Today, AFP published something more concrete: a formal set of nonprofit-first considerations for platforms, reviewed by AFP’s ethics committee and endorsed by GivingTuesday and The Nonprofit Alliance. I’ve read it carefully. It deserves a specific response.

There’s a frustration I keep hearing from fundraising professionals who work on the front lines of this problem every day. Not frustration with the principles being proposed. Frustration with the gap between the principles and anything that could actually enforce them.

What actually happened

Last year, GoFundMe created 1.4 million donation pages for nonprofits. No consent. No notice. Pages timed to go live before year-end giving season, when donation volume is highest and competition for donor attention is fiercest. They pulled data from public IRS records, took a percentage of every donation, and let their pages rank above the organizations’ own websites.

Nonprofits found out by accident. A board member googling the organization. A donor asking a question. What they found was a page collecting money in their name, with no access to donor information, no way to thank anyone who gave, and no path to a relationship. To claim the page, they had to accept GoFundMe’s binding arbitration terms.

This was not a product launch that moved too aggressively. It was not an engineering team that didn’t think through the implications. It was a calculated decision to build a revenue stream on assets that belong to someone else. The identity. The mission. The donor trust that nonprofits spend years earning.

When I wrote about it at the time, I called it a full-frontal assault on donor trust. I’d use the same words today.

What AFP got right, and where the gap remains

AFP’s considerations document names the GoFundMe behavior directly. Consideration two says platforms may not proactively promote a nonprofit’s donation link in search results unless the nonprofit or a supporter has actively created a campaign. That is the GoFundMe problem, in plain language, called out as unacceptable. The sector has now said, in writing, that what happened was wrong.

The fee transparency provisions are right. The data portability provisions are right. Nonprofits should own their donor relationships. Donors should know what percentage of their gift actually arrives. These are the right principles.

My question is still the same one. What does a platform lose by ignoring them?

The endorsement language from GivingTuesday and The Nonprofit Alliance commits to “working alongside… to gather feedback, build alignment, and strengthen these ideas over time.” More process. More dialogue. No consequences.

Self-regulatory principles work when the parties involved have aligned incentives to follow them. Platforms and nonprofits don’t have aligned incentives. GoFundMe created unauthorized pages and captured year-end donations. It made money. The nonprofits those pages represented lost donor relationships. The principles proposed after the fact didn’t change that math. They didn’t cost GoFundMe anything.

That is the accountability problem. Not the content of the principles. The absence of consequences.

What real accountability requires

The organizations behind these efforts set the professional standards this sector runs on. AFP defines what ethical fundraising looks like for tens of thousands of professionals. GivingTuesday mobilizes millions of donors and nonprofits around the world every year. The Nonprofit Alliance advocates on behalf of organizations across the country.

Employers that run matching programs ask these organizations which platforms to use. Community foundations ask which platforms they should recommend. Major donors ask which platforms are trustworthy. Small nonprofits across the country look to these organizations for guidance on where to direct their supporters.

They don’t endorse platforms. But they define what acceptable behavior looks like. That’s real authority.

A public standard isn’t a product recommendation. It’s a line. When AFP says a practice is inconsistent with ethical fundraising, fundraising professionals pay attention. When GivingTuesday and The Nonprofit Alliance say the same, employers running matching programs pay attention. Foundations pay attention. The platforms themselves pay attention.

That influence is an asset. Right now it’s not being used like one.

Real accountability looks like this: sector organizations establish clear, public behavioral standards for giving platforms. Platforms that meet those standards earn endorsement. Platforms that don’t lose that endorsement. Publicly. With an explanation of why.

That removal has to matter enough that platforms change behavior to get it back. That’s what a consequence looks like.

On fee transparency specifically: the AFP considerations list it as a nonnegotiable. I agree. But we’ve been talking about fee transparency in this sector for years and donors still regularly don’t know what percentage of their gift actually arrives. If something is genuinely nonnegotiable, there has to be a cost for not doing it. Inclusion in a public scorecard. Loss of a certification. Something a platform’s leadership has to explain to its board.

The opt-in versus opt-out debate is a distraction from the more important question. It’s not about a default setting. It’s about whether a platform can use a nonprofit’s identity and donor relationships as raw material for a revenue model without that organization’s knowledge or agreement. The answer to that question should not be determined by a checkbox. It should be determined by whether the sector has decided this behavior is acceptable. Right now, the answer appears to be: acceptable enough.

What I’m asking for

I understand the nervousness about legislation. State attorneys general acting independently, mandatory opt-in rules written without sector input, legal frameworks that make no distinction between fundamentally different platforms. These are real risks. The organizations arguing against blunt legislative approaches are right to flag them.

But you can’t tell state regulators to stand down and then offer a principles document in return. That’s not a trade. State regulators are acting because someone has to. If sector organizations want to fill that role, they need to fill it with actual authority. Not aspirational standards.

AFP’s document calls these considerations “a baseline and a starting point.” The sector now has a shared, written definition of what good platform behavior looks like. The next step is deciding what it costs platforms to fall short of it.

Fundraising professionals at AFP ICON this week know exactly which organizations in their communities got hurt. They know about the small food bank that discovered a GoFundMe page collecting donations in its name and couldn’t do anything about it without a lawyer. The animal shelter that lost months of donor acquisition because a third-party page was outranking its own site. The youth arts program whose executive director spent a week trying to navigate a claims process designed to frustrate her.

These organizations don’t need a framework. They need the sector to treat protecting them as the actual job.

Principles are where accountability starts. Consequences are what make it real. The sector has the authority to create those consequences. The question is whether it’s willing to use it.

The post Accountability Means Consequences. It’s Time the Nonprofit Sector Acted Like It. appeared first on Bloomerang.

In 2026, a modern nonprofit website fuels everything from donor growth to volunteer recruitment to corporate partnerships. This guide walks through effective best practices for design, messaging, search engine optimization, accessibility, and fundraising flows built specifically for organizations like yours.

Why your nonprofit website matters more than ever

For many supporters, your fundraising website is their very first introduction to your work. Before they attend an event or speak with your team, they explore your digital home. In many ways, it’s as meaningful as your physical office because it’s where curiosity becomes connection.

A strong site supports multiple goals at once:

• Collecting gifts from one time donations to monthly giving
• Volunteer signups and engagement opportunities
• Event registrations and advocacy actions
• Educating your community about your cause

Grantmakers and corporate sponsors regularly review nonprofit websites while evaluating potential partners. Clear storytelling and transparency on your site can directly influence funding decisions. A modern, easy-to-navigate digital presence helps supporters feel confident saying yes.

With a platform like Bloomerang, website activity—forms, donations, event registrations—automatically flows into your donor database. That means your website becomes the heartbeat of your fundraising system, not just an online brochure.

Fundraising website essentials: what every site should include

Every effective nonprofit website includes a core set of pages and features. Here’s what to prioritize:

Each essential page should feature at least one clear call to action: donate, subscribe, volunteer, register, or download. Keep layouts clean and scannable, with strong headings and one or two compelling visuals per page.

Trust matters deeply to donors. Link your EIN, 501(c)(3) status confirmation, annual report, audited financials, and board list clearly from your footer and an “Accountability” or “Financials” page.

Most importantly, ensure every form—donation, volunteer, event, newsletter—connects directly to your donor management system, like Bloomerang. This keeps your data organized and gives you a complete, 360-degree view of every supporter journey.

Build a clear, consistent nonprofit brand online

Your website is your digital front door. Your logo, colors, fonts, imagery, and tone all work together to communicate who you are and why your mission matters.

Start with a simple brand kit:

• One primary logo (plus a simplified version for small spaces)
• A 2–3 color palette
• 1–2 web-safe typefaces
• A simple photo style guide (candid program photos, minimal filters, diverse representation)

Apply this consistently across every touchpoint. Your donate button should look the same on every page. Programs should use consistent iconography. Email templates should reflect your website’s design.

When organizations unify their visual identity across their website and communications, they often see measurable increases in online revenue and donor engagement within 6–12 months.

Bloomerang supports this consistency with branded donation pages and emails that mirror your website’s look and feel. When supporters move from your homepage to your donation form, the experience feels seamless, building confidence and momentum.

Design a homepage that answers “who, what, why, and how” in 5 seconds

Your homepage is prime real estate. Visitors quickly decide whether to explore further. A well-structured homepage answers four questions immediately: Who are you? What do you do? Why does it matter? How can I help?

Hero section

• Clear headline stating your nonprofit’s mission
• Subheadline with a brief value proposition
• Primary CTA button (typically “Donate Now”) in a contrasting color
• One powerful image or short background video from real programs (not stock photos)

Below the fold

• Short “Who we are” block (2–3 sentences)
• Quick impact snapshot with current data (e.g., “In 2025, we provided 12,300 meals in Denver”)
• 2–3 pathways: donate, get help, get involved

Research shows donation buttons in hero banners convert up to 30% higher than buried links. Make your button bold, clear, and visible in the navigation bar on every page.

Try the “5-second rule.” Show your homepage to someone new for five seconds, then ask: What does this organization do? How could you get involved? Refine your messaging until the answers are crystal clear.

Write donor-centered, action-driven copy

Your content should highlight the donor’s role and the beneficiary’s experience. Keep language clear and welcoming and provide context for any specialized terms.

Practical tips for website copywriting

• Use “you” language to speak directly to supporters
• Keep sentences short and paragraphs easy to scan
• Include specific examples (“$50 supplies one month of tutoring for a high school student in Chicago”)
• Lead with benefits
• Trim extra words

Every nonprofit website needs three foundational copy assets:

• One-sentence mission statement: Clear, memorable, and action-oriented
• 2–3 sentence elevator pitch: For the homepage hero section
• At least one short, emotional story: On the impact or programs page

Align your tone across your fundraising website, emails, and donation receipts. Friendly, hopeful consistency builds emotional connection.

Bloomerang’s email and landing page tools allow you to reuse your strongest website messaging for campaigns and stewardship—reinforcing your voice across every channel.

Turn stories into credible impact proof

Powerful impact stories blend heart and evidence. Begin with a human moment, then anchor it with data:

“Maria came to our food pantry last November, uncertain how she’d feed her three children through the holidays. Thanks to donors like you, she left with two weeks of groceries and connections to job training. In 2024, 287 families received similar support through our hunger relief program.”

This approach gives supporters both emotional connection and credible proof.

Feature at least one story prominently on your homepage or impact page. Refresh stories quarterly to keep your content dynamic and inspiring.

Bloomerang’s reporting can help you identify which programs and stories resonate most so you can spotlight what drives generosity.

Include third-party validation when possible: media coverage, charity watchdog ratings, or partner testimonials. These signals reinforce trust, especially for first-time donors.

Design for user-friendly navigation and accessibility

User experience (UX) comes down to this: how easily can visitors find what they need and take action?

Keep your primary navigation simple—5–7 top-level items:

• About
• Programs
• Impact
• Get Involved
• Events
• Blog
• Donate

Make “Donate” a visually distinct button in your brand color.

Test your site with a “three-click” rule. Can someone reach your donation page, program details, or contact information within three clicks? Streamlined navigation keeps energy focused on impact.

Accessibility fundamentals matter:

• Add descriptive alt text to all images
• Ensure sufficient color contrast (WCAG 2.1 guidelines)
• Enable keyboard navigation
• Use descriptive link text
• Test across browsers

Accessible design benefits every visitor and expands your reach to more potential supporters.

Make your fundraising website responsive and fast on mobile

More than 60% of nonprofit traffic now comes from smartphones. A mobile-responsive site invites supporters to give and engage wherever they are.

Strong mobile design includes:

• Single-column layouts
• Large tap targets (at least 44×44 pixels)
• Legible fonts without zooming
• Simple, mobile-friendly forms
• Adequate white space

Site speed matters, too. Pages that load within three seconds keep visitors engaged. To improve performance:

• Compress images
• Limit unnecessary scripts and plugins
• Use reliable hosting
• Test with tools like Google PageSpeed Insights

Complete your donation process on your own phone. Notice every moment of friction—and smooth it out.

Bloomerang’s online giving pages are mobile responsive by design, helping you improve usability and performance with ease.

Optimize for search (SEO), content, and discoverability

Search engine optimization (SEO) helps supporters find you when they search for terms like “food pantry near me” or “STEM nonprofit in Boston.”

Five foundational steps

• Use unique page titles and meta descriptions (under 60 characters)
• Include location and cause-related keywords
• Create descriptive URLs (/volunteer-opportunities)
• Give each page a clear topic
• Add descriptive alt text with relevant keywords

Examples of high-intent keywords

• “Volunteer opportunities in Dallas”
• “Donate to refugee relief 2026”
• “Animal shelter near Austin Texas”
• “Climate nonprofit taking donations”

Integrate keywords naturally into headings and body copy. Aim to publish at least one new blog post or update per month, and share it through email and social media.

Pair web analytics with Bloomerang’s reporting to see which content inspires donations and signups so you can invest your energy where it matters most.

Use a blog and resource hub to educate and attract supporters

A blog strengthens search visibility and gives supporters meaningful updates between campaigns.

Content ideas

• Beneficiary success stories
• Program updates with outcomes
• Behind-the-scenes team features
• FAQs about your cause
• Event recaps with photos and results

A sustainable cadence for small teams is 1–2 posts per month. Consistency builds momentum.

Include 1–2 tailored calls to action per post:

• After a story: “Help us create more moments like this—donate today.”
• After a policy update: “Sign up for advocacy alerts.”
• After an event recap: “Register for our next gathering.”

Repurpose newsletters, annual reports, and campaign updates into blog content to extend their reach.

Tagged and organized content can power segmented journeys in Bloomerang—turning your blog into an active stewardship tool.

Turn your nonprofit website into a fundraising engine

Your website should make giving simple, meaningful, and rewarding.

Design a standout donation page

The best donation pages focus attention on completing the gift:

• Minimal navigation
• 3–4 suggested giving amounts with impact labels
• Clear security indicators and tax-deductibility statement
• Mobile-friendly layout
• Prominent mission reminder

Impact labels bring generosity to life:

Streamline your donation form

Include essential fields:

• Name
• Email
• Donation amount
• Payment information
• Optional tribute fields

Follow up later for additional information through surveys or stewardship emails.

Prioritize recurring giving

Monthly donors fuel sustainable growth. They give consistently, stay engaged, and provide predictable revenue.

Best practices:

• Make “Make this a monthly gift” clearly visible
• Share why monthly support matters
• Suggest at least one monthly amount with impact language
• Offer a thoughtful incentive if appropriate

Progress bars and urgency elements can increase gifts by 11%. Invite donors into shared momentum.

Bloomerang unites giving pages, recurring tools, and integrated email acknowledgments—so you can launch campaigns and steward donors from one place.

Integrate events, peer-to-peer, and other ways to give

Event pages should clearly include:

• Date, time, and location
• Ticket options and pricing
• Event schedule
• “Add to calendar” links
• Donate CTA for supporters who can’t attend

Create a comprehensive “Ways to Give” page featuring:

• Employer matching gifts
• Stock and securities gifts
• Donor-advised funds
• Legacy and planned giving
• Workplace giving programs

Provide toolkits for peer-to-peer fundraisers, including sample emails and graphics.

When all giving channels integrate into a CRM like Bloomerang, every interaction lives in one unified record, empowering smarter stewardship.

Connect your website to donor management and data

A nonprofit website is most powerful when every form, donation, and signup automatically updates your donor records. No more spreadsheets. No more lost data. No more duplicate entries.

Fundraising website forms should feed into a centralized donor database like Bloomerang, capturing:

• Source (homepage, campaign, event)
• Gift type
• Communication preferences
• Program interests
• Entry point

Use tracking tools like UTM parameters and analytics goals to see which pages drive the most engagement. Then:

• Refine CTAs
• Invest in top-performing content
• Build segmented email journeys
• Personalize follow-up

Insight changes everything.

Security, compliance, and trust signals

Website security supports confident giving.

Security essentials include:

• SSL certificate (HTTPS)
• Secure, PCI-compliant payment processing
• Regular updates
• Strong passwords
• Regular backups

Cyberattacks and data breaches have affected nonprofits in recent years, with incidents rising approximately 22% annually. Online donors are increasingly sensitive to data privacy—and one breach can destroy years of trust-building.

Clear privacy policies written in plain language reinforce trust. Visual signals supporters recognize include:

• Lock icon in browser bar
• Payment processor logos
• Charity watchdog badges
• Testimonials
• Up-to-date financial information

Using a trusted platform like Bloomerang for donation processing adds reassurance. You can note on your donation page: “Your gift is processed securely through Bloomerang, a trusted nonprofit giving platform.”

Putting it all together: a 90-day nonprofit website improvement plan

Meaningful progress happens step by step. Here’s a focused 90-day roadmap:

Days 1–30: Quick wins

• Clarify homepage copy
• Add or strengthen donate buttons
• Fix broken links
• Update photos
• Connect all forms to your donor database
• Add EIN and 501(c)(3) confirmation to footer
• Test mobile donation flow

Days 31–60: Deep work

• Simplify navigation
• Redesign donation page
• Launch or refresh blog
• Standardize branding
• Add impact stories with data
• Update “Ways to Give” page
• Improve accessibility

Days 61–90: Optimization and measurement

• Review analytics
• A/B test CTAs and headlines
• Publish new content
• Set tracking goals
• Create maintenance schedule
• Document wins

Metrics to track

Pair your website improvements with Bloomerang optimization to ensure every new visitor becomes part of a stronger retention and fundraising strategy.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Final thoughts

Your website can become your most dedicated team member—sharing your story, inviting generosity, and turning curiosity into commitment. Start with one section this week, track your progress, and watch your online fundraising grow.

Ready to connect your website to a donor management platform that helps you raise more and retain more supporters? Explore how Bloomerang can help.

The post Nonprofit Fundraising Website Best Practices appeared first on Bloomerang.

This blog is about the latter.

At Bloomerang, we’ve spent years building toward a simple but demanding promise: one platform that allows nonprofit staff to focus on what truly matters. Serving their causes. Sharing their stories. Building real relationships with the people who believe in their mission.

The promise of the Giving Platform is not more features or more time spent in software. It’s the opposite. It’s about giving nonprofit teams clarity faster, helping them uncover insights they never had access to before, and enabling them to act with confidence—while spending the least possible time inside the system to do it.

That promise has guided every hard decision we’ve made along the way. In 2026, our focus is clear: delivering fully on that promise—not in theory, but in the daily lived experience of nonprofit teams.

If there has ever been a time to be excited about making complex problems work simply, this is it.

The hard work we did first

For nonprofits, fundraising has never lacked heart. It has lacked infrastructure that respects time, context, and continuity.

Most nonprofits move from one fundraising moment to the next—events, appeals, campaigns—without the benefit of momentum compounding behind the scenes. Each effort generates insight, engagement, and signals from supporters, but too often those signals are trapped in disconnected tools so teams feel like they’re from scratch with each new initiative.

That feeling is understandable—but it’s also deeply misleading. Opportunity never resets. The system and tools you trust just fail to carry that opportunity forward.

That’s the problem we set out to solve first.

In 2025, we made a deliberate choice to do the hard work of unifying the core of nonprofit operations. Not slapping logos on acquired tools. Not loosely integrating data. Not bolting separate systems together and calling it a day. But building a single Giving Platform where donor activity, fundraising performance, volunteer engagement, and payments live together and reinforce one another.

That foundation is now real—and it’s already delivering measurable impact.

Nonprofits using the complete Bloomerang Giving Platform grow 1.5x faster than those relying on disconnected tools. They see an average 22% increase in the number of monthly recurring donations, and those recurring gifts are 58% larger than the industry average. Organizations using the full platform also achieve meaningfully higher donor retention year over year.

These results don’t come from working harder or adding complexity. They come from clarity. When systems are unified, insight compounds. Decisions improve. And teams stop losing ground between fundraising moments.

That was the work that had to come first.

Deepening the Giving Platform—so the work feels seamless

With that foundation in place, the question for 2026 is not whether the Giving Platform works. It does.

The question is how far we can take it.

Nonprofits using the full platform can already see how donors, volunteers, and prospective supporters behave across moments that used to live in isolation. Engagement is no longer fragmented. Patterns are visible. Momentum carries forward instead of resetting after every campaign.

In 2026, our focus is on deepening that experience—making the platform feel seamless in daily work, not just conceptually unified. This is the year we remove even more friction so insight surfaces faster, actions feel more confident, and nonprofit teams spend less time navigating systems and more time advancing their mission.

That focus centers on three deliberate areas:

First, deepening the platform itself.
We are strengthening the connective tissue across fundraising activity, constituent data, volunteer engagement, and payments so every interaction contributes to a single, continuous story. The goal is to eliminate the sense of “starting over” and allow learning, relationships, and results to compound naturally over time.

Second, delivering AI that works for fundraisers.
This is not AI layered onto disconnected data providing generic answers. Let’s be honest, you could just use Chat GPT for that. Bloomerang’s AI fundraising partner, Penny, is grounded in your data stored securely within the Giving Platform and informed by real nonprofit best practice–over 2,000 consulting wins to be exact. Its role is to surface what matters, explain why it matters, and help teams know where to focus next—without replacing judgment or human connection. AI should remove analytical friction, not add cognitive load.

Third, continuing fundraising innovation where performance matters most.
From checkout optimization to continuously improving conversion, we are taking responsibility for the mechanics of giving. Nonprofit teams shouldn’t have to become experts in optimization just to raise more. High performance should be built in, not bolted on. In 2026 all our customers will benefit from a dedicated team that will continually optimize the giving performance for free!

The promise we’re ready to deliver

Across all three areas, the principle is the same. Technology should expand human capacity, not compete with it. It should make insight easier to reach, decisions easier to trust, and action easier to take—while demanding as little time as possible in return.

That is how we deliver on the promise of the Giving Platform.

Less time managing systems.
More time serving causes.
More space to share stories that inspire generosity.

The post Bloomerang’s Vision for 2026: Living the Promise of One Platform appeared first on Bloomerang.

Bloomerang’s latest national survey of 1,000 U.S. donors reveals a landscape full of opportunity for organizations ready to meet supporters where they are. These findings don’t just point to what’s changing—they point to what’s possible.

Because when nonprofits have the right insights, tools, and support, more is always within reach.

1. Younger donors are redefining why they give—and how they want to experience impact

Mission alignment still matters most for Americans overall (37%), and two-thirds of donors give because they want to feel like they’re making a difference (67%). But younger generations are rewriting the rules of what motivates generosity.

Gen Z gives for connection—real, human connection

• They’re twice as likely as Baby Boomers to give after a positive engagement with a nonprofit (20% vs. 11%).
• Only 51% say “making a difference” motivates them—far lower than Boomers (76%).
• And 21% have been inspired to give by a celebrity or influencer.

This isn’t apathy. It’s a signal. Gen Z wants philanthropy to feel interactive, communal, and emotionally aligned with how they show up in the world.

Millennials are driven by values—and validation

• 43% prioritize alignment with their personal values.
• 1 in 7 are motivated by recognition.
• And 1 in 7 have donated out of spite (to counteract a policy, person or organization they disagree with)—an unexpected reminder that emotion shows up in complex ways across giving decisions.

Older generations still anchor the sector

Baby Boomers and Gen X continue to be motivated by appreciation (21% and 16%). Their consistency is a reminder that stewardship grounded in gratitude still matters deeply.

What this means for nonprofits

Younger donors aren’t harder to reach—they simply want relationships shaped around insight and intention. With AI-enhanced tools, nonprofits can create recognition moments that feel personal, tailor journeys that reflect individual motivations, and surface the right stories at the right time. Connection isn’t luck—it’s guided by insight.

2. Digital giving isn’t emerging anymore—it’s the default

Donation sites (42%) and nonprofit websites (41%) lead as the top giving channels nationwide. Millennials in particular gravitate toward website giving (48%). But the most surprising insight?

Gen Z is twice as likely as Gen X or Millennials to donate via direct mail

This younger generation wants omnichannel, memorable engagement—not just digital-first touchpoints.

Meanwhile:

• Social campaigns are major drivers for Gen Z (24%) and Millennials (22%).
• Baby Boomers (2%) and Gen X (9%) participate far less.

What this means for nonprofits

Donor journeys are no longer linear—they’re a constellation of interactions. Every channel matters. Every touchpoint has potential.

AI can help nonprofits:

• Personalize website experiences
• Predict which channels will convert different donor groups
• Optimize donation flows in real time
• Reduce friction at every step

Digital isn’t replacing traditional channels—it’s amplifying them. The organizations that thrive will be those that welcome donors in, wherever they show up.

3. Donor trust is powerful—and perishable

Recurring giving remains a foundation of stability: 70% of Americans have given on a recurring basis, driven by mission belief (54%) and impact updates (22%). But younger donors pull back faster when trust erodes.

Gen Z is the most likely generation to stop giving due to loss of trust (14%). And they’re more likely than any other age group to disengage due to over-communication.

For them, trust is built through:

• Transparency
• Clarity
• Meaningful, timely communication
• Respect for their time and attention

What this means for nonprofits

This is where intelligent technology isn’t just helpful—it’s transformative.

AI can:

• Predict donor churn
• Calibrate email frequency
• Craft personalized impact updates
• Surface opportunities to re-engage supporters before they drift

Trust grows when supporters feel seen, understood, and appreciated. Bloomerang’s Giving Platform is designed to help nonprofits strengthen that connection with less guesswork and more confidence.

4. Americans want to be generous—and many can give more than expected

Even in a year marked by financial uncertainty, the desire to give remains strong:

• 75% of Americans say they’d give more than $1,000 if they won the lottery.
• Nearly half would give over $10,000.

Even though many families are feeling the squeeze, our data shows younger generations are more likely to have meaningful discretionary income. Seventeen percent of Gen Z report having $1,500–$3,000 left after essentials each month (vs. 13% of Gen X and 14% of Baby Boomers), and 6% of Millennials say they have $3,000–$5,000 left—compared to just 2% of Gen X and 3% of Boomers. As their earning power grows, so does the runway for future generosity.

What this means for nonprofits

There is abundance all around us. The opportunity lies in inspiring it. With more tailored messaging, frictionless giving experiences, and data-driven storytelling, nonprofits can unlock generosity that’s already waiting to be tapped.

The desire is there. The potential is real. The path is clearer than ever.

The bottom line: generosity isn’t shrinking. It’s shifting—and strengthening.

Our sector is entering a new era—one where donors expect more from the organizations they support, and nonprofits finally have the tools to deliver experiences that match those expectations.

The data tells a hopeful story: When nonprofits connect intentionally, communicate transparently, and steward thoughtfully, generosity grows.

This is why Bloomerang exists: To help nonprofits raise more, retain more, and ignite the relationships that fuel lasting impact. With insight, intelligence, and human-centered design at their fingertips, organizations can step into the next year with confidence.

Because the potential of purpose is limitless. And the future of generosity—your future—is brighter than it seems.

The post The future of generosity: what Americans are telling us about how they’ll give in 2026 appeared first on Bloomerang.

Since our original post, GoFundMe has issued an updated statement and announced policy changes in response to nonprofit and donor backlash. The platform now states that nonprofit pages will be opt-in only going forward, and that unverified or unclaimed pages will be removed or de-indexed from search.

Additionally, GoFundMe is:

• Removing nonprofit logos from unclaimed pages.
• Making tip suggestions optional and clearer for donors.
• Committed to phasing out all unclaimed pages.

While these are positive steps, existing unclaimed pages may still be active, so nonprofits should continue to verify their presence on GoFundMe and take action where needed. If you already have a claimed GoFundMe page and would like to take it down, you can follow the steps listed below to do so.

What Happened

In mid-October 2025, news outlets reported that GoFundMe Pro automatically created more than 1.4 million donation pages for organizations registered as nonprofits across the United States—without those organizations’ direct consent or knowledge.

These “auto-generated” pages were designed to help donors discover and give to nonprofits through the GoFundMe platform. However, many organizations were unaware these pages existed, had not authorized them, and did not have clear information about how funds would be processed or disbursed.

In addition to automatically creating these pages, GoFundMe added an optional “tip” to each donation form, suggesting that donors contribute an additional 14–16.5% to support the platform. This tip is in addition to a 2.2% transaction fee plus $0.30 per donation for nonprofits using GoFundMe Pro. For individual fundraisers, that processing fee increases to 2.9% plus $0.30 per donation.

While GoFundMe states that the tip helps cover operational costs, many nonprofit professionals are raising concerns about transparency, donor confusion, and the potential impact on donor trust and conversion rates.

Why It Matters

Even with GoFundMe’s corrective actions, nonprofits must remain vigilant. Automatically created donation pages and tipping prompts raise important questions for nonprofits—particularly as organizations prepare for year-end giving, when donor trust and visibility are crucial.

Donor Trust

In an age of phishing scams and online bad actors, the public is more alert than ever to potential fraud—and more protective of their personal and financial information. When donors encounter unexpected or unfamiliar donation pages—or are asked to pay extra fees—they may hesitate or abandon their gift altogether. Supporters want assurance that their contribution is going directly to the organization they care about, through a secure and trusted channel. Any uncertainty or inconsistency in that experience can quickly erode confidence and damage long-term trust.

Transparency and Stewardship

Nonprofits rely on clarity and ownership of their fundraising tools—not just to process gifts, but to build relationships. When donation pages exist outside of a nonprofit’s control, the organization loses access to vital donor data and can’t properly or promptly follow up with supporters. That lack of visibility makes it harder to thank donors, issue timely receipts, or share the impact of their gift—all key parts of effective stewardship. These missed moments can weaken relationships and limit opportunities to deepen donor engagement.

Search Visibility and SEO

Auto-generated donation pages can appear high in search results—sometimes even above a nonprofit’s own verified website—and we’ve already seen this happen to organizations preparing for year-end giving. When that occurs, donors may be unintentionally diverted away from official donation pages, and the nonprofit’s hard-earned visibility can take a hit.

The longer these unauthorized pages remain active, the more likely they are to impact your AI-powered search and SEO rankings, potentially pushing your organization lower in search results. For nonprofits that have invested time and resources to secure that #1 spot, this sudden shift right before the giving season can significantly reduce discoverability and gift conversions.

As of 10/24:

Even as GoFundMe begins de-indexing, nonprofits should audit search results for their name and donation keywords (e.g., “Your Nonprofit Name donate”) to ensure their official giving pages appear first.

The Impact of Tipping on Donor Experience

Many third-party platforms now ask donors to add a “tip” at checkout—often between 10% and 20%—to cover technology costs. While this model may seem helpful, research shows it can reduce donation completion rates and create confusion about where a donor’s money actually goes. When supporters realize part of their gift doesn’t reach the nonprofit but instead supports a for-profit platform, it can erode trust and discourage future giving. The giving moment should always be simple, transparent, and aligned with the donor’s intent.

As of 10/24:

Default tipping options (previously set around 15–17%) confused donors who thought these were mandatory or that they went to the nonprofit. Although GoFundMe has clarified and modified this, nonprofits should still communicate clearly on their own giving pages about any platform fees or optional tips.

What Nonprofits Can Do

There are several steps you can take right now to ensure your donors find and give through trusted, official channels.

1. Check Whether You Have an Automatically Created Page

Go to GoFundMe’s Nonprofit Search and search for your organization’s name or EIN. If a page appears that you did not create, make note of the URL and when you found it.

2. Remove the page 

If you find an unauthorized GoFundMe page for your organization, the best course of action is to have it taken down immediately. Leaving it live—even for a few weeks—can cause long-term harm to your visibility in Google and confuse donors who are looking for your official website. The longer these pages persist, the greater the likelihood they’ll compete with you.

If you discover that donations have already been made, confirm those funds are properly transferred to your organization before requesting full page removal. Once funds are cleared, your goal should be to remove your account and ensure the page is fully delisted. You can request page removal directly through GoFundMe’s data privacy channels.

Option 1: Request form removal 

• Submit a takedown notice through the Data Removal Form: https://preferences.gofundme.com
• Or email one or both contacts: privacy-requests@gofundme.com and dpo@gofundme.com

When submitting your request, include:

• Your full legal nonprofit name and EIN
• A statement of authorization confirming you represent the organization
• The URLs of any unauthorized pages
• A direct request to remove, delist, and de-index all pages using your organization’s name

Use clear phrases such as “unauthorized charitable solicitation” and “brand misuse.”  If your organization is based in California, you may also reference California Government Code §12599.9, which requires fundraising platforms to verify charities before listing them.

Option 2: Request Removal Through an Account (if funds were collected)

If donations have been processed and GoFundMe will not distribute funds to you without a user account, you may need to create a temporary GoFundMe account to access and transfer the funds to your nonprofit. Once the funds are cleared, immediately request that the account and page be closed and de-indexed.

Tip: Keep records of all communications and confirm via search results that the page has been fully removed. Taking this step protects your nonprofit’s digital presence, ensures donor data and funds flow through trusted channels, and helps you maintain the integrity of your donor relationships—especially during the critical year-end giving season.

3. Audit Your Own Donation Forms for Clarity Around Fees and Tips

Review your current online giving experience to make sure donors clearly understand where every dollar of their gift goes.

• Log in to your donation or payment platform and preview the checkout process as if you were a donor.
• Look for any line items labeled “tip,” “support this platform,” or “cover processing costs.”
• If these options are included, make sure the purpose of each fee is crystal clear—donors should never have to guess whether a fee supports your nonprofit’s mission or a technology provider.
• Use plain, transparent language so donors know exactly how their contribution is allocated.

A clear giving experience builds trust and confidence. When donors understand exactly where their money goes, they’re more likely to give—and to give again.

4. Direct Donors to Your Official Giving Channels

Remind your supporters where to give safely and directly:

• Make sure your official donation link is easy to find on your website, social media profiles, and Google Business listing.
• If supporters mention giving through another platform, guide them back to your verified donation form.

Add a short reassurance message to your website such as, “Your gift goes directly to our mission when you donate through our official site.”

5. Strengthen Your Website’s Visibility

Maintain consistent branding and messaging across all donation touchpoints. Consistency reinforces credibility, and credibility builds donor trust.

• Keep URLs clean, short, and recognizable.
• Use your nonprofit’s name in your page titles and meta descriptions.
• Share your official donation link frequently in newsletters and social media posts.
• Monitor website analytics for referral traffic from third-party fundraising platforms.

FAQ: GoFundMe auto-generated donation pages

What exactly did GoFundMe do?

In October 2025, GoFundMe automatically created over 1.4 million donation pages for U.S. nonprofits. Many of them were without the charities’ knowledge or consent. The pages looked official and accepted donations on the nonprofits’ behalf, sparking backlash across the nonprofit sector.

Why did GoFundMe create donation pages without permission?

GoFundMe claimed it wanted to make it easy to “discover and donate to nonprofit organizations” by building pages from public IRS and PayPal Giving Fund data. Critics argue it was a way for the company to collect tips and processing fees on donations without getting nonprofits’ consent first.

What has GoFundMe changed in response?

In a recent statement, GoFundMe announced a major policy reversal.

• Nonprofit pages will now be opt-in only.
• Unverified/unclaimed pages will be removed or hidden from search (de-indexed).
• Logos have been removed from pages not claimed by nonprofits.
• Tips to GoFundMe are now optional and clearly disclosed.

Even with these changes, existing pages may still be visible, so every nonprofit should check and verify.

What can nonprofits do if they find one of these pages?

Nonprofits can request the removal of their GoFundMe page. The company has a process for verification, though some charities reported delays. Bloomerang recommends nonprofits monitor major fundraising platforms and clearly direct supporters to official donation links to avoid confusion.

How long will it take to receive donations from an unclaimed GoFundMe page?

If your GoFundMe nonprofit page is unclaimed, you’ll need to claim and verify it first, typically within 1-2 business days. Once verified and enrolled with PayPal Giving Fund, payouts occur monthly. Donations made before the 15th pay out that month; however, if donations are processed after the 15th, they will disperse the following month. 

What about SEO — could these GoFundMe pages affect our search rankings?

Yes. Initially, many of these pages appeared above official donation pages in search results. Although GoFundMe says they’re de-indexing unclaimed pages, nonprofits should still:

• Search for “Your Organization Name + donate” on Google to see which links appear first.
• Submit a removal request to both GoFundMe and Google if your unclaimed page still appears.
  • To request removal from GoFundMe: Fill out their Data Removal Form or email privacy-requests@gofundme.com with the page URL, your legal nonprofit name, and EIN.
  • To request removal from Google search: Use the Google Search Console Removal Tool to de-index outdated or unauthorized pages.
• Add a canonical tag on your official donation page to signal search engines that it is your authoritative source.

Monitoring SEO during the year-end giving season is especially important, as donor traffic peaks and any brand confusion can directly affect fundraising results.

What happens if a donor gave through one of these pages before we claimed it?

If the donation went through the PayPal Giving Fund (which powers GoFundMe charity payouts), the funds should still reach your organization if your EIN is listed correctly. However, you may not receive full donor contact details for stewardship. Once you claim and verify your page, you’ll be able to access donor information for future gifts.

What if I don’t claim the donation page generated by GoFundMe? 

If donation pages go unclaimed for too long, funds will need to be physically mailed to nonprofits’ mailing addresses. This process could take 3-5 months. 

Will GoFundMe contact us before publishing new nonprofit pages in the future?

GoFundMe has stated that it is moving to a strict opt-in model, meaning nonprofits will explicitly approve any future pages.  However, this change may take time to roll out, so continue monitoring for any unexpected listings.

How should we communicate this to our donors?

Proactive transparency helps prevent confusion:

“We’re aware that GoFundMe recently created pages for many nonprofits without prior consent. Our official donation link is [insert your donation URL]. Please use this link to ensure 100% of your gift reaches us directly.”

Send a brief note via email or social channels to clarify, especially before Giving Tuesday and year-end campaigns.

Is GoFundMe planning to compensate nonprofits for any confusion or SEO disruption?

At the time of this writing, GoFundMe has not announced any compensation or restitution. The company has focused instead on policy fixes — opting in, de-indexing, and removing logos — to address nonprofit concerns. Nonprofits are encouraged to document correspondence and screenshots of affected pages for recordkeeping.

What should we do if we believe GoFundMe has misused our nonprofit’s name or donations?

If you believe your organization’s name, logo, or fundraising information has been used without authorization — or if donations haven’t been disbursed as expected — you have the right to file a complaint with your state’s Attorney General (AG) or charitable solicitations division.

Here’s how to proceed:

1. Document the issue: Take screenshots of the GoFundMe page, donation receipts, or communication records that show the misuse or confusion.
2. Contact GoFundMe directly: Submit a written request for resolution to legal@gofundme.com and support@gofundme.com, referencing your organization’s legal name and EIN.
3. If unresolved, contact your state’s Attorney General:
   • Every U.S. state has an Attorney General’s office responsible for overseeing charitable solicitations and consumer protection.
   • You can find your state’s AG office here: https://www.naag.org/find-my-ag/
   • Many AG offices allow you to submit a Charitable Complaint Form or Consumer Protection Complaint online. Include documentation of your attempts to resolve the matter with GoFundMe.
4. Optional: File a report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Visit https://reportfraud.ftc.gov to report any potential deceptive practices.

TIP: In your complaint, clearly state that you are a registered 501(c)(3) organization, describe the unauthorized use of your name, logo or page, and request removal or corrective action. Retain all correspondence for your records.

Adding this step can help ensure accountability and oversight if resolution through GoFundMe’s internal channels proves difficult.

Looking Ahead

The nonprofit sector depends on transparency, accountability, and trust. As new fundraising tools and technologies emerge, it’s critical that platforms respect nonprofit ownership, donor intent, and clear consent.

GoFundMe’s shift to an opt-in model represents progress, but it underscores a larger truth: nonprofits must continually protect their brand and donor trust in an evolving digital fundraising ecosystem. With year-end giving approaching, take time now to confirm your organization’s visibility, donation integrity, and donor transparency and ensure a seamless giving experience that truly reflects their mission. 

The Bloomerang team will continue to update this blog as more information becomes available.

The post GoFundMe’s Automatically Generated 1.4M Nonprofit Donation Pages: What Happened, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do appeared first on Bloomerang.

From charity walks to birthday fundraisers, peer-to-peer campaigns fuel donor engagement and expand nonprofit reach. At the heart of this fundraising model is a critical piece of technology: peer-to-peer fundraising software.

Choosing the right platform empowers your team to launch engaging online campaigns. To prepare you to make the most of this opportunity, we’ll explore everything you need to know about peer-to-peer fundraising platforms and give our recommendations. Here’s what we’ll cover:

• The basics of peer-to-peer fundraising software
• How to choose the right peer-to-peer fundraising software
• Best 12 peer-to-peer fundraising platforms for nonprofits

You’ll have everything you need to make an informed decision and invest in the best solution for your nonprofit.

The post 12 top peer-to-peer fundraising platforms to ignite giving appeared first on Bloomerang.

That momentum underscores a big opportunity for nonprofits: your online fundraising strategy matters now more than ever.

To elevate fundraising this year and set your organization up for future success, your nonprofit must find the right online fundraising platform for your needs—one that helps you harness generosity, strengthen relationships, and fuel mission impact.

This guide dives deep into the best donation platforms your nonprofit can use to strengthen your online fundraising strategy, comparing features, costs, and more. We’ll cover:

• Online fundraising platforms: FAQs
• 12 essential features to look for in a fundraising platform
• Best donation platforms for nonprofits and schools

First, let’s discuss the basics of fundraising platforms and why they’re a good investment for your nonprofit.

What are the different types of fundraising platforms?

Donation platforms encompass more than just solutions for accepting online donations. These software tools can manage a wide variety of fundraising activities, including:

• Crowdfunding: Create a primary campaign page and share it via social media, email, and other digital platforms to collect donations from a wide audience.
• Peer-to-peer fundraising: Empower supporters to create personal fundraising pages based on your nonprofit’s main campaign page and share their pages with family members and friends.
• Auctions: Plan silent and live auctions with tools that make it easy to procure items, plan the event, facilitate bidding, and deliver items to winners.
• Events: Plan and carry out engaging nonprofit events such as walk-a-thons, concerts, galas, and other fundraising opportunities.
• Merchandise: Design custom, branded merchandise, such as T-shirts, mugs, or hats, to sell to supporters and generate a new revenue stream.
• Text-to-give: Use a centralized platform to create a text-to-give keyword and facilitate SMS donations.

Our list below includes options for each of these fundraising activities to help you find the right tool for your specific needs and goals.

7. Paypal: fundraising tool for secure payment processing

Crowdfunding platforms

Event & peer-to-peer fundraising platforms

Creative & alternative fundraising models

Donor insights, retention & revenue growth tools

Wrapping up

Ensure your organization is ready for your next online fundraising campaign by choosing the right software solutions to meet your needs.

If you’d like to learn more about virtual fundraising and software that can amplify your strategies, check out these additional resources:

• 19 Incredibly Easy Online Fundraising Ideas and Expert Tips. Check out these helpful virtual fundraising ideas as you plan your next fundraising campaign.
• 22 Best Fundraising Software Tools to Boost Results in 2026. If you’re looking for even more fundraising solutions for your nonprofit, check out this guide.
• How to Buy Fundraising Software That Lasts: Essential Guide. Before you purchase your next virtual fundraising platform, read this guide to help make the right decision.

The post 29 Fundraising Platforms to Supercharge Donations in 2026 appeared first on Bloomerang.

Chances are, your nonprofit’s supporters would enjoy being more involved in the fundraising process to help you gather even more donations for your cause. With peer-to-peer fundraising, your community members can take the initiative and expand your fundraising efforts to reach others in their networks.

Peer-to-peer fundraising is a type of online fundraising campaign in which nonprofit supporters take an active role in supporting their favorite organizations. In this guide, we’re going to cover the ins and outs of peer-to-peer fundraising through the following sections:

• What is peer-to-peer fundraising?
• Types of peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns
• Benefits of peer-to-peer fundraising
• How to get started with peer-to-peer fundraising
• Peer-to-peer fundraising ideas
• Tips for your next peer-to-peer fundraising campaign
• Our recommended peer-to-peer fundraising platform: Bloomerang Fundraising (formerly Qgiv)

To start, we’ll revisit the basics to make sure we’re all on the same page when it comes to peer-to-peer fundraising.

Wrapping up

Peer-to-peer fundraising allows your organization to raise funds, increase your donor retention rate, and generate excitement leading up to fundraising events. No matter where your supporters are located, they can get involved and become champions of your cause, helping you maximize your fundraising efforts.

If you’re looking for even more information about fundraising and how peer-to-peer fundraising will fit into your overall strategy, check out these additional resources:

• 14 Exceptional Nonprofit Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Platforms. Explore more top peer-to-peer fundraising platforms your nonprofit can leverage in this guide.
• 35 Exciting Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Ideas. Build an engaging peer-to-peer fundraising campaign that will get your supporters involved using these peer-to-peer fundraising ideas.
• 15 Top Online Fundraising Platforms to Ramp Up Donations. There are plenty of virtual fundraising platforms available not just for peer-to-peer fundraising but to also manage all types of online fundraising campaigns. Review 15 top solutions here.

The post What is peer-to-peer fundraising? The ultimate guide appeared first on Bloomerang.

Analyzing your campaigns can help you:

• Track how the campaigns are performing so that you can adjust and improve them along the way
• Understand how well the campaigns performed compared with your goals
• Identify trends and opportunities that you can use to improve future fundraising campaigns

So, let’s look at some top tips to help you evaluate your nonprofit’s online fundraising campaigns.

1. Access your data.

Of course, analyzing your fundraising campaigns starts with accessing data from your online fundraising software. It can be helpful to set up dashboards that give you a daily overview of key performance metrics and trends for each of your campaigns.

Also, be sure to set up more detailed reports for deeper analysis. The way you set up your dashboards and reports will depend on multiple factors, including your data analysis goals and what data you need to inform your analysis.

A good place to start is to think about the metrics that are most important to each campaign. Some metrics might include:

• Total funds raised
• Number of donors
• Average donation size
• For events: number of registrants/attendees
• For peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns or events: number of participants, number of returning participants, number of teams, average team size, average number of donations per participant

Then, set up your dashboards and reports to track year-over-year results for those metrics based on the number of weeks out from the event or campaign start/end. This will allow you to compare your progress at each point in this year’s campaign to the same point in last year’s campaign so that you can make needed adjustments.

BONUS TIP: While analyzing your fundraising campaign data is important, you can spend weeks (or months!) doing so without accomplishing anything. So, be sure to focus only on metrics that are most relevant to your campaign goals.

2. Analyze during the campaign.

Reviewing your campaign daily, weekly, and monthly allows you to adjust the campaign for optimal results.

For example, suppose your campaign is an online peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, and you see that the number of registered participants is down one week compared with the same point in your previous campaign. In that case, you might offer an incentive to encourage participants to register. If total funds raised by participants are down from the last campaign, you might increase participant engagement by offering tips and examples from your top fundraisers.

BONUS TIP: If you identify specific changes you should make, try making just one or two at a time to get an accurate idea of their impact.

3. Evaluate post-campaign data.

Run final reports after your campaign has ended, and all donations have been entered. Consider high-level factors, such as:

• How did the overall fundraising campaign results compare with the goals you set?
• For results that were higher or lower than your goals, what factors do you think impacted those outcomes?
• How effective were your various marketing channels and efforts?

Then, dig deeper to look at trends that might give you more insights. For example, did your marketing channels or activities have less/more impact than they’ve had in previous campaigns? If so, what might have changed? Your messaging? Your branding/images? The frequency of messages?

4. Consider success factors other than numbers.

It’s hard to argue with hard numbers, but qualitative aspects of a fundraising campaign are just as important as numbers. Listen and respond to feedback from your participants, attendees, sponsors, donors, and staff throughout your campaign. Also, send a post-campaign survey to various audiences involved in the campaign to better understand things like:

• How much staff effort did the campaign take? Were there any process bottlenecks that could be improved?
• What did various audiences like/dislike about the campaign in terms of registration, fundraising, donating, and the overall campaign?
• How easy was using the campaign website, fundraising tools, and donation process?

5. Debrief with your fundraising team.

Meet with everyone on your staff involved with the fundraising campaign to review your campaign goals, discuss the campaign results, and talk through lessons learned. Be sure to take detailed notes to refer to later as you plan the next campaign.

6. Think about the next campaign.

Once you’ve evaluated your campaign, start thinking strategically about your next campaign. Here are some things to consider:

• If your last campaign wasn’t as successful as you’d like, consider changing the next campaign’s timing, messaging, theme, or structure.
• If your campaign met most of your goals, maybe you should focus on making sure your next fundraising campaign doesn’t leave money on the table.
• If the fundraising campaign exceeded your goals, maybe your strategy should be to focus on a specific area of the campaign, such as providing sponsors with greater value to keep them coming back, giving peer-to-peer fundraising participants the tools and encouragement they need to raise more, or encouraging past donors to give again by showing them the impact of their donations.

You can also use your fundraising campaign data for specific insights into how to improve your future campaigns. For example:

• When to start – Look into your past campaigns to understand the best time to launch various aspects of your campaign. For example, for a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, look at when your top performers registered. Then, consider timing a multi-channel recruitment approach that coincides with when your biggest supporters typically register. That way, you can use their enthusiasm as a launching point for registration.
• Where to focus your resources – Whenever you can, use source codes in your online fundraising efforts to attribute registrants and donors to specific marketing channels. Then, you can use this information to decide which channels are worth keeping, which should have more resources, and which you should leave behind.
• When to offer incentives – For example, if you’re running a peer-to-peer campaign and offer fundraising milestone badges, look up your levels to see how many participants reached them. If participants fall short of your lowest tier, you might want to lower it for the next campaign or adjust your communications to encourage participants to reach their goals. On the flip side, if too many people are quickly reaching your lowest tier, consider raising it.

Analyzing your fundraising campaigns goes a long way toward making them the best they can be. Take time to gather and study fundraising campaign data, and you’ll have the insights you need to take your future campaigns to the next level.

Author: Mark Becker, Founding Partner, Cathexis Partners

Mark founded Cathexis Partners in 2008, providing technical and consultative services to nonprofits of all sizes and types. He previously served as director of IT consulting at a fundraising event production company focused on nonprofits. For more than 20 years, Mark has supported hundreds of nonprofit online fundraising efforts.

The post 6 Tips for Analyzing Online Fundraising Campaigns appeared first on Bloomerang.

As a fundraising organization, you work day in and day out to inspire your donors to open their hearts and wallets for your cause. You spend time prospecting, building the relationship with intentional cultivation, and preparing for the actual ask.

When that time comes, you want the transition of funds to be as easy as possible for the donor. The easier it is for the donor to support your organization, the more donations your organization will receive.

Picture this: Your organization has worked tirelessly to prepare for your annual gala over the last three months. You and four other major gift officers are soliciting donations from your major donors throughout the event. The donor you’re working with is prepared to make a five-figure donation to your organization, but your card swiper isn’t working, and—not to add more pressure—another major gift officer is waiting for it. You’ll need to come back to that donor with a written pledge form and collect the donation later, and your colleague will need to do the same.

Not only was your donor unable to donate during their peak moment of inspiration, but it was a missed opportunity—for you and for your organization. That single technical issue you experienced at the gala could potentially trigger a domino effect:

• Reducing the number of solicitations you can make.
• Significantly decreasing the overall amount of funds your organization raises.
• Directly impacting the effectiveness of your mission.

It’s crucial to address these issues to maximize the success of your fundraising efforts.

When evaluating the donation process at your organization, always consider keeping the donor’s experience at the center. Using Bloomerang Tap to Pay in the Bloomerang Mobile App makes the donor experience at in-person events seamless: multiple donors can tap to donate on numerous devices at the same time. The donor just needs a WiFi-enabled card they can hold to your organization’s device to process the payment. The donor can even use their phone if they don’t have a credit card handy.

Contactless payments means there’s no need to handle anyone’s personal devices or for your donors to share their payment details, making this the most secure way to process donations in person.

But, the donor experience encompasses more than in-person events. And as fundraisers, we need to consider the full spectrum.

Does your online giving form encourage donors to set up recurring donations? Does the form offer an option to select the start date or the frequency of their recurring donation? How about managing that recurring donation?

Whether you’re ordering a pizza, booking your next vacation, or purchasing a prefabricated house on Amazon (yes, you really can do that), all of these actions have something in common: you can do them online—by yourself—at any time.

Most donors prefer to give online—regardless of their generation—with younger generations particularly influenced by social media posts. You can link these social media posts to your online campaign pages, cutting the time between receiving the appeal and donating versus other solicitation types like direct mail and personal asks.

When giving, donors today expect a personalized experience they can complete as quickly as purchasing on Amazon. Does your tool today adapt to meet your donors where they are—for example, with suggested donation amounts based on their likelihood to give? Personalize the experience by prepopulating their information? Or enable donors to skip the check-out and just give in two clicks—like they can on their favorite shopping apps?

Providing donors with the same ease to contribute to your cause can be just as simple. Online giving tools make it easy for your organization to create personalized experiences that make your donors feel like superheroes. Now, you can empower donors to give in seconds, creating their own logins to make future one-time gifts or set up and manage recurring donations.

Donors can manage payment methods, upgrade their giving, and download tax summaries independently. This not only gives donors a sense of ease and autonomy, but it significantly reduces administrative time for your organization to manage ongoing commitments and eliminates having to chase down a donor when a card expires or declines.

When your donors give through Bloomerang + Qgiv, they’ll have the tools to make donations the way they want.

Credit Card? Check.

ACH? Check.

Apple Pay? Check.

PayPal? Check.

Venmo? Check.

Tap to Pay? Check.

According to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project Q1 2023 report, the nonprofit sector is showing decreases in all areas: major donors, total dollars, and new donors. That means it’s more important than ever for giving to be easy, manageable, and flexible. Organizations like yours are already facing hardships when it comes to funding. Your giving tools don’t have to be one of them.

Are there any contactless payments that you would add to this list? 

The post Make giving easier for your donors in 2024 appeared first on Bloomerang.