Nonprofits that don’t adequately show appreciation for the hard work and dedication of their supporters will receive less funding in the long run because they’ll struggle to retain those supporters over time. 

Here at Bloomerang, we specialize in donor retention. Our team has studied the effectiveness of retaining donors rather than acquiring new ones, and that research guides our entire approach. Retention is the key to maximizing your fundraising strategy, and appreciation is at the root of that strategy. In this guide, we’ll dive into how your organization can create an appreciation strategy. Then, we’ll provide a list of ideas to help you say “thank you” to your generous supporters.

1. Why Does Donor Appreciation Matter?
2. The Foundations of Your Strategy
3. Donor Appreciation Ideas
   • Ideas for New Donors
   • Ideas for Recurring Donors
   • Ideas for Major Donors
   • Event Appreciation Ideas
   • Appreciation Gift Ideas

We’ll start with the fundamentals: the importance of donor appreciation and how it can inform your fundraising strategy. Let’s dive in!

Why Does Donor Appreciation Matter?

Saying “thank you” to individuals who do you the massive favor of contributing to your organization isn’t just polite; it’s also a necessity to acquire their long-term support and contributions.

Put yourself in the shoes of a supporter. You have found an organization with a mission that is near and dear to your heart. To help fund one of their main programs, you decide to give a donation of $100. It’s not a massive gift, but it’s still a substantial contribution to the cause! A week goes by and you don’t hear anything back from the organization. Then, two weeks go by—still nothing. At first you’re disappointed, but then you simply start to forget about the whole incident. The point is, you never give again.

This situation should never happen for your supporters. Dr. Adrian Sargeant conducted a survey about why donors stop giving. He found that 5% of one-time donors thought the charity didn’t need them, 9% had no memory of supporting, 13% never got thanked for donating, and 8% never had any information about how their gifts were used. Although some reasons are certainly out of your control, the ones listed above are within it. Here’s the complete breakdown:

• 5% thought the charity did not need them
• 8% got no information about how monies were used
• 9% had no memory of supporting
• 13% never got thanked for donating
• 16% passed away
• 18% thought the charity had poor service or communication
• 36% thought others were more deserving
• 54% could no longer afford to give

Most of these issues can be completely avoided if your organization is able to communicate effectively and show proper appreciation. 

Then, when supporters do stick around for your organization, you’ll make more money in the long run. It’s around ten times more expensive to acquire new supporters than it is to retain existing ones. Plus, over time, retained supporters tend to end up making larger contributions to your mission, resulting in additional revenue. You can see an example of this and the resulting revenue that accompanies a simple 10% increase in donor retention:

The main idea is that retention (and therefore more effective fundraising) is rooted in communication, appreciation, and gratitude, making a simple “thank you” message worth its weight in gold.

The Foundations of Your Donor Appreciation Strategy

The backbone of any successful donor appreciation strategy is data. Having access to the right data will not only help you to choose the right donor appreciation ideas for your audience but also help you to craft more meaningful and resonant appreciation messages for your supporters.

Therefore, as you begin crafting your appreciation strategy, analyze the profiles in your donor database to be sure you’re reaching supporters where they are and creating messages that resonate with them.

Analyze your audience

Using a dedicated donor database (especially one that’s designed with retention in mind), you can gather all of the information you need about your supporters to craft an appreciation message that will resonate well with them. Consider the segments of your audience and the levels of appreciation that should be attributed to each segment. For instance, you might not add your first-time donors to a donor recognition board, but that could be a great option for your major supporters.

When you start putting together your donor appreciation strategy, create slightly different plans for each of your various audience segments.

Choose your appreciation ideas

After you’ve considered your audience, start thinking of the different appreciation ideas that will best reach each donor segment. For instance, you might consider the following segments:

• When you segment by gift amount, you can choose different appreciation ideas for major and mid-tier donors and others for your lower-tier supporters. Remember that the larger the donation, the fewer supporters you’ll have to thank, which allows you to create more extravagant gestures, like phone calls or donor wall mentions.
• If you segment by recency, implement different appreciation ideas for your first-time donors and long-term supporters. Your first-time donor strategy will aim to achieve your second or golden donation, and you’ll likely act quickly, whereas you may spread out your appreciation for long-term supporters over time.
• When you segment your supporters by age, you can make some assumptions about the types of appreciation that your donors will enjoy. For instance, younger donors may appreciate a personalized thank-you video acknowledgement, while older donors may be more responsive to a handwritten letter.

We could go on and on with various segments, but the ultimate goal is to customize your appreciation approach based on your donors’ preferences and history.

Say Thank You

Remember that the whole purpose here is to say “thank you” to your supporters. Even if you send them a gift or feature their name on an appreciation board, you should accompany the gesture with a note that informs the donor of the gesture and actually say “thanks!”

The note should be personal, noting the supporter by name. You should also be sure to say exactly what the supporter did to earn your appreciation. For example, you might say something like:

Dear Jessie, thank you so much for your donation of $100 to the Save the Dolphins campaign. Your contribution will provide a fish dinner for 10 injured dolphins tonight! 

This note is personal, shows appreciation, and notes the exact donation amount and campaign the donor supported. The next element that you should be sure to include in this note is the impact of the contribution.

Show Impact

You can see in the example above that the nonprofit wrote what the $100 would accomplish for the mission. This is a key element of your donor appreciation strategy because donors want to know where their money is going. Remember the stat from before? 8% of supporters who stop giving do so because they don’t know where their money is going.

Showing impact allows supporters to understand that their money isn’t just a paycheck for your organization—it’s accomplishing something that will help further your mission. After all, your donors give to your mission, not necessarily to your organization.

Donor Appreciation Ideas

While these are by no means the only ideas available, they do present a summary of the potential options for your organization. You can use these as a starting point to begin building out your donor appreciation strategy as a whole.

For your convenience, we’ve split up the 22 appreciation ideas into categories so that you can jump to the ones most relevant to your needs:

1. Ideas for New Donors
2. Ideas for Recurring Donors
3. Ideas for Major Donors
4. Event Appreciation Ideas
5. Appreciation Gift Ideas

Let’s learn more!

1. Donor Appreciation for New Supporters

You work hard to acquire new supporters. It’s a shame to think that after all of the work and funds that you spent on the acquisition process, those supporters could simply give once and never again. If you’re able to retain them for the long run, their lifetime value with your organization will rise significantly.

The rate of supporters who donate for a second time after they’ve given once to a nonprofit is only around 20% according to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project. But once they’ve contributed this second donation (or the golden donation), the chance that they’ll continue donating to your organization rises to about 60%.

Therefore, your initial sign of appreciation for your new donors is incredibly important to retain their support for the long haul. We recommend creating a cultivation timeline for your first-time donors to show your appreciation, encourage them to get more involved, and eventually make your second appeal. You can see a sample of this type of timeline below:

As you can see, this timeline doesn’t simply provide a single opportunity to say thank you, but has several opportunities to do so. Therefore, you can incorporate multiple donor appreciation ideas in your own iteration of a new donor cultivation timeline.

Let’s dive deeper into four of the ideas that you’ll find on these timelines, each providing an additional opportunity to show donor appreciation.

Immediate Donation Receipt

Most of the time, donors will give their first donation using some sort of online platform. This is one of the virtual fundraising trends that will not disappear anytime soon, but will likely become stronger over time.

Set up your fundraising software so that a donation receipt is sent immediately after the contribution is received, whether it’s for a campaign hosted on a crowdfunding, peer-to-peer, or donation page. Craft this message to say an immediate “thank you” to the donor, also using their name and specific donation amount for personalization. It will also act as a confirmation that the donation was, in fact, received by your organization.

Follow Up Phone Call

Within 48 hours of a donor contributing to your organization, give them a quick call! This may seem like an outdated strategy, but it’s incredibly personal and allows you to make a personal and memorable connection through appreciation.

Create a script that your development team can follow during these follow-up conversations with your new supporters. Customize these scripts based on the segments of supporters who are being called. Then, make sure everyone is up to date on the latest donations so that they can make these phone calls in a timely manner.

Survey 

Surveys are a great way to both get your new supporters involved and to show your appreciation for them. It shows that their opinions matter and are an important part of your organization’s plans going forward.

Send a survey after you’ve called and had a couple of other interactions with each of your supporters. Then, be sure to ask informative questions that will also help you optimize the new donor experience for the future.

Additional Information About Your Mission

Donors don’t give to organizations—they give to missions. Showing your supporters the extent of your mission and the work that you do in the community is a great way to show them how their contributions make a difference.

Provide additional information about your organization through welcome packets, newsletters, and other resources. Be sure to discuss your various projects in the community to show the impact of the donations that your supporters make.

2. Donor Appreciation for Recurring Donors

Recurring donors give at a consistent rate, usually on a monthly basis. These supporters don’t necessarily need to be stewarded towards additional gifts on a regular basis. Every now and then, you may want to approach them. However, on the whole, you should steward them to keep them interested in your organization and your mission.

The key thing to keep in mind here is to not fall into the “set it and forget it” trap with your recurring donors. They should never forget about your mission. If they do, when it’s time for them to rework their personal finances, you might lose your valuable recurring donor!

A good recurring donation program provides consistent funding for organizations and increases the retention rate. You don’t want to lose these supporters!

Instead, show appreciation for your recurring donors by not asking for money. Instead, find other ways to involve these supporters and to show your appreciation for them.

Event Invitations

Host events that simply provide a “thank you” to your supporters rather than asking them to contribute to your organization. These events may be a luncheon, happy hour, or another opportunity to have a good time.

In addition, events are a great way to mingle with your supporters and create lasting relationships and connections with them. The invite shows that you care and the opportunity to network with them builds up relationships. You can read more about appreciation events later in this article.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering may not immediately sound like an appreciation idea, but hear us out! When you start a volunteer program, you give your supporters a chance for an up-close view of what your mission is accomplishing. While you can tell your recurring donors about their impact that they have on your mission, they’re more likely to develop a personal connection with your organization if they can see that impact as well.

Be sure to incorporate appreciation into the calls-to-action as you’re working with recurring donors to encourage them to volunteer. You might offer to meet after the volunteer experience for a happy hour or work appreciation into your recruitment messaging. For example, you might say, “Hugo, thank you so much for your gifts to Hope Rains, the campaign providing clean water to communities in need. If you want to meet those who have benefitted from your contributions, consider volunteering at this week’s water purifier assembly!”

Bonus! Your supporters who volunteer also may have the opportunity to increase their monetary contributions to your organization as well if they qualify for volunteer grants through their employer’s corporate responsibility program.

Program Updates and Communication

Just as your new donors want additional information about your mission as a whole, your recurring donors will want to know about the progress that your organization is making in the community. Be sure to communicate this progress clearly and consistently to your recurring donors.

Send email newsletters with updates about specific projects and post social media posts regarding the various activities your organization is involved with. Then, of course, be sure to say “thank you” to everyone who makes this progress possible. Be sure to keep in consistent contact with your recurring donors, always showing them their impact on the mission at hand. This lets them know where their money is going and allows you to give a specific “thank you” for their impact.

Thank You Letters

Do you have a leap of excitement when you check the mail and notice that there’s a letter in there for you that’s not a credit card or utility bill? We do too and so do your donors! Studies show that people also absorb and retain information better when they read it on paper than on a screen. This means that donor appreciation letters can make a splash for your supporters.

Write personalized letters that will capture your supporters’ attention. This shouldn’t replace an initial confirmation email or a digital thank you, but it does help solidify your strategy and provides another medium on which you’re showing your appreciation. To make sure these letters are personalized, leverage your donor segments and craft messages that each will find engaging. Then, ask your executive director or development officer to personally sign the letter.

Appreciation Gifts

If you’ve ever run a 5K for charity, you know that the most exciting part of the activity is receiving your free t-shirt at the end of the race. That t-shirt may even become your favorite one that you’ll wear until it has holes along the seams. You may not remember the exact amount that you paid for the race or your finishing time, but whenever you wear the shirt, you’re reminded of the organization and the mission you supported.

This is the reason appreciation gifts are so important and effective. While t-shirts are a classic option, they’re certainly not the only one. Branded merchandise and gifts of all shapes and sizes make for a great way to show your appreciation for your recurring supporters’ contributions. Plus, they’ll think of your mission each and every time they see the gift.

3. Donor Appreciation for Major Donors

Major donors make up the backbone of successful fundraising strategies. According to this article, $410 billion was given in philanthropy in 2017 and 49% of the funds donated were by the top 1% of donors. If that’s not enough, DonorSearch found that 88% of nonprofit funding usually comes from the top 12% of donors.

Because of this grand impact that your major donors have on your strategy, it makes sense that you should put a little bit more emphasis, time, and effort into appreciating them. The only thing better than a major gift now is another promised major gift in the future. Saying thank you is the first step to stewarding these supporters and cultivating additional contributions for the future.

Send Personalized Video Acknowledgements

According to GITNUX research, nonprofits that personalize communications see a 10-15% higher donor retention rate. Plus, statistics from NPSource show that about 57% of people who watch nonprofit videos go on to make a donation.

The takeaway here is crystal clear: personalized appreciation videos are a powerful tool for engaging donors more deeply in your mission and ensuring their long-term support.

Bloomerang makes creating personalized donor videos easy, with a simple three-step process:

1. Your fundraising team sees a special donation come in through the Bloomerang mobile app.
2. A fundraising team member or volunteer records a personalized video message to thank the supporter for their unique contribution.
3. The donor receives the video acknowledgement via email.

Your videos don’t have to be too long—a quick, 30-second to one-minute video that includes a genuine gratitude message from the sender is more than enough to make donors feel seen.

Send gratitude videos promptly (within 48 hours of the donor’s gift) to show supporters that your organization truly values them.

Publicly Highlight Major Supporters

While you’re bound to have some supporters who want to give anonymously, the majority of people appreciate being recognized for their contributions. Public recognition is a great way to give a shout-out to your most impactful supporters, plus it gives others a level to strive for.

You might decide to highlight a “donor of the month” on social media platforms or shout out to them at organization events so that you can give proper recognition to each of your major supporters who want this kind of attention. Be sure to check with them first before highlighting their story for the world to see. You could also highlight major donors in regular documents like your annual report. This allows you to tie the contributions made by these supporters directly to your success from the year.

Personalized Appreciation Letters

We mentioned that appreciation letters can be used for your recurring donors, but it’s also a great strategy to reach your major donors! While you may use segmentation strategies for your recurring or lower-level supporters to show appreciation, you should write completely individual letters for each of your major supporters.

You might decide to start with a thank you letter template to be sure you hit all of the important elements of this letter, but you should make sure the final version incorporates more personalized elements. For example, including information about your major donors’ motivations for giving is a great way to make a personalized connection with them.

Exclusive Event Opportunities

Again, events are a great way to get any of your supporters further involved with your organization and your mission. But major donors should have some preferential treatment given the level of their importance for your organization. Exclusive events allow your major donors to mingle with one another and with your team.

These events can be in conjunction with fundraising events (like galas), but it’s always good to have a healthy mix of both fundraising and stewardship events throughout the year. Therefore, make sure to include events in your regular schedule that will be exclusively available to your major supporters.

Gather Feedback and Insights 

Many of your major donors and stakeholders want some additional insight into your programming than you would typically give for your supporters. They also may want to give your organization additional feedback about your activities given the fact that they’re funding such a great portion of them.

Schedule meetings with your major donors and stakeholders to give them the opportunity to share their opinions about your organization’s current programming and activities. This gives you the opportunity to address any of their concerns, and it gives them the opportunity to also share their concerns and present new ideas for your team.

Donor Recognition Wall

Donor recognition walls are a classic idea to commemorate your major donors. Featuring their names on a physical or virtual wall allows you to share their involvement with the community, providing public recognition for their contributions.

Create an in-person donor recognition wall at your organization in a well-traveled location. This enables your supporters to see their own names on the wall as they pass by. Plus, other prospects and donors might see the names of major donors and feel incentivized to give in order to be recognized alongside them.

4. Donor appreciation event ideas

Earlier in the article, we’ve discussed the benefits of hosting donor appreciation events. The majority of events your supporters are invited to attend are likely fundraising-focused, meaning the hosting organization has an underlying motive to attain funds from the attendees. It often becomes an expectation for donors to give an additional donation during the event itself.

However, when you take a non-fundraising approach and don’t ask for money, you can focus solely on creating connections with your supporters and building on relationships. Essentially, events where you don’t ask for funds ensure the focus of the event is entirely on your supporters themselves, not their wallets.

At the core, these events are designed to build trust, respond to donors’ questions, and help demonstrate the alignment between your donors’ interests and your organization’s mission.

There are some inherent risks to these events. You might receive some backlash about hosting events that have no immediate return on investment. You also can’t host too many of these events; usually just one big one will do the trick! These events will give you some ideas for how you can raise more by not asking for donations at your next event.

Donor luncheon or dinners

Who doesn’t love free food? Donor luncheons and dinners provide the perfect space and opportunity to enjoy a good meal while networking with supporters, encouraging them to mingle with one another, and say thank you for all of their contributions.

You might put together a short presentation or have a speaker chosen to give a group-wide “thank you” for the contributions made to your organization over the year. Depending on your donor management software, this can be a breeze to set up or take some time. Be sure to also include updates about the nonprofit’s progress and impact of gifts to take this presentation further.

Virtual facility tour

Essentially, a lot of the ideas that you could use for your virtual (or in-person) fundraising ideas can be taken to the stewardship sphere if you host them for free. A facility tour is a perfect example! Many of your donors, especially those who started donating during the age of social distancing, may not have seen your office space and work sites before. Showing them where the magic happens is a great way to say “thank you.”

For instance, if you’ve just finished a capital campaign that would help expand your office space, you might record a virtual facility tour that supporters can see so that they know what the campaign accomplished.

Happy hour

Happy hours are a great virtual or in-person way to relax and get to know your supporters. For less formal organizations, you might ask your supporters to meet you at a local restaurant or bar for a happy hour. Or, if you’re a part of a larger or more formal organization, you could even rent out a nice spot for a happy hour to take place.

Make sure you provide conversation starters or topics that your supporters can use to mingle with one another. You should also make sure your major gift officer has the opportunity to talk to prospects during this time and get to know them on a personal level. Similar to the luncheon or dinner idea, you might decide to host a short speech during which you can give a blanket “thank you” to all supporters who contributed.

Holiday celebrations

The holidays are an ideal time to show your appreciation for your supporters. Many holidays have gratitude and appreciation at their core, making it a great time to bring everyone together, celebrate, and show your appreciation for donors. Plus, this provides a memorable experience that you can use as a launching pad for an annual celebration.

The classic idea is to host a winter holiday celebration where you can celebrate the end of the year with your supporters. The only problem with this is that focusing on stewardship could collide with or overshadow your end-of-year fundraising season, potentially causing you to miss out on year-end donations. Instead, you might choose a different holiday season like a Spring fling, Independence Day, or Valentine’s Day to center your event around.

5. Donor appreciation gifts ideas

Who doesn’t love receiving a present? Donor appreciation gifts provide a platform to say thank you to donors at all levels. You might even decide to provide different types of merchandise or gifts for each level of supporter at your organization.

Sending gifts makes supporters feel appreciated. Plus, you can receive additional benefits from this type of appreciation strategy. When merchandise is branded to your organization, your supporters will think of your mission every time they see the merch or use items from a goodie bag. Educational materials can provide additional information about your mission, making it a great way to connect with donors while also informing them further about your organization.

Branded merchandise

Branded merchandise provides two different benefits for your organization. First, it provides a tangible item to show your appreciation for everything your supporters do for you. Second, it serves as a reminder of your organization and your mission over the months or even years.

The classic merchandise items include things like t-shirts and mugs, but you can also get incredibly creative with this idea and design anything related to your organization or your mission as a whole. For example, if you work to provide technology to schools, you might brand a power bank with your organization’s logo and with your dedicated color scheme.

Books or educational materials

Educational materials are a meaningful way to give supporters an inside look at your organization’s activities and the reason for your mission. Plus, they make a great donor appreciation gift!

Let’s say there was a particular book that influenced your leadership to launch your organization; try giving that book out to your supporters! You might even try to host an event with the book’s author if you really want to go the extra mile.

Baskets and goodie bags

When you put together branded merchandise, you’re likely going to have a number of different items to give away or sell. You may even have a number of different designs for your various campaigns. For supporters who go above and beyond, you can put together baskets and goodie bags of these items for them to enjoy.

You might even host little giveaways that all of your supporters are automatically entered into with a number of themed baskets or giveaways. This will not only show your appreciation but also provide additional incentives to give!

Coupons and discounts

You likely host a number of activities, events, and maybe even conferences that your supporters are invited to attend. And chances are that many of these opportunities aren’t free. As a sign of appreciation for those who donate to specific campaigns or above certain amounts, try offering coupons or discounts.

Again, this is an incentives program that provides a token of appreciation for supporters who contribute. For example, you might provide a discount to your annual holiday party registration for everyone who donates to your year-end campaign.

Wrapping up donor appreciation

Donor appreciation is the launching pad for stewardship and retention. It’s the first step to building lasting relationships with your supporters. Therefore, be sure to put together a concrete strategy of your own to say “thank you” to each of your donors.

You can use the various ideas and appreciation approaches throughout this guide to help design your strategy and ensure it’s up to scratch.

If you’re looking for additional advice for building relationships with supporters, consider perusing the various resources below:

• Nonprofit CRM | Complete Guide to Choosing the Best Solution. See how having the best CRM to meet your specific needs results in better relationships with donors.
• Bloomerang’s Guide to Donor Retention. Learn more about donor retention and the impact that it has on your fundraising efforts as a whole.
• Nonprofit Annual Reports [+ Template!]. See how you can create your annual report to best steward your supporters, plus check out some awesome examples to get started.

The post Donor appreciation: creating a strategy & 22+ ideas appeared first on Bloomerang.

As an essential and integral part of your fundraising strategy, your major donors should feel valued by your organization. It’s a general rule of thumb that 80% of donations come from 20% of donors, but some studies have found those numbers to be even more lopsided. Bloomerang research found that 88% of donations come from just 12% of donors!

This guide provides key insights about finding major donors and determining the right ways to engage them to solicit major gifts. We’ll cover the following:

• Major donor FAQs
• How to identify major donor prospects
• Qualifying and ranking major donors
• Tips for cultivating major donor relationships

Identifying, stewarding, and soliciting major donors takes time and effort, but it’s ultimately worth it when your organization can rely on a solid major giving foundation.

Wrapping up

While all supporters are important, don’t fall into the trap of “treating everyone like a major donor.” Cultivating your major donors takes time and dedicated relationship-building strategies, so give them the attention they deserve.

If you’re interested in learning more about major donors and your major gift strategy, check out these additional resources:

• Major Gifts 101: What You Need to Know to Raise More. Learn more about how to develop your major gift program to have the most productive conversations with your major donors.
• The Ultimate Donor Engagement Guide + Top Strategies. Major donors are highly engaged with your organization. Use this guide to develop a strategy that provides plenty of engagement opportunities.
• Donor Stewardship: Expert Tips To Build Strong Relationships. Stewardship strategies help your team develop relationships with your major donors. Review these top tips to steward your supporters.

The post How to find and engage major donors: the ultimate guide appeared first on Bloomerang.

If volunteers make up a large percentage of your nonprofit’s team, you know how important their support and dedication are in your efforts to achieve your mission. More than 75.7 million Americans volunteered in 2023, yet 26% of volunteer leaders still cite recruiting as a top challenge for their organization. Getting the right people in the right roles requires more than a sign-up form.

This guide offers insights and tactics for recruiting outstanding volunteers for your nonprofit’s events and programs—optimized for quick scanning and organized so you can jump to exactly what you need.

Volunteer recruitment FAQs

What does a volunteer recruitment plan look like? A step-by-step how-to

Use this section as a working framework. For each of the five core elements, you’ll find the inputs you need, the actions to take, a tangible output to aim for, and a brief example artifact to make it concrete.

Step 1: Define your target audience

Inputs: Volunteer history data, current roster demographics, role requirements, past campaign performance

Actions:

• Review past recruitment campaigns to identify which audience segments yielded your highest-retention volunteers.
• Build two to four volunteer personas with specific demographics, motivations, and preferred channels—one persona per major role type.

Output: Volunteer persona document with audience profiles for each major role type

Step 2: Build your case for support

Inputs: Impact data (volunteer hours logged, outcomes achieved), testimonials from current volunteers, your organization’s mission statement

Actions:

• Draft a one-paragraph “why volunteer with us” statement that speaks to both mission impact and personal benefits (skill development, networking, community connection).
• Gather two to three volunteer testimonials that reflect the experience of your target personas.

Output: A case-for-support document—the foundation for your landing page, email campaigns, and social content

Step 3: Write clear role descriptions

Inputs: Manager input on each role’s tasks, time commitment, skills required, physical requirements, and success criteria

Actions:

• Use the Who/What/When/Where/Why/How framework for every role—one completed description per open position.
• Lead with the impact of the role before describing the tasks. “You’ll help families access groceries” lands better than “You’ll stock shelves.”

Output: A library of finalized role descriptions ready to publish across all channels

Step 4: Choose your recruitment channels

Inputs: Source data on how current volunteers found you (ask them), budget for paid promotion, staff capacity per channel

Actions:

• Pick three to five primary channels based on your audience personas—for example, email, Facebook, VolunteerMatch, LinkedIn, and local media.
• Map a content plan: what you’ll post, on which channel, and how often. Assign an owner for each.

Output: A channel shortlist with posting cadence and owner for each

Step 5: Launch, track, and refine

Inputs: A volunteer management platform to track applications, conversion rates, and source data—a defined set of weekly KPIs

Actions:

• Go live with your first recruitment campaign using the assets from steps one to four.
• Check your recruitment funnel weekly: How many people saw the post? Clicked? Applied? Showed up for their first shift?

Output: A recruitment dashboard showing source data, conversion rates, and cost per volunteer

19 creative and effective volunteer recruitment strategies

1. Target the right audience

2. Share well-written role descriptions

3. Host informational sessions for prospective volunteers

4. Craft a straightforward volunteer application form

5. Optimize your digital promotion strategies

6. Take a peer-to-peer recruitment approach

7. Explore corporate volunteerism

8. Form relationships with other community organizations

9. Promote opportunities on volunteer sites

10. Connect with your local media

11. Gamify your volunteer program

12. Offer volunteer incentives

13. Make your volunteer opportunities accessible

14. Show volunteers your appreciation

15. Offer leadership opportunities to experienced volunteers

16. Gather volunteer feedback

17. Offer flexible volunteering opportunities

18. Engage young volunteers

19. Use volunteer recruitment software to stay organized

Volunteer recruitment strategy comparison matrix

Use this matrix to quickly evaluate which strategies fit your team’s capacity, budget, and goals.

Top 10 places to post volunteer roles

Not all volunteer boards are created equal. Here’s how to choose the right mix of national boards, local hubs, campus platforms, and neighborhood channels for your open roles.

Wrapping up

Your volunteers make your mission possible—they’re the ones showing up, rolling up their sleeves, and turning your organization’s goals into real-world outcomes. That’s why investing in the right recruitment strategy for each program pays off so significantly: the time you spend crafting a thoughtful plan translates directly into reliable volunteers who stick with your organization for years.

The post 19 Creative Volunteer Recruitment Ideas You Should Try appeared first on Bloomerang.

“Donor numbers have dropped by -4.5% year-over-year, with smaller donors ($1-$100) showing the sharpest decline at -8.8%. This highlights weakening grassroots support, which is critical for sustaining broad-based contributions, especially during year-end campaigns.”

New donors invigorate your nonprofit with a fresh wave of funding and engagement. And, when you properly steward and build relationships with these new donors, they can become lifelong supporters of your mission.

But first, you have to find and connect with these individuals. This guide covers the following strategies for finding and engaging new donors, separated into how to find donors in person and how to find donors online:

• How to find donors in person
• How to find donors online

Whether you’re looking to learn how to find donors online or how to connect with your local community to recruit new support, these tips are a step in the right direction for your donor acquisition strategy.

2. Invite prospective donors to getting-to-know-you events.

Donor research from BWF found that an organization’s most dedicated donors are typically individuals who:

• Know multiple people at the nonprofit
• Are friends with fellow donors
• View giving as a part of their identity and strongly connect with the nonprofit’s donor community

Getting-to-know-you events can be the perfect way to foster these relationships between donors and your nonprofit and strengthen bonds with your community.

These events can be tours of your facilities, panels with guest speakers, or informal meet-and-greets and coffee chats at your nonprofit’s headquarters. These experiences should offer information about your organization’s mission, services, goals, and ways to get involved.

Send follow-up emails to attendees to gather feedback and introduce them to additional engagement opportunities. Reference specific information you learned or interactions with them during the event to show them that you appreciate their involvement and care about forming a real relationship.

3. Build strategic partnerships with businesses.

Corporate partnerships offer win-win benefits for nonprofits and businesses. Nonprofits receive valuable fundraising and volunteer support, while businesses get a PR boost.

You can receive direct donations, in-kind donations, matching gifts, volunteer grants, and other fundraising support from businesses. These initiatives are highly lucrative but often untapped resources for nonprofits. According to Double the Donation’s corporate giving research, about $4-$7 billion in matching gift funds go unclaimed annually. Plus, 84% of survey participants say they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered, demonstrating how corporate philanthropy programs can motivate new donors to get involved.

You can also engage employees in workplace volunteering. Ask your corporate partners to spread the word about your mission or engage with these prospects directly at your events and volunteer opportunities.

4. Form relationships with other community organizations.

Similarly to corporate partnerships, forming relationships with other community organizations, like associations, civic clubs, and other nonprofits, can benefit your organization in multiple ways. You can cohost fundraising events with these organizations, share fundraising resources, and leverage both organizations’ marketing platforms to reach a wider audience of potential new donors.

Look for organizations whose missions align with yours. For example, an animal shelter and a veterinary association may work together to host an event that funds pet adoptions and teaches new pet owners how to care for their animals properly.

5. Treat volunteers as potential donors.

42% of volunteers participate in a volunteer program before deciding to donate to an organization. This statistic shows that volunteering can be a way for potential supporters to learn more about your cause and determine whether they want to support you financially as well as through volunteer work.

Use a trusted CRM system with volunteer and donor data to identify the highest-engaged volunteers. Then, steward your nonprofit’s volunteers by showing them gratitude and explaining the impact of their volunteer work. Next, send them low-commitment donation requests to gauge their interest. For example, you might ask them to contribute a $20 donation to your summer crowdfunding campaign. If they take you up on your offer, you’ll know that they may be receptive to future fundraising opportunities.

6. Turn to your board for help.

Nonprofit board members are often highly engaged in their communities, serving on multiple boards, volunteering, and forming business partnerships. These individuals can be effective ambassadors for your cause, sharing your mission with their family, friends, and colleagues.

Equip board members with talking points and resources they can use to encourage those in their networks to donate, such as your nonprofit’s annual reports or Form 990.

7. Transform donors into ambassadors.

Contact your most loyal, long-term donors to see if they’d be interested in joining your ambassador program. Host training sessions for these donors and provide them with talking points, strategies, and resources to promote your cause effectively.

Offer incentives for joining your program, such as gift cards or free branded merchandise. Present the opportunity as a way for dedicated supporters to take their involvement to the next level and grow their leadership and public speaking skills.

9. Conduct prospect research to connect with new major donors.

Use your internal donor database and external resources to identify prospective major donors who exhibit warmth toward your organization and the capacity to contribute a larger donation.

Look at the annual reports, donor recognition lists, and newsletters of similar organizations and compile a list of their donors. Ask board and staff members if they know anyone on these lists. If so, ask them to share information about your organization and invite this individual to attend one of your events or sign up for your newsletter.

However, remember that prospects will most often come from your nonprofit’s existing donor pool. Prioritize prospects who exhibit both wealth indicators (real estate and stock ownership, large previous charitable gifts, etc.) and philanthropic indicators (previous donations to your organization or similar nonprofits, a history of political giving, etc.).

10. Reach out to one-time and lapsed donors.

Your one-time and lapsed donors may still be interested in giving to your organization, but perhaps you’ve fallen off their radar, or they don’t know the best way to engage with your nonprofit regularly.

Reach out to these donors with various ways to continue their involvement, such as your monthly giving program, peer-to-peer fundraising opportunities, or upcoming fundraising events. Additionally, thank these donors for their past contributions and expressly mention their donation amounts and impact to show them the value they’ve already added to your organization.

11. Build your email list.

Email is a highly effective fundraising tool. In fact, according to the Global Trends in Giving report, 33% of donors in the U.S. and Canada say email is the communication channel that most inspires them to contribute—more than any other platform.

Collect email addresses during community events and volunteer opportunities and via your social media channels. Create a welcome series for new subscribers that introduces your organization’s mission, describes your impact on the community, and offers engagement opportunities.

Additionally, ensure your website includes a simple email registration form for visitors to sign up for your newsletter.

12. Optimize your website.

Statistics show that over half of all nonprofit website traffic comes from mobile devices, so your site must be mobile-friendly to help you engage new and current supporters alike online. Also, use your website to entice visitors with a “pop-up” offering free information and resources. Send interested individuals a welcome email and relevant informational emails over several weeks.

Finally, ensure your online donation form is easy to find and fill out. 63% of donors prefer to give online with a credit or debit card, so ensure your form can process multiple card types.

Use various call-to-action buttons and links on your homepage to attract visitors to your donation page. Then, only ask for necessary information, such as names, contact information, and payment information, to make it as convenient as possible to complete.

13. Engage with your local media.

Reach out to your local newspaper, TV station, and radio station with fascinating stories from your nonprofit’s work or beneficiary community. These news outlets often run human interest stories about people overcoming hardship or communities coming together to support those in need, and your nonprofit can be an excellent fit for those PR opportunities.

Leverage Bloomerang to acquire and steward new donors

Finding new donors and building a reliable donor pipeline takes time and dedication. Bloomerang’s donor database simplifies the process by offering all the data you need to identify and steward new donors at your fingertips. With Bloomerang, your nonprofit can:

• Conduct wealth and philanthropic screening in your donor database through a DonorSearch integration to identify top donor prospects.
• Segment supporters based on shared characteristics to send personalized messages to each group.
• Leverage clean data to support your outreach efforts—Bloomerang automatically checks for and corrects duplicate records, outdated addresses, and birth year updates.
• Grow your donor network with built-in email marketing tools, templates, and scheduled email sends.
• Evaluate donors’ feelings about your nonprofit through satisfaction surveys.
• Send yearly giving statements to thank donors for their ongoing support.

Learn more about our donor management solutions in this short video:

Wrapping Up

Use a combination of these engagement strategies to ensure you’re reaching various new donors across your numerous communication platforms.

Once you find new donors for your nonprofit, your stewardship strategy should immediately kick in. Send personalized thank-you messages, show donors the impact of their gifts, and invite them to engage in additional activities your organization offers, like volunteer events or peer-to-peer fundraising challenges.

With these strategies, you can transform your new donors into long-term supporters. Then, these supporters can recruit other new donors by sharing their fulfilling experiences, creating a cyclical process.

For more information on finding new donors and stewarding them effectively, check out these additional resources:

• Donor stewardship: key tips to build relationships. Use this guide to help you build a strong donor stewardship plan that turns new donors into lifelong supporters.
• Cultivating donor retention to grow your giving garden. Take a deep dive into the current state of donor retention and learn how to improve your nonprofit’s donor retention rate with this eBook.
• Donor welcome series email templates. Cultivate lasting connections with new donors with these email templates.

The post 13 Ways to Find New Donors for Your Nonprofit Organization appeared first on Bloomerang.

That’s why we’ve created this comprehensive article—to guide you through the ins and outs of mobile giving. We’ll cover:

• What is mobile giving?
• The primary types of mobile giving
• How does mobile giving work?
• Mobile giving trends
• Best practices for raising more through mobile giving
• How mobile giving technology can help

Benefits of mobile giving

Mobile giving helps nonprofits connect with supporters in the moments that matter most—making generosity easy, timely, and impactful. When mobile giving is part of your fundraising strategy, you unlock stronger relationships, smoother experiences, and more sustainable support.

Reach donors wherever they are

With smartphones always close at hand, mobile giving fits seamlessly into supporters’ daily lives. Whether they’re at home, at an event, or on the go, donors can give anytime, anywhere—making mobile donations simple and immediate.

Simplify the donation process

Mobile giving creates a smooth, intuitive giving experience through mobile-responsive donation pages and easy-to-use donation forms. Clear layouts and fewer steps help donors move from intent to impact with confidence.

Engage donors more effectively

Mobile giving tools make it easier to connect in personal, timely ways. Targeted mobile email campaigns and text-to-give messages reach supporters directly, helping you engage donors when they’re most attentive and ready to act.

Grow recurring donations

Mobile platforms make recurring donations easy to start and simple to sustain. By offering flexible recurring giving options, you invite supporters to turn one-time generosity into ongoing commitment—fueling long-term impact.

Capture valuable donor insights

Mobile giving platforms deliver real-time donor insights, revealing giving patterns, preferences, and engagement signals. With this clarity, you can segment smarter, personalize outreach, and build stronger donor relationships.

Boost fundraising efficiency

With automated donation processing and seamless integration with donor management systems, mobile giving helps your team work smarter. Less manual effort means more time and energy focused on advancing your mission.

At Bloomerang, we see mobile giving as a powerful way to raise more, engage more deeply, and build lasting support.

Wrapping up

Now that you’ve explored the basics of mobile giving, nothing stands in the way between your nonprofit and a successful mobile fundraising campaign.

Looking for additional mobile giving resources? Check out these educational guides:

• The Top 9 Text-to-Give Platforms To Boost Mobile Giving. Learn about the top tools available to support your mobile giving campaigns.
• 19 Incredibly Easy Online Fundraising Ideas and Expert Tips. Explore additional virtual fundraising ideas to drive supporter engagement.
• The 9 Best Volunteer Apps for Better Engagement in 2025. Find the right volunteer management app to engage supporters while on the go.

The post The Essential Nonprofit Fundraiser’s Guide to Mobile Giving appeared first on Bloomerang.

One reason behind this transformation is the rise of Millennials and Generation Z as donors—who not only are generously contributing but also are driving a shift towards modern payment methods like contactless payments.

The generosity of Millennials and Gen Z: A shaping force

Millennials and Gen Z are not just the future of charitable giving; they are actively shaping it today. Together, they wield an impressive $350 billion in buying power—yes, you read that correctly! And, these cohorts are tech-savvy, deeply committed to making a difference with social causes, and hold a significant amount of generational wealth that they are eager to give back. 84% of Millennials give to charity, donating an annual average of $481 across more than 3 organizations, while 76% of Gen Zers give online. As these cohorts mobilize to support causes they believe in, they’re becoming highly-engaged advocates, sharing information on social media, and crowdfunding donations.

Digital wallets: The preferred choice for next-gen donors

Millennial and Gen Z donors today are looking for a giving experience that aligns with their online shopping habits. That means they expect to have access to modern payment methods and digital wallet options like PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, and GooglePay. Making these digital payment options available has been shown to reduce donor checkout friction, build trust, and increase unplanned gifts by 32% and repeat donations by 79%.

That’s especially important when considering appeals to next-gen donors. As of 2023, approximately two-thirds of Millennials and Gen Z individuals have embraced digital wallets. And 78% of Gen Zers would reconsider patronizing a business that doesn’t accept digital wallet payments. But there’s no need to be concerned about leaving potential donors behind as Gen Xers are also on board, with more than half reporting that they use digital wallets more than traditional payment methods.

Always be in a position to say “Yes” to potential gifts

One of the significant advantages of embracing modern payment methods like digital wallets is that you’re more likely to receive donations. PayPal users are almost four times more likely to donate when PayPal is accepted, and donation conversions increase by over 32% when digital payment options are available. Moreover, repeat donations can surge by 76% when using PayPal.

Venmo, with more than 80 million users, offers a familiar and trusted platform for next-gen donors, who donate at more than twice the rate of non-Venmo users.

When donors find it effortless to contribute, they’re more likely to make a gift. By providing a seamless donor experience with multiple payment options, you’re more likely to see an increase in the generosity of your supporters.

Engaging next-gen donors at events using contactless payments

Fundraising events play a key role in nonprofit fundraising efforts. A significant number of attendees are often Millennials and Gen Z supporters. To cater to their tech-savvy preferences, consider integrating contactless payment methods like Bloomerang Tap to Pay. Your donors can easily contribute using Apple Pay or Google Pay with a simple tap of their smartphones. By offering a seamless way for next-gen donors to give while they’re inspired by your mission, you can boost donations.

Take advantage of next-gen payment options with Bloomerang

Digital wallets and Tap to Pay are now an integral part of Bloomerang Payments, the payment processor built exclusively for nonprofits. Deliver a better giving experience for your donors, with lower fees, better support, and no need to use a third-party provider. Bloomerang Digital Wallet options not only enhance the giving experience for donors but also make it easy for your organization to address next-gen giving preferences. Bloomerang Digital Wallet offers the ability for nonprofits to:

• Accept expanded payment options. Donors using Bloomerang fundraising tools, like donation forms, donation pages, events, and crowdfunding pages, will now see PayPal, Venmo, ApplePay, GooglePay, and Bloomerang Tap to Pay as convenient payment choices.
• Add offline donations. You can manually add offline donations processed through digital wallet platforms, including PayPal, Venmo, ApplePay, and GooglePay.
• Make the most of transparent reporting. Gain valuable insights into your fundraising efforts by tracking funds raised through digital wallet transactions.

Now’s the time to step into the future of giving

To stay relevant in today’s evolving fundraising landscape, it’s essential to adapt to the preferences of the donors of tomorrow. Consider embracing next-generation payment methods through Bloomerang Payments to:

• Effortlessly grow donations: Attract and engage new donors with mobile-friendly options.
• Save money for where it matters most: Streamline your operations and reduce administrative costs.
• Set up your organization for success: Stay ahead of the curve and build a strong donor base for the future.

Incorporating these modern payment methods isn’t just about convenience; it’s about securing your organization’s financial stability and ensuring you can continue to make a positive impact on the causes you’re passionate about. So, step into the future with Bloomerang Payments and watch your donations soar while you make giving a seamless and enjoyable experience for your donors. A bright future awaits.

The post Adopting modern payment methods to engage and keep a new generation of donors appeared first on Bloomerang.

Generosity is the heart of fundraising

Just because someone is wealthy doesn’t automatically mean they’re generous. But generosity is the key to unlocking the funds you need to propel your mission forward, and finding donors who have both wealth AND generosity is the secret to successful fundraising.

This article will show you how to identify the right donors to focus on, how to nurture them, and how savvy fundraisers can find them in their existing data.

Identifying the anatomy of generous donors

A generous donor embodies a trifecta of qualities: they’re ready, willing, and able to give.

READY signifies an active and engaged connection with your cause—an individual attending events, responding to communications, or even dedicating time through volunteering, showcasing a palpable enthusiasm for your mission.

WILLING spotlights their history of financial support for your cause. These donors have already shown a commitment to your organization through their previous contributions, displaying a genuine belief in your mission through their financial contributions.

ABLE emphasizes their wealth—specifically their financial capacity—to contribute meaningfully. These individuals possess the resources or wealth necessary to make substantial donations that significantly impact your cause.

When you find someone who embodies the readiness, willingness, and ability to give, you’ve discovered a potent force for advancing your cause—a passionate supporter with the qualities to effect transformative change. And savvy fundraisers know that focusing on these donors first can unlock your fundraising potential with less effort.

But how do you spot generous donors, especially if you’re stuck using spreadsheets or outdated systems? That’s where Bloomerang comes in.

Bloomerang simplifies the process of pinpointing potential generous donors. Predictive Giving Insights, included at no additional cost, automatically analyzes every record in your database and then spotlights ideal donors without complicated steps or complex coding.

Predictive Giving Insights is comprised of two ratings: Engagement and Generosity. Together these two measures can give you a good idea of how they can contribute to your organization. And with a little nurturing, they can bloom into an even more valuable force that can move your mission forward.

Segmentation and personalization: The secret of savvy fundraisers

Categorizing your donors into segments and then tailoring your strategies and communications can maximize engagement, retention, and contributions. To make it easy, Bloomerang provides pre-built templates that let you segment and prioritize who to focus on with just a few clicks, so you don’t have to be a data expert. Segmentation and personalization are the secrets that savvy fundraisers use to amplify engagement, retention, and contributions, paving the way for personalized interactions that build stronger connections between donors and your cause.

But not everyone in your database is going to be ideal. And that’s okay. Categorizing your donors into segments like the ones below and then tailoring your strategies and communications to them can help you maximize engagement, retention, and contributions.

Effective fundraising often involves categorizing donors and tailoring strategies to suit different segments to unlock hidden potential. This can enhance engagement and contributions. Consider these four donor categories:

• Ideal Donors (High Generosity + High Engagement): Treat them like VIPs! They already love your cause and give generously. Prioritize them for meaningful updates, impactful projects, and major gift solicitations.
• Prospective Patrons (High Generosity + Low Engagement): They’re big givers, but the flame needs fanning. Find ways to ignite their passion. Invite them to volunteer events, share personalized impact stories, and offer opportunities for deeper involvement. You might witness a meteoric rise to Ideal Donor status.
• Passionate Champions (Low Generosity + High Engagement): These aren’t just donors; they’re your cheerleaders! Channel their enthusiasm by engaging them in advocacy, volunteer opportunities, and peer-to-peer fundraising. Their dedication can inspire others to contribute, and who knows, they might surprise you with a larger gift down the line.
• Disengaged Defectors (Low Generosity + Low Engagement): Don’t give up on them just yet. A heartfelt reconnection email, a personal update on their past contributions’ impact, or a simple “thank you” can ignite their connection. You might be surprised by how a touch of appreciation rekindles their support.

Remember, segmentation isn’t a one-time exercise. As your donors evolve, so should your strategy. By analyzing their behavior and adjusting your approach accordingly, you’ll unlock a world of fundraising possibilities.

Sticking with the same old approach might feel comfortable, but it comes at a hidden cost: missed opportunities.

Consider Bloomerang an investment in your fundraising efficiency—your own data-powered assistant, identifying the donors most likely to give generously and helping you prioritize your outreach. The results? Less time chasing cold leads, more resources for meaningful engagement, and ultimately, the unlocked potential to fuel your cause to new heights.

Take the first step in finding your most generous supporters

Take a step toward a more informed, generosity-focused fundraising strategy. By taking advantage of Bloomerang Predictive Giving Insights, included as part of your subscription, your organization can unlock the full fundraising potential of your data, shifting from broad prospecting to building meaningful connections with those most likely to support your cause significantly.

How does your organization find and steward generous donors? Let us know in the comments. 

The post The True Key To Unlocking Giving Is Generosity appeared first on Bloomerang.

Some donors can cost a great deal to acquire, and then only make one gift before lapsing.

As fundraisers, we have a responsibility to raise money efficiently, investing our time and resources prudently.

For example, it wouldn’t be efficient to try to reach a big fundraising goal by asking everyone to give a small amount. We don’t want everyone to give a small gift. We want the people with the capacity to make major gifts to make them.

There’s a fundraising story about Bill Gates receiving a telemarketing call from a young student alum asking fellow Harvard alumni to donate. Interestingly, Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard after three semesters and never graduated. Even more interesting? Bill’s reply to the young student. He gave an enthusiastic yes and then asked how much other folks were giving. When the student replied that “most people were giving $500” Bill replied, “Great, I’ll give that amount as well.”

That $500 may be a large gift to some, but it’s not a large gift to Bill Gates.

In fundraising, you want the people who can give the largest gifts possible to make them.

Jerry Panas, who wrote the number one selling fundraising book to date, Asking, once said, “Your goal as a fundraiser is to get the largest gift possible, in the shortest amount of time possible, to the greatest joy of the donor.”

But how?

Where can you find your most generous donors and prospective donors?

And how do you know how much to ask for?

Where to look for your most generous donors

If you’ve ever read the book The Millionaire Next Door, then you may realize you could have very wealthy people in your records who don’t appear to have massive wealth.

They don’t drive fancy cars or live in mansions. Their net worth may surprise you because they live a very modest lifestyle.

How can you find these ‘diamonds in the rough’ who may be hiding out in plain sight?

What if you knew more about their generosity, how philanthropic they are, and what causes they hold dear?

Get to know your donors’ giving habits

Bloomerang bakes Predictive Giving Insights into the platform. Having these insights available for all your donors enables you to tailor your communications and engagement strategy specifically for that prospect or donor, deepening your philanthropic relationship.

How useful and advantageous would it be to have your donors’ motivations, giving preferences, and wealth at your fingertips as you prepare for a visit or ask?

Imagine how efficiently you could use this data to build both major and mid-level portfolios.

Instead of coming to work wondering which donors you should focus on, you’d have a system that brings hidden gems to light that you might otherwise have missed.

Ask for the right amount every time

How stressful is it to visit a donor not knowing how much to ask for?

Knowing what they’re giving to other causes and how engaged they are with you can help you ask the right donor, for the right amount, for the right project every time.

Thanks to Bloomerang’s DonorSearch integration, you have access to the Online Suite of Tools to find new donors.

You can also use the ProspectView Research tool to look up historical records of charitable and political giving by individuals, foundations, or businesses, to help move a prospect giving to similar causes to become part of your donor family.

ProspectView Research tool makes it easy to prepare for one-to-one conversations and increase the likelihood of securing gifts at the right level by understanding their interests, values, and giving capacity.

You can use the Marketing List tool to segment your audience based on past giving, wealth, and demographic data to perform targeted prospecting campaigns within your Bloomerang email tool. If you don’t have email addresses, you can add an email append to match constituents’ names and mailing addresses with their current email address.

One-size-doesn’t-fit-all

One of the most common mistakes small and medium-sized nonprofits make is having a one-size-fits-all ask string and reply device that isn’t tailored to the person receiving the appeal. You need to tailor the ask string based on their generosity. It’s a critical part of your strategy to upgrade donors. Inviting all your constituents to give the same ask amounts can cost you generous gifts and leave large sums of money on the table.

Adding DonorSearch Prospect View to Bloomerang means you can easily build segments for campaigns, enabling you to target groups of prospects for a first-time gift, mid-level donors for an upgrade gift, or lapsed donors with a smaller gift to win them back.

What’s most valuable by far, however, is that you can finally have the major gift portfolio of your fundraising dreams—filled with major gift donors and insight into their generosity.

How are you finding your most generous donors? Leave a comment below. 

The post How To Find Your Most Generous Donors appeared first on Bloomerang.

Dear Charity Clairity,

I have a question about how to attract corporate matching gifts. We receive very few, and I wonder why more donors don’t take advantage. I have a hunch many qualify for this employee benefit, but they don’t submit requests to their employers. I know all companies have different requirements, but we’re a small shop and don’t have the time to research this for everyone. Is there something I could do to help more donors access this matching money?

— Missing the BOGO

Dear Missing the BOGO,

I love the way you’ve signed your query, as this shows you definitely understand the benefit you’re missing out on. Matching gifts are truly the social benefit sector BOGO. Raise one gift, get the second gift free!

But you do need a plan. Just sitting by the phone waiting for your donor to figure it out—and do all the work—is simply not going to cut it.

So, let’s review matching gift programs, why it behooves you to invest front-end resources to leverage big wins on the back end, and what you can do to overcome participation roadblocks.

Everyone wins with corporate matching gifts

Businesses put aside matching gift money at the beginning of their fiscal year, just waiting for it to be claimed. Alas, billions of dollars are left on the table because (1) employees don’t know about this money and (2) nonprofits don’t inform their donors of the opportunity to claim these funds. Taking advantage of these  programs takes planning and commitment on your part. But at the end of the day, there’s no downside to promoting matching gifts.

Matching gifts are a win-win-win.

1. Your organization

Matching gifts lift average donation size, improve retention and donor lifetime value, and open the door to other giving. Donors prompted to envision their gift being multiplied are often inspired to give more. In fact, 1 in 3 donors will give a larger gift if a match is applied. Sometimes, this is to meet the minimum required by their employer, or sometimes even the maximum! Donors don’t like leaving money on the table any more than you do. Other times this is to reach a giving level set by you, perhaps to join a particular Giving Society. In other words, while they might never consider a $1,000 gift to join your “Angel’s Circle,” they might consider lifting their $250 gift to $500, taking advantage of the matching gift from their employer, and thereby qualifying as a $1,000 supporter. Once they’ve basked in the glow of increasing their gift, they’re more inclined to repeat their behavior. Not only does this increase personal giving, but also inclines them to advocate on your behalf for other types of corporate philanthropy, such as foundation grants, in-kind donations, or marketing support.

71% more donors respond to appeals mentioning matching gifts! Such an appeal creates a sense of urgency or FOMO, so donors feel more compelled to act. This helps you acquire new donors as well as retain and upgrade ongoing ones. Also, the corporate giving you leverage acts as a form of social proof, providing testimonials as to your worth in addressing some of the community’s most pressing problems. The more you grow corporate support, the more others in your community trust that you’re a worthwhile beneficiary of their philanthropy.

2. Corporations

Matching gifts improve employee recruitment, retention, and productivity. Employees value this benefit and what it says about their company’s commitment to social responsibility. This enhances their satisfaction, providing a sense of purpose in their work. They like having a say in where company money is donated, and these donations are tax-deductible by the company.

Matching gifts enhance brand image, improving consumer loyalty. Customers are more likely to patronize businesses they view as socially responsible.

3. Individual donors (i.e. employees)

Donors feel good when they’re able to easily amplify their giving. It’s easy for them; all they need to do is spend a few minutes completing matching gift paperwork. This extends the dopamine rush from giving, bringing greater joy. They then attribute this good feeling both to their employer and to your organization.

Employees feel good when they believe their work is supported. Because they feel satisfied with their giving and with their employer, they become more loyal to both their company and the nonprofits they support.

Matching gift challenges and finding solutions

When they know about them and they’re easy to do, donors love matching gift programs. But they need your support and guidance. Let’s review typical roadblocks and what you can do to remove them.

1. Overcome Roadblocks to Donors

Donors often don’t know that their company has a program, let alone the ins and outs. It can be cumbersome for donors to track this down, so whatever you can do to help them along the way will yield beneficial results. Here are some strategies to employ to shine a light on this opportunity and illuminate the next steps.

1. Create awareness using something as simple as “Did you know many employers will match employee donations?“
2. Note matching gift companies currently giving to you. Include links to these organizations matching gift portals, as available.
3. Provide concrete examples</ of approved matches to your organization.
4. Suggest donors reach out to their company’s human resources program to ascertain eligibility.
5. Note companies that commonly match gifts, especially if they’re located in your geographic area.
6. Consider using a searchable matching gifts database. Double the Donation 360 Match Pro is the leader; there are a few other options. You make an upfront investment in the software and reap the rewards of more donations matched, more than offsetting the cost of entry.
7. Provide donors with the information they’ll need to complete paperwork. Having a centralized matching gift landing page with your organization’s name, mailing address, contact person, email, phone number, and Employer Identification Number (EIN) will make it easy for donors.You can locate this under a “Ways to Give” dropdown menu.

NOTE: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) vendors are becoming more common. They help companies administer their programs. So to make it easier for employees and employers to direct their match to you, it’s smart to register with as many of these searchable platforms as possible (biggies are Benevity, Cyber Grants, and Your Cause).

2. Overcome roadblocks to you

When you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Put a matching gift fundraising plan in writing. Designate one person to coordinate matching gifts.They need not be full time, but by centralizing this, you’ll be more likely to (1) make acquiring these gifts a priority and (2) follow through as necessary and appropriate. For example, if a business sends you a letter or email asking you to verify an employee’s donation, you’ll want to have a process in place to take action quickly and efficiently. Otherwise, you risk letting internal employer deadlines expire and losing the gift.

The biggest roadblocks are (1) not having up-to-date employment information for your donors and (2) not having access to each employer’s matching gift program details. Here are ways to access this information so you can share it with your supporters.

1. Collect employment information early and often. Ask everywhere: on paper remits, donation confirmation, and thank you pages. On these pages, extoll the virtues of these programs, clarifying how they typically work and suggesting how much money and leverage may be available.
2. Contact major employers in your geographic area and ask them for their details. This has the added benefit of building awareness about your mission among local businesses.
3. Identify major players in global industries related to your mission and research their matching gift programs.
4. Again, use a searchable matching gifts database. This eliminates manual research, makes it easy to track changes over time, and makes communicating eligibility automatic and simple. You can automate messages so you deliver multiple reminders to folks as they progress along their philanthropic journey with you.

How roadblocks lead to revenue gaps

The truth is billions of matching dollars go unclaimed every year. Billions!

You can help donors easily access the information they need to receive their benefit. Either guide them in how to connect with their company and what questions to ask or connect them directly from your website to theirs using matching gift software. If you know what company a donor works for, you can send a link directly to their company’s matching gift page. You can also provide them with personal reminders and repeat instructions as eligibility deadlines approach.

Many more of your donors than you might think work at businesses that match donations. In fact, 65% of Fortune 500 companies match donations—that’s 26 million people. Yet without automation, only 8% of donors know their company has a program, know they’re eligible, and know how to submit their matching gift request. Lack of knowledge and confusion leads to inaction on the donor’s part, meaning the gift for which you’re eligible flies out the window.

Your job is to do something to drive eligible matching gifts to completion. Rather than sitting at your desk, wondering why your donor who works at a major financial institution never submitted a form to get their gift matched, take a more proactive stance.

• Automate emails to your donors, making them aware of the opportunity.
• Include links to your matching gift landing page to reiterate the benefits.
• Include links to a searchable matching gift database.
• After a gift is made, send emails—preferably automated—to remind donors of this potential benefit. Include “next steps” instructions.

Hopefully, missing the BOGO will now be a thing of the past!

What’s your experience with corporate matching gifts? Please let us know in the comments below.

Please use a pseudonym, like “Missing the BOGO” did, if you prefer to be anonymous.

The post [ASK AN EXPERT] What Are Best Practices To Acquire More Corporate Matching Gifts? appeared first on Bloomerang.