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Nonprofits rely on donations to thrive, and yet fundraising is a complex process that requires a lot of strategizing and planning to get right.

If you run a nonprofit organization and you are struggling to engage with donors, the following tips could transform your fundraising income.

Host an event

Fundraising events are a tried and tested way to stimulate donations and also spread the word about your projects further afield. And with the help of modern nonprofit event software, they’re a breeze to organize.

Selling tickets to events is a great earner in its own right, but you can also add other fundraising elements as part of the proceedings as well.

From dinners and galas to sporting competitions and auctions, there are lots of different types of event to consider hosting. If it’s possible to make the event relevant to the work you do, then that’s all the better.

Simplify the donation process

Plenty of people out there will be happy to hand over cash to support your endeavors, but if there are any barriers between them and making a donation, then they could be discouraged from going through with the transaction.

For collecting donations at physical events, making use of a combination of cash collection points along with contactless technology for quick card payments will work wonders.

For online fundraising efforts, adding a donation pop-up to your site which has several suggested donation amounts included, and integrating this with popular payment platforms for one-click processing, is wise.

Show where the money is going

If your fundraising efforts don’t give a clear indication of how each donor’s money will be spent, then it’s understandable that some people would be reticent about contributing.

On the other hand, if you not only suggest donation amounts, but also indicate what each tier will pay for, you’ll overcome this obstacle in an instant.

Obviously the types of donation tiers you pick, and the costs they’ll cover, will depend on what your nonprofit does. But a bit of specificity will go a long way to encouraging donations, on top of having a higher level fundraising goal.

Likewise if you have content that covers the way money raised in previous campaigns has been spent, this will also ease donor reluctance.

Make donations repeatable

Winning a one-off donation is great, but it’s even better if you’re able to achieve a commitment to repeat donations, whether that’s on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis.

Even if the amount that’s given is small, the cumulative impact of having lots of recurring donations on your books will be sizable.

Furthermore, once a donor is signed up in this way, they can also be engaged over time and coaxed into increasing their level of support. You’ll obviously need to look after them well to make this justifiable, but with careful stewardship it is definitely a realistic goal to have.

Stay in touch

Speaking of stewardship, you don’t want to rake in donations through a successful fundraising event or campaign, then completely forget about the donors who contributed.

The straightforward act of sending out messages of thanks to donors, both immediately after their donation and when the money has been spent, will be welcomed, and start to build a relationship between donors and your nonprofit.

You can even go a step further and make use of your pool of past donors to inform your future decisions, sending surveys to those who have contributed so you can take their feedback onboard when planning your next campaigns. So what are you waiting for? Start a new era of nonprofit fundraising today!