Digital Fundraising Strategy for Nonprofits

It’s time to rethink, and re-strategise how we fundraise. While the digital age has transformed the way we live our lives, conduct businesses and connect with people, Non-profit organisations are also not left out. The Digital-first approach becomes important for fundraising and connecting with donors, volunteers, members and the community at large.

If there is any hesitation by non-profit organisations, the pandemic must have taught them the greatest life lessons. Hosting golf tournaments, charity auctions, gala nights and other fundraising events seem far fetched in the new norm of social distancing.

Moreover, the demand for support  is rising and is at an all-time high as many grapple with the effect of the pandemic. If not anything, the covid 19 pandemic has taught us that the old traditional ways of fundraising might not cut it anymore.

This means embracing digitalisation has become all the more important for fundraising and sustaining charitable work in order to better serve the community. Therefore, organisations need to shift from the traditional approach to digitalised fund-raising techniques in order to keep up and ensure success while still focused  on service delivery . To this end, Matthew Brannelly, the founder of Orbit NFP, (an organisation helping non-profit organisations to achieve their goals) delves deeper into digital fundraising strategies that are important for success.

What’s going on in the non-profit landscape

Many of the non-profits found themselves in the conundrum as the pandemic took its toll. The pandemic affected everyone and those who give to them are also facing financial challenges. Plus, the lockdown measures makes the traditional approach impossible. However, to keep money coming in, fundraising still needs to be made. It’s no surprise many non-profits found themselves struggling during the pandemic.

Those who have been able to harness the power of technology remain agile and resilient as they transcend to the digital approach. They have been able to build a community and demonstrate empathy and commitment to the people they serve through digitalization. Many are coming up with online fundraising plans and are employing different virtual approaches to attract donors to give.

“Organisations are using peer to peer fundraising in which donors set up personal fundraising platforms and fundraise for non -for -profit. The social media-based campaigns  becomes a useful tool for fundraising where the in-person campaigns struggle during this period of crisis,” Matt Brannelly says.

Proven strategies that work for fundraising amidst pandemic

Digital fundraising at this time goes beyond putting a “Donate” button on your website and calling it a day. There are strategies and methods that need to be employed in order to ensure success. These include peer-peer fundraising, setting up crowdfunding campaigns, hosting virtual events, making live-streaming fundraisers, ensuring seamless digital payment options and many more.

“With consumers spending more time online and on games with the stay-at-home order, the organisation can jump on this opportunity by harnessing video games for fundraising. You can make use of a streaming service to launch a virtual gaming campaign, attract hardcore gamers who will pay to watch their best games,” Matthew Brannelly advises.

Moreover, digital platforms are effective tools for connecting with donors all over the globe. With the internet, it is easier to reach larger audiences without any geographical barriers. NPOs can connect and engage with donors and audience, communicate with them across various channels and get to have a deeper relationship with them.

Leveraging digital fundraising to get consumers to give

It’s no news that society is going cashless and modern consumers prefer cashless transactions. This trend means charities soliciting funds on the street might not experience any success as fewer people are going around with cash.

“It has become imperative for non-profits to provide donors with modern, digitalised payment methods. By making donations simpler, cheaper and accessible through these initiatives, the market will be broadened both physically and virtually,” Matthew Brannelly.