From social media campaigns to monthly newsletters, your nonprofit likely leverages certain virtual channels to drive supporters to your fundraising page. However, standing out online can be a challenge. While many digital fundraising methods have low upfront costs, reaching out to supporters virtually only feels worth it if you actually earn donations in return.
To turn the internet into a fundraising channel you can count on, this guide will dive into five ways nonprofits can reliably raise money online:
- Craft compelling stories
- Sell products and services
- Leverage supporters’ networks
- Employ a multi-channel marketing strategy
- Leverage fundraising platforms
1. Craft compelling stories
When it comes to donating, facts matter. However, most people usually only dive into the facts after being emotionally moved by a specific cause. After all, an emotional appeal hooks prospective donors, convincing them there is an issue worth researching and supporting.
As such, your online donation appeals should include compelling, emotionally resonant stories. But to go viral, there are specific emotions you should target. Marketing professor Jonah Berger urges nonprofit marketers to consider what types of emotions inspire action. He divides them into “low-arousal” emotions, which don’t lead to action, and “high-arousal” emotions, which do.
High-arousal emotions include:
- Awe
- Excitement
- Anger
- Amusement
- Humor
Donation appeals that invoke these emotions are more likely to be shared and lead to tangible support. For example, you might create a funny video for YouTube or TikTok that relates your mission to current viral trends, or you might write a blog post that invokes feelings of frustration on behalf of your cause.
Invoke these emotions by:
- Creating captivating titles. People respond to urgency. Use words in your title that motivate people and specify a timeline. For example, “Buy an iPad for Sarah,” is a plain title compared to “Sarah urgently needs an iPad to communicate. Help!”
- Writing detailed descriptions. In your descriptions, make sure that the who, what, and why are addressed in the first 3-4 sentences. For instance, you might pair the title from the previous example with a description like, “Sarah has autism and cannot speak. Our doctor says that an iPad with a special autism app will help her communicate with the world. This gift will immediately impact that way she interacts with us. Please help us give Sarah a voice by next month.”
- Adding compelling visuals. A picture is worth a thousand words, and photos and videos can go a long way toward helping supporters visualize your nonprofit’s impact. Take photos and record videos of your nonprofit at work to share with supporters.
2. Sell products and services
Although they are not businesses, charitable organizations are just as capable of selling products and services as businesses. For example, there are nonprofit publishing houses, thrift stores, educational institutions, and more.
Some nonprofits’ missions and resources lend themselves to sales better than others. That being said, almost any nonprofit can launch a successful online merchandise store. Selling branded merchandise does come with start-up costs, such as the price of ordering inventory, but by following these steps, you will turn a profit reliably:
- Assess supporter interests. Survey your supporters to determine if your nonprofit has an audience for branded merchandise. Ask your supporter base not just whether they’d be interested in buying merchandise but also what types of merchandise they’d like to see, such as if they prefer t-shirts and sweaters or water bottles and tote bags.
- Create high-quality merchandise. Supporters should want to buy your merchandise not just because it supports your nonprofit but also because you sell quality products. For example, for branded t-shirts, get creative with the designs to create fashionable pieces supporters can wear anywhere rather than simply adding your logo to a blank shirt.
- Market products regularly. Once your initial online store is set up, routinely raise money through continued sales. Keep this revenue stream going strong by regularly promoting merchandise to supporters, highlighting new items, and sharing sales opportunities.
To streamline product sales, consider working with a nonprofit merchandise platform. These vendors can help host your online store and handle logistics, such as ordering and distributing items, on your behalf, allowing you to focus solely on marketing.
Additionally, consider how you can use your merchandise to encourage donations. For instance, many crowdfunding campaigns use merchandise as perks in exchange for support.
3. Leverage supporters’ networks
Each donor you earn has a host of contacts who might also be willing to support your cause. To get in touch with these prospective donors, ask your current supporters to do a little online fundraising themselves through a peer-to-peer campaign.
Peer-to-peer fundraisers involve your supporters creating individual online campaign pages to fundraise on your behalf. To run a successful peer-to-peer campaign, follow these steps:
- Recruit peer-to-peer fundraisers. Contact dedicated supporters to ask if they would be your first peer-to-peer fundraisers. It’s helpful if they have large social media followings, but it’s more important that they are committed to your cause and willing to work hard to promote your mission.
- Onboard supporters. When a new supporter signs up for your peer-to-peer fundraiser, ensure they receive proper training on how to use any relevant software as well as how to properly present your nonprofit to external audiences.
- Check in regularly. While peer-to-peer fundraisers essentially run themselves after onboarding, you should routinely check in with participating supporters. Appoint a dedicated volunteer manager to reach out to your peer-to-peer fundraisers to give them encouragement, troubleshoot problems, and answer questions.
You can host either rolling or set deadline fundraisers. In a rolling peer-to-peer fundraiser, supporters can sign themselves up and start collecting donations for your cause at any time. With a set deadline, there is a determined endpoint by which all donations must be collected.
Rolling campaigns are useful for earning continuous revenue, while a set deadline approach instills a sense of urgency and raises money online for a specific project in a short time frame.
4. Employ a multi-channel marketing strategy
When it comes to online fundraising, there are many ways to reach your supporters. This includes multiple social media platforms, email campaigns, and more. Plus, your offline efforts, like direct mail and fundraising flyers, help supplement your digital fundraising.
With a multi-channel marketing strategy, you can reach more supporters and reinforce your message, leading to increased support. Improve your ability to fundraise on multiple platforms by:
- Planning content blasts. Multi-channel marketing is about spreading donation appeals on as many platforms as possible. Use a content calendar to stay organized and determine when posts on every platform will go live so prospective supporters will see your nonprofit’s ads, content, and promotions no matter where they go online.
- Repurposing content. Maintaining continual activity on multiple channels is difficult, but you can build a strong social media presence across several platforms by repurposing content depending on where you post it. For example, you might write a blog post for your website, share an excerpt of it on Facebook, create a corresponding infographic for Instagram, and record a short video narrating specific quotes from it for TikTok.
- Adding a fundraising widget. The goal of a multi-channel marketing strategy is to steer traffic to your website where supporters can donate. Convert more of these site visitors into donors by adding an accessible fundraising widget supporters can use to view your fundraiser and make a gift immediately.
- Measuring channel metrics. Not every online channel is equally useful. When launching a multi-channel strategy, track engagement metrics to determine exactly which platforms your audience uses and actually lead to conversions. Then, focus your highest quality content on these platforms to ensure you reach your audience.
Additionally, get creative with how you use various online channels. For instance, you might improve your donor thank-you emails by adding video messages or colorful eCards. A few other ways to thank donors include:
- Personalized donation receipts. All donors should receive a receipt confirming the gift, providing them with a record of their gift for tax purposes. Additionally, this is another opportunity to thank supporters for their gift by sending a personalized message along with the receipt.
- Thank-you videos. Attach a face to your organization with short 1-2 minute thank-you videos. These don’t need to be fancy, and most nonprofits can create quality videos with a smartphone camera and a quiet place to film.
- Exclusive perks. For certain campaigns, you might provide supporters with gifts in exchange for their donations. For example, during a crowdfunding campaign, you might create donor tiers that promise various perks in exchange for certain giving amounts.
Going the extra mile in your donor recognition efforts can help you secure continuous support for years to come.
5. Leverage fundraising platforms
Run professional, organized online fundraisers by leveraging tools created specifically for nonprofits. Optimizing your nonprofit’s donation page is essential for any campaign, but you may also look into platforms built for unique campaign types.
If you plan to run any of the following online fundraisers, research software vendors in advance:
- Peer-to-peer campaigns
- Nonprofit crowdfunding
- Online auctions
- Pledge campaigns
- Online stores
When assessing platforms, consider the scope of your needs. For instance, are you planning to run just one peer-to-peer campaign, or will you launch a rolling initiative that needs continual technical support? This will help you choose tools that fit your budget and prevent overspending, which can hamper your ability to turn a profit online.
There’s a wide range of ways nonprofits can raise money online. From selling products to creating emotionally compelling marketing blasts, online fundraising is about reaching your supporters where they are with content that appeals to them. Start your efforts by assessing your online audience and talking to a fundraising strategist for help.
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