12 Tips to Cut Through the Noise and Maximize Giving Season Donations

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December 1, 2024 | 5 min read By:

Giving season presents an opportunity—and a challenge—for nonprofits to capture donors’ attention. At the end of the year, people feel generous and donate to causes and nonprofits they care most about. Since this is such a vital fundraising opportunity, many nonprofits are vying for donors’ attention, which can quickly overwhelm potential donors. How can fundraisers cut through the noise and reach these donors? I gathered 12 ideas to help your nonprofit reach your key audiences this giving season.

 

Here are 12 tips to cut through the noise of giving season, reach your target audience, and boost donations.

  1. Asking for Action. When donors understand what you’re asking, they will be more likely to take action. Be clear in your language and what you’re looking for. Are you looking for donations? Volunteers? Signatures for a petition? Use clear and concise language to get your messages across. When you have clear messaging, donors are more likely to understand your mission and give!
  2. Craft Creative Copy. Just because your language and requests are clear doesn’t mean they can’t be creative and fun. Think about how to rephrase a sentence or catchphrase with something new, fresh, or unexpected. Look to alliterations or play-on words to help flex your creative muscles. Using exciting language can help inspire donors to support your mission.
  3. Approach Your Audience. Every communication channel (e.g., workplace giving platforms, email, direct mail, social media, etc.) reaches different audiences and requires different approaches. Keep each audience and communication style in mind as you develop messaging. When you approach each audience with appropriate communication styles, they will be more likely to continue their support.
  4. Go With Your Goal. If your nonprofit has a fundraising target, share it! Let potential donors know your goal, how close you are to reaching it, and how you can’t achieve it without their support. This will help audiences understand the urgency of your request and be more inclined to donate.
  5. Entice with Impact. Showcase stories of people or communities who have benefited from your work. Use direct quotes, photos, videos, and multiple perspectives if possible. These examples can bring your impact to life and showcase the importance of donations.
  6. Handle Heart Strings. I always say that people give from two places: their head and their heart. Their head says, I should donate because it’s the right thing to do while their heart says, I should donate because this specific cause needs my support. Many people will give during giving season because they believe it’s the right thing to do. To help donors choose your nonprofit, you must show why your cause is important and how critical your work is.
  7. Work the Workplace-Giving Platforms. Almost 27 million donors have access to workplace-giving platforms. When used properly, nonprofit profiles, like on the free NPOconnect, are visible and searchable to these donors who are actively looking to support causes. Keep these profiles updated with relevant data, visuals, impactful stories, etc., so donors can understand your mission and your critical role in addressing the problem you’re trying to solve. When you utilize the free tools available to your nonprofit, you’ll be more likely to reach and connect with donors.
  8. Company Collaborations. When you establish meaningful relationships with companies, your nonprofit is connected to a valuable group of donors. Establishing mutually beneficial partnerships with companies–and, by extension, their employees–can help drive awareness and boost donations during giving season and beyond. Company partnerships can come in all shapes and sizes; check out this blog post for different partnership types and how to navigate them.
  9. Frame the Future. Your nonprofit exists because of the problem it’s working to solve. Clearly communicate what a world would look like when this problem no longer exists and the benefits of living there. Donors who understand your vision for the future and their essential role in achieving it are more likely to donate.
  10. Segment Scenarios. Beyond customizing an email with a first name, think deeper about how to segment and customize outreach. Did a person give through workplace giving programs, volunteer in the past year, prefer to be publicly recognized, donate large sums once a year, or donate small sums throughout the year? Think through different scenarios and customize outreach tactics to each group to showcase your appreciation and understanding of their situation and tailor requests for each group. Customizing outreach will help donors feel seen and valued and be more inclined to donate.
  11. Find their FOMO (fear of missing out). Think of ways to get people excited to donate beyond supporting your mission. Are there additional benefits to offer? Access to events, merchandise, or experiences? Get creative and consider ways to appeal to donors’ FOMO and their desire for experiences. Incorporating an exclusive or limited edition reward can help inspire donors to give.
  12. Support to Success. Highlight how donors and supporters have made a meaningful impact on your nonprofit. Share specific examples of how their contributions led to tangible outcomes, supported key initiatives, or were instrumental in a successful program. When you showcase the specific people who made a difference, other donors may be inspired to contribute to your nonprofit.

Implementing these tactics into year-end strategies can help your nonprofit reach and engage donors and target audiences through giving season and beyond.

To become visible to 8 million potential donors this giving season, sign up for NPOconnect: https://nonprofit.yourcause.com/login/create-account.

Learn more about workplace giving, how to sign up for NPOconnect, and other free resources on our blog.

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