It’s no secret that fundraising is evolving. As a fundraiser in 2016, you are faced with a discerning and demanding donor. On the upside, advances in technology and marketing are giving you new tools to maximize your time and budget! Stay ahead of the curve and impress your donors with this round-up of the top five fundraising trends for 2016.
Inbound is Better
Fundraisers are tasked with the complicated job of effectively marketing their non-profit cause in a compelling way… a way that will elicit donations, meet goals, and make a difference in the world– all while funding the annual budget. As donors learn how to filter out the “fluff” from their digital lives, it is becoming harder and harder to make a meaningful donor connection through marketing. The solution? Adopting an inbound marketing methodology. Effective inbound marketing is all about providing value for your potential donors. Rather than pushing out advertising that disrupts, you are publishing content that engages and sparks an authentic conversation, and eventually creates brand loyalty.
The first step in any marketing strategy is to define your goals. Next, take a serious look at your target donor base. What other causes are your donors attracted to? Where do they live? How do they give (online, by phone, by check)? By analyzing your target market, you can sharpen the focus for your efforts. From here, you can flesh out your content strategy and create white papers, email nurtures, and other original content that will engage your donor base. You will use this valuable content to nurture your potential donors along their giving journey, convert them into real donors, and delight your existing donors (hopefully into repeat giving!). For a full breakdown of inbound marketing, see this explainer. Not only will inbound marketing attract donors, it forces you to create high-quality content that can be reused and recycled over and over again.
Tell a story
Story-based campaigns will perform better in 2016. This shift is a bi-product of marketing innovation and an emphasis on inbound marketing. It is easy to see why, when you consider the fact that as humans, we respond to effective stories on a deep emotional level. Essentially, telling a story humanizes your fundraising efforts and connects potential donors to your cause. In order to craft a strong story, you need to address your donors’ pain points. These are the values that make them tick. If your donors are mostly retirees, then chances are they value spending time with their family. If your donors are young professionals, then they are focused on balancing their careers and their personal lives. Speak to these “paint points,” family and balance.
Once you have a story that markets your cause and speaks to your donors, use your story-centric messaging across all of your platforms. You can reach your donors through a variety of channels– direct mail, social media, your website, email, telephone, and more. The key is to stick to your story and build a cohesive marketing effort across all platforms. Use your inbound marketing and content strategy to drive your story-based campaign.
Automate It
In 2016 (and beyond!), automation is king. As a fundraiser, you are pressed for time and need to maximize your time and energy. Automation tools are the solution. You can automate just about everything, from email campaigns and social media, to task lists and recurring monthly reminders. Once you have your goals set and your strategies in place, use automation to keep your team on track and your campaigns up and running. Some of our favorite automation tools include Hootsuite, Evernote, and Teamwork.
Of course, automation can’t replace old-fashioned brain power. But, if you make automation a habit, you will find yourself less overwhelmed and with more time to tackle important tasks. You can also delegate automation to an assistant– for example, have your assistant schedule all of your meetings and tasks within a calendar or project manager. Set-up notification that keep you on track throughout the week and effectively automate your scheduling process.
Be Transparent
Today’s donor demands radical transparency. When they give, they want to know that their dollar is making a proportionate impact on the cause that they care about. Encouraging your organization to adopt transparent practices is a wonderful way to show your donor where their dollar is going. Not only does transparency encourage donors to trust you, it also encourages honesty and an unwavering commitment to the cause inside your non-profit. Since all nonprofits have to share their financials by law, make it easy for donors to find on your website. Include numbers in quarterly status reports, emails, and even social media posts. Give you donors the information before they have to dig around for it or ask for it.
On this same topic, encourage transparency in your marketing communications. Respond immediately to complaints with an honest and apologetic tone. Acknowledge when you slip-up, and then swiftly right the wrong and march onward. Your digital audience will appreciate your candid nature and effective handling of delicate situations.
Acknowledge the Rise of the Female Donor
In 2015, 64% of all donations were made by women, see here. As women become more financially independent, their giving power is increasing. Additionally, as older women outlive their spouses, they continue the couple’s giving legacy on their own. For these two reasons, and many more, women now make up well over half of all donations. As a result, your marketing should not leave women out. You will want to run the numbers and come up with the donation stats for your nonprofit specifically. And you can narrow down sweeping statistics like this one by your target market. Of course, it is common sense that you need to attract both men and women to your cause! But, if your donor pool skews female, consider speaking directly to women with some of your story-based inbound marketing efforts.
2016 promises to be a rewarding year for fundraising– start your year by embracing these five trends for continued success!
