What’s the one thing your nonprofit needs to function? Your donors. The people who make charitable contributions keep your operation running and help your organization continue its mission, whether it’s close to home or halfway across the globe.
It’s not enough to know you plan fundraising events and campaigns. What’s more critical is having a detailed, organized breakdown of what’s happening in the fundraising realm so you can stay on top of goals. Spelling out this plan for everyone is key, especially to keep dissatisfied fundraising workers from leaving their jobs to pursue new opportunities.
New research from Market Connections details exactly how nonprofits are planning to raise money this year. Online donations have become a big trend for many ministries. Eighty-seven percent of those polled said they used email to fundraise, 76 percent used the Web, 40 percent used mobile devices and 6 percent jumped on the social media bandwagon.
That’s not to say more traditional fundraising efforts have been pushed to the side. Plenty of nonprofits are still relying on these channels to increase donations. Every single organization surveyed said they still used direct mail as a big fundraising channel, 79 percent employed peer-to-peer tactics, 45 percent used telemarketing and 37 percent hosted events to drive donations.
“More than one-third of nonprofits get more than 50,000 direct mail responses.”
Direct mail was an especially big channel for most nonprofits. More than one-third of respondents received more than 50,000 direct mail responses annually, which hints direct mail isn’t fading into the past anytime soon when it comes to ministry fundraising efforts.
When creating your Q4 fundraising plan, it’s important to review your donor management software and see which channels are driving donations most effectively. Whether it’s the Web, direct mail, or email campaigns, knowing what to realistically plan for through the end of the year will make a huge impact on your overall efforts.