Many nonprofits rely on donations to support the work they do. Hitting fundraising targets can be challenging and this is why nonprofits are encouraged to focus on how to get existing and new donors to donate more or more frequently. This is usually much harder than many people anticipate, but by using strategies to increase donation efficiency, it can be done. We are going to cover some of the best ways to solicit and increase donations. 

Optimizing for Mobile

Most people are on their smartphones for a good portion of the day, which means targeting them on mobile can increase the effectiveness of your campaign. These people are also likely to visit your donation page on their mobile phones if they click on a link to donate. To streamline the donation process and increase donations, ensure that you have optimized your donations pages and website for mobile users. One method that has remained popular is the use of paypal for nonprofits, as this allows to people to pay via their mobile (and most other devices) without the need for card details immediately. Because of the range of payment methods and speed that PayPal offers, people will be more likely to support your cause if they can do so stress-free from whichever device they please.

If you do not do anything else, at least ensure your pages are mobile responsive and the text on them is legible on smaller devices. Mobile responsiveness provides a good user experience that encourages people to scroll more so they read your message. Legibility makes for a comfortable reading experience which is also positive for your visitors.

Another optimization to consider is ensuring your donation pages and website load fast.

Set Up Text Message Campaigns

Text messages are a great way to reach people too. They ensure that your donors see your message because text messaging can have an open rate of up to 99%. If you already have donors’ phone numbers, you should try setting up text messaging campaigns.

Tailored Outreach Strategy

Targeted messaging is not only crucial in marketing as it can also be used in fundraising for nonprofits. Nonprofits have to first understand how much individual donors can give so they know how much to ask for in their tailored messaging. 

The best way of doing so is through wealth screening. Nonprofits can use this strategy to uncover who amongst their donors can donate more. This strategy is not only about uncovering who can give more but also asking for what you know specific donors can afford. If you ask for too much, some donors may be turned off and not even consider donating a smaller amount. If you ask for too little, you will decrease the potential amount you can collect.

Wealth screening can be tricky, but there are certain tools, technologies, and techniques you can use to ensure this process yields greater success for your nonprofit. These tools include donor search, tracking, segmentation, messaging, and automaton tools that all work together to help you screen donors. 

The good news here is that you do not have to use these tools separately because platforms like Givebutter have already put together and integrated wealth screening tools in their donation platform. Givebutter gives you all the tools you need to run successful fundraising campaigns whether you are a business, nonprofit or political campaign. Givebutter’s tools help you plan, track and manage fundraising campaigns while also integrating with numerous other tools to help you achieve your fundraising goals easily.

Tell Compelling Stories Through Content

It can be quite annoying for someone to ask for a donation without telling you what it is for. It is also much harder to convince someone to donate if you do not appeal to them emotionally. Storytelling can solve both of these issues. You can lean on your nonprofit’s missions and story to get people engaged and interested in your organization.

You can use your “About Us” page on your website or blog posts to tell these compelling stories. When writing, be sure to mention what you are doing, why you are doing it and the difference you are making. 

Use images to make your story more compelling, have proper content structure so people can scroll further, and direct people towards the donation button. Remember that people typically take the actions you want them to, and your call-to-action buttons and messages should be very clear.

Offer Numerous Donation Options

Convenience is a huge determinant of how your fundraising campaigns go and how much you can raise. Convenience can aid or hinder donations. Think about your donors’ preferences and try to match them. Not only will doing so increase your donations, but it will also give donors a great experience, one they would not mind going through again.

Offering numerous donation options is a great way of making things convenient for your donors. Apart from different payment options, you could set up recurring donations and preselected giving amounts so that donors do not have to think about the amounts to give. You could also allow them to host events and sell merchandise. That last option is great because donors might want to support it in other ways other than giving money directly.

Increasing the amount each donor gives and reaching more donors is possible. Take a look at your current setup to see where you can incorporate some of the strategies discussed above.