Donor Participation Project

Fundraising analytics expert Kirk Smith recently joined host Carrie Davis to discuss data, metrics, and testing for nonprofit fundraisers. Smith urged moving beyond overly simplistic metrics like average gift size and focusing instead on retention rates, gift amounts, and performance of specific donor subgroups.

According to Smith, investing in fundraising and analytics can yield exponential returns, but most nonprofits underinvest due to outdated thinking that emphasizes low fundraising costs. Advanced tools and plentiful, clean data are required for accurate analytics and AI, but these are often out of reach for smaller nonprofits, creating a divide between larger nonprofits that can invest and smaller ones that cannot.

Incentivizing analytics and fundraising with commissions on increased revenue could drive better results but goes against established ethical codes. Rigorous testing is also required to make data-driven decisions, yet many nonprofits lack the capacity to test properly.

Smith advised starting with a “null hypothesis” that assumes no difference between options. Nonprofits also need to consider sample sizes large enough to draw statistically significant conclusions. While best practices have their place, over-reliance on them can mask more effective combinations of changes for specific subgroups.

According to Smith, the answers lie in the data, but nonprofits must build the capacity to find them.

Investing in people, tools, and building a data-driven culture will be key. For smaller nonprofits, collaborating with others in their community or focus area may make advanced analytics more accessible. Overall, nonprofits that want sustainable growth will need to graduate from overly simplistic metrics and generic best practices to customized, data-driven decision making.

The conversation highlighted opportunities for nonprofit fundraisers to strengthen their use of data and testing to optimize fundraising performance. By moving from one-size-fits-all approaches to customized analytics, nonprofits can uncover insights that truly match their unique mix of donors and programs. While it may require upfront investments of money and time, data-driven fundraising offers substantial and lasting benefits.

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

Fundraisers from colleges and universities around the country recently gathered via video conference to discuss effective strategies for launching leadership giving societies. A key takeaway from the discussion was the importance of educating donors about the true cost of operating the institution and the impact of their gifts.

Several fundraisers recommended announcing a new, higher giving level by framing it around the increased costs to educate students today compared to when the society first launched. For example, a society that started with a $1,000 minimum gift 30 years ago would require a $15,000 gift today to have the same impact, accounting for inflation and rising costs. Communicating this message, along with stories of students who have benefited from the society, can help justify the increase to long-time donors.

The fundraisers also stressed the need to restructure giving levels and benefits in a way that allows donors to find an entry point that suits them. Simply raising the minimum gift may prompt more pushback than creating additional, higher levels with incremental increases and benefits. Existing donors who can’t immediately jump to a new top level can be “grandfathered in” at their current level or provided an informal grace period to work up to a higher amount.

Virtually engaging leadership donors through online events, meetings with key administrators, and digital communications has also proven effective during the pandemic. While in-person events may be preferred when possible, offering a mix of online and in-person engagement options can make participation accessible to more donors, especially those outside the local area.

Overall, the most successful leadership giving society launches are tailored to the institution and its donors. Fundraisers should analyze donor data and capacity to set giving levels that make sense for their base. A thoughtful roll-out and stewardship plan focused on education, flexible options, and virtual access will position the new or revamped society for growth and long-term success.

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

Saying thank you to donors in a timely and personalized manner is key to building long-term relationships. However, the reality at many nonprofits is that it can take weeks or even months to get those thank you letters out the door. The solution? Automate your thank you process using video and text messaging.

Video thank you messages are an engaging way to make a personal connection with donors while saving your staff time. With a video messaging service like ThankView, you can upload a list of donor names and gift details. The platform will automatically generate custom videos thanking each donor by name and recognizing their specific gift amount. These videos can then be delivered via email, using the donor’s preferred contact method on file.

The ability to customize video at scale is a game changer. Your leadership, board members, or student scholarship recipients can record a thank you message once, and the platform will customize names and details for each recipient. Donors open and engage with these authentic, personalized video messages at high rates, allowing you to make a meaningful connection within days of a gift.

Once a donor receives their initial thank you, the next touchpoint in the stewardship sequence can also be automated based on their actions and engagement. For example, you can trigger a follow-up phone call from a gift officer or schedule a thank you card in the mail if a donor watches their whole video message. Use a service like Zapier to connect your fundraising tools and automate these multi-channel donor experiences.

Automating donor thank yous and stewardship allows you to provide a best-in-class donor experience with less manual effort. While video and technology can never replace in-person interactions, they allow you to scale your impact and free up your team to focus on building deeper relationships with your most engaged supporters. With the right tools and workflows in place, you can ensure all donors receive a prompt, personalized thank you and feel valued at every step of their journey with your organization.

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

Nonprofit fundraising teams are often overworked and understaffed. But automation can help scale your efforts and allow small teams to achieve more. Nick Pringer, CEO of the Pringer Solutions Group, shared how his team has leveraged automation to drive fundraising for Catholic dioceses across the country.

Pringer recommends starting with a tool like Microsoft Power Automate to set up simple automated workflows. For example, you can automatically send a welcome email to new donors, thanking them for their first gift. This simple act can have a big impact, making donors feel appreciated and more likely to give again.

To increase recurring giving, design an online donation experience focused on monthly donations instead of one-time gifts. Pringer has found that 20-25% of donors who give through these customized pages will opt to donate monthly. Focus your direct mail and email appeals on driving people to these personalized donation pages.

Not sure where to start with automation? Begin with “low-risk, high-reward” tasks, Pringer suggests. Send automated stewardship emails with updates on how donors’ gifts were used. Automate birthday or anniversary emails to build personal connections at scale. These small acts of gratitude and acknowledgement can yield big dividends in donor loyalty and lifetime value.

Of course, no automation can replace genuine human outreach. Pringer still recommends that fundraisers pick up the phone whenever possible to steward donors. But by automating routine tasks, your team can spend more time on high-touch cultivation and stewardship of key donors.

To get buy-in to use new tools, Pringer recommends having the technology vendor explain data security and compliance to your legal team. Start with a pilot program to test the technology on a small group of donors and work out any issues before a wider rollout. With the right approach, automation technology can be an incredible force multiplier for nonprofits looking to strengthen donor relationships and fundraising revenue.

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

As fundraisers, we often focus on understanding donor biases and how to motivate them to give. But we have our own biases that can undermine our effectiveness. Cultivating the right mindset is key to overcoming fundraiser biases, according to fundraising leader Kenna Barrett, Ph.D..

Barrett identifies several common fundraiser biases, including optimism bias, pessimism bias, and negativity bias.

• The optimism bias leads us to be overly optimistic about the outcome of a meeting or event. We put “all our eggs in one basket,” ignoring potential obstacles.
• The pessimism bias causes anxiety and leads us to expect the worst in challenging situations like asking for money.
• The negativity bias causes us to dwell on past failures while ignoring our successes.

To overcome these biases, Barrett recommends “the inner game of fundraising.”

First, cultivate a persistence mindset. Believe fundraising is a learned skill, not an ineffable talent restricted to certain types of people.

Second, use “system 2” logical thinking, not just emotion. Prepare for meetings by considering potential questions and obstacles. Ask a colleague to role play a skeptical donor. This helps avoid being caught off guard and anchors you to a reasonable request amount.

Third, rehearse and practice. Role play the entire meeting with a colleague. Work through different scenarios to gain confidence in responding to unexpected situations. Recording and reviewing these sessions can provide valuable insights into how you can improve. Practice helps fundraisers gain skills that translate across roles.

Fundraiser biases often reflect anxiety about failure or discomfort with ambiguity. But fundraising excellence comes from cultivating the right mindset, logical preparation, and practice.

Role play, a technique used extensively in sales and other professions, is key. It provides a “mental rehearsal” to overcome biases and gain the confidence and skills needed to succeed. With practice and persistence, fundraising can become less about biases and more about activating our potential.

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

As a fundraising leader, building a positive culture is one of the most important things you can do. Your team culture impacts morale, productivity, and staff retention—all of which drive your organization’s success. Craig Evans, associate dean for development and external relations at Johns Hopkins University School of Education, shares some advice for developing a healthy team dynamic:

Establish ground rules and define expectations.

Sit down with your team and determine guidelines for how you’ll work together. Discuss what you each expect from one another and from leadership. Revisit these rules regularly and hold each other accountable. When done right, ground rules can transform team dynamics and set the tone for a supportive culture.

Prioritize check-ins and communication.

For remote or hybrid teams, check-ins are critical. Hold weekly virtual coffee breaks or meetings and do quick “electronic drive-bys” via messaging to stay in touch. Ask open-ended questions to see how people are really doing. Look for ways to strengthen relationships, not just tasks.

Gain buy-in through transparency.

Explain your reasoning behind new initiatives to get team support. Educate senior leadership on approaches that work. Share wins and lessons openly. When people understand the why behind decisions, they’ll be more invested in success.

Reflect daily on your leadership role.

Each day, ask: What does my team need to hear from me? What do senior leaders need to know? What can I do to support my team? Look for ways to empower others, not just command them. Your team’s morale depends on your ability to step back and consider their experience.

An intergenerational team takes work.

Focus on shared goals and an open environment where all feel heard. Help younger members develop through mentorship. Discuss challenges candidly to build trust despite differences. When you hire, consider soft skills and culture fit—not just expertise.

With the right mindset and tools, you can build a fundraising team that accomplishes amazing things. But never stop reflecting on how to strengthen your leadership and support your team. Their success and the organization’s impact depend on it.

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

Effective communication is key to building meaningful relationships with donors. Your writing should focus on the donor, not your organization. Here are ten tips for crafting donor-focused communications from our session with Debbie Meyers.

Know your audience. Research your donors to understand their motivations and interests. Segment your list and tailor messages to different groups.

Make it personal. Use donors’ names, mention their previous gifts, and highlight their impact. Thank them for their loyal support. Ask for and use personalized salutations.

Praise and thank. Express gratitude for donors’ gifts and their role in achieving your mission. Thank them specifically for the change they make possible.

Use a conversational tone. Write the way you speak to build rapport. Use contractions, end sentences with prepositions, and start sentences with conjunctions like “and.” Keep your language straightforward and friendly.

Be original. Avoid clichés and “mad libs.” Come up with creative ways to start thank you letters beyond the standard “Thank you for your gift of $X to Y program.” Share stories and examples that are unique to your work.

State your purpose. Don’t bury the lead. Explain why you’re communicating within the first paragraph. Be transparent about asking for donations or help. Your donors will appreciate your clarity and honesty.

Tell a story. Stories inspire action. Share stories of how donors’ gifts impact real people. Storytelling triggers emotions and makes information more memorable.

Show impact. Highlight compelling statistics and specific examples of how you’re achieving results. Focus on outcomes and impact, not just activities. Build a case for the importance of donors’ support.

Keep it concise. Aim for short sentences, active voice, and straightforward language. Follow the “rule of three” to keep discussions brief. Pack each communication with value for the reader.

Start and end strong. Begin by stating your purpose clearly. End by reiterating key points and issuing a clear call to action. Thank the reader again for their support. Strong endings create lasting impressions.

Following these tips will help you craft donor communications that inform and inspire. Build trust through authentic and impactful messaging focused on your donors’ interests and motivations. Make each interaction an opportunity to strengthen your relationship.

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

For nonprofits, uniting marketing and fundraising teams is critical to success. But this is often easier said than done. Marketing and fundraising require different skills and mindsets, and teams can easily become siloed. However, with leadership, communication, and shared goals, marketing and fundraising can work together effectively.

The first step is getting leadership on board.

The executive director and board must understand why marketing and fundraising alignment matters and push for collaboration. They should bring teams together, set shared priorities, and make cooperation a key performance indicator. Without leadership buy-in, other efforts are unlikely to succeed.

Improving communication is also key.

Teams should meet regularly, share updates, and understand each other’s challenges. They should review each other’s content calendars and campaigns to identify opportunities to share messages and leverage resources. A shared project management platform can also help keep everyone on the same page about workflows, deadlines, and responsibilities.

Finally, teams need shared goals to work toward together.

For example, they could aim to increase website traffic by 25% or acquire 500 new email newsletter subscribers. Joint goals give teams motivation to cooperate and share insights. They also make it easier to measure the impact of collaboration.

While united marketing and fundraising teams require effort, the payoff can be huge.

Working together, they can tell a nonprofit’s story in a powerful, compelling way. They can also save time and money, eliminate duplicated efforts, and gain a more complete picture of donor relationships. With leadership, communication, and shared goals, nonprofits can overcome divisions between marketing and fundraising for better results overall. Alignment may not happen overnight, but with commitment, teams can get there.

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

Fundraising through gaming and Esports is a growing trend that many nonprofits are eager to tap into. According to experts Diego Scharifker and Dan Long, gaming fundraising has the potential to reach new audiences and raise significant funds. However, it requires careful planning and the right approach to be successful.

Leadership buy-in

Scharifker, former corporate fundraising officer at the USO, says obtaining buy-in from leadership is the first step. Educate them about the size and impact of gaming audiences to address stereotypes. Gaming is mainstream, with the average gamer age 33 and nearly two-thirds of adults gaming regularly. fundraising success stories and the potential to reach younger donors can help build their support.

Community

Long, community manager at the St. Baldwin Foundation, stresses that building community is key. Use platforms like Discord to connect with influencers and their audiences. Schedule regular community events to strengthen relationships. Consider an ambassador program to work with influencers closely tied to your mission.

Emotional ties

While big names may raise awareness, the size of someone’s following alone does not determine fundraising success. Emotional ties to the cause matter more. Work with influencers genuinely passionate about your nonprofit’s work. Their authentic stories will resonate far more with audiences than fame.

Give back

Matching gifts are a useful incentive, as donors see their contributions doubled. Start with a feasible amount based on your current fundraising, and scale up as community support grows. In-kind donations of gaming equipment or experiences also work well for prizes and events. Keep your nonprofit mission central, not cash or prizes.

Successful campaigns take time.

Start small, learn from mistakes, and build upon wins each year. With the right community and corporate partnerships, gaming can become a powerful tool for fundraising and beyond, as nonprofits and companies work together to achieve shared goals. But like any skill, mastering gaming fundraising is a marathon, not a sprint.

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