44 Ways to Turn You Participants into Fundraisers

Turning your everyday supporters into fundraising superstars isn’t easy. It requires the right combination of fundraising expertise, engaged staff members, and savvy technology.

When done well, the results are impressive. Supporters raise significant amounts of money and bring new donors to your organization. For example, The Ride For Roswell event has seen an increase from $330,000 to $2.8 million raised annually since 2004 by helping participants become fundraisers.

As Blackbaud's Steve MacLaughlin recently mentioned, health organizations that turn supporters into fundraisers continue to be leaders in online fundraising, and this growth is now an important contributor to their overall revenue.

So, how can you help supporters become fundraising superstars? Below are 44 tips I’ve learned, organized by topic and ordered from easiest to hardest to implement. 

Teach Them to Fundraise and Provide Samples

1. Encourage them to use their social network. As Anthony Sicola’s recently mentioned, fundraisers who use who use social networking tools like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube increase fundraising results by up to 40%.
2. Offer rewards for fundraising levels achieved. At this year’s SXSW conference, keynote speaker Seth Priebatsch predicted a shift from the “social layer” to the “game layer” over the next decade. Make fundraising a game by offering rewards for levels achieved (E.g. $50 gift card for $5,000 raised).
3. Encourage them to start a team of fundraisers. Not only do teams raise more money for your organization, they add camaraderie and competition to fundraising.
4. Hold contests. After the initial excitement wears off, your fundraisers may need motivation. Create contests that reward fundraising activity. (E.g. Highest fundraiser in June receives 4 movie passes).
5. Provide samples of everything. Don’t let your fundraisers get stuck on something you could have easily provided. Supply sample fundraising emails, Facebook posts, tweets, phone scripts, thank you notes, approved logos, etc.
6. Provide fundraising success stories. Tell them how to raise money, challenges they’ll likely face and the impact their donations will have on your mission.
7. Provide fundraising tips so they know how to get started. Not every method of fundraising will be for everyone. Provide numerous ideas, but do emphasize the most efficient methods such as sending email through a tool like Friend Asking Friends.
8. Tell them how to approach their business contacts. Contacting a vendor or customer is different from asking their neighbor for support. Provide tips on fundraising with the corporate world.
9. But…let them know your key corporate relationships. You probably already receive support from many local companies. Avoid embarrassment and disappointment for everyone involved by disclosing who already generously supports your cause.
10. Offer tips for approaching the media. Your fundraisers may be fearless in promoting your cause. This is good. When approaching the media, though, they may need help. Offer tips and advice to receive coverage of their efforts.
11. Explain which types of fundraising events are most efficient. Recommend focusing on events that raise the most money for the least amount of work. For example, happy hours generally outperform bake sales.
12. Hold fundraising lunches/seminars/receptions to teach them how to fundraise. While success stories may have provided ideas, these sessions will let fundraisers “ask the experts” and get their questions answered.
13. Create an online community for your fundraisers to interact and share their ideas. Other fundraisers may have great tips or advice. Provide a way to collaborate and share.

Connect Them to Your Cause

1. Allow your fundraisers to raise restricted money. They may have been moved by one aspect of your cause and will want to fundraise for it.
2. Invite your top fundraisers to join your volunteer committee. This will make fundraisers feel closer to your organization and responsible for its success. Doing this will also inject some new enthusiasm and ideas into your committees.
3. Offer a tour of your hospital/school/office to further connect them to your cause. Meeting the people who will be helped and seeing the places that will be impacted by their efforts will give your fundraisers extra motivation.
4. Keep them updated on how donations will be used. Let them know the outcome of their hard work. If it’s an annual event or program, you want these fundraisers back each year.
5. Celebrate their accomplishments annually with a thank you party/dinner/reception/etc. It’s an extra opportunity to say thanks, connect them to your mission and encourage future participation.

Treat Fundraisers Like VIPs

1. When someone creates a fundraising page, call to say thanks and answer questions. Let them know you’re there to help. Not sure you have time to offer this type of assistance? What if you knew they’d raise $20,000?
2. Check-in occasionally. At some point, most fundraisers will feel discouraged, intimidated or confused about fundraising. Offer your expertise (and encouragement).
3. Ask them what you can do better. Your fundraisers likely could have used additional support or resources at some point. Learn what else would’ve helped, and provide this for future fundraisers.
4. Implement their good ideas. It will help them take ownership of the program and feel responsible for its success.  If you don’t implement an idea, tell them why not.
5. Find out what motivates your fundraiser. They are likely fundraising because of your cause, to be part of a team or receive an incentive (it’s true). Find out what motivates them and tailor communications accordingly.
6. Celebrate their milestones. Your fundraisers will likely be really excited when they reach their goal. Capitalize on this opportunity to thank them. Tools like Friends Asking Friends will even send automated messages when 50% or 100% of the goal is reached.
7. Respond quickly to fundraiser questions and complaints. Problems + slow response times = frustrated fundraisers. They may stop fundraising altogether until they hear back from you. The longer that takes, the less fundraising momentum they’ll have.
8. Offer your fundraisers any “extras” you have. Have extra tickets to the game? An extra seat at your gala? Call your top fundraisers first. Treat them like VIPs.
9. Arrange meet-and-greets with celebrities at events. Regardless of whether it’s meeting a professional athlete or a radio station DJ, give your fundraiser the VIP treatment whenever possible. It may keep them motivated.

Highlight Fundraisers Online and Create User-Friendly Forms

1. Make it easy to find a fundraiser’s page on your website. The more website visitors have to search for pages, the less likely they’ll donate. The Ride For Roswell does a nice job placing “Donate to a Rider” above the fold on their home page.
2. Make donation forms concise and compelling. Help your fundraisers by creating donation forms that are concise, compelling, and easy to complete. Family Legacy has one of the simplest forms I’ve seen.
3. Spotlight a new fundraiser on your website each month. It provides recognition and encourages others to start fundraising.
4. Ensure the registration form is concise and easy to complete. This makes it simple for anyone to get started and prevents frustration during the initial steps.
5. List top fundraisers on your website. Recognition and competition are two powerful motivators that may inspire some fundraisers to send out another batch of emails. Check out how YWCA Calgary does it in their Walk A Mile event.

Help Them Follow Personal Fundraising Page Best Practices

1. Allow supporters to create a fundraising page whenever they want to.
2. Give supporters the ability to set up a fundraising page for any occasion. Maybe they want people to donate on their behalf instead of having them buy presents for their birthday. Or maybe they’d like to help you get that new facility quicker. Whatever the cause, make it simple for them to get started and flexible enough to support their efforts. Here’s a cool example by Lustgarten.
3. Add a great default photo to fundraising pages. According to the Blackbaud and the Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Consumer Survey, only 45% of fundraisers personalize their fundraising page. Your photo may inspire others to donate.
4. Make your default “My Story” compelling on fundraising pages. Not all fundraisers will change the “My Story” area. Your default story may inspire others to donate.
5. Add page sharing tools to the fundraising page. Free tools like Add This allow the page to easily be shared via email and social media.
6. Let them create a Friendly URL for their page. It’s much easier for fundraisers to tell potential supporters to visit a specific page, instead of your home page.
7. List the names and amounts of each donor on fundraising pages. Peer pressure has a funny way of inspiring larger gifts. Show gift names and amounts on a donor wall, like North Shore Medical Center’s Cancer Walk/Run.
8. Allow them to change their goal at any time. Once they reach their goal, it’s less compelling for friends to support them. Let them up their goal at any time, with tools like Friends Asking Friends.
9. Allow them to import email contacts into their fundraising dashboard. Once imported, fundraisers can keep track of which contacts who have donated, not opened the email , forwarded the email, etc.
10. Allow fundraising pages to be shared on Facebook and Twitter from their fundraising dashboard. Every extra click you eliminate saves your fundraisers time. Remember, social media can have an incredible impact on peer-to-peer fundraising effectiveness.
11. Allow fundraisers to upload either photos or videos to their page. A video can tell a more powerful story than a photo. Give fundraisers the option to upload a video, like Diabetes Research Institute does.
12. Create short education videos for every step of the way. Show them how to register, setup a page, import contacts, email family and friends, and other important fundraising activities.

OK, there’s my 44. So, what tips do you have for us?

This blog post originally appeared on Blackbaud's NetWitsThinkTank.com.  The author Mike Snusz brings over eight years of nonprofit experience to his role as a Senior Internet Marketing Consultant for Blackbaud, where he develops strategic marketing services to help nonprofits build constituent relationships, deliver compelling messages and maximize giving opportunities. He previously managed the turnaround of the Ride For Roswell, including the event’s growth from $330,000 to $870,000 over a two-year period. With sound online fundraising, email and marketing practices in place, the event now raises over $2 million annually. Mikes holds a B.A. in Marketing and M.S. in Organizational Leadership from Mercyhurst College. He also volunteers for Compass, providing pro bono strategic consulting to strengthen the sustainability of Greater Washington DC nonprofits.

Thanking Online Donors with Better Emails

Article by Joanne Fritz

I missed Lisa Sargent's webinar for Network for Good last month. Luckily, Lisa sent the link to her slide deck in her recent newsletter.

The webinar was all about how to thank donors by email when they give online. And Lisa's presentation is the most thorough dissection of the email thanking process that I've seen.

Some charities have just flipped off their email thank yous as though they really aren't that important. And some charities have been at sea, wanting to do the right thing but just not sure what that might be.

If your organization is in either of those categories, then make sure you look at Lisa's slides. They are self-explanatory and well worth your time.

Lisa boils the fundamentals down to these simple actions:

• Your "From" line should state clearly who you are. Nothing cryptic here. State your org's name.
• Your "Subject" line should tell the donor what this email is about, in 45 characters or less.
• Personalize the salutation, as in "Dear Ms Fritz." Always attentive to detail, Lisa points out that a comma after the salutation is better than a colon...friendlier, less business like.
• Make the opening lines as engaging as possible...maybe a story or exactly what the donation will accomplish.
• Give contact information so the donor can find out more or contact a real person.
• Tell the donor when he or she will hear from your organization next. A newsletter perhaps?
• Have someone important sign the email...to show how valuable and appreciated the donor is to your charity. Including a photo of that person is a great touch.
• Link to something that the donor can interact with right now -- a video, your website, your Facebook page.
• Include a P.S.--postscripts have been drilled into fundraisers for direct mail appeals, so don't leave it out now. People do and will read it. Provide more thanks, an invitation to do something more, or link to a useful resource.

It's all simple and doable. Thanks to Lisa for developing a framework that any charity can build on.

Go look at How to Write Thank-You Emails That Inspire for more ideas, examples, and a perfect homework assignment.

How Do You Stack Up?

A Receipt is Not a Thank You

By Joanne Fritz, About.com Guide
Last week, Blackbaud released a report about online giving for 2011. It continues to grow...up 13%.

Frank Barry, in a follow-up to the report, pointed out new donor acquisition through online channels is hotter than any other for charities; that online donors give more, on average, than off line donors; and that they represent higher household income than other donors.

So, why do nonprofits not worry about their online thank yous as much as their mailed thank yous? Why do thank you letters seem to warrant time and attention while the attitude toward online thank yous seems so nonchalant? This seems especially odd given that we also know that attrition for first time donors, especially online, is extremely high. Those donors are worth a lot, but only if we keep them.

Why do I even think that there is less concern about thanking online donors? Well, when I look at the stats for my content, I find that my articles about writing thank you letters (as in mailed ones) are some of the most popular content on my site. My material about online thanking barely registers on the meter. I also accumulate a lot of online thank yous because that is my preferred way of donating. They are not very good.

I'm going to guess the reasons:

• Many people in nonprofits don't think getting a thank you after making an online donation is all that important. Possibly they never learned the art of writing thank you notes. I hang out with a lot of folks who have grown children and grandchildren. A big complaint among this set is that their children and grand kids don't write, call, or even send a thank you for a birthday or holiday gift. Sure, the little kids are usually enthusiastic, getting on the phone or Skype and gushing their enthusiasm, but after about 13 or so....nothing.
• Many young people at nonprofits think that an online donor doesn't care much about a thank you. The donors are probably young, like them, and it just doesn't matter that much. After all, we don't expect IKEA to gush over us every time we buy a DIY bookshelf, do we? So...sending a brief, receipt-like online thank you is just fine. Who has time to read a thank you anyway when your email box is so crammed?
• But, many fundraisers do assume that a check in the mail means that the donor is probably from an earlier generation and is going to get mad if a thank you letter doesn't arrive in the mailbox. How do we write those again? God, will we be glad when everyone is online.
  Actually, it's a multichannel world for all generations. Older donors might respond with an online donation even when they got a mailed appeal; and online donors may switch to sending a check in response to direct mail after that first online gift.

That's why I was so happy to see Simon Norris and Juliet Richardson's article, Why thanking donors online is powerful, which is part of a white paper from the very smart consulting firm,Nomensa.

Simon and Juliet, I think, get to the heart of the matter: we confuse an online donation with a commercial online transaction when they are nothing alike. Simon and Juliet point out:

"The psychology of online giving is definitely not the same as online shopping and should be treated very differently. Thanking the donor appropriately is a key part of the donation process--donors need and expect more than a 'receipt' for their consideration and their money. In fact, there is a rule of thumb that donors should be thanked seven times before you ask for their next donation."

Simon and Juliet go on to cite powerful psychological research that shows just how motivating a good thank you is: donors who are thanked well are more than twice as likely to give again.

I'm pretty darn sure that these psychological effects happen to anyone at any age. Young people...the ones who might be sitting at the social media controls in your nonprofit...might THINK they don't care if they are thanked, but, in fact, they do. They just might not know it yet.

Thanking is a reward and a validation of a genorous act, as Simon and Juliet point out in their article. Donating is so different from buying that it is only that the two seem so alike online that the two transactions confuse people. Donating is altruistic, emotional, personal and expectant of engagement; while buying is calculated, narcissistic, and a one-off exchange. Really, the only resemblance between an online donation and an online purchase is the exchange of information and provision of a credit card number.

I love looking at a thank you letter as a 'reward.' When you buy a hot pink teddy from Victoria's Secret, the teddy in your hand is the reward. But, when donating online, the reward is the knowledge that you're helping, the thank you that lets you know you've done a good thing and are thus valued, and the promise of future engagement with this cause. Your post-donation actions are not an after thought...they are a bridge to the future.

Simon and Juliet connect thanking with the psychology of reward and point out that it involves three factors:

• Reciprocity. Donors are giving a gift, so telling them how valued that gift is completes the reciprocity loop.
• Expectation (and prediction). Donors have expectations about how they want to be treated; they will predict how they will be treated; and when expectation, prediction, and reward (the thank you) match, they feel valued.
• Reinforcement. A social relationship is set up when a donor is asked to give, he or she makes the gift, and when the gift is acknowledged. A good thank you reinforces this particular giving choice and motivates future giving.

Simon and Juliet have some very specific ways to make your thank you landing page and your thank you email reward your donors in a way that will engage, motivate, and fulfill their expectations.

Post donation landing pages can be designed to make an immediate impact, followed up by a thank you email that looks as little like a commercial transaction as possible. Follow Simon and Juliet's instructions, and you'll be a long way toward seeing and creating the differences that make saying thank you for a donation something special and that will get donors to come back for more.

The Power of Social Media

Over the past five years peer-to-peer fundraising (aka social fundraising, event fundraising or friendraising) revenue has more than doubled online – reaching close to the billion-dollar mark.

It’s been amazing to watch.

With the continued growth of Internet usage, the rise of social media, and the smart phone revolution it’s likely that social fundraising will continue to play a significant roll for non-profit organizations (or start to play a growing roll for those organizations who don’t already participate in this type of fundraising).

Check out the below social fundraising INFOGRAPHIC. You’ll learn a bit about the industry’s growth, what drives the fundraising success and the power of Friends Asking Friends.

Website Makeover

Katya Andresen is a popular nonprofit marketing blogger who has made multiple appearances on the Scoop of Nonprofit News. Today she is sharing an organization that is doing a great job turning their issues into stories in an effort to better relate to potential donors. She says, "it is so important to bring a human face to our organizations and our work. Without stories, we are simply abstract words and ideas. With stories, we become a part of our audience’s lives."

Today's nonprofit website makeover is the Crisis Control Ministry. They wrote Katya asking for input on their website, which they are about to revamp. They also sent along an example of some of their new materials. What an improvement! They are absolutely moving in the right direction.

Old website home page:

Here is the advice she gave them on their old website:
-Choose a picture and tagline that tells a story - the photo of the boy looking down and the generic language could represent any nonprofit

-Remove the mission statement and replace it with a great quote from a fan or beneficiary instead - mission statements belong on About Us pages

-Make a clear case for giving

What I like about the current site is the big Donate button, the email signup and the endorsement by Charity Navigator. You always want a prominent way to give, a way to get in touch and a third-party endorsement. However, the Donate button has dollars on it - bad idea. Images of money typically prime people to be selfish. If you use imagery, use a picture of a person being helped or other generous image. Also, the email signup could be stronger - “sign up for updates” is not extremely compelling, though it’s better than “join our mailing list!”

Here is their first attempt at new collateral -

Here is Katya's feedback:
I love the look and feel of the new collateral - I imagine this is a flyer - and can’t wait to see that take shape on the website. That photo and tagline instantly engage me and inspire me to help. Lutricia will take the new home page by storm. So will the vastly improved tagline: Strengthening Our Community … One Neighbor at a time.

I found this really helpful to see a before and after snapshot of a website makeover.  I think the Crisis Control Ministry is moving in a great direction and I can't wait to see their final website design.  I bet it will be well worth it, hopefully Katya will update us to see if the makeover increases their online donations.  I will be sure to post any results I am able to find.  Good luck to this hard working nonprofit and thanks to Katya for sharing her expertise.

Evolution of the Online Donor

Why online giving is important:

Click here to see a larger image.

December 31 Online Giving by Hour

Happy Holidays from Operation Smile

Another one from Operation Smile...

Whoever works in their marketing department is a genius.  I don't know how you could not want to donate after watching this video.  I find it very impressive that they thought far enough in advance to have doctors, nurses, and volunteers say happy holidays on camera during various international missions.  It shows that they really do care about their donors and frankly, it shows that they are smart and know what they are doing.  It couldn't have cost too much to put this video together and I'm sure it will bring in a decent amount of money.  It's put together very professionally and is a perfect length of time.  Clearly, I'm impressed.  What do you think?

Get Your Holiday Appeal Opened

Let’s face it, your constituents are very likely going to be receiving end of year appeals from organizations other than your own.  Maybe some they are those less involved with, and others they are more involved with.  Amongst all of the clutter we know to be in our inboxes it is important to think about how to stand out in the crowd.  Your heart-warming story that you have spent hours developing and integrating with other messaging will only get read if your e-appeal is opened.

That being said, if you have already written your subject lines, I’d like to urge you to test them against these tips.  If you haven’t written them yet, then it’s time to get started. When writing your subject lines, keep these four things in mind:

1. Be clear about the substance of your message.  Does your subject line accurately portray the content of your email? It is important that you keep the trust between you and your constituents, so do not be misleading.


2. Keep it short. Keep it simple.  There are a lot of very long, drawn out subject lines toppling over each other in our inboxes.  They end up looking a little jumbled together, don’t they?  Break it up with a short and compelling subject line.  Among all of the long subject lines, a short one will make your message stand out.  It will also be read easier on mobile devices.


3. Consider who you are sending “from”.  Think about this as your return address if you were to send something in the mail to a friend.  Who is it from?  When I’m a possible donor and I see “from” x, will I know who that is? For this, be consistent with the messages that you have already been regularly sending to your constituents.  End of year is not the time to change it up and try something new.


4. If it sounds like it could be spam, it could be spam.  Avoid words that you commonly see in spam emails. The most common words in spam emails are:
1. shipping!
2. today!
3. here!
4. available
5. fingertips!
6. online!

Be sure to avoid things like punctuation marks, as those can often set off spam filters.  I know the holiday season is exciting, but refrain from using exclamation points.

If you have the opportunity to run a test of subject lines with a small group of constituents, that is fantastic.  If your email marketing tools allow for split testing, then select a small audience, split it in half and test two subject lines with this group.  You can see what performs better with your constituency and then send your message(s) out to the rest of your audience with the tried and true subject line.  If you’d like to download a full article on this topic, click here.

How to get your holiday appeals opened

by Taylor Shankin, Connection Cafe

33%

According to Network for Good’s Online Giving Study, 33% of all online donations occur in the month of December.

What do you have in store for your year-end fundraising campaign?