Recruiting On a Budget: Do’s and Don’ts for Nonprofits

As a nonprofit professional, putting every dollar raised toward your cause is tempting. However, money and resources aren’t the only determinants of your success. After all, the effectiveness of your funds hinges on how well they are utilized—in other words, you need the right team to allocate resources effectively.

That’s why investing in your recruiting strategy is a game-changer, especially for nonprofits that don’t have a centralized strategy. After all, you don’t need a large budget to execute winning recruitment practices and track relevant data. In this guide, we’ll review recruitment do’s and don’ts for organizations with tight budgets.

Do: Use a Small Business ATS

If you haven’t allocated resources towards recruiting, chances are you haven’t considered elevating your recruitment approach with custom tools. You might think you don’t need a dedicated solution and continue relying on free tools like Google Sheets. While this is an acceptable recruiting process as you adjust your budget, you’ll need custom tools to scale up your hiring efforts. That’s where an applicant tracking system (ATS) comes in.

An ATS is a type of software built to centralize recruiting data to give you a full picture of your candidates and processes at any given moment. For instance, you can use an ATS to:

  • Communicate with candidates
  • Store candidate information in profiles
  • Visualize where your candidates are in the hiring funnel
  • Create reports based on recruiting data

Even nonprofits with small budgets can benefit from using an ATS. Solutions like JazzHR are built for small businesses and charitable organizations, meaning you can achieve your hiring goals without a major financial investment.

Do: Use Volunteer Networks

As nonprofit marketers know, word-of-mouth is a great promotional channel, especially when endorsements come from people passionate about your mission. This makes members of your volunteer program perfect contenders to not only apply for your open positions but also spread awareness about your recruitment to others.

Before you turn your volunteers loose to promote your recruitment efforts, keep the following best practices in mind:

  • Ask volunteers with connections to help. Let’s say you represent a nonprofit that provides low-cost sports camps to at-risk youth. If you have volunteers who are teachers, communicate with them separately to ask if they know any gym teachers or educators passionate about sports who would be interested in joining your organization.
  • Provide a cheat sheet. Having many voices for your cause can be a blessing and a curse—you can cover more ground, but information can get lost in translation. Clearly articulate the details and talking points of your open roles in an easily digestible cheat sheet so everyone’s on the same page.
  • Attribute leads to the volunteer. Understanding which demographics pull the most leads will help you refine recruitment efforts down the line. Just ensure you use an applicant tracking system to easily pull actionable insights from your datasets.

Whether your volunteers source qualified candidates or not, be sure you thank them for their time and effort and emphasize the impact their work has on your mission.

Do: Leverage Referrals

Your employees are another group you can tap into for recruitment purposes. As members of the team, they can provide candidates with useful perspectives about what it’s like to work for your nonprofit.

To incentivize your employees to spread the word, consider using a rewards-based referral program. Here’s how these programs usually work:

  1. The employee identifies a good fit from their network of colleagues, friends, and family, based on their traits and skills.
  2. The employee sends the individual the link to your job application form, asking the candidate to put them down as their referrer.
  3. The candidate undergoes the interview and hiring process.
  4. If the candidate joins the nonprofit, the employee gets a reward.

Establish clear expectations and guidelines for your referral program before rolling it out. For instance, set a cap on the number of rewards an employee can receive and what kinds of rewards you’re offering. This could range from an extra day of paid time off to a small bonus to a gift card to a popular local restaurant.

Don’t: Overlook Your Employer Brand

Your employer brand is how your nonprofit’s workplace environment is perceived by outsiders.

Much like the brand you leverage for marketing or fundraising, your employer brand should reflect your nonprofit’s values. Unlike your fundraising brand, though, the focus is your company culture rather than your beneficiaries.

To gauge your current employer brand, you can survey your employees and use workplace review sites like GlassDoor to pinpoint common praises and complaints from staff. You can then enhance your employer brand with  employee feedback, pinpointing any areas for improvement, and working with employees to progress your workplace over time.

Don’t: Rely on Monetary Benefits

In the current hiring landscape, candidates aren’t just interested in salary as a benefit. In fact, 81% of employees said an employer’s benefits package (meaning more than just salary) is an important factor in whether or not they accept a job. Here are some other benefits you should consider promoting:

  • Paid time off
  • Designated sick time
  • Workplace giving opportunities
  • Sabbatical opportunities
  • Parental leave
  • Professional development opportunities
  • Flexible working schedule or format

Even if you can’t offer these benefits now, you can still prioritize them in your future plans. For example, you might decide to begin offering 20 paid days off annually rather than 15, starting next year.

If you’re constrained by your budget, you might not be able to take on all of these strategies right away, and that’s okay. However, if you’re to start doing one thing immediately, it’s to stop compromising on organizational fit. No matter which talent acquisition strategies you use to find candidates, the very best additions to your team will be those who resonate with your story and are passionate about your mission. As long as you have that baseline, your recruitment strategies will fall into place over time.

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8 Technology Tips for Boosting Nonprofit Event Registrations

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Innovations in technology have presented nonprofits with new opportunities to boost event registrations and engagement. By harnessing the power of various digital tools and platforms, your nonprofit can streamline its registration process, expand its reach, and ultimately increase event attendance. 

In this guide, we’ll explore several strategies for using technology to secure more registrations and set your next event up for success.

1. Optimize Your Event Website

Your event website is often the first point of contact for interested attendees, so it’s essential to make a strong impression. Several ways to do so include:

  • Making your website mobile-responsive: With a significant portion of users accessing websites through smartphones and tablets, a mobile-friendly design is no longer optional. A responsive website adjusts seamlessly to different screen sizes, providing a smooth browsing experience, whether on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone.
  • Incorporating attention-grabbing calls to action (CTAs): Your CTA buttons should be prominently displayed and easy to find. Use direct and compelling language to encourage visitors to take immediate action, whether that’s registering, learning more about the event, or sharing it with their network.
  • Sharing clear and concise event information: Highlight the value of attending, along with key details such as the date, time, location, and main attractions of your event. Accompany this information with high-quality images and videos from past events to give potential attendees a better idea of what to expect. 

As with any of your nonprofit’s content, make sure your event page is branded to your organization. By featuring your logo and colors consistently, you can build trust and increase brand recognition among current and potential supporters.

2. Leverage the Power of Email Marketing Automation

Email marketing remains one of the most effective tools for promoting events, especially when automated to deliver targeted messages at the right time. Here’s how to maximize its impact:

  • Personalized Invitations: Go beyond just using the recipient’s name. Tailor your content based on their previous interactions with your organization. For instance, if they attended a similar event in the past, mention it and highlight what’s new or improved this time.
  • Drip Campaigns: Develop a series of automated emails that gradually provide more information and incentives to potential attendees. These could include reminders of the event date, highlights of key speakers, and testimonials from past events.
  • Audience Segmentation: Divide your email list into segments based on criteria like past attendance, interests, or donation history. This allows for more targeted messaging, increasing the relevance and effectiveness of your emails.

In addition to these strategies, consistently track your email performance. Monitor open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to gain insights into what’s working and make necessary adjustments to refine your strategy for future events.

3. Expand Your Reach with Social Media Platforms

Social media makes it easy for your nonprofit to reach a wide audience when promoting your events. To tap into the full potential of these platforms, consider:

  • Creating event pages on platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn to centralize information and foster community engagement. These pages allow you to post updates, share multimedia content, and interact directly with potential attendees. Encourage RSVPs, comments, and shares to increase visibility.
  • Leveraging hashtags by developing a unique, memorable one for your event and using it consistently across all posts. Encourage followers to use the hashtag when sharing event-related content, building a sense of community and enhancing discoverability.
  • Running ad campaigns on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to reach new audiences. By targeting specific demographics, interests, or locations, you can create ads that connect with the most relevant potential attendees.

Keep your audience engaged by regularly sharing updates, behind-the-scenes content, and teasers leading up to the event. Hosting live Q&A sessions or virtual previews can spark further interest among your audience and address any questions they may have.

4. Streamline the Registration Process

Having a smooth and convenient registration process can significantly enhance the user experience and reduce drop-offs. Offer multiple payment options, such as credit cards, PayPal, and digital wallets, to accommodate various preferences and increase the likelihood of completed registrations.

Incentivize early sign-ups with group registration options and early bird discounts. Group discounts encourage organizations or friends to attend together, while early bird pricing creates a sense of urgency to register.

Leverage event registration tools that integrate with your constituent relationship management system (CRM) to easily track and manage attendee data for more efficient follow-up. After registration, send instant confirmation emails with essential event information such as venue details and schedules to prepare attendees for an engaging experience.

5. Enhance Convenience with QR Codes

QR codes provide a simple yet effective way to improve various aspects of your event, from registration to on-site navigation. Attendees can easily scan these codes with a smartphone to instantly access digital content related to your event.

Include QR codes on all your printed promotional materials, such as flyers, posters, and brochures. Scanning the code can take potential attendees directly to your registration page, making it easier for them to sign up on the spot.

At the event itself, use QR codes to facilitate a contactless check-in process. Attendees can scan their codes at the entrance to quickly confirm their registration and gain entry, reducing wait times.

You can also use QR codes to provide easy access to important event information, such as schedules, maps, and speaker bios. Display these codes throughout the venue to help attendees navigate the event and stay informed.

6. Provide Instant Support with Chatbots

Incorporating chatbots into your event website can significantly enhance the user experience by providing instant support and answering common questions. You can program chatbots to handle a wide range of inquiries, from providing details about the event schedule to assisting with the registration process. This 24/7 availability ensures that potential attendees can get the information they need, even outside of your staff’s regular hours.

A well-designed chatbot can guide visitors through the entire registration process, answering any questions that arise and helping to resolve any issues that might prevent them from completing their registration. This level of support can lead to higher conversion rates and a more positive overall experience for your attendees.

Additionally, chatbots can collect valuable data on user inquiries, which can help you identify common pain points or areas where your website content might need improvement. This feedback loop allows you to continually refine your approach and enhance the user experience over time.

7. Expand Your Audience with Virtual or Hybrid Events

Planning virtual or hybrid events can significantly expand your reach, allowing you to engage with audiences who might not be able to attend in person.

Livestreaming key sessions or activities is a great way to include remote attendees in your event. You can use Zoom, YouTube, or dedicated virtual event platforms to broadcast your event to a global audience. Ensure that your virtual attendees have access to the same high-quality content as those attending in person, with opportunities for direct interaction and engagement.

Hybrid events, which combine in-person and virtual elements, offer the best of both worlds. Attendees can choose the format that best suits their needs, whether it’s joining in person for the full experience or participating virtually from anywhere in the world. Hybrid events also provide flexibility in case of unexpected circumstances, such as travel restrictions or health concerns.

Look for virtual event platforms that offer features like breakout rooms and live chat functions to create a rich and engaging experience for all attendees. This not only increases participation but also provides additional opportunities for sponsors to connect with a wider audience.

8. Engage and Motivate with Gamification

Gamification is a creative way to boost engagement and drive registrations by adding interactive, game-like elements to the registration process. Here are some effective strategies:

  • Early Registration Rewards: Offer incentives such as discounts, exclusive content, or VIP experiences for those who register early. These rewards create urgency and motivate quicker sign-ups.
  • Referral Programs: Encourage current registrants to refer others by offering incentives for each new attendee they bring in. This not only increases registrations but also fosters a sense of community among participants.
  • Points System: Implement a points system where attendees earn points for actions like sharing event content on social media, participating in pre-event challenges, or attending webinars. They can then redeem these points for rewards or use them to unlock special experiences at the event.

By incorporating these gamification strategies, you can make the registration process more engaging and rewarding, leading to higher attendance and a more connected community.

By embracing these technology strategies, your nonprofit can boost its event registrations and plan more successful, impactful events. From optimizing your online presence to leveraging the latest in digital engagement tools, these approaches can help you reach a wider audience, streamline your processes, and ultimately further your organization’s mission.

While technology offers powerful tools to enhance your event, it’s essential to remember that the true heart of your event lies in your nonprofit’s mission and the community you serve. Use these digital strategies to amplify your message and grow your nonprofit’s event registrations.

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5 Tips for Engaging Supporters with Short Text Messages

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As a nonprofit professional, you know that every donor counts. That’s why you employ a variety of strategies, from email newsletters to fundraising events, to keep them invested in your mission. Donors give to your organization because they’re passionate and believe in your cause. However, retaining them can be challenging. According to Bloomerang, the average donor retention rate for nonprofits hovers around 45%.

To nurture authentic, lasting relationships with your donors, you need to leverage a channel that’s built for personal, one-on-one communication: text messaging. In fact, according to Tatango, over 20% of donations come from text messages and nonprofits earn an average of $5 for every $1 spent on text messaging.

If your nonprofit is ready to make the most of this innovative and impactful channel, use these tips to construct your strategy.

1. Choose comprehensive nonprofit text messaging software.

To get and stay in touch with your nonprofit’s community, you need to equip your team with the tools it needs to send regular, effective messages. That’s where nonprofit text messaging software comes in. When used as part of an omnichannel campaign, nonprofits can see an increased return on investment across all channels.

To find a solution that fits your nonprofit’s needs, look out for these key features:

  • A2P (Application to Person) messaging. Once supporters have opted into receiving text messages from your nonprofit, use A2P messaging to send mass texts that can reach everyone in your contact list at once. This way, you can ensure that you’re not leaving any important audience members out of your communications.
  • Text-to-donate. Using your text platform, you should be able to create a custom keyword that donors can text to make a gift. They’ll then receive a link to your donation form, which they can conveniently fill out on their mobile device.
  • Secure sending. Donors need to know that their privacy and data are protected. When choosing the right nonprofit text messaging software, ask questions about the security of the platform. Your best bet is to find a platform that is SOC-2 compliant, the highest level of security.
  • Segmentation. Send only the most relevant messages to your supporters through segmentation. Group them by factors such as location, past donation history, or event attendance to make each recipient feel valued and strengthen your connection with them. 
  • A/B testing. Your supporters will tell you how they want your organization to communicate with them. All you have to do is listen. Your text platform should allow you to use A/B testing in your campaigns to learn more about supporters’ preferences.

After you’ve found a suitable solution for your nonprofit, put together a subscriber list, ensuring that you receive prior consent to remain compliant with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

2. Personalize each text message.

When donors receive text messages from your nonprofit, they want to feel as though you’re addressing them individually, not as a generic source of revenue. While your text messages should be short, you should still tailor them to the recipient.

Segment your subscriber list and reference relevant details from your database when sending messages, such as:

  • Preferred name
  • Location
  • Engagement history
  • Past giving
  • Programs or areas of interest

Use your platform to schedule text messages at times when your supporters are most likely to see them, such as afternoons or on weekends. By monitoring opt-outs, unsubscribes, open rates, click rates, and other key metrics, you can learn the right cadence and frequency for texting your supporters.

 3. Incorporate attention-grabbing visual content.

Your nonprofit’s supporters get involved because they want to play a role in your impact on the community. Incorporate images, videos, and GIFs in your text messages to help them visualize their impact and retain their support.

For example, you could make your text content more eye-catching by including:

  • Images of beneficiaries
  • Snapshots of your volunteers hard at work
  • Emojis relevant to your mission
  • Infographics that illustrate the importance of your cause

Make donors feel empowered to join in on the difference you’re making by sharing uplifting, inspiring visual content and highlighting the role they can play in it all.

4. Include only one call to action per message.

Your nonprofit’s text messages should be short and simple. This means that you shouldn’t overwhelm your audience with too many calls to action (CTAs) per message.

Follow these best practices to inspire your recipients to take action:

  • Only include one CTA per text message.
  • Add a sense of urgency to your CTAs.
  • Share a link to a relevant landing page.

Whether you’re encouraging supporters to make a donation or sign up to volunteer, be sure that your page is mobile-friendly so they can take action directly from their phones.

5. Share a variety of engagement opportunities.

When you text your friends or family members, chances are you’re not sending them the same type of message over and over again. The same applies to your nonprofit’s text messages.

Keep your communications lively and interesting by sharing a variety of engagement opportunities, such as:

  • Signing up to volunteer.
  • Registering for an upcoming fundraising event.
  • Becoming a peer-to-peer fundraising participant.
  • Joining a social media community.

According to Double the Donation, 47% of donors also support nonprofit causes through online raffles or sweepstakes, 45% purchase from an online store benefiting a nonprofit, and 24% give through online auctions. The more opportunities you put in front of your supporters, the more likely they are to engage in the ways that best appeal to them.

Throughout your nonprofit text messaging campaign, keep an eye on metrics such as your open rate and click-through rate to measure the effectiveness of your approach and adjust your tactics as needed. Over time, you’ll be able to share news, inspire action, and retain more donors through text messaging.

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4 Tips to Acquire Corporate Sponsorships for Your Nonprofit

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Corporate sponsorships are beneficial for nonprofits for various reasons, the largest of which is increased financial support for their mission. Plus, with funding from donors and sponsors, nonprofits will be able to diversify their revenue streams, resulting in a more sustainable financial future.

If you’re looking for tips to secure more sponsorships for your organization, you’re in the right place. With this guide, you’ll be well-equipped to acquire future partnerships, regardless of whether you need them for funding an event, community program, or your next capital campaign.

1. Understand the benefits of sponsorship for businesses.

A sponsorship is a partnership, not a donation, which means that your nonprofit needs to make it worthwhile for potential sponsors. This means offering benefits businesses would find valuable in exchange for their funds. To do that, you need to understand the motivations of organizations that sponsor nonprofits.

Generally, sponsors are looking for the following benefits:

  • Greater brand visibility. According to MassageBook, it’s common for two or more businesses to partner to gain access to the others’ audiences. This means that businesses are specifically looking to sponsor other organizations, like nonprofits, that can increase the visibility of their brand, products, and services, resulting in more customers.
  • Improved reputation. In today’s competitive business environment, companies are constantly on the lookout for opportunities to set themselves apart from their competitors. Supporting a charitable cause will help them improve their reputation as a socially responsible enterprise. Plus, studies have shown that consumers are four to six times more likely to purchase from purpose-driven companies, making a nonprofit partnership even more valuable for businesses.

As you develop your corporate sponsorship strategy, keep these benefits in mind. Focus your communications and proposals on what you can do to form a mutually beneficial partnership that helps you both secure a sustainable financial future.

2. Offer a variety of sponsorship packages.

Sponsorships shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all. Businesses will have different partnership needs and different financial capacities to give. To accommodate these needs, Double the Donation recommends offering various sponsorship levels and packages. Then, potential sponsors can choose how deeply they’d like to get involved with your nonprofit based on these levels.

For best results, clearly outline the benefits your sponsor will receive in exchange for their sponsorship amount. Here’s an example of what you might offer an event sponsor in exchange for their funds:

  • Basic package ($1,000): Acknowledgement of sponsorship in end-of-event thank-you communications.
  • Bronze package ($5,000): Sponsor’s logo added to the event webpage and perk from the previous sponsorship level.
  • Silver package ($10,000): Sponsor’s logo incorporated in event marketing materials, messages, and communications, and all perks from previous sponsorship levels.
  • Gold package ($25,000): Sponsor’s logo prominently displayed on all event materials (including signage and banners), dedicated public thank-you messages on social media posts and email newsletters, complimentary event tickets for company representatives, and all perks from previous sponsorship levels.
  • Platinum package ($50,000): Recognition as a top sponsor of the event, verbal thank-yous during event announcements and in the event’s ending speech, access to VIP events for company representatives, and all perks from previous sponsorship levels.

For instance, a local massage business may be interested in sponsoring your event. However, if they’re newly established, they probably don’t have a lot of extra funds to spare. That’s where your basic sponsorship package comes in—with it, you’ll be able to capture a partnership with this business at a level they’re comfortable with and you benefit from.

3. Thoroughly research potential sponsors.

Unfortunately, not all businesses will be interested in sponsoring your nonprofit. To save your staff members time on proposing sponsorships to organizations that probably won’t be interested, thoroughly research any potential sponsors. In particular, pay attention to if they:

  • Operate in your community. If the business operates in the same community as your nonprofit, this commonality increases the likelihood that they’ll partner with you.
  • Work in a similar vertical. If your nonprofit and the business share a vertical, then it’s likely there’s some overlap between your audiences. A partnership with your organization will give the business another touchpoint with its audience, increasing visibility.
  • Are charitably-inclined. Look for businesses that participate in corporate philanthropy in some way. This could mean they’ve previously sponsored a nonprofit, have a dedicated corporate giving program, or have social good initiatives for their operations.
  • Have the capacity to give. If a business is struggling, its funds will be reserved for its operations. When identifying potential sponsors, look for markers that show the business is doing well and will have extra funds for opportunities such as a nonprofit sponsorship.

Keep an eye out for these generosity indicators to help you determine which businesses are worth pursuing for sponsorships. After you’ve pinpointed a list of qualified candidates, send out sponsorship letters that clearly outline what you and the potential sponsor will receive from your partnership.

4. Don’t overlook in-kind sponsorship.

When most nonprofits discuss sponsorships, they’re usually thinking of receiving funds from businesses. However, in-kind sponsorships can be just as useful and save your nonprofit from spending your hard-earned revenue.

Much like in-kind donations, in-kind sponsorships refer to partnerships where the sponsor provides non-financial benefits like goods or services. This is another way to capture a partnership with an organization that may not have the financial means to sponsor your nonprofit but has other offerings you can benefit from.

For example, let’s say you’re planning a black-tie fundraising gala and you need a suitable event venue. Instead of renting a venue for potentially thousands of dollars, you can contact hotels, country clubs, and other event centers and ask them if they’d be willing to sponsor your event. In exchange for marketing benefits, your nonprofit will be able to use the sponsor’s facilities for free or at a discounted rate.

Or, if your nonprofit is looking to upgrade your tech stack, you may seek out a sponsorship from a company that works in developing business software. Employees from this business can consult with you about your software needs and configure your existing software to better fit your preferences. This is especially helpful if your nonprofit doesn’t employ any particularly tech-savvy staff members.

As you connect with potential sponsors, be sure to steward them just as you would your supporters. Even if a sponsor turns down your request, it’s still worthwhile to stay in communication, as they may be open to a future partnership. For sponsors that accept your request, keep them apprised of the program or event they’re sponsoring. And be sure to update them on how their generosity has impacted your nonprofit!

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Nonprofit Fundraising Event Planning: 4 Essential Tips

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Whether you’re fundraising for a new program or securing funds for your capital campaign, events are essential for nonprofit fundraising. However, with over 1.5 million nonprofit organizations registered in the U.S. alone, your organization must set itself apart from others through its events.

We’ve put together this guide to help you plan a nonprofit fundraising event sure to thrill attendees and encourage their generous support. Whether you’re planning an in-person, virtual, or hybrid event, you’ll benefit from these best practices.

1. Create a memorable experience.

Most nonprofits aim to create a memorable event experience, but that’s much easier said than done. Here are our suggestions for doing so:

  • Send personalized invitations. Set your event apart by sending visually appealing invitations through direct mail and email. To cut down on costs, you can design a special eCard invitation that potential attendees can open to simulate the feeling of receiving a physical invitation. Be sure to include the RSVP link or QR code directly in the invitation.
  • Prioritize inclusivity and accessibility: Ensure all attendees can make the most out of their experience by approaching the event with universal design in mind. This means making your event accessible to all, such as through adding subtitles to visual and video elements, ensuring that your venue is accessible for mobility-challenged attendees, providing allergen-free food and non-alcoholic drink options, and more.

Ultimately, the key to making your event memorable is offering a high-quality and unique experience. Start by ensuring that your event is high-quality, meaning well-organized and entertaining. Then, consider what sets your nonprofit apart from all the others, and use that to jump into the rest of your event planning. Ensure that your event’s activities reflect your mission and cause to create an immersive experience for your donors.

2. Flesh out your budget with sponsorships.

If you’re interested in planning an event that’s outside of your nonprofit’s budget or just want to save your hard-earned funds, reach out to potential sponsors ahead of time to see if they’d be willing to financially support your event. Since you’re likely planning your event well in advance of the actual date, this will give you time to downsize your activities should you not acquire the requested funds.

When it comes to contacting potential sponsors, start with the following organizations:

  • Local businesses
  • Charitable-minded corporations
  • Other nonprofits

Many smaller nonprofits struggle with sponsorship outreach due to a lack of know-how. If your nonprofit shares this struggle, Elevate recommends fundraising books as a top learning resource. With the right books, you’ll learn how to harness the power of sponsorships and other forms of major giving for your mission.

3. Leverage event technology.

While it’s possible to run an event without using much technology, many tools exist to simplify your event planning and event activities. Maximize your fundraising and take work off your team members’ plates with these tools:

  • Event management solutions. Offer convenient online registration and ticketing to simplify sign-up. Plus, you can use these solutions to communicate with attendees before and after the event with reminders of tasks to complete and “thank you for attending” messages.
  • Mobile event apps. For larger fundraising events, attendees can benefit from downloading a mobile event app. Include information about specific activities, your event schedule, and an event map to ensure attendees can participate in the activities they want to.
  • Marketing tools. Promote your event through various communication channels, such as email, text messages, social media, and more. The right solution will also empower you to manage all your marketing efforts simultaneously so you can develop a cohesive marketing plan to attract potential attendees.
  • Virtual event platforms. If your event is virtual or hybrid, a virtual event platform will streamline the attendee experience. These tools allow you to livestream your event, create breakout rooms for mini discussion groups, add virtual exhibits, and more so attendees don’t feel that they’re missing out on an in-person experience.

If you’re unsure which tech tools to purchase for your event, consider booking an appointment with a fundraising event consultant. These experienced professionals will help you decide which solutions will work best for your nonprofit and your event’s unique needs.

4. Learn from past fundraising events.

According to MemberClicks, you need to gather and assess attendee feedback to create even better fundraising events in the future. The best way to do this is with a post-event survey sent through email to all event attendees. Through these, you’ll glean critical insights from your attendees and can steward your supporters toward increased involvement.

Your survey might include the following questions:

  • On a scale of 1-5, please rate your experience at our event.
  • What did you most enjoy about our event?
  • What did you least enjoy about our event?
  • How did you hear about our event?
  • What improvements can we make to improve our future events?
  • On a scale of 1-5, please rate how likely you’d be to attend our future events.

You may also include event-specific questions. For example, if your event is hybrid or virtual, you can ask attendees how easy your virtual event was to attend and if they feel that they would have enjoyed an in-person event better. Allow your event attendees to type their responses to key questions, instead of merely using a multiple-choice format.

Once the survey results are in, carefully assess them for common complaints or popular suggestions. Address these in your next event to provide a more positive event experience and spark continued engagement. Plus, this will show supporters that you value their opinions and are genuinely interested in hosting great events for them.

Organizing and hosting a stellar fundraising event is no easy feat, especially when you consider that it needs to be unique and memorable. However, it’s not beyond your nonprofit’s reach to achieve this goal. With our tips, you’ll be well on your way to planning a fundraising event that inspires generosity in all your attendees.

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3 Essential Responsibilities of a Nonprofit Treasurer

Your nonprofit’s board of directors plays a key role in your organization’s ability to make a difference. Board members help your nonprofit set goals for the future, develop fundraising initiatives, and get the community involved in furthering your mission. They also provide governance for all of your organization’s operations, ensuring everything runs smoothly and up to standard.

Within your board, there are some specialized roles to fill, and one of these is the position of nonprofit treasurer. Your treasurer is your board’s financial expert, overseeing various fiscal operations at your organization and communicating about your financial situation with internal and external stakeholders.

To help you better understand the role of a nonprofit treasurer, this guide will dive into three of their most important responsibilities:

  1. Providing Financial Oversight for Your Organization
  2. Compiling and Presenting Recurring Reports
  3. Collaborating With Your Nonprofit’s Financial Professionals


Knowing what a nonprofit treasurer does will help you select the right individual for the job —someone dedicated, organized, leadership-minded, and experienced in financial management. Let’s get started!

1. Providing Financial Oversight for Your Organization

Since your board’s main role is to provide oversight for your nonprofit, your treasurer will take on any responsibilities under that umbrella related to your organization’s finances. For example, they’ll likely be in charge of:

  • Setting financial goals in your nonprofit’s strategic plan. As your other board members and executive leadership develop long-term initiatives, your treasurer will estimate how much each one will cost and determine if raising that money is feasible within the suggested time frame.
  • Reviewing fiscal policies and procedures. Your organization should have a fiscal policy handbook that lays out guidelines for how to handle funds on a day-to-day basis. Your treasurer should approve these policies before they go into effect and suggest amendments to them as needed.
  • Supervising financial risk management. Not only will your treasurer ensure that your nonprofit is doing everything possible to prevent financial risks like fraud and non-compliance, but they’ll also oversee the resolution of these issues should they occur.
  • Preparing for audits. If your nonprofit conducts an independent financial audit, your treasurer will play a key role in choosing an auditor, gathering the documentation they request, and implementing their recommendations.
  • Managing investments. Your treasurer will regularly check that any interest earned on endowments, brokerage account funds, or other investments is being used for its intended purpose at your organization.
  • Approving budgets. Most importantly, your nonprofit’s annual operating budget can’t go into effect until your treasurer signs off on it.


Basically, your treasurer ensures that all of your organization’s financial management activities run smoothly, comply with regulations, and function in the best interest of your nonprofit.

2. Compiling and Presenting Recurring Reports

While your treasurer will oversee the creation of various financial reports, such as your nonprofit’s annual financial statements and tax returns, they also compile their own reports. Jitasa’s guide to nonprofit treasurer reports explains that your treasurer can either create detailed monthly reports or more general annual reports. However, both types serve the purpose of updating the board, leadership, and outside stakeholders on your organization’s financial situation.

Elements of a Nonprofit Treasurer Report

At the top of each of their reports, your treasurer should write your nonprofit’s name and the time period the report covers. Then, they’ll dive into the following financial data points:

  • Your organization’s cash balance at the beginning of the reporting period.
  • All of the revenue you brought in during the reporting period, organized by source.
  • All of the expenses your nonprofit incurred during the reporting period, broken down into the functional expense categories of program, administrative, and fundraising costs.
  • Your organization’s cash balance at the end of the reporting period.

This information is the bare minimum of what your treasurer should include in their report—they may also choose to cover budget vs. actual comparisons, bank reconciliations, revenue and expense projections for the next reporting period, or various other types of financial data. Additionally, they should always sign the bottom of the report to prove its legitimacy.

When the Treasurer Will Present the Report

There are many different situations in which your treasurer’s reports can prove useful. Here are just a few examples of when they might share the report:


Your nonprofit treasurer acts as the financial liaison between your board and staff or outside parties. Presenting their reports strategically is one of the best ways for them to fulfill this duty.

3. Collaborating With Your Nonprofit’s Financial Professionals

Nonprofit treasurers don’t work in a vacuum. They often chair your board’s finance or audit committee, and they frequently communicate with other board members and your organization’s executive leadership.

Most importantly, your treasurer will work closely with the other financial professionals on your nonprofit’s team, including your:

  • Chief financial officer (CFO). Your CFO is primarily responsible for the financial planning and strategy-related activities that your treasurer oversees. For instance, your CFO will take point on creating your nonprofit’s annual operating budget before your treasurer approves it.
  • Accountant. Nonprofit accountants take care of most of the financial analysis and reporting tasks at your organization. Your treasurer will not only review your accountant’s reports but also work with them to prepare for audits and manage organizational risks.
  • Bookkeeper. According to NXUnite’s nonprofit bookkeeping guide, a bookkeeper’s main duty is recording and organizing your organization’s financial data—the very same information your treasurer relies on to create their reports.

Delegating your nonprofit’s financial responsibilities among these four individuals (including your treasurer) makes for more effective financial management. When your nonprofit has at least three professionals—a CFO, a bookkeeper, and an accountant—actively working on different aspects of your finances while your treasurer provides oversight, everyone can take the time to check in with each other and ensure everything is done correctly.

Every nonprofit has a unique financial situation, so your organization’s treasurer may operate in slightly different capacities depending on your needs and goals. However, the three responsibilities outlined above are core to the nonprofit treasurer role, so make sure your organization chooses someone for the position who can perform all of them well.

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How to Analyze SMS Marketing Results: 3 Metrics to Track

Every nonprofit professional understands how important analytics are. Whether you’re tracking donor behavior, fundraising campaign success, or the effectiveness of your marketing, analyzing your nonprofit’s data is the best way to learn how well your strategies are performing and how you can improve them.

The same is true for SMS marketing. If you’re new to this marketing channel, however, you may not know what data to track or how to interpret your metrics. To help you get started, we’ve pulled three key metrics from Mogli’s SMS marketing guide to explore in this article:

  1. Click-Through Rate (CTR)
  2. Opt-Out Rate
  3. Conversion Rate

We’ll cover each of these metrics in detail and walk you through various ways your organization can leverage them. But first, let’s make sure you have the right systems in place to track this important data.

How do you track SMS marketing data?

To track performance data for your SMS marketing campaigns, you’ll need technology that can automatically record your texts’ engagement metrics and create reports that help you visualize and understand your data.

There are a few different systems you can use to track text marketing data:

  • An SMS marketing app: If you use a specialized text marketing app to send and receive messages, explore its reporting capabilities to see how easy it is to track engagement data. The best apps will integrate with your database to seamlessly track, analyze, and report on custom key performance indicators (KPIs).
  • Your constituent relationship management (CRM) software: CRMs with robust reporting capabilities can also help you track text marketing data. However, this may require purchasing an add-on product or creating a complex custom solution to meet your needs.
  • Fundraising software with marketing automation tools: Some full-suite fundraising tools include text-to-give and other text marketing features. If you use one of these tools, check to see what kind of reports it allows you to create and how simple the process is.

Whichever tool you use, make sure you can access intuitive dashboards and easily create custom reports. This way, you can choose the SMS marketing metrics you want to report on and monitor your progress at any point in time.

1. Click-Through Rate (CTR)

Once you have the infrastructure in place to track key metrics, start by evaluating your messages’ click-through rate (CTR). CTR measures the percentage of people who click through a link in a message out of everyone who receives it.

You can track the CTR of specific messages or campaigns to learn which types of messages resonate most with certain groups of supporters. To calculate a message’s CTR, use the following formula:

([Number of people who clicked a link] / [Number of people who received your text]) x 100 = CTR

For example, say that you sent a text asking supporters to learn more about a proposed immigration law as part of your nonprofit’s awareness campaign. In the message, you included a link to a blog post on your website that explains what the law is and how supporters can take action to make their voices heard by lawmakers. If you sent the text to 900 recipients and 267 of them clicked on the link, your CTR would be 29.7%.

Since the average CTR for text marketing messages is 19%, you can conclude that your message was effective in this scenario and emulate the strategies used during the rest of your campaign.

2. Opt-Out Rate

Text marketing should help you cultivate relationships and retain donors, not lose them. However, you’re bound to have some supporters that sign up for text messages only to opt out of them later. This can happen for a variety of reasons, such as:

  • A supporter received too many or too frequent messages.
  • Some donors found your message content irrelevant.
  • They prefer another communication method over text messages.
  • Your contact information was outdated and you sent a message to the wrong number.

You can determine if specific aspects of your strategy are causing recipients to opt out by calculating your opt-out rate, which is the percentage of text message recipients who opt out of receiving future messages.

Monitor your opt-out rates and investigate further if you see any spikes in the number of contacts who opt out. Was there a specific message that may have caused it? Are contacts in a certain segment opting out at higher rates?

For instance, Double the Donation’s recurring giving guide explains that different demographic segments often prefer different communication methods. If you see that the opt-out rate for your segment of Gen X monthly donors is higher than normal, you might determine that you need to shift your monthly giving text strategy to focus on younger donors.

3. Conversion Rate

Finally, the most important metric to analyze, especially when it comes to SMS fundraising campaigns, is your message conversion rate. Conversion rate measures the percentage of text recipients who take a desired action out of everyone who received the message.

What your nonprofit classifies as a conversion will vary depending on the goal of the message and what you explicitly ask recipients to do. Commonly, nonprofits might consider conversions to be actions such as:

  • Making a donation.
  • Taking a text survey.
  • Registering for an in-person or virtual event.
  • Signing up to volunteer.
  • Sharing a post on social media.
  • Signing a petition.

To calculate the conversion rate for a particular text message or SMS campaign, you first need to determine what qualifies as a conversion. Then, use this formula:

([Number of conversions] / [Total number of text messages sent]) x 100 = Conversion Rate

Use your text marketing app or your CRM’s SMS features to set up and track conversion actions. Then, determine which messages and campaigns generate the most conversions, and explore the content of those messages to find out why they were so effective. You might find that more personalized messages lead to more conversions, for instance, or that texts about a specific aspect of your cause inspire more donations than others.

With the insights you gain from these metrics, you can refine your SMS marketing strategy based on the tactics that work best for your unique support base. It won’t be a one-and-done endeavor, though—make sure to monitor your KPIs consistently and revisit them often to keep improving your approach.

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3 Marketing Moves to Strengthen Your Membership Recruitment

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Your membership-based organization likely leverages tools like email and social media to market your initiatives and promote your mission. While effective, these marketing strategies are standard and your supporters probably expect them.

Diversifying your marketing strategies can help you reach new audiences, track helpful metrics, and engage your current membership community. Consider elevating your marketing approach past traditional strategies like membership mailers with these savvy strategies:

Before we dive into these tactics, let’s review what sets membership marketing apart from other types of campaigns. Consider your membership-based organization’s current marketing strategies and if any of these would particularly resonate with your target audience.

Membership Marketing Nuances

As a membership-based organization, you have many unique assets that can enhance your marketing efforts compared to other types of nonprofits, including your:

  • Existing membership networks. Your loyal members are committed to the organization and provide access to a valuable network of potential marketers on your behalf. With the right training and materials, you can equip them to become examples of social proof for your membership program.
  • Value proposition. From the enormous networking potential your organization offers to the specialized educational enrichment resources, you have plenty of appealing membership benefits to share in your marketing messages.
  • Core message of belonging. Your membership program is more than a ticket to conferences and industry events — it’s a tight-knit community that can lead to friendships outside of the workplace as well. Offering a built-in community aspect to your potential members offers them a place where they can make friends for life.

Ultimately, the most valuable asset your organization should leverage is your distinct achievements and values. For instance, if your union wanted to attract new members, you could demonstrate your impressive community track record using a member-facing tech-stack to highlight how your member dues fuel your mission.

3 Marketing Moves for Membership-Based Organizations

 

1. Google Ad Grants

As the host of billions of searches each day, Google’s results page is a valuable marketing channel for your membership program. However, it can be challenging to occupy the most visible spots at the top of the results page without paying for expensive ad promotion.

However, for nonprofits with a recognized charitable status, you can apply for the Google Ad Grant, which gives you $10,000 worth of free advertising space at the top of the search engine results page.

Plus, it’s easy for qualified nonprofits to apply. First, check Google’s eligibility requirements to ensure that your organization qualifies.

Getting Attention’s guide to Google Ad Grants’ flowchart explains the next steps to take:

A flowchart that explains the Google Ad Grant application process (as explained below).

  • Do you have a Google for Nonprofits account? If not, sign up for the program.
  • Next, ensure that Google Analytics is installed on your website.

After this process, you can start planning and executing your Google Ad Grants campaigns. If you need help making the most of your grant, consider working with a Google Ad Grants agency to research, launch, and monitor winning campaigns.

2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Even without the Google Ad Grant, you can boost traffic to your membership organization’s website for free by aligning your website with Google’s algorithmic preferences. These practices, also known as SEO, are easy to implement if you use a configurable content management system (CMS) to manage your website content. Here are some easy SEO fixes to start with:

  • Identify relevant keywords. Keywords are terms that users type into the search bar to answer their query. Integrate relevant keywords into your website content so interested audiences can find your organization easily. For instance, a nurse’s union might use keywords like “nurses union,” “union for nurses,” or location-based phrases to attract local audiences.
  • Conduct a user experience and accessibility audit. User experience gauges how easy your website is for visitors to access and navigate. Audit your website to ensure your navigation, content layout, and links all function correctly. Also, make sure your site’s elements are accessible to everyone by adding alt text to images, adjusting color contrast, and screen reader compatibility.
  • Create quality content. If your organization has a blog, you can leverage it as an SEO tool. Search engines prioritize human-first content, and you can satisfy this requirement by writing high-quality, keyword-optimized, educational blog content. Plus, blog posts give you something to link out to in your social media posts.

As you scale your SEO efforts over time, track important performance metrics like bounce rate and site traffic to gauge your performance. Also, monitor your main keywords to see if your membership landing pages move up the results page ranks.

3. Member Referral Programs

As previously mentioned, one of your organization’s greatest assets is your existing member community. You can leverage your community’s connections to market your membership offerings by running member referral programs. Here’s how to launch a program: work:

  • Define the program’s guidelines. In this stage, decide what your organization’s referral program will look like. You should determine elements like how members will track referrals, which incentives you’ll offer, and how you’ll gauge success.
  • Market the program. Spread the word to your membership community by sending emails, hosting information sessions, and mentioning it in membership meetings. Wait a few weeks for word to spread and questions to be answered before officially starting the program.
  • Train your members. Once you’ve collected contact information from interested participants, host training sessions with advice and resources so your members can become experts in your organization’s offerings. For instance, a union member referral program’s training sessions might include training on how to use union membership management tools.
  • Track referrals. Provide a digital space where members can track their successful referrals so no information slips through the cracks. Also, add a question to your membership onboarding survey that asks if they got a referral from a current member, and if so, what their name is.
  • Disperse rewards. Regularly check your tracking mechanism to disperse rewards promptly once your members qualify. For instance, one of your rewards might be a free month of membership dues for five new members signed up.

Evaluate the program’s performance by calculating how many new members were recruited through the program over time. Also, show your appreciation to participating members and collect their feedback so they’re encouraged to continue recruiting.

As you get comfortable managing your new marketing programs, consider how you can implement multichannel strategies to make your marketing messages visible, appealing, and member-centric.

Ultimately, as long as you put your membership organization’s value proposition at the center of your marketing efforts, you’ll attract a crowd that cares about your mission and can benefit from your offerings.

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3 Tips to Make Interactive Experiences with Nonprofit Cloud

Interactive experiences help nonprofits engage with supporters on a deeper level. These experiences encourage supporters to interact with your nonprofit actively rather than passively. For example, social media posts facilitate two-way communication between nonprofits and donors by allowing users to like or comment on posts.

With its robust capabilities and the ability to access tools housed in other Industry Clouds, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud helps nonprofits build interactive experiences that appeal to each supporter’s preferences. Over time, this improves donor engagement, retention, and fundraising results.

In this guide, we’ll cover some ways nonprofits can use Nonprofit Cloud to craft engaging experiences and tips for getting started. Let’s begin.

How can nonprofits create interactive experiences?

As Fíonta’s guide to Nonprofit Cloud explains, “Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud is a comprehensive solution built on the Salesforce platform and designed to support nonprofit use cases.” The solution offers customizable applications for various nonprofit activities, such as case management and fundraising.

Nonprofit Cloud includes solutions unique to its data model and access to tools outside of the data model, such as Experience Cloud for Nonprofits. Users also have access to Salesforce Common Components like OmniStudio and Action Plans. Here are some ways to set up interactive experiences using these features:

  • Salesforce Experience Cloud: Experience Cloud is a set of functionalities built on the Salesforce CRM that allows nonprofits to create online experiences. Set up community self-service forums that encourage users to interact and answer questions. If your organization has a membership program, create account portals where members can log in and complete self-service tasks like adjusting giving levels. Experience Cloud flows all supporter data into your CRM, allowing you to use insights to further engagement and personalization.
  • OmniStudio: OmniStudio is a digital engagement suite and automation tool. It makes it easy for nonprofits to create guided experiences for supporters and beneficiaries through drag-and-drop configuration capabilities, eliminating the need for custom code. For example, create an OmniScript to guide supporters through complex processes like volunteer onboarding. This makes interacting with the organization more straightforward and user-friendly, resulting in more positive donor experiences.
  • Actionable Relationship Center (ARC): This tool is similar to the Relationship Viewer in the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) and helps organizations understand relationships between supporters, partners, and other contacts. However, ARC offers more opportunities to customize the interface and allows you to display relationships graphically to gain insights at a glance. Leverage this supporter data to identify engagement opportunities, track the success of engagement tactics, and continuously improve your efforts.

Nonprofit Cloud empowers organizations to leverage other Salesforce tools with personalization features, such as Marketing Cloud Account Engagement. For example, your nonprofit can use the dynamic content tool to deliver targeted content to supporters. Populate emails and webpages with dynamic content based on criteria like the user’s preferences and past interactions with content.

What are some tips for creating interactive experiences?

Track data insights.

Before setting up any dynamic content blocks or creating an online community forum, it’s essential to understand your audience. Collect data and analyze insights about your donors to uncover which messages and experiences resonate with them. Your analysis may include referencing their engagement history, interests, and giving behaviors.

With this information, your nonprofit can create guided experiences with which supporters want to interact. Track and analyze supporter data in Salesforce by:

  • Integrating your technology. Unify your nonprofit’s technology toolkit to engage and interact with supporters with your CRM. Start with your website by setting up a Salesforce website integration using integration tools or getting help from a developer or technology consultant. Next, ensure any other tools you use are integrated with the CRM using pre-built integrations, middleware platforms, or custom configurations to connect these systems.
  • Leveraging the life events and milestone trackers. These tools allow nonprofits to visualize their supporters’ journeys with the organization,  including life events, interactions with your staff, event attendance, and engagement with marketing messages. View this journey in an easy-to-understand visual format.
  • Using AI tools. Einstein for Nonprofits is a Salesforce app that generates predictive insights and metrics by modeling actual data from your organization. The app trains the system based on your supporters’ past behaviors, using this information to predict donor behavior (e.g., the likelihood of a supporter becoming a recurring donor). Depending on predicted donor behaviors, these insights can help your nonprofit prioritize specific engagement opportunities over others.

These practices and capabilities help give your nonprofit a holistic view of its constituents, opening the door for increased personalization. This way, donors will enjoy and engage with your carefully crafted interactive experiences.

Prioritize personalization in every area.

Nonprofit interactive experiences with donors must be personalized to be effective. One way to convince donors to interact with your nonprofit is to appeal to their personal interests and motivations.

These examples show how personalization can impact donor experiences:

  • Send targeted marketing messages, such as invitations to interactive events related to the donor’s interests.
  • Customize appeals and calls to action. If a donor is already subscribed to your newsletter, ask them to deepen their engagement by taking a different action (e.g., becoming a volunteer).
  • If your website has a membership portal, serve members customized landing pages to create immersive experiences that encourage members to explore and interact with the website.

Appealing to donors’ interests and motivations can help them feel personally invested in your organization’s community. Carry this approach to your donor recognition efforts to further steward your supporters.

Solicit feedback.

In addition to tracking data insights, hearing directly from your supporters can help you make your interactive experiences more engaging and effective. Accepting and implementing feedback from supporters will deepen your relationships and boost retention rates over time.

Consider sharing surveys with your supporters that ask them to provide feedback about their experiences with your nonprofit. Pose questions such as:

  • How would you rate your experiences with our nonprofit?
  • Which interactions did you find most engaging and memorable?
  • Did these interactions meet your expectations for usability and functionality?
  • Did these interactions inspire you to take action on behalf of our nonprofit (e.g., donating, volunteering, etc.)?
  • Do you have any suggestions for improving these experiences?

To gather more specific insights from various segments of your audience, consider creating a dynamic assessment in Nonprofit Cloud. This tool allows you to create a guided questionnaire that tailors questions to the user’s answers. For example, suppose a donor indicates they have only interacted with your nonprofit once. In that case, this user will be served a different set of questions than if that individual has interacted with your organization several times.

Use Nonprofit Cloud to facilitate two-way interactions between your nonprofit and its supporters. This engages supporters more deeply with your communications and mission by encouraging them to get involved. These experiences connect donors to your cause, inspire more donations, and improve retention.

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Wealth Screening in Higher Education Fundraising: 6 Tips

Donor outreach can be expensive for nonprofits and higher education institutions. Consider the process of collecting ten gifts of $100 each versus one gift of $1,000. While you’ll end up with the same amount in the end, it ultimately takes more time, energy, and funds to successfully solicit smaller gifts from ten individual donors as opposed to just one larger gift.

This scenario illustrates the power of major gifts. When your school has a dedicated approach to finding and engaging major donors, you can earn more for your cause and maximize the use of your limited resources. As a result, you’ll be better equipped to fulfill your mission and provide an enriching college experience for your students.

AlumniFinder explains that wealth screening identifies prospective donors’ capacity to give so you can target potential major donors with your outreach. Wealth screening providers assess prospects’ business affiliations, stock ownership, and home value to help organizations narrow in on the most promising prospective major donors. In this article, we’ll provide six tips so you can take full advantage of this information, pushing your wealth screening approach to the next level.Six tips for wealth screening in higher education fundraising, as discussed throughout the article.

1. Define your goals.

It’s helpful to define your goals from the start to provide focus to your wealth screening and major donor fundraising efforts. When you go to your wealth screening partner with clear objectives, you can expedite the process and determine which data points to prioritize.

For instance, you may use the data from your wealth screening to:

  • Identify new major gift prospects
  • Retain current major donors
  • Engage churned major donors
  • Enhance your major donor stewardship efforts

While all of these objectives relate to major donors, their differences will impact how you collect and leverage prospect data. For example, if you’re trying to retain current major donors, you may look for any changes in stock ownership that could indicate an increase in giving capacity. On the other hand, new prospect identification may focus on finding out background information about donors’ careers and employers.

2. Prepare your data.

Before you get started with wealth screening, make sure the data you currently have about your supporters is organized and complete. When you go into your wealth screening with the most accurate, precise data possible, you’ll get better, more actionable results.

Follow these steps to prepare your data for wealth screening:

  • Audit your data. Comb through your database or constituent relationship management platform (CRM). Identify any problem areas or missing information.
  • Resolve inaccuracies. After you’ve reviewed your data, resolve any inaccuracies you’ve found. This step may include merging duplicate data, deleting records for deceased supporters, or removing incorrect information.
  • Develop data hygiene procedures. To assist with future wealth screenings, create rules that keep your data clean and organized. For instance, you may instruct your team to enter phone numbers using parentheses like (123) 456-7890 to ensure consistent and accurate future records.

By prioritizing data hygiene, which is defined as the process of keeping your data clean and error-free, you’ll not only improve the results of your wealth screening but also make it easier for your team to effectively leverage data for additional fundraising and marketing efforts.

3. Conduct a data append.

Through your data preparation, you may notice you’re missing key information that would help you reach and engage major donors. A data append can enhance your donor records with information from third-party sources and round out your database.

The types of data you may append include:

  • Demographics
  • Email addresses
  • Phone numbers
  • Mailing addresses

Once your wealth screening is complete, your institution can use this information to reach out to prospects with donation requests through a variety of channels. For instance, you may use prospect email addresses to conduct an email marketing campaign that asks supporters to help fund a new building on campus. Alternatively, you may leverage mailing addresses to reengage lapsed major donors with a personalized direct mail campaign.

4. Segment your supporters.

Another step you can take toward streamlining the wealth screening process is segmenting your supporters ahead of time using any existing wealth or giving capacity information. This data can offer more context for your wealth screening partner and allow you to prioritize researching donors with the highest major gift potential.

You can also segment your supporters by other factors that will personalize your future outreach. For example, if some alumni are interested in funding the university’s sports teams while other supporters would rather provide scholarships to students in need, you can provide tailored donation opportunities and communications based on these preferences.

5. Offer multiple ways to give.

Once you’ve thoroughly researched your prospects, it’s time to start making donation requests. While you may be tempted to simply lead supporters to your donation page, there are so many different ways donors can contribute to your cause.

For example, Double the Donation explains that donor-advised funds (DAFs) are becoming increasingly popular, with donors contributing $52.16 billion through DAF grants last year. This fundraising method enables donors to make grants to their favorite causes over time through specialized financial accounts. DAF fundraising represents just one unique opportunity for major donors to lend their support.

Other major donor giving methods may include:

  • Endowment contributions
  • Planned giving
  • Pledges
  • Matching gifts
  • In-kind donations

When you offer a variety of giving options, you increase the chances prospects will contribute. Additionally, experimenting with different donation avenues allows you to determine which are most popular amongst your supporters and focus on growing them further.

6. Thank donors for their support.

The major donor process doesn’t end when you successfully convert a prospect and receive their contribution. Use the data from your database and wealth screening to properly thank donors for their support:

  • Be specific. Personalize your donor appreciation by addressing donors by name and referencing their specific donation amount. Let them know which projects or initiatives you’re using their funds for to increase accountability and demonstrate their individual impact.
  • Invite them to engage in other ways. Some of your major donors may already have ties to your school or indicate that they’d like to become more involved. Invite them to engage with your organization in ways that extend beyond monetary contributions. For instance, you may recognize alumni donors with a special appreciation event or invite major donors to join your board.
  • Keep their communication preferences in mind. Respect your supporters’ communication preferences and use the channels they’re most likely to respond to. For example, your wealth screening partner may find that some of your prospects are on “Do Not Call” lists. While some major donors may be touched by a phone call thanking them for their contributions, make sure to avoid making phone calls to those on “Do Not Call” lists.

Thanking your donors is a necessary step in the donor stewardship process. Showing genuine appreciation will demonstrate to your major donors that their contributions have a real impact on your institution and help you build lasting relationships with them.

Major gifts have the power to propel large projects and initiatives forward and help your students have the best college experience possible. With these tips, you can maximize the data you obtain from your wealth screening, increase your donation revenue, and give back to your campus community.

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