It’s been a tough year and a half for not-for-profit organizations across the country. While things are beginning to open up, many organizations are struggling to regain lost revenue and increase their overall fundraising numbers from years prior due to the pandemic. With the pandemic (hopefully) behind us soon, here are three strategies that associations and nonprofits can take on to increase their fundraising and better engage with members and donors.
Donor Screening Technology
Donor and member prospecting is the lifeblood of fundraising, but can be a huge lift for small and medium-sized organizations. My first full-time job out of college was as a member of an eight person team whose sole purpose was donor prospecting research. Many nonprofits and associations Plutus works with don’t even have eight full-time staff. But even if you don’t have a large team, you can still utilize technology for wealth screening and prospecting purposes.
In fact, it’s a good time to begin exploring technologies like iWave that allow you to perform wealth screenings in mass on current donors, members, and prospective donors and members. All you need is a name, address, and iWave does the rest! These scans on average cost around 10 cents a name and the financial return can be substantial.
For example, we recently concluded a large donor screening project for a client with some incredible results. The client has a small and mighty development team (2 people!) and is largely funded by grassroots supporters and small dollar donations. Through iWave, we found multiple long-time donors to the organization whose giving was consistent at around $200-$500/year but who had the capacity to give substantially more.
A few of these donors had confirmed $1,000,000+ gifts and net worths in the hundreds of millions -- all information we found through iWave. Now, the development staff who have limited time for engagement, can better identify which individuals to spend time with and pursue. iWave costs around $3,800/year so it’s certainly an investment worth considering.
Associations, Are you Soliciting Gifts?
Throughout my career, I've worked with over 50 nonprofit organizations and associations. One of the biggest headscratchers from my work with associations is why many of them don’t feel comfortable with traditional fundraising tactics I.E. soliciting gifts from members, corporate sponsors, or board members. Of course, not every type of association makes sense for traditional fundraising but the majority of groups, particularly membership organizations, fit the bill. Members join associations not just for credentialing or a strong network but because they believe in their mission and values.
So, why not go ahead and spin up a giving club? Or how about asking members to donate to a fund that subsidizes memberships for disadvantaged groups? Or why not even just email all of your members and ask for a year end contribution? You might be surprised how positively and generously folks will respond.
Is your Database Strategy Holding You Back?
At some point, you have to ask yourself if your current data storage strategy is holding you back. Are your fundraisers using a pen pad to manage their solicitations and asks? Are you tracking prospects and current donations on a spreadsheet? Are you using an outdated and clunky system like RaisersEdge?
If your current database is creating more problems than solutions, then it’s time to consider something new. Using a world-class platform like Salesforce can help your development and membership staff better manage the major gift pipeline, direct marketing campaigns, sponsorships, prospecting process , membership renewals and so much more. Salesforce is a long-term investment but it’s a good time to spark the conversation while most of us are still not doing major conferences, events, or educational seminars. If your data strategy is holding you back, it’s time to think about investing in something new.