Let’s talk about donor engagement. These are the words we often hear in nonprofit ministry.
When your donors give you money, that’s a connection. It shows that they have a basic appreciation of your mission and its purpose. But are they truly engaged?
Are they invested in your work? Committed to seeing it continue? Do they know the day-to-day impact of what you do? Are they thrilled when your mission succeeds?
That’s a lot of questions, obviously. It all boils down to this: Getting donations is wonderful. But engaging donors is crucial to moving your ministry forward.
So, here’s another question: How do you truly engage your donors?
DonorDirect’s StudioOnline software sets the standard for donor engagement. There are four ways that we work to empower donors to be part of ministries. Let’s go through them one by one. And in each section, think about whether your donors are being truly empowered to be part of your ministry. Or can you be doing more to give your donors a strong connection?
1. Account Setup and Management
Donations are appreciated. Participation is valued. But don’t let that be the end of your relationship. Giving your donors an individual account lets them be more engaged with how they’re giving and participating.
With the StudioOnline platform, donors can easily manage their own accounts and update contact info. They can download their donation history and make additional gifts. They can see which events they’ve signed up for, and register for new ones. It’s a way for donors to be more present. More involved. They will see your ministry as something they are truly part of. And they’ll want to get more involved.
2. Ministry-Driven Products and Sales
Books, educational materials, even t-shirts or other branded items … these are ways that your donors can literally “buy into” your ministries and become more connected to the work you’re doing. StudioOnline’s e-commerce functionality allows you to present and sell your products online.
On your website, donors can view products. Read descriptions. Add items to their cart. And of course, make purchases. And purchase will be automatically recorded to the donor’s account.
3. Dedicated Landing Pages
What happens when you target donors with a specific fundraising message – and then direct them to a generic landing page? That’s the opposite of engagement. It creates a disconnect between what donors are responding to and what your ministries are all about.
StudioOnline allows you to create tailored landing pages for specific nonprofit marketing campaigns. You can choose from a range of landing page layout templates. Or you can customize your own. You can link to a landing page from your email marketing, social media, or paid advertising campaigns. This lets you create consistent messaging from your first contact with a donor, to their generous gift. It lets you create better engagement!
4. Child Sponsorships
Is there a more powerful example of engagement than letting donors sponsor a child who is benefiting from your ministries? This helps donors build a strong, lasting relationship with your work. And StudioOnline helps you make it happen.
Through this platform, your donors can read your compelling stories about the children your ministries are helping. They can make the powerful commitment of sponsoring an individual child. And there’s even an option for donors to send and receive messages from the children they sponsor. This will give your donors a real stake in your ministries and your impact.
That’s four ways DonorDirect’s StudioOnline system can help your ministry build donor engagement. Now we’d like to engage with you. Let us show you how our platform works. How it can strengthen your mission.
Click here to schedule your free StudioOnline demo. Let’s get started!
