While digital fundraising isn’t a new concept, completely overhauling processes and programs in line with developments in technology can be overwhelming.
Rather than digitalising systems all at once, many charities are gradually evolving into a more modern way of fundraising by adding some simple digital additions to an existing strategy.
If you’re looking for simple, cost-effective ways to give an existing fundraising strategy a digital boost, read on as we share our recommendations for harnessing developments in technology without overhauling currently effective systems.
Attaching gifts to direct impact is a strategy designed to encourage supporters to give at their maximum capacity.
While capital campaigns traditionally attract more support, inserting tangible asks into a general appeal letter allows a donor to visualise how they’re helping the charity and can organically increase a donor’s average donation.
If an average donation is $25, use technology to insert an appropriate tangible ask at a slightly higher level. If an average donation is in the hundreds, similarly, insert a tangible ask at a higher level.
Technology can help assign appropriate giving recommendations to the individual with little to no extra administration.
Use social media to tell your story
Long gone are the days of only contacting donors to request support.
With generally free social media platforms at the world’s fingertips, charities can now reach a global audience at the click of a button. This 24/7 access to a charity through tools such as Facebook Live and Instagram stories, can take supporters with you behind the scenes and truly see what is involved in the intricacies of your charity.
Social medial allows an audience to get to know a charity and its cause on a deeper level. By the time it’s time to send an appeal, the audience already knows they’ve chosen to support you due to the subliminal relationship building that has taken place between campaigns. When a social media strategy is delivered effectively, the only question is ‘how much?’.
Always remember to include direct links to a charity website when posting on third party social media platforms so that every opportunity to receive a direct donation is maximised.
Personalisation
Long gone are the days of writing to dear ‘sir or madam’. When a supporter picks up a letter from a charity, they want to feel as though they’re hearing from someone who knows them. Use a mail merge function to address all correspondence to supporters by their first name. Depending on how sophisticated the database, you can also refer to their previous donation and giving history to really let them know you know who they are.
Donor segmentation
When sending an appeal, segmenting donors based on giving history or lifestyle factors can build stronger relationships and encourage donors to reach giving potential.
This can be done simply by using reporting facilities to group donors into categories. You can then add variable paragraphs into appeals based on this segmentation to help supporters feel like they’re hearing from an old friend rather than just another charity asking for support.
Integrated systems
Integrating fundraising systems needn’t be expensive. Cohesion across systems is guaranteed to help charities build better relationships and improve fundraising outcomes.
By integrating marketing platforms with website and donor management software, donors will receive a more seamless experience which will encourage them to give more.
SupporterHub is an integrated SaaS platform that includes a sophisticated marketing platform, website management and fundraising pages all integrated with a donor database as standard with no expensive add-on modules.
To find out about our FREE trial (no credit card required) and learn how SupporterHub can help take your charity to the next level, click
