporters to get involved. Provide some action items that supporters can take part in right away, such as the URL to your donation page, meeting dates and upcoming event registrations so that they can show their support.

Tools for creating your nonprofit annual report

You don’t need to be a graphic design expert or set aside a large amount of your budget to build a compelling annual report. There are plenty of free and inexpensive ways to develop your report using user-friendly online resources.

A few helpful design tools for creating your annual report include:

Yearly, which is an annual report design tool specifically made for nonprofits. You can use the user-friendly drag-and-drop builder to design a professional, mobile-friendly report customized to your nonprofit.
Venngage, which is a visual storytelling design tool. Using this platform, you can create branded infographics for your digital report without having to consult a graphic designer.
Canva, which is another free graphic design tool that can help you create your annual report in multiple formats. Canva offers templates for all types of printed and digital designs, including reports, postcards, social media graphics and more.
Visme, which is a visual communication platform for developing presentations, infographics, data visualizations, videos and more. You can try this platform for free or upgrade to a starter plan to access a wider range of features.

Choose your annual report platform based on the report formats you’re looking to create. Also, take advantage of any free trials or demos before investing in paid plans.

Inspirational nonprofit annual report examples

It can be intimidating and hard to get started on a project when you’re just looking at a blank page. That’s why it can be so helpful to review examples to help get you started on your nonprofit annual report.

Here are seven inspirational nonprofit annual reports and the factors that make them so effective:

1. Feeding America 2023 Annual Report

Feeding America’s 2023 Annual Report is a classic example of the traditional PDF annual report format. However, the nonprofit elevates this basic format with eye-catching graphic design and engaging imagery.

In the screenshot above, you can see an example of the unique way the nonprofit depicts its annual financial statement. The organization cleverly ties in its mission with the use of food imagery, giving readers a more engaging way to explore the nonprofit’s financial situation.

Elsewhere throughout the report, images showing the smiling faces of supporters, volunteers, and beneficiaries help foster an emotional connection and provide greater visual intrigue.

2. Leukemia & Lymphoma Society 2023 Annual Report

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) 2023 Annual Report theme is “Transforming Lives.” The organization uses this theme to tell the stories of patients supported throughout the year, from a veteran who survived blood cancer to a student-athlete who received successful treatment.

The report accurately illustrates LLS’ approach to 360-degree support for beneficiaries. Through colorful graphic design and a cohesive theme, readers can get a complete overview of the organization’s successes and financials from the past year.

3. 2023 WWF-US Annual Report

The World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) 2023 Annual Report is rife with engaging imagery showcasing the organization’s conservation mission. The report switches back and forth between stories that highlight both global and local impacts of the organization’s conservation work. This format gives readers a better sense of the scale and scope of WWF’s projects and the different types of ecosystems they support.

At the end of the post, readers can dive into the nonprofit’s statement of activities, including a clear breakdown of operating revenues, expenses, and other financials. The report also includes a detailed list of ways to give, allowing readers who feel inspired after reading the report a clear way to show their support.

4. Rhode Island Foundation 2022 Annual Report

The Rhode Island Foundation annual report is a booklet document that takes a deep dive into the various projects and campaigns from the year. Primarily, they use pictures of supporters, beneficiaries and team members to bring their mission to life.

On the page above, we can see how the foundation used charts and spacing effectively. Rather than including these statistics in the paragraph-style text on the left side of the page, they’re pulled out and made larger and more prominent. This draws the readers’ attention to the most important data points and conveys the organization’s impact more effectively.

5. Georgia River Network Annual Report 2022 Video

The Georgia River Network is an organization that promotes the protection of Georgia’s rivers and watersheds. At the end of 2022, the organization released a brief Annual Report 2022 video with a few key statistics of the progress made throughout the year.

In the video above, you can see how the organization used bold text and lots of white space to make the numbers stand out. The video’s caption includes a call to action to support the nonprofit’s projects and programs in 2023 by donating. This gives supporters a clear way to stay involved in the organization’s future activities.

6. American Heart Association 2022-2023 Annual Report

The stand-out quality of the American Heart Association’s most recent annual report is its comprehensiveness. Anyone picking up this report, whether a donor, beneficiary, or community or corporate partner, is met with a thorough overview of where the organization currently stands.

The organization’s top priorities, from improving rural health to fueling scientific research, are detailed in-depth. Maps, charts, statistics, and images are available to enhance readers’ understanding of the issues.

The report also pays homage to one of the most important groups of nonprofit donors: corporate sponsors. Each major corporate sponsor is given a specific mention and description of how they’ve supported the mission.

7. CaringBridge 2022 Annual Report

CaringBridge is a nonprofit that helps people stay in touch with their loved ones during a health journey using websites and digital updates.

The organization’s 2022 annual report does an excellent job of combining images, text, statistics and stories. As you can see in the image above, they even provide QR codes throughout the report for readers to scan and get more information on stories that spark their interest.

This allows readers to engage with the parts of the report that matter most to them and interact with the report on their mobile devices.

8. Habitat for Humanity 2023 Annual Report

Habitat for Humanity’s 2023 annual report takes a unique spin on illuminating the organization’s mission to provide affordable housing for those in need. Rather than a traditional PDF format, the report is a compelling web page full of text, videos, images, and other multimedia elements that bring the organization’s mission to life. The page uses engaging elements such as bold statistics, pullout quotes, and parallax scrolling to draw readers into the content.

The report also includes a convenient, sticky top-level menu that allows readers to browse the page more easily and jump to different sections that interest them.

9. Girls Who Code 2021 Annual Report

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Many nonprofits are taking a digital-first approach to their annual report, including Girls Who Code.

The organization’s 2021 annual report is an interactive, engaging web page that includes infographics and interactive maps, videos, photos, and news articles. The result is a visually delightful report that provides a well-rounded look at the organization’s mission to teach girls how to code.

10. Save the Children 2021 Annual Report

Save the Children’s 2021 annual report also takes an effective digital approach, with a robust web page that features financial information, a year-in-review video, and a link to the full 50-page annual report.

This gives supporters multiple ways to view the report based on their preferences. If they’re just interested in a quick overview, they can view the financial chart and watch the brief video. If they’re looking for a more in-depth review of the year, they can browse through the digital booklet.

Supporters appreciate having options when it comes to how they learn more about a nonprofit’s activities.

Your nonprofit’s annual reports will receive much more attention when they’re thoughtfully crafted, compelling, and well-designed. Ensuring that your report is engaging and educational for your supporters will go a long way in building stronger, long-lasting relationships.

The templates and annual report examples throughout this article should help your nonprofit get started making your annual report the best it can be. If you’re looking for more information about donor communications and effective nonprofit reporting, check out these additional resources:

The Ultimate Donor Engagement Guide + Top Strategies. Your annual report should work in tandem with your donor engagement strategies to enhance your audience interactions. This guide offers top donor engagement tips and strategies.
How To Develop A Successful Nonprofit Fundraising Strategy. As mentioned, your annual report must support your organization’s fundraising strategy and other strategic goals. Review this guide for more information about developing a solid fundraising plan.
16 Top Donor Management Software Solutions (+ Buyer’s Guide). Your donor management software can generate reports on fundraising campaigns and donor engagement efforts to fill your annual report with rich data. Use this guide to explore top donor management solutions.

The post The Essential Nonprofit Annual Report Template & Full Guide appeared first on Bloomerang.

7 Essential Steps for Planning a Sports Event Fundraiser

Jay Love — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 00:41:17 +0000

Organizing a sports event fundraiser requires preparation, logistical planning and a key understanding of the sport itself. From finding a venue and recruiting volunteers to arranging all-weather preparations and day-of logistics, a lot goes into putting together a successful sporting event.

But the effort is worth it when your nonprofit can plan a well-attended event that brings the community together to raise awareness of your mission and funding for your cause.

In this post, we’ll provide a checklist of everything you need to plan a successful sports event fundraiser. Here’s what we’ll cover:

7 steps to planning a successful sports event
8 sporting event volunteer roles to fill
How to promote your sports event fundraiser

A well-run event can enhance your nonprofit’s reputation, helping you recruit more participants and attendees the next time you host a sports fundraiser. Let’s dive in!

7 steps to planning a successful sports event

1. Set event goals

Your goals will keep your event planning team on the same page and ensure they’re working to generate the most value possible for your nonprofit. To set your goals, answer the following questions when you first sit down to start planning your sports event:

What type of sports event will you host? Whether it’s a spectator event, a 5K or a sports tournament, your fundraiser’s format determines the logistical requirements needed to make it successful.
What is your fundraising goal? How much you hope to raise will impact your budgeting considerations and ticket-selling goals. Your revenue should exceed your expenses to achieve a positive ROI. Consult past fundraising event results to come up with an achievable but ambitious target.
Who will attend the event? Who is your target audience for your event? Consider both your participant and spectator audiences. For example, if you’re hosting a youth sports tournament, your participants will be youth athletes and the spectators will be their families. If you’re hosting a 5K event, participants may be community members and spectators will be their family members, friends and other community members.
When and where will the event take place? What type of venue will you need to successfully host your event? How much will the venue rental cost? Are there any weather conditions you’ll need to consider during your event planning process?

The more detail you can provide when answering these questions, the easier the rest of your event planning process will be.

2. Determine expected attendance and necessary staff

Review past fundraising events to understand the type of turnout you can expect for your sporting event. Research similar events that have been hosted in your community and check if you can get access to those events’ attendance numbers.

Once you have a good idea of how many attendees your event can bring in, determine how many event staff and volunteers you’ll need. Large sporting events might take place across multiple sites, meaning you may need a large volunteer team to keep the event running smoothly. Even smaller-scale events require several volunteer roles, from check-in to referees and concessions.

When it comes time to recruit volunteers, start by reaching out personally to past event volunteers to see if they’d be interested in helping out again. You can also put out a general call for help on your website, email newsletter and social media pages.

Be sure to offer volunteers perks for signing up, such as a free t-shirt or a free lunch on event day.

3. Choose a venue

Nailing down your event’s venue should be a top priority. Depending on the type of sports event you’re hosting, the number of venues in your area may be limited. For example, there may only be one or two gymnastics clubs with available space. In contrast, if you are hosting a soccer tournament, there may be multiple fields to choose from.

When selecting your venue, consider how people will get to and from your event and around the site on event day. For example, do you need to rent shuttle buses to move people from the parking lot to your event venue? Do you need to contact the local authorities for permission to block off a section of the street? Think through these considerations well in advance to get the sign-off you need ahead of your event.

4. Streamline ticketing and sign-ups

Invest in a convenient and simple ticketing tool to streamline the sign-up process. Customers should be able to purchase tickets directly from your website, whether they’re using laptops or mobile devices.

Ensure the athlete sign-up process is straightforward as well by using a simple online registration form. Communicate event logistics with participants, such as when to arrive and how to sign in, to ensure they are kept in the loop leading up to the big day.

5. Recruit sponsors

Sponsors can help cover the cost of your sporting event, giving you more flexibility when it comes to your venue and other overhead costs. Reach out to local businesses to ask if they’d like to sponsor your event in exchange for advertising on your event’s website, banner, t-shirts and other promotional materials. You can also reach out to local restaurants to see if they’d be willing to donate food or offer discounted event catering prices.

6. Prioritize safety

Have medical staff on-site and ready to treat injuries for players or fans. From first aid volunteers to hydration stations, make sure you have everything in place to help participants if and when the need arises.

Investing in volunteer management software that’s equipped with a volunteer app will allow you to manage your staff and communicate with volunteers quickly about emergencies. This can be critical for keeping attendees safe and event staff in the loop.

7. Prep for the weather

Many sporting events take place outdoors, meaning you may have to deal with unpredictable weather. Consider planning for a rain-check date in case inclement weather prevents you from hosting the event on the original date.

Some sporting events might be able to continue rain or shine, but bad weather could negatively impact the spectator experience. You might plan to place tents over the spectator bleachers to help people stay dry in the event of rain.

A particularly hot day can also present challenges for athletes and spectators. You’ll need to make sure there are plenty of places to sit in the shade and grab water to keep participants hydrated.

8 sporting event volunteer roles to fill

If you’ve planned a major fundraising event before, you know that winging the prep just doesn’t work. Before your event starts, ensure you already have designated duties and a complete schedule for volunteers.

To help out, we’ve made a list of eight essential volunteer roles for your next sporting-related fundraising event:

1. Set-up

Designate a volunteer crew to arrive a few hours before your event begins (or the previous day if needed) to set up your event. They might set up your registration tent and concession stand or post signage around the venue to help direct attendees.

2. Registration and check-in

Assign volunteers to take tickets if your event is a ticketed experience and check in athletes or teams when they arrive. These volunteers will create a first impression for attendees. To facilitate a smooth check-in, make sure they’re equipped with the resources they need. This might include tablets to track athlete attendance or name tags for participants to use.

3. Information/first aid station

If your event’s venue spans multiple fields or courts, it can be helpful to assign volunteers to an information station. Participants will have a clear, central place to go to get their questions answered. It’s also helpful to put your first-aid station near your information desk and clearly mark the station with signs so participants who need medical aid can find help quickly.

4. Concessions/merchandise

Selling concessions can help your nonprofit raise additional funds throughout your event. Ask volunteers with cooking experience to help cook up classic sports-tournament grub like hot dogs and hamburgers. You might also offer snacks like chips and cookies, as well as soda and water bottles.

If your event has merchandise, such as branded t-shirts and hats, you can also assign volunteers to sell these items at your merchandise booth.

5. Scorekeepers and referees

Sporting events often require volunteer scorekeepers and referees. Reach out to local referee organizations to ask for volunteers for your tournament. Provide an online checklist of pre-game duties such as inspecting the field, meeting the coaches, completing reports and checking in players. Lastly, provide referees with a detailed list of the rules and regulations of your sports event.

Provide scorekeepers with scorekeeping technology and train them on how to update the scoreboard if you have one. You might also consider providing templates for keeping track of player statistics and standings and writing reports.

6. Floaters

There are always things that come up on the fly during a sporting event, so it’s worthwhile to assign a team of volunteers who are ready to help out anywhere. Make floaters their own role, rather than pulling volunteers off other roles when it gets busy. Volunteer management software can help maintain real-time communication with floaters so you can contact them wherever they are.

7. Parking attendants

Parking is often where attendees find the most frustration. Create a team of volunteers who can ensure that the parking process is as painless and easy as possible. Post parking maps online so your volunteers and attendees can familiarize themselves with the parking zones ahead of time.

8. Breakdown

Designate a fresh breakdown crew on the schedule instead of using the same crew that arrived early for setup. Post a checklist of breakdown duties on your volunteer app and provide printed lists. Make sure all breakdown volunteers follow appropriate safety procedures.

Finally, designate an official trash crew and assign them sections to monitor and clean during the tournament. Keep in contact with them in real-time if you need to call them for an emergency cleanup.

All of these volunteer roles contribute to the success of your event, meaning you should make it a priority to show appreciation to everyone involved. Send detailed thank you emails after your event concludes or give volunteers appreciation gifts such as gift cards or tote bags.

How to promote your sports event fundraiser

Social media is a staple of our everyday lives, and it’s fair to say that your event could benefit from drumming up some interest online. Leverage social media to make sure people know when and where your event takes place. Start by sending out teasers and, as the event gets closer, release more specific details.

The more you can spread the word before, during and after your event, the greater its success is likely to be. Here are a few of our favorite marketing strategies to roll out as you plan your sports event:

1. Create a Facebook event page

Facebook is a natural place to promote your sports event fundraiser because 35 million people view public events on Facebook each day. Use a high-quality banner image on your event page and provide information potential attendees need to know. This includes details about:

What activities will take place at your event
What you’re raising funding for
Who can sign up to participate
Where and when the event will take place
Entry fee information

You can reach out specifically to dedicated supporters to invite them to your event. Be sure to post the event page widely within Facebook groups and on your news feed to keep your event on supporters’ radars.

2. Promote your event on other social media platforms

While Facebook offers great event promotion options, it’s important to promote your event through all your social media channels. Here are a few additional platforms to consider:

Regardless of the channels you choose, consider creating a unique hashtag, holding contests and ticket giveaways and encouraging user interaction to spread the word as far as possible. Sporting events can bring in a wide range of audience demographics, so the more channels you use to promote your event, the wider an audience you’ll reach.

3. Ask supporters to help promote your event

Your event will likely include participation from multiple organizations, such as local sports teams, food vendors and sponsors. Ask participating organizations to promote your event on their social media pages and other marketing outlets. In return, publicly thank them for their involvement on social media and share links to their social media pages or websites.

4. Consider paid advertising

All major social media platforms offer pay-per-click advertising as a way to reach your target demographics. These channels, as well as Google’s search advertisements, provide a streamlined way to better reach your target audience. Nonprofits can even apply for the Google Ad Grant program which provides $10,000 per month in free Google advertising to qualifying organizations.

5. Connect with the local news

Reach out to local news outlets like newspapers, radio stations and local TV stations to ask if they would be interested in promoting your upcoming sports event. Write up a press release with information local news outlets will need to have for your event, such as the date, time, location and how to register or purchase a ticket.

Wrapping up

With these tips, your nonprofit should be able to plan an engaging sports event that brings in new supporters and funding for your mission.

Every successful event starts with a dedicated team of staff and volunteers—and the right tools that empower them to take on their roles effectively. Bloomerang’s volunteer management software offers nonprofits the user-friendly tools they need to streamline volunteer recruitment, scheduling, communication and appreciation. Plus, Bloomerang’s volunteer mobile app centralizes communications on event day, keeping all volunteers in the loop about schedule changes or unexpected events.

Looking for more information about planning events and managing volunteers successfully? Check out these additional resources:

The Ultimate Nonprofit Event Planning Checklist for Success. From planning your budget to lining up sponsorships, here is the full nonprofit event planning checklist for a successful fundraising event.
The Smart Nonprofit’s Guide to Volunteer Management. Continually engaging with and stewarding volunteers can help you build long-lasting relationships. Follow the tips in this guide to enhance your volunteer management strategy.
Volunteer Surveys: Tips and Best Questions to Ask. Asking volunteers for feedback is a great way to evolve your program and better appeal to supporters’ preferences. This guide offers tips and the best questions to ask.

The post 7 Essential Steps for Planning a Sports Event Fundraiser appeared first on Bloomerang.

Jay Love, Author at Bloomerang

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