With January around the corner many of us have been in the process of finalizing our goals for the new year. If you are a nonprofit and want to ensure you have all your bases covered we just made your life a little easier with our 5 steps to annual fundraising goal planning. Use this tool to create or crosscheck your development plan and feel rest assured that you are starting the year strong!
Step1: Increase your Social Media Presence
Organizations that are focused on using the power of social media and digital communications are seeing big gains. Effectively incorporating social media, email marketing, and digital newsletters, are just a few ways to increase your organization’s fundraising pipeline and general mission awareness. Here are a few things to focus on:
- For social media, make sure your work to increase reach, boost engagement, and get the word out about your cause. This will introduce new people to your organization who may turn into donors in the future.
- Spread the word about virtual fundraising campaigns or in-person events through social media.
- Track email sign ups for your mailing list or newsletter through your website and how many new members you gain in the year.
- Set your social posts to direct people back to your website, so that you can track the growing interest in your organization.
Step 2: Start a Monthly Giving Program or Acquire New Recurring Donors
Recurring giving programs are one of the most important fundraising initiatives. Monthly recurring donations improve donor retention rates, and increase how much donors give on average each year. Most donors will give more through monthly giving. For example, a $100 annual donor might consider contributing $20 per month, which brings them up to $240 for the year. If you already have a program, focus on increasing the number of individuals who participate, as well as increasing any current participant’s giving levels.
| Pro Tip Make it easy for donors to support by including an option for monthly giving on your website, included in your newsletter, and as an option in your annual appeal materials. |
Step 3: Increase the Average Gift Size
Another way to achieve growth is to increase an individual donors’ average gift size by setting dollar increment increases for different donor tiers.
- Reach out to your recurring donors personally and thank them for their support.
- Create a communication strategy that connects with recurring donors quarterly.
- Let supporters know how you are utilizing the donations and the impact of the gift.
- Ask them to consider increasing their monthly donation from say $25 to $35.
- Try updating the suggested giving levels on your donation forms or increasing a sponsorship level for a marquee event.
- Segment your donors by their average gift amounts into tiers and help direct them to an increased amount
| Resource: See this useful “Ask Strings” article here: |
Step 4: Increase Donor Engagement
In 2022, focus on building stronger relationships with your donors, creating a deeper relationship for more loyal support. Fundraising should be more personal – more than just using a name in an email – and should feel authentic and rewarding for both parties involved.
When it comes to making the ask, share with your donors how their contributions are making a difference. Make your donor feel a part of a movement by demonstrating tangible change. Outline your appeals with direct language by stating the problem, the known solution, and how their gift will solve the problem.
Step 5: Host a Fundraiser
Nonprofits are intending to host fundraising events again in 2022, In fact, a recent report by OneCause shared that over the last year hybrid events grew by 3 times, with 57% of nonprofits engaging both online and in-person supporters at their events. Additionally, in 2022 they report planning to host a mix of in-person and virtual events, with 69% planning at least one in-person only event. Don’t miss the opportunity to increase your fundraising goals as now is the time to launch an event or revitalize a previous event while supporters are hungry for in-person interactions.
We hope you found this helpful. We love to see our nonprofits staying strong! As always if you need additional help just know we are here to support!
