{"id":21772,"date":"2019-09-03T10:34:16","date_gmt":"2019-09-03T10:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/virtuous.org\/raise\/2019\/09\/03\/say-hello-to-growth\/"},"modified":"2019-09-03T10:34:16","modified_gmt":"2019-09-03T10:34:16","slug":"say-hello-to-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/virtuous.org\/raise\/say-hello-to-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"Say hello to growth!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What are you looking for in an online fundraising platform? Ease-of-use? Security? Specific features? While those are all important\u2014what we all need is growth.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A quick Google search for “online giving platforms” reveals a vast ocean of options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some strong. Some weak. Some you’ve seen before. Some you’ve never heard of.  It can be overwhelming knowing what is right for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve probably been through a couple of these options. In fact, most nonprofit leaders have used at least three different fundraising platforms by the time they try out RaiseDonors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So why are nonprofits switching online giving platforms so often?  Why did you<\/strong> move on from one provider to the next?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes internal system changes\u2014like a new CRM or payment processor\u2014 prompt a switch.  Sometimes you are looking for a specific feature or style.   But in my experience working with nonprofits for the past 20-ish years, there’s a consistent, irrefutable reason that drives change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s About the Results<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most nonprofits leave fundraising platforms because they\u2019re just not getting the results that they\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, the number one reason people are looking to move from one platform to another isn’t bad software. It’s bad results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe at first, you were optimistic about your shiny, new online giving platform.  But as time went on, you realized the needle just wasn\u2019t moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re not growing. Things aren\u2019t working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who cares about that slick new interface or fancy widget when you\u2019re not reaching your fundraising goals and growing your organization?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Removing the Barriers to Growth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At RaiseDonors, our focus is a bit different. We don\u2019t want to be just another donation page tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We want to be a partner in the growth of your organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We want to help you raise donors, not just help you accept donations online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how does RaiseDonors help you grow your organization?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, we can\u2019t solicit gifts for you. We can\u2019t meet your donors or prospective donors and explain your mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we can help remove the barriers between you and your donors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Barriers Between You and Your Donors<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In your day-to-day work of fundraising, you\u2019re constantly running into barriers that create friction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friction slows you down, it creates resistance, and it increases the chances that you\u2019ll get a “no” when you ask for a gift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Complicated software is a barrier between you and your donors.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

When you spend more time figuring out how to move an image on your page than you do crafting your fundraising copy, you\u2019ve got a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bulk of your time should be spent on the most important parts of the process: communicating your value proposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poor security or lack of encryption is a barrier.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If your donors can\u2019t trust you with their personal financial information, you\u2019ve got a BIG problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To raise donors, you must have a system staying ahead of the curve in digital security to keep your donors and their data safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ridiculously high prices are a barrier.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

No one should feel bad about paying a reasonable price for a quality service or tool. But your fundraising platform should be helping you generate revenue, not costing you time and money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Org-centric landing pages are a barrier between you and your donors.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Talking too much about your organization creates friction. The focus of your copy should be on how the donor can make a difference through their giving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Org-centric copy that touts your important mission, your storied history, and your proven strategies…. These may all be true and quite impressive, but we’ve all gotten stuck talking to “that guy” at a dinner party and it doesn’t really encourage a long-term relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a donor arrives on your donation page, they have one important decision to make, “Will I make a donation?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might think that the more they know about you, the more likely they are to give. But donors don’t give because of you, they give because they want to fulfill their purpose<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They give because they feel they\u2019ve been put on this earth to make life better for orphans, the environment, the oppressed, endangered species… you get the idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re the one who gives them the opportunity to turn their money into satisfaction in the form of a gift that can help make a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manual data entry is a barrier.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The more time you spend entering gift and donor information into a database, the less time you have to spend with donors communicating your mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you\u2019ve ever corrected the mailing addresses in your system, you know how fast data maintenance can eat up your time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RaiseDonors helps you get closer to your donors by giving you back your time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With RaiseDonors, you can pull donor reports, gift reports, and campaign reports. You can also export your gift information to your donor database.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that\u2019s just the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve also created integrations with some of your favorite donor CRM’s, marketing software, and other essential tools to help save you even more time and avoid frustration. Here\u2019s a few of them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n