The fundraising models that drive nonprofits were designed for a world that no longer exists.
The ways people communicate and connect have changed dramatically in the last 20 years. A new digital world has emerged that is bending over backwards to gain our attention. This new world is marked by constant connectedness, hyper-personalized communication, and online communities inhabited by members of our own tribe.
Donors in this new world want to know that their time and money are truly making an impact. They want to be part of a movement. At the same time, today’s donor feels alienated by nonprofit-centric direct response fundraising. They now expect personalized, authentic connection to your cause.
But most nonprofits struggle to provide the personal connection to impact their donors desire.
Non-major donors have declined by 25% in the last decade.
Nonprofits are losing “everyday donors” in increasing numbers. Fundraisers are becoming more dependent on large gifts and nonprofits lack the revenue predictability that comes from an army of mid and low-level donors.
Our current crisis started in the mid-2000’s. In fact, there was an 18% drop in the number of individuals who gave to nonprofits between 2006 and 2015.
It’s no coincidence that this timeframe corresponds with the rise of Facebook (2004), Twitter (2006), the iPhone (2007) and a host of software platforms designed to deliver a barrage of personalized marketing messages.
This drop in donors is the direct result of nonprofits’ inability to raise support from everyday donors who have come to EXPECT a deeper personal connection to their cause.
And yet everyday donors are the heart of nonprofit giving. They provide sustained revenue, volunteerism, and advocacy that your nonprofit needs in order to flourish.
Unfortunately, today’s nonprofits are handcuffed to outdated fundraising models that reserve personal connections for a select few major donors. These models force fundraisers to rely on impersonal, unresponsive fundraising tactics for everyone else. Instead of creating connection, traditional tactics alienate your donors and create distance between the donor and their impact.
The days of sending impersonal direct response marketing and hoping for a 3% response rate are over. This model has become intolerable for your donors.
We need a new approach. We need to reimagine fundraising.
Current fundraising practices are largely build on tactics designed in the 1950’s. The world has changed, but nonprofits have struggled to keep up. Fundraisers are now locked into 60-year-old antiquated models that don’t connect with modern donors
As you connect with donors you’ll begin to learn more about them. This learning can happen directly through conversations or indirectly via social listening, website activity, and email opens and clicks. The more you listen, the more you begin to understand areas of interest, giving opportunities, and how each person wants to connect with the cause.
Responsive fundraising is fueled by these signals and equips you to deepen relationships as you move each donor through a journey with your cause. The result is increased donor loyalty, more sacrificial giving and, most importantly, an army of advocates who are intimately connected to your cause.
Giving is deeply personal and your engagement should be too. Regardless of the channel (website, email, mail, or the phone) or medium (in-person or digitally) you want to connect with donors in a responsive way that is one-to-one, contextual, and collaborative.
Responsive fundraising let’s you personalize the experience every time you connect with each donor
Instead of responding to our donors’ intent and desires, traditional fundraising is driven by what we want the donor to do for us. Most direct response fundraising is built on this unresponsive model. When a nonprofit sends a generic appeal to all their contacts, and then directs them all to respond in the exact same way, the response rates are typically shockingly low. As a result, the nonprofit ends up alienating (or irritating) most of their constituents. While a few say “yes”, the rest are pushed away due to irrelevance and seek out other opportunities. This approach is a fossil from a prior world before attention was fractured and power shifted from nonprofits to individuals.
Responsive fundraising ensures you connect with the right donor at the right time with the right message. Responsive fundraising lets you personalize the experience every time you connect with every donor. When they visit your website, attend an event, receive an email or get a phone call each person should feel like they are part of an ongoing conversation with your organization. This builds connection and increases trust.
This is where new technology (data-driven CRM and automation) and a responsive mindset work together to help you connect personally with all your donors
Once you’ve established trust with your donors by listening and connecting in personal ways, you have an opportunity to suggest giving options that are the best fit for each individual.
Suggestions don’t always have to include a financial ask.
Many times the best suggestions include learning experiences for the donor, opportunities for donors to volunteer their time, or invitations to use their influence to invite others in their tribe to connect.
Responsive gift suggestions allow the donor to feel like they are receiving just as much value as the organization. Your suggestions are a response to what you know, what’s the next right thing, and are dynamic as you listen and connect further with each donor.
Responsive fundraising acknowledges that everyone has unique value and something to give, instead of generic asks that push everyone to do or give the same thing.
Everything you need to build better relationships and increase impact with confidence.
Send comprehensive, omni-channel campaigns to activate donors and increase engagement.
Produce virtual, hybrid, or in-person events that are personalized and raise more.
Recruit and mobilize volunteers to fill mission-critical needs without the back-office headache.
Design personalized donor journeys, plus automate back-office processes and task management.
Actionable insights to help retain donors and extend engagement.
Design effective online giving experiences that celebrate the impact of each donation.
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