Get Creative: 5 Inspiring Fundraising Strategies from Nonprofit Trailblazers

By Susan Mahon, Senior Nonprofit Product Marketing Manager at Saleforce.org EMEA

The age of intuition is over. Stand down your educated guesses, put your wild cards back in the deck, and banish playing it safe. And welcome data as your new best friend. 

As most nonprofits will know, fundraisers need to wear many hats. You build relationships. You manage teams. You dream up new ideas. And now you need to analyse data too… All in a days work! 

The nonprofit sector is changing more rapidly than ever before with competition for donations and supporters on the increase. To stand apart from the crowd and hit fundraising targets, you need to create informative and engaging campaigns that resonate with as many people as possible. And that means you need to think beyond the standardised approaches and think more about digital, social, and mobile. 

Understanding Your Supporters

From tap’n’go terminals to Twitch live streams, the choice of fundraising strategies and channels just keeps growing. But how do you know what is right for your organisation and your supporters? How do you surprise and delight donors without taking a big risk? 

Finding the answer could be easier than you think. By capturing data on your supporters and their interactions with your nonprofits, you can get a better understanding of people’s interests and motivations – and develop fundraising strategies to match. Did you know?

• 69% of people think an email is the best way to say thank you, and it’s probably best not to spend your budget on gifts because 80% of donors don’t want them.
• 90% of donors want to know how you’re spending their money. Be bold about showcasing your successes and impact.  
• 75% of your volunteers would dedicate more hours if you got to know them better. Online communities, apps, and social media can all help to build stronger connections with the community that support your cause. 

Learn From Leading Nonprofits 

Our new ebook reveals how five nonprofits have established innovative and effective fundraising strategies. From harnessing big data with Barnardo’s to engaging with a new demographic with War Child, these nonprofits know how to make an impact – and they have the numbers to back it up. So what can you learn from their success? 

• Nurture your relationships: From individual donors and corporate sponsors to volunteers, developing compelling communications and campaigns will help to keep people engaged.
• Don’t be afraid to fail: Not every new idea will be a great idea – set up a process for piloting and measuring campaigns so you can identify what works and what doesn’t.
• Share the journey: Take current donors and prospective supporters with you by showing how funds are allocated – and the impact of different activities.
• Ensure that you can have every confidence in your data: You might not always like what it’s telling you especially if it contradicts long-held assumptions or existing processes, but exploiting new insights will open up new opportunities. 

Intrigued to learn more? Download our new e-book to find out how you could transform your fundraising efforts with richer data, smarter technologies, and creative strategies. 

DOWNLOAD EBOOK