Author: Rinku Ramchandani

For nonprofits, building an engaged audience is important but not enough. True impact comes from developing a community of advocates and supporters who trust and believe in your mission. According to marketing expert Mark Schaefer, “Community is the last great marketing strategy.”

Schaefer argues that nonprofits must move beyond engagement metrics and focus on building authentic relationships. This means creating spaces, both online and offline, for people to connect over shared interests and values. Bring together your most loyal supporters and give them opportunities to bond over their passion for your cause. Even starting with just five highly engaged people can be enough to get the momentum going.

A thriving community has benefits that engagement alone does not provide. Organic advocacy happens when community members spread your message through word-of-mouth and social sharing. Their endorsements are far more powerful than your organization saying the same thing. Community also offers a direct line to your supporters that provides instant feedback and ideas to help you stay culturally relevant.

However, community requires nurturing the right culture. It must be a welcoming space built on trust, respect, and support. Members want to feel that they belong and that their voices are heard. Identify and empower community advocates by giving them leadership roles and opportunities to contribute in meaningful ways. While community may mean giving up some control, the rewards of relevancy and organic growth are well worth it.

For resource-strapped nonprofits, community may seem like an impossible challenge. But according to Schaefer, it does not require a huge budget or staff.

Start small by experimenting with a Facebook group or monthly meetups. Focus on creating interesting content and experiences that elicit emotion and participation. As leaders emerge, reward their contributions to help the community thrive with limited resources.

In the end, community comes down to people – how they connect, share, and advocate for a cause bigger than themselves. Nurturing these human connections will build trust in your organization and a shared belief in your mission that endures well beyond any single campaign or communication. While measuring engagement provides data, building community creates true and lasting impact.

View the full recording of this session in our Resource Library.

For nonprofit fundraisers, building strong relationships with donors is key to success. Donors who frequently discuss an organization, feel valued in those conversations, and have a history of consecutive giving are much more likely to make larger lifetime gifts.

Donor engagement leads to increased giving over time, as shown in data from surveys of nearly 10,000 donors.

Focusing on engagement is strategic, not wishy-washy.

While engagement’s effects can be hard to measure directly, the data shows a clear pattern: more engagement leads to bigger gifts. For donors who gave under $1,000, the median gift over 11 years was $2. For donors who gave over $50,000, the median number of years of consecutive giving was 11. The more people positively discuss an organization, the more good things will come its way.

To build engagement, demonstrate credibility, reliability, and intimacy with donors, as defined by McKinsey. Report back on what you learn from them and how you use their input. For example, if you survey donors, share the results and how you plan to act on them. Send updates on the impact of fundraising campaigns donors contributed to. These types of accountability and follow-through establish trust.

While technology and social media play a role, meaningful personal outreach is key. For example, one college sends the widows of alumni a bookplate dedication for the library, noting it memorializes a shared value or interest of her late husband. This thoughtful gesture, expecting nothing in return, resonates profoundly.

To make the case for engagement internally, focus on its strategic benefits, not just fundraising. Engaged donors become advocates, helping to build enrollment, forge community partnerships, and more. An “engagement first” mindset takes work, but pays long-term dividends. Building trust and loyalty with donors will be increasingly critical as societal expectations of nonprofits continue to grow. Focus on relationships, and the dollars will follow.

Fundraisers, invest in engagement now. Your donor pyramid is changing, and those organizations that meet donors where they are with a value-first approach will thrive. Why? Because donor relationships matter.

View the full recording of this session in our Resource Library.

Artificial intelligence has been promising to transform fundraising for years. According to fundraising tech visionary Cherian Koshy, that promise is now reality. Koshy shared in a recent podcast how AI-powered tools can enhance nonprofit fundraising in exciting new ways.

First, AI makes analytics and data insights more accessible.

Tools like Akyo allow you to query your data through natural language and get instant answers. Instead of complicated SQL queries and expensive business intelligence platforms, fundraisers of any skill level can simply ask a question about their data and get a response. AI summarizes key data points, identifies trends, and uncovers new insights to inform strategy.

Second, AI generates customized content at scale.

Using a tool like ChatGPT, fundraisers can automatically produce fundraising appeals, social media content, newsletters, and thank you letters personalized for different donor segments. While the results still need human editing, AI gets you 90% of the way there. This allows small nonprofits to keep churning out relationship-building content that would otherwise be unrealistic given limited resources.

However, Koshy cautions that AI should augment human fundraisers, not replace them. “AI will never be able to sit in front of someone and have authentic conversations,” he says. “It won’t be able to build real relationships.” The human touch is still crucial for securing donations and stewarding meaningful donor connections. AI simply helps free up capacity so fundraisers can focus on that human-centered work.

In summary, AI-powered tools are enabling nonprofits to work smarter and faster. Access to data insights, customized content, and time-saving automation provide new opportunities for organizations of all sizes to strengthen their fundraising. While fundraising will always require the human touch, AI is helping ensure that human touch can reach more people— and make a bigger impact. The AI revolution is here, and it’s allowing fundraisers to focus on what matters most: the relationships that inspire giving.

View the full recording of this session in our Resource Library.

Nonprofit CRMs contain a wealth of information about donors and prospects, but the data often stops at transaction summaries and contact reports. Advancement services professionals realize there is meaningful data outside the CRM that can help build more accurate predictive models.

Phone-a-thon data, email engagement metrics, alumni records, and other data sources offer clues into donors’ interests and behaviors. This “microdata” provides context that can turn a flat CRM record into a multidimensional profile. The challenge is accessing the data and engineering it into useful formats.

Vendors sit on large reserves of data, but often only provide high-level summaries to clients. Advancement services should request raw phone-a-thon data, email stats, and other metrics to analyze in-house. It may take negotiating, but the data access will allow for customized segmentation and modeling. With leadership support, advancement services can partner with vendors and IT to develop data sharing agreements and storage solutions.

Using microdata and data engineering, advancement services can develop models that predict donors’ likelihood to give and capacity for major gifts with greater accuracy. As resources get tighter, data-driven insights ensure fundraisers spend time with the right donors. While CRM data alone may point to two donors with similar transaction summaries, microdata can reveal that one donor has been attending alumni events for years and opens every email, indicating a closer relationship and greater potential.

Nonprofits seeking a competitive advantage will invest in advancement services and adopt a data-centric strategy.

Asking for additional data is the first step. With the right tools and skills, advancement services can find hidden patterns in microdata to build models that transform how organizations identify and engage their most valuable prospects. Overall, leveraging data beyond the CRM is critical for establishing long-term donor relationships and fundraising excellence.

View the full recording of this session in our Resource Library.

Fundraising is all about building relationships. And the key to building strong relationships is listening. By listening to your donors and understanding what motivates them, you can connect their giving to meaningful impact and turn “pat on the head” donors into major supporters.

According to fundraising experts Russell James and Jim Langley, donors want to feel heard and know their gifts will accomplish something significant. Questions are the key to discovering a donor’s interests and values. Ask open-ended questions like “what causes do you care most about?” or “if money were no object, what kind of impact would you like to have?” These questions start conversations about personally meaningful victories that tie donations to outcomes.

Surveys are one scalable way to ask questions, identify prospects, and improve fundraising ROI.

Follow up survey responses with in-depth conversations. Explain that you want donors’ input to better achieve your mission. Ask for advice and stories, not just money. This establishes trust and shows donors their opinions and experiences matter.

Don’t just tell donors about your organization’s accomplishments. Ask them about their priorities and concerns. Then match these interests with specific projects or programs. Describe opportunities to sponsor or endowed elements of your work. This gives meaning to different gift levels and turns transactional “pat on the head” donors into mission-focused partners.

Some donors want their gifts restricted to certain areas. Offer creative options beyond unrestricted funding like sponsoring an initiative for a set time period or endowing essential operational expenses. Show how these targeted gifts still support your overall goals while also creating personal meaning for supporters.

Listening is the key to learning what motivates your donors and translating that into opportunities for impact and meaningful partnerships. Ask questions, share what you’re learning, and invite more interaction. Nurture authentic relationships based on trust and understanding. That is how listening becomes fundraising.

View the full recording of this session in our Resource Library.

Nonprofits have traditionally relied on donors giving money upfront based on promises of impact. But according to Juan Somavia, head of innovation at UNICEF, that model is changing. Donors today want to see measurable results for their contributions. They are demanding evidence that their donations are achieving real outcomes.

This shift to “pay for results” models is challenging nonprofits to fundamentally rethink how they operate. Simply sharing heartwarming stories and anecdotes of change is no longer enough.

Nonprofits must get better at quantifying and communicating the impact of donor dollars in a transparent, data-driven way.

Some nonprofits are experimenting with impact bonds, where private funders provide upfront capital and then get repaid based on the organization achieving predefined outcomes. For example, a nonprofit focused on youth employment might issue a bond to fund job training programs. If they are able to place a targeted number of youth into jobs, the funders get their money back. If they exceed the targets, funders may earn an additional return on their investment. If outcomes fall short, funders lose their money.

While potentially risky, impact bonds align incentives and give nonprofits more flexibility to innovate. They also appeal to data-driven donors who want to fund what works. To explore this model, nonprofits should first identify programs that have a proven, quantifiable impact and solid evidence base. They can then work with partners to determine outcomes that balance ambition and realism.

Impact bonds are not for every nonprofit or program, but they signal a broader trend that is here to stay. Nonprofits must get better at articulating their “impact value proposition” in qualitative and quantitative ways. Fundraising appeals and campaigns should prominently feature key metrics and goals, not just stories. And nonprofit leaders must build a culture of continuous improvement and learning to truly understand what moves the needle. The future is paying for results. Nonprofits need to put impact at the center of their work if they want to attract the next generation of donors.

View the full recording of this session in our Resource Library.

Giving Tuesday participation surged in 2020 but declined again in 2021 and 2022, according to data from Giving Tuesday’s chief data officer Woodrow Rosenbaum. While 37 million people donated over $3 billion on Giving Tuesday in 2022, Rosenbaum sees worrying trends that nonprofits must address to boost donor participation long-term.

Rosenbaum found giving sentiment remains strong, with most people highly motivated to support causes and communities they care about. However, nonprofits are failing to tap into this motivation with broad, grassroots engagement. Instead, the sector relies increasingly on a shrinking pool of large donors, putting fundraising at risk in times of economic uncertainty.

To reverse course, nonprofits must expand engagement beyond the usual “giving season.”

Rosenbaum urges taking action now to cultivate diverse, year-round support. This means employing multichannel outreach on urgent issues, not just end-of-year asks. Matching gifts, peer-to-peer campaigns and social media show high returns on Giving Tuesday for activating new and existing donors.

Rosenbaum also advises against viewing different giving modes as competitive. Donors give in many ways, and nonprofits should provide opportunities for people to have the most impact. Someone giving to a mutual aid fund, for example, is also more likely to give to nonprofits. Partnerships and less transactional asks can better match how donors prefer to support causes.

For nonprofits seeking to get involved in Giving Tuesday’s efforts to boost donor participation, Rosenbaum recommends joining working groups to help develop and test new strategies. By providing data and recommendations, Giving Tuesday aims to scale interventions that prove most effective at reversing long-term trends.

To avoid a “nonprofit recession,” Rosenbaum urgently calls on organizations to start building grassroots support now. By engaging people year-round in the ways they want to give, nonprofits can ensure they enter end-of-year fundraising with a solid donor base to activate. The desire to make a difference is there, waiting for nonprofits to tap into it. Overall, Giving Tuesday data suggests donor participation depends on how well nonprofits can match the motivation to give with meaningful opportunities to act.

View the full recording of this session in our Resource Library.

Social impact bonds (SIBs) are an innovative funding mechanism for nonprofits looking to solve complex social problems. SIBs allow nonprofits to raise initial funding from private investors, then repay the investors if and when the program achieves agreed-upon outcomes. For nonprofits, SIBs provide multi-year funding and the flexibility to focus on outcomes rather than fundraising.

But how can nonprofits implement an SIB?

First, nonprofits need a program that can drive measurable outcomes. The program should aim to solve a pressing social issue and have a track record of success. Programs like workforce training, affordable housing development, or prisoner recidivism reduction may be good options. With data showing the program’s impact, nonprofits can make a compelling case to investors.

Second, nonprofits must identify and attract investors interested in the program’s mission. This could include donors, foundations, corporations with social responsibility goals, or impact investors looking for financial and social returns. Pitch the program’s outcomes and potential for significant community impact. Investors become partners in creating change.

Third, nonprofits need to partner with a government agency or other third-party “outcome payer.” The outcome payer, like a housing authority or health department, agrees to repay investors if the nonprofit achieves the promised outcomes. Outcome payers benefit by funding a program likely to drive change.

Finally, nonprofits must evaluate outcomes and results to ensure agreed-upon targets are met.

View the full recording of this session in our Resource Library.

To grow your fundraising, you need to understand your current performance and make an ambitious yet achievable plan. Start by analyzing at least 5-10 years of your own data to see trends in donations, expenses, and return on investment (ROI). Look for obstacles that held you back in the past and determine if they still apply.

Track your key metrics like dollars raised per staff member and ROI (dollars raised per dollar spent).

See if you’re improving over time and how you compare to similar nonprofits. This data builds your case for investment and helps set future goals. While comparing to other groups is helpful, focus mostly on your own historical performance.

Once you understand your performance, forecast future growth.

Ask why you couldn’t continue to improve if given more resources. There are only three real constraints: opportunity (have you tapped all sources?), resources (do you lack funds or staff?), or competence (do you have the skills?). Opportunity and competence constraints can often be overcome. Lack of resources is the most common barrier, so make a plan to obtain them.

Determine how much you need to raise to achieve your mission goals.

Then decide how to obtain resources, whether from your operating budget, endowment, events, or other sources. Taking a small percentage (e.g. 0.3%) of endowment funds each year to invest in advancement is an proven option, with many schools successfully using this model. Show how this investment leads to greater growth in donations and endowment value over time.

With a data-driven case and ambitious plan, you’ll find funders and supporters. Be transparent in reporting ROI and outcomes. While persuading others, focus on facts, not opinions. Let data demonstrate your competence and potential for success if properly resourced.

With funding and alignment, nonprofits can overcome roadblocks by building a high-performance fundraising operation. The key is making an investment in proven strategies for growth. Overall, the path to fundraising success is clear for those willing to track performance, make a plan, and invest in opportunity.

View the full recording of this session in our Resource Library.

Alumni participation rates have long been an important metric for higher education fundraising. But with increasing class sizes and more alumni each year, schools face what experts call “the participation cliff”—the nearly impossible task of raising participation rates. This challenge, however, also presents opportunities if schools focus on meaningful engagement over chasing metrics.

According to Dr. Shalonda Martin, an advancement strategy expert, “not only is the work itself hard to increase alumni participation…things like this are almost literally impossible to overcome unless we start saying proportionately.” Some schools resort to “gaming the system” by making broad swaths of alumni inactive to inflate rates. But this tactic ignores the real work of building lifelong relationships with alumni.

Instead of managing the denominator, schools should focus on the numerator by cultivating meaningful interactions and experiences with alumni.

This starts with understanding alumni motivations and priorities, which studies show are more linked to impact and affinity than rankings. Communications and engagement opportunities should highlight the ways alumni can support causes they care about.

Rethinking the traditional phonathon model is one way to foster more meaningful connections. As Perry Radford, founder of Rad Philanthropy, suggests, positioning phonathons “not just [as] about giving, but [as] about volunteerism, …events, [and] mentoring” helps schools tap into alumni’s desire to “help in other ways.” This broader engagement leads to greater long-term contributions.

Advancement offices should also partner more closely with other university departments to coordinate strategic initiatives. Alumni experiences are shaped by their interactions across the university, not just advancement outreach. Using tools like CASE’s Alumni Engagement Metrics (AEM) can help provide insight into the holistic factors influencing alumni perceptions and participation.

While rankings and metrics will likely persist in some form, the US News decision to drop alumni giving rates from its rankings gives schools freedom to concentrate on the relationships that truly inspire lifelong alumni participation. By refocusing resources on meaningful engagement over chasing rates, schools can overcome the participation cliff through a culture of philanthropy and shared purpose with alumni. Authentic connections, not metrics, build the most equitable, impactful advancement programs.

View the full recording of this session in our Resource Library.