Fundraising is at the center of your operations. It’s what makes your nonprofit’s work possible and allows you to drive impact for your cause.
However, with so many tasks on your plate, managing your fundraising strategy can sometimes seem insurmountable. How can you focus on planning a fundraising gala if your beneficiaries need your utmost attention? How can you launch a large-scale campaign if you’re in the midst of the hiring process?
By implementing fundraising ideas that do most of the work for you, your organization can still boost donation revenue while focusing on other areas. Explore these low-lift strategies to help your nonprofit raise more.
1. Product Fundraiser
A product fundraiser involves selling a product to raise money. Typical product fundraising items include:
Food. From popcorn to cookie dough, food product fundraisers are often popular because they cater to people of all ages.
Discount opportunities. Your donors will love contributing to your cause and receiving discounts for local businesses. ABC Fundraising recommends hosting discount card fundraisers because they are “excellent ways for merchants, restaurants and stores in your community to support your group and in turn for the community members to support those businesses that support you.”
Merchandise. Have supporters spread awareness of your cause by wearing branded merchandise like hats, t-shirts, tote bags, and water bottles.
Why This Fundraising Idea Works for Busy Nonprofits
When you work with a product fundraiser provider, they’ll handle most of the heavy lifting. All you have to do is select a product and promote the fundraiser to your supporters.
How It Works
Decide which product to sell. Think about your target audience and the types of products they prefer. Consider sending a survey to gauge their interest and narrow your product options. You may also select a seasonal product depending on the time of year, like selling flower bulbs in the spring or holiday decorations in the winter.
Partner with a product fundraiser provider. Look for a provider that offers the products you plan to sell and has worked with similar nonprofits. They’ll set up your online fundraising store and provide physical order forms to facilitate sales.
Promote your fundraiser. Market your product fundraiser across multiple channels, including email, text, and social media. Emphasize how donors benefit by taking home a special item while simultaneously supporting your nonprofit.
2. Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Campaign
As the name suggests, peer-to-peer fundraising refers to supporters recruiting other supporters on behalf of your nonprofit. Participants can fundraise independently or team up to see which group can raise the most.
Why This Fundraising Idea Works for Busy Nonprofits
Once you invest in a peer-to-peer fundraising solution and launch your campaign website, it’s all up to your supporters. They’re in charge of raising money and gathering support for your cause. Encourage them to keep fundraising with quick steps, such as sharing progress updates with a fundraising thermometer or leveraging a gamified fundraising leaderboard.
How It Works
Define your goals. Determine how much you’d like to raise to rally participants around a central campaign goal.
Recruit fundraisers. Reach out to supporters with this opportunity to fundraise for your cause and get them excited about participating.
Set up your campaign website. Use a peer-to-peer fundraising solution to create a main campaign website. Include details about what you’re raising money for, how much you aim to raise, how donors can contribute, and how participants can get involved.
Teach participants how to set up their own pages. Give a quick tutorial on how participants can use your software to create their individual donation pages. Encourage them to customize these pages with visuals and their personal reasons for supporting your cause.
Or, look into Grassroots Analytics Peer-to-Peer Texting service! It's an affordable option for nonprofits to reach donors that are known givers via text. Get in touch with the Grassroots Analytics nonprofits team to learn more.
3. Text-to-Give
Text-to-give allows donors to contribute from their phones by texting a keyword to a specific phone number. Considering 98% of Americans now own a cell phone, text-to-give is an easy way to reach your supporters and encourage them to contribute.
Why This Fundraising Idea Works for Busy Nonprofits
Text-to-give requires a bit of initial setup, but after that, it runs on its own with little to no maintenance needed. It’s easy to host on your end and contribute on the donor side. Just be sure to regularly promote the text fundraiser’s phone number to raise awareness for your campaign.
How It Works
Find a text-to-give provider. Compare different providers’ features and pricing to find the one that’s best for your nonprofit. Get in touch with the Grassroots Analytics nonprofits team to learn more about text fundraising options.
Select a keyword. Your provider will assign your organization a text fundraising number, but it’s up to you to choose the keyword. Make it something short, memorable, and relevant to your campaign, such as “FORTHEKIDS” or “SAVETHETREES.”
Create text messages. Write short messages that appear once donors enter the keyword. Craft one that succinctly describes your campaign and includes your donation link so supporters can easily contribute. Then, develop a thank-you text to send after they give.
Grassroots Analytics texting list rental product is a start-to-finish service where we identify the best supporter prospects, write or use high-quality copy, and send a texting campaign on your behalf. You'll then acquire the funds raised and the new donors to opt-in to your other programs. Get in touch with the Grassroots Analytics nonprofits team to learn more about text fundraising options.
4. Recurring Donation Program
Whether they give monthly, quarterly, or annually, recurring donors generate steady revenue for your nonprofit without much effort on your team’s part.
Why This Fundraising Idea Works for Busy Nonprofits
Recurring giving works similarly to one-time donations; the only difference is that recurring givers check a box that enables them to give regularly. While you may eventually provide special perks for recurring donors, you can start your program by just offering recurring giving options and expand it once you have more time to dedicate to the program.
How It Works
Choose recurring giving options. Decide which giving increments (monthly, quarterly, annually, etc.) you’ll offer. You may also suggest different giving amounts, such as $50 per month, to make it easy for donors to opt in.
Add these options to your donation page. Incorporate recurring giving options directly into your donation page so donors can easily join your program without filling out a separate form.
Promote your program. Let donors know this option exists and how it can benefit your nonprofit. You may also promote it directly on your donation page via social proof and explanations of the impact that different recurring donations can make.
5. Matching Gifts
Matching gifts are donations companies give to nonprofits in response to their employees' contributions. Most businesses match at a one-to-one ratio, meaning a $75 employee donation would become $150 with the company match.
Why This Fundraising Idea Works for Busy Nonprofits
Not only do matching gifts allow nonprofits to quickly boost donation revenue, but they also enable donors to increase their impact without spending more of their own funds. All your organization has to do is promote the opportunity, and donors will call upon their employers to take care of the rest.
How It Works
Inform donors about this opportunity. A whopping 78% of donors are unaware if their company offers a matching gift program. Explain what matching gifts are and how donors can participate to double their impact.
Embed a matching gift tool on your donation page. The right tools allow donors to check their matching gift eligibility directly from your donation page. Double the Donation recommends using a platform with auto-submission functionality, which “makes it easier than ever for donors to complete and submit their matching gift requests to employers by turning a multi-step process into a single click.”
Follow up to ensure they submit requests. Even if your matching gift software offers auto-submission, some donors may forget to submit a request. Automate follow-up emails to donors who don’t go through the matching gift process to ensure you receive their employers’ matches.
Just because your nonprofit is busy doesn’t mean you can’t give your all to your fundraising strategy. Remember to track key metrics, such as total dollars raised and average donation amount, to determine which methods are most popular amongst your donor base. That way, you can properly allocate your resources, diverting more time and funding to the ideas that attract the most support.
Commentaires