“Your job (as fundraisers) is not to take money alone from donors but to give donors purpose. These individuals must find meaning in their lives. The best development professionals are engagement experts. Seek to build a robust gratitude program, build a donor relationship strategy and establish a progress plan. At its core, the donor process is obtaining value for organizational value.”

To that end, you need to get to know them. Call them or chat with them in person and send out donor surveys. This is also where segmenting your donor base and creating donor journeys come in. We’ll go into both in more depth in future articles, but for now, here are a couple of resources—How to segment nonprofit donors: identity vs. identification by Claire Axelrad and our own Robert Friend’s webinar on donor journeys and nonprofit storytelling.

As part of their programming, Trout Unlimited hosts educational conservation hikes, waterway cleanups, kids’ fishing days, fly tying and intro to fly fishing classes, and tree planting/tailgate events. These events are run by members with relevant expertise and help the organization introduce itself to new potential donors. If your nonprofit doesn’t offer programming, consider outsourcing. One idea is to partner with a yoga/meditation studio, cooking school, or another helpful or exciting experience for a sponsored class and invite donors to attend as a thank you.

“From the donor’s perspective, frequent asks can be demoralizing. When they receive repeated requests for money without hearing about the difference their gift makes, they may begin to feel that their gifts do not make a difference and are not appreciated.”

Express your gratitude to supporters and show them the different ways their gifts positively affect your cause. Remember to be specific so that the impact is relatable!

Generally, people who have supported your cause in the past believe in what you do. So, instead of asking them for money, activate them as co-fundraisers through peer-to-peer. Peer-to-peer is a form of fundraising in which supporters raise money for your cause. A good example is almost any “walk for a cure” event, which is essentially an “a-thon” fundraising campaign with a peer-to-peer component. Participants promote their involvement—and ask for donations—through social media.

Examples of a peer-to-peer event include anything from partnering with a local gym for a treadmill relay, miles of trails or neighborhood streets cleaned, mountain climbing, and playing video games to challenges like FebFast, in which participants give up junk food to support disadvantaged youth. The benefits of this fundraising approach are significant—your organization can simultaneously expand its reach through existing member networks while engaging with new potential donors where they are! Doug Agee, Online Community Manager of Trout Unlimited, agrees:

“The Eventgroove peer-to-peer tool provides TU Chapters a much broader audience reach and potential for new members than our chapter websites and social media pages alone. With this tool, participating members become chapter advocates by asking their friends and family for support, collecting donations virtually, and sharing the story of local TU in their community and all the good we do.”

Learn about peer-to-peer and how to get started in our article on Nonprofit Tech for Good, Why Your Nonprofit Needs Peer-to-peer Fundraising (and How to Use It).

“Probably your number one engagement and cultivation tool is volunteering. If you can attract individuals to volunteer for your cause, they are more likely to be committed to the mission and your organization. Although supervising volunteers can be a bit like herding cats, it’s well worth the effort.”

By its very hands-on nature, inviting donors to volunteer rekindles enthusiasm for your organization’s excellent work. Not to mention, volunteer opportunities are a great way to introduce your organization to people beyond its network. Get more great ideas in Amy’s article, 27 Ways to Cultivate Donors and Build Deep, Lasting Relationships.