In many cases, fundraising campaigns feel like a race against time, whether you’re raising money for a disaster response project or just working toward a goal that will help you improve your regular programming.
When faced with a ticking clock, the speed with which your donors respond to your fundraising appeals makes all the difference. So, how can you ensure that your asks stand out to supporters and inspire them to act, right then and there?
The answer lies in learning to craft better fundraising appeals, whether you’re sending them out via email, an SMS marketing tool, social media, or even direct mail. Let’s look at three strategies you can apply to your approach today!
1. Create a Sense of Urgency
Even if a fundraising need feels urgent to your team and beneficiaries, it may not feel urgent to your community of supporters. Most of the time, this is due to your donors not having a clear understanding of just how important your fundraising push is.
To infuse urgency into your fundraising appeals, apply these tips:
- Set a clear deadline. A specific date or time can give donors a reason to act now instead of putting it off. Don’t bury your deadline in your message, either—mention it right away and ensure it’s prominently displayed on all of your campaign marketing materials.
- Use language that encourages action. Examples include phrases like “Act now,” “Don’t wait,” “Limited time,” and “Last chance.” This type of language is excellent for the beginning of a fundraising appeal (such as an email subject line) and final calls to action.
- Share your progress and how far you have to go. Tell your supporters how far you’ve come with your campaign to prove that you’ve made a dent in your goal. Then, let them know how much further you have to go—this will show them they can be part of closing the gap. For example, you might say, “So far, we’ve raised $3500. We only need $500 more to reach today’s goal!”
- Leverage social proof. Social proof creates a sense of momentum and demonstrates that other people have been inspired to give to your campaign. Try something like, “Over 500 people have already donated this morning—add your gift to become a changemaker like them!”
- Offer last-minute incentives. Sometimes, offering donors a little something in return can be enough to motivate them to hurry and give. Consider offering things like gift-matching opportunities or even merchandise branded to your organization, like candles, water bottles, or t-shirts.
2. Personalize the Message
Say you receive two birthday cards in the mail. One is from your dentist, and one is from your best friend. The card from the dentist is brief and generic, and you can tell that the dental practice didn’t spend much time writing the message (which also contains a thinly veiled reminder about scheduling your next appointment). On the other hand, the card from your best friend is full of warmth, well wishes, and references to some of your favorite memories together.
Which card are you most likely to keep? It’s a no-brainer—the one from your friend! And the dentist’s card likely goes straight into the recycling.
Don’t make the same mistake as our example dentist! Your donors want messages that feel personal and special, even when they know you’re in a hurry to reach a campaign goal. Personal touches make them feel valued, connected to your cause, and motivated to act.
Here are a few ways to tailor your fundraising appeals to individual donors:
- Use the donor’s name. Always address your donor by their preferred name in the greeting of your message and somewhere in the appeal’s content, too. Something like “Dear Angela” will always be more eye-catching and personal than “Dear Donor.”
- Refer to past donations or engagement. Before they give again, donors want to know that you’ve appreciated their past contributions and involvement. Ensure you acknowledge everything they’ve done for you so far and explain how their continued support can help you do more. You can even highlight specific impact metrics. For example, you might send a quick text message appeal that reads, “Last year, your generous gift of $40 helped us provide meals to five families in need. With your continued support, we can continue to fight hunger in Chicago.”
- Highlight the donor’s interests. Every donor has a specific reason for supporting your organization. Point to those interests and values to inspire further giving. For example, you might write, “We know how much you care about helping at-risk youth succeed in STEM classes. With a donation to our tutoring program, you can help more students thrive.”
- Tailor ask amounts based on giving history. It’s a balancing act—you want to encourage donors to give more than they usually do, but you also want your ask to feel realistic. Customize your donation appeals by playing off of your donors’ giving patterns. For instance, if they usually give $25, it’s probably better to ask for $40 than $250. You can even ask for smaller increases. Here’s an example: “Chelsea, we know you’ve been a loyal monthly donor. Could you increase your monthly support by just $5 to help us do more for homeless pets?”
3. Offer Quick and Easy Donation Methods
Finally, one of the best things you can do to get supporters pulling out their wallets during a big fundraising push is to make donating fast and simple. Streamlining the experience makes it more likely that donors will act now rather than putting off their giving.
How efficient your donation process is comes down to the methods you offer. Try out these methods to make things go smoother for those who care about your cause:
- Text-to-Give: With this donation method, you need a nonprofit-specific texting tool that provides your organization with its own fundraising short code or phone number. Supporters text a keyword to that number to receive a link to your online donation page. From there, they can complete their gift from their phones.
- Streamlined Donation Form: Create a straightforward online donation form that is quick to complete. It shouldn’t require donors to provide an excessive amount of information—instead, ensure that donors can quickly input their contact information and payment details. You can even go a step further by providing suggested donation amounts (e.g., $25, $50, $100). Note that streamlining your donation form is a best practice that can help with any other giving method, too!
- QR Code Donations: Put a QR code on your printed or digital campaign marketing materials that links directly to your donation page when scanned. This will help donors avoid typing long URLs into their smartphones.
- Social Media Donation Buttons: Some social media platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, have donation tools built into them. This allows your followers to donate directly through these platforms without leaving the site. By leveraging these tools, you ensure that donors don’t have to spend time navigating to another site to give.
In addition, make sure you’re prepared to receive a variety of payment types. You may want to specify that you accept credit cards, debit cards, cash, check, ACH, and digital wallet payments so that every donor can use the option that works best for them.
In fundraising, every second—and every dollar!—counts, especially if you’re fundraising for an emergency situation. To inspire your donors to respond quickly, use the strategies above and track response rates to gauge what works best.
About the Author
Christina Marmor, Vice President of Marketing at Mogli
Christina is a tenacious marketing leader who combines grace, grit, and creative joy to drive innovation, evolve mindsets, and accelerate transformation. She is obsessed with personalizing experiences to drive connection and engagement. Christina is a life-long figure skater. When not championing Mogli, you’ll most likely find her on a lacrosse field cheering on her son or at the ice rink supporting her daughter’s figure skating journey.
