Fundraising during the COVID-19 pandemic is giving nonprofits a whole new set of problems. There are extremely limited options for in-person events, forcing organizations to think of out-of-the-box solutions across their digital channels.
Having a solid digital fundraising strategy is more important than ever. The question is where to start. Should you invest in Google Ads, ramp up your social media skills, or even host a webinar?
The digital fundraising options available to your organization may feel overwhelming.
In this post, we will discuss the specific tools that nonprofits at any scale can use to meet their fundraising goals this year. We will cover how to align your mission with the right tools. Then we will discuss how to train staff on best practices to use them. And finally, we will offer a road map for navigating which solutions are the right fit for your specific fundraising needs — from payment processing to online fundraising and e-commerce.
With TechSoup's marketplace of fundraising tools, you can gauge behavioral trends that can optimize those relationships and develop a more reliable pipeline for ongoing donations.
Matching Donor Intent to the Right Channel
Rich data analytics can help your nonprofit customize and test out messaging to make every interaction more meaningful across your target audiences. For example, data gathered from an updated CRM can drive better outreach to high-potential groups such as women, middle-income households, and younger donors.
Here is an overview of the top grant and donations tools from TechSoup to get you started:
- CitySoft is a robust, open-source option for enterprise management with planning, implementation, and staff training available for additional fees.
- Arreva's Exceed! is great for small to mid-sized nonprofits, streamlining donations, events, and campaign outreach under one roof.
- DonorPerfect unifies all constituent and fundraising data to give you more time to focus on your giving program. Access your data anytime, anywhere.
- Little Green Light helps nonprofits organize, group, and strategically target donors. Forms you create in LGL Forms can be embedded in your website and linked to your LGL account. It can be easily integrated with Constant Contact, MailChimp, Wufoo, QuickBooks Online, PayPal, and Zapier.
- GrantStation helps you find funders from a database of open opportunities, create a grant strategy, and learn how to write grant proposals.
And don't miss Grant Writing and Management, a five-course on-demand track from TechSoup Courses created to help organizations strengthen grant writing skills while also learning how to target funders.
Boost Engagement and Retargeting
Maximizing donor lifetime can reap huge savings that can be reinvested in even more fundraising outreach. And it allows you to be more agile when the going gets tough — from daily challenges to international crises.
Check out the Fundraising for Nonprofits Bundle at TechSoup Courses get up to speed with the best tools for your fundraising goals. You will learn
- How to choose the right CRM and donor database
- Top prospect research tools and donation processing systems
- Enhancing stakeholder relationships via social media
- Planning effective donor events
- How to tell compelling stories with big data
- Leveraging insights from fundraising surveys
Fundraising Support Services from TechSoup
TechSoup can help you conduct outreach on all fronts — from ad management to reporting and data visualization. Here are some tools to help you prioritize your efforts:
- Digital Marketing Assessment helps organizations prioritize their fundraising efforts with the right mix of tools and training (free).
- Digital Marketing Consultation offers 1:1 consultation for scaling digital fundraising and donor management systems.
- Digital Marketing DIY Kit and Coach provides six tools to kick-start an effective fundraising plan — with a 45-minute individualized consultation.
Make Fundraising Safer and Easier
A fundraiser's worst nightmare is losing donor trust. With TechSoup, you can implement solutions that respect the needs of your donor base — enhancing communications while adhering to their wishes. Some may wish to remain anonymous — and others might appreciate a personalized thank-you email.
Here are some great resources that will help you meet those funding goals while safeguarding donor data from TechSoup. The best part is that all these solutions are PCI-compliant for local as well as international giving.
- Dharma Merchant Services seamlessly processes credit cards online and in-person. This package includes credit/debit card and check processing equipment — with lower fees than PayPal or Square if you process less than $10,000 per month.
- PayAnywhere allows users to process credit cards on Apple iOS or Android devices via Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and PayPal. This offer includes a comprehensive merchant portal — with email, SMS, and paper receipt options.
- HackerGuardian by Comodo offers PCI compliance scanning for three years. It secures all cardholder data as it is stored, processed, and transmitted.
With the platforms above, you can keep your supporters happy, using the data to create accurate reports to boost public confidence in your efforts. With TechSoup, you can create legally compliant disclosures, policies, publications, announcements, and other materials.
Nonprofits play a special role in society — coming to the aid of communities in need. But maintaining that trust with your donors and supporters is a delicate balance. Without the right tools and the skills to manage donor data, organizations continue to rely on their gut rather than the right metrics.
Browse TechSoup today to start implementing fundraising analytics more effectively — driving better decisions to create outreach that can scale to fulfill your long-term goals.
More Fundraising Resources for Your Nonprofit
- Join TechSoup Courses' track on social media marketing.
- Got the right fundraising and grant management tools, but not all the people you need? Check out TechSoup's Consultant Connection to fill out your team.
- Watch a webinar on creating connections and raising money using Zoom for Virtual Fundraising.
