Software and digital tools have redefined how nonprofits think about outreach and organization. While paper physical copies still have their place as reference documents, digitizing your fundraising campaigns allows your nonprofit’s team easy access to shared tools while communicating with supporters across the country.
Moving online is a significant investment of time and money. Before purchasing software, review your nonprofit’s current practices to figure out what needs to go online and why.
Everything your nonprofit does should help further an internal goal. For your next fundraising campaign, target a few specific areas to digitize. And be sure not to overwhelm your staff with new software to learn in the middle of a fundraiser!
Our team at Grassroots Unwired has experience helping nonprofits digitize their clipboards, file cabinets, and registration forms. To help your nonprofit choose a digitization goal that makes sense for you, here are four strategies we recommend for your online fundraising campaigns:
These strategies aim to make use of what your nonprofit already has to leverage your donor data, outreach efforts, and software to maximum potential. New strategies and software can be frustrating at first, but remember that digitizing should make fundraising processes easier on your nonprofit through automation and data collection.
Nonprofits have slowly realized the potential of social media, and many have Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram accounts to connect with supporters. Others who are still social media shy likely still use online practices such as email. Whether your nonprofit is a social media star or still figuring out an email service provider, your first step towards digitizing your fundraising campaigns is reviewing and refining your current online outreach approach.
Before you can begin optimizing your social media plan, take the following steps to analyze your current practices:
Nonprofits are most successful at attracting and converting donors when they reach out to them on multiple platforms. Maintaining multiple social media accounts lets your nonprofit interact with single-platform users as well as build brand recognition with supporters across platforms.
In addition to social media, your nonprofit can optimize its emailing practices to further build relationships with supporters. Email fundraising has two primary strategies for increasing engagement metrics: increase personalization and increase the number of emails sent. These can seem contradictory, but both can be achieved with the right email service provider and client relationship management software:
Once your email and social media practices have been updated, consider branching into other strategies to expand your potential supporter touchpoints. Phone, texting or brand new video canvassing technology can supplement broader fundraising efforts on social media by individualizing communication with one-on-one interactions with key supporters.
As your nonprofit browses fundraising software or looks to better leverage current software, keep track of each solution's specialty. As mentioned in the previous tip, your nonprofit should invest in a CRM, and most CRM and virtual fundraising software providers have designed their software to fill a specific niche in the nonprofit sector.
Double the Donation’s guide to virtual fundraising software reviews some of the most popular options and how they can provide the most benefit to your campaign. A few key features to look for are:
Finding the right software takes time, and it’s better to do your research than purchase a product that doesn’t meet your nonprofit’s needs. Ask questions and request demos as you shop around to figure out the pros and cons of each of your options.
Even if your nonprofit prefers in-person events, chances are you have at least considered hosting a virtual event this past year. Whether on or offline, event management software and tools have become a necessity for registration processing, CRM integration, and efficient check-in procedures for the day of the event.
Virtual events require work and specialization to translate the activities you would do face-to-face onto a computer screen. Some events lend themselves to virtual communication more than others. For example, your nonprofit can still hold presentations and Q&A sessions, but might struggle with marathons or galas. If you have trouble thinking of ideas, consider researching online or looking up guides like this one for inspiration.
Like their physical counterparts, virtual fundraising events require planning. Establish a goal for the event and create a checklist so nothing gets left undone. A few online-specific tasks to keep in mind are:
Virtual fundraising events don’t just increase your revenue, they also engage supporters during a time where your nonprofit might not be at front of mind due to physical distance. Collect donations, but also focus on creating a fun, technical difficulty-free night by understanding your supports and hosting an event that will resonate with them.
Nonprofit software comes in all shapes and sizes, and with research, your nonprofit can likely find software that matches your field. Animal rescues, dance studios, and community advocacy groups all have technology specific to their business practices.
The right technology can help traditionally offline fields find their place in the digital landscape.
For example, political canvassing and advocacy groups are known for flocking to the streets with clipboards. However, organizers might decide that reading contact information and compiling hundreds of signatures is too tedious to be done manually. In this example, software like Grassroots Unwired’s virtual canvassing software, which provides real-time reporting and robust script branching for volunteers, could minimize data entry times and let the group focus on expanding their efforts.
Physical separation has been a challenge for many organizations that relied on in-person gatherings, and the creators of field-specific technology create software solutions designed to meet those exact challenges. Browse industry forums and check what products similar organizations are using to find technology built with your nonprofit in mind.
Moving online requires research, money, and time. However, improving your current online practices with new and existing software will let your nonprofit identify and tailor fundraising strategies to your donors.
Start by taking inventory and making the improvements you can with your current setup, then kickoff the browsing process with research, questions, and whatever else your nonprofit needs to find the software that will raise your fundraising campaign to the next level online.