Learn how you can use CharityVillage crowdfunding to pull together a last minute year-end fundraising campaign at our free webinar on December 8! We’ll cover how to quickly set up your campaign and create urgency, and how to mobilize your supporters and talk about your cause during a pandemic. Register here.

When it comes to online fundraising, the people who support you are just as important as the dollars they donate. With a robust donor retention and engagement strategy, you can create a community around your cause, inspiring your donors to become passionate advocates and scaling up their contribution far beyond a financial one as they share awareness within your network and attract even more donors.

With these six tips, we will help your nonprofit attract donors who stick with your cause, donating regularly and rousing others to do the same.

1. First of all, it’s crucial to personalize your message and cause as much as you possibly can. Rather than just focusing on your nonprofit and how much you need the money, emphasize what it will do on a micro level – the specific people or animals that donations will help, and how.   

2. Keep your donors updated on your progress. This will help them to experience the impact their donations are really having, and share in your organization’s sense of pride at a job well done. As you progress, share your milestones along the way, along with evidence and documentation when your goals are met and surpassed. Our crowdfunding platform has built this tip right into their strategy, automatically generating graphics that are shared when you reach each funding milestone. 

3. Prioritize your social media engagement strategy. Make sure you constantly have fresh, customized content for your donors to share. Instead of offering just one image, upload many photos to the media gallery so your donors can choose which image they want to share. Remember, even a recurring donor won’t want to share the same image over and over every time they donate! The CharityVillage crowdfunding platform automatically generates graphics designed for social media sharing that pull a customized photo from gallery and merge it with the story you’ve written about your cause. Take full advantage of our social-targeted features!

4. Consider offering a recurring monthly donation option. Humans naturally form emotional attachments to stories about animals or people, so link these monthly donations to one project specifically, such as the building of a family home, one child’s education, or rehabilitation of one animal. Send them tailored updates specific to “their” cause.

5. We are social creatures, and everyone loves to be part of a club. Why not create a special membership for donors, whether all donors or those who donate above a certain level? Invite your members to events and special gathering, whether in person or online, and send them monthly progress reports and small, relevant gifts and perks.

6. Offer thank-you gifts to all donors. Choose something small that will hold positive associations and remind them of their generosity. Branded apparel and novelty items like stuffed toys are often a good fit. Another option is to open a charity e-store on your organization’s page. This approach is particularly suited to those who may want to give a donation as a gift, in someone else’s name. 

Retaining your donors and keeping them engaged doesn’t have to be a daunting, overwhelming task. It’s all about sharing your organization’s story with them every step of the way. Include your donors, and they’ll return the love – both in repeat donations and increased awareness!