GuideStar Blog

It takes a lot of work for nonprofits to get donors to their fundraising pages—maintaining a strong social presence, running consistent email campaigns, running ads—all in the hopes of getting a donation. While these practices may be successful in getting page visits, they don’t guarantee donation completion. To get specific, studies put the average donor “drop-off” or “abandonment” rate for online donations at somewhere between 50 percent and 70 percent; in other words, more than half of the donors who start the donation process won’t finish it. All that effort and money spent on getting a potential donor to your site could fail at the very end. Here are six tried and true ways increase donor completion.

Online fundraising holds unlimited potential for nonprofits. Armed with a strategic email campaign or timely social media appeal, a nonprofit can raise thousands—or even millions—online in a matter of days. As online giving grows by millions of dollars every year, access to online fundraising is crucial for nonprofits. There are so many tools and strategies out there to help nonprofits, but most come with a hefty price tag. According to NTEN, the average nonprofit spends almost $100,000 on technology per year. Seems high, right? But after you take a look at the costs that go into online fundraising, which is just one slice of the pie, you’ll start to see how things add up.

Spring fundraising season is upon us and the pressure is on for nonprofits to hit their goals at upcoming galas or events.  Here is a quick checklist to make sure your nonprofit is ready:

Make 2018 your best fundraising year yet by getting started with Peer-to-Peer fundraising. Peer-to-Peer offers your nonprofit a way to keep donors engaged and raise money all year long. Last year, over one-third of online donations came via Peer-to-Peer fundraising. Plus, new studies show that donors of every age group say they’re willing to fundraise for nonprofits via Peer-to-Peer, with over 90 percent of Gen Xers and Millennials reporting a willingness, and almost 80 percent of Baby Boomers saying the same. So kick off your 2018 fundraising with a bang by getting started with Peer-to-Peer. Here’s how.

Increasingly, donors are turning to social media to find causes to support. According to a recent survey, almost half of millennials say they’re inspired to give to charity by social media. A quarter and a fifth of Gen X and Baby Boomers, respectively, say the same. Whether your nonprofit already has a devoted following that likes and shares every post, or you’re still building your presence on social media, here are some tips will help you expand your social audience and, ultimately, your donor base.