Tips for Engaging New Donors in Nonprofits

How I get new individual donors (my entire strategy) People think to get new major donors, you need:  - huge brand - big marketing department - gala with celebrity co-chairs and host committee - paid ads - lots of media Here’s my 4-part method (that includes none of that 👆) that’s helped me and my clients raise $66M and counting from individual donors. (Nothing wrong with any of that stuff, it’s just all very difficult to manage, expensive and time-consuming - and good for you if it works for you!) Part 1/4: Referrals ➡️ Ask current donors ➡️ Ask board members ➡️ Ask email subscribers to share the email with a friend I tack a referral ask onto every conversation that I think “goes well” If the donor is all in, then they are likely to intro us to someone else. Easy. Btw, this usually creates more work for me with all the new intros, so I don’t have as much pressure for parts 2-4 to work right away. Part 2/4: Zero-Cost Intimate Gatherings (hosted by donor, board member) What the nonprofit does: (Me)  - Guide the host on the right “who” to invite  - Advise the host on how to share from their heart What the donor or board member does: (Them)  - Plans, executes, and pays for the whole thing  - Invites their network to their home It’s personal. It’s intimate. More people /= better.  We’re going for the RIGHT FIT people. I do this 4x a year. Bada-Bing Bada-Boom.  New major donor pipeline. Part 3/4: LinkedIn: Organic Posts & Outbound Outreach I write about the nonprofit like it’s my job. - My first-hand experience blog-post style on a “vision trip” - Most compelling impact stats and “story of 1” with photos  - Big picture thought leadership stuff I do this 2-3x a week. I connect with people who: 1. Look like the ideal donor profile 2. Mutual connections with my current donors and board members Ideal donor profile: (for example)  - CEO or C-suite of mid-size company  - Generous (volunteer history)  - Cares about [issue or cause] If I need more donors, I’d send 50-100 connects a day. Part 4/4: Convert Raving Fans I look at all the people involved  Who haven’t donated in the last 6-12 months ✅ Event attendees  ✅ Volunteers  ✅ Email subscribers who clicked  ✅ Social media commenters and followers I reach out, gauge interest, and ask them to donate. I do this 1x a week. That’s it. This 4-part method is what I teach my clients with templates and coaching along the way. My client shared with me last week she did this method, and here’s the update: - Donor-hosted event 1 month away with a $250,000 goal, they’ve already raised $150,000 for - the host is giving $50k with new people attending  - Got 20 meetings with new people connected to current supporters and interested in getting more involved (she did 100 outreach connects total) All this in just 6 months. This is an organization with a $1M budget in Indiana, and the ED is the sole fundraiser. If you’d like help with this, let me know. 

Stop chasing Boomer dollars. Your fundraising strategy is stuck in 1997 and younger donors can tell. Here's where this gets messy. Nonprofits still host $250/plate galas. Send generic emails to everyone. Ask for $10K from people still paying off student loans. Then complain millennials don't give. They do. Just not like that. When I worked with K9s.Org, we tried something different. We created a Young Professionals Council. Not a token junior board... an actual advisory group with real influence over programs and strategy. These people didn't have wealth yet. But they had networks we couldn't access. Fresh perspectives that challenged our assumptions. Time and energy to put in. Social media reach that blew ours away. We gave them ownership. They gave us growth. What works with donors under 40: Peer-to-peer fundraising works because social proof beats your brand every time. Make it simple for them to fundraise through their own networks. Show them exactly where the money goes. Dashboards, real-time updates, photos from the field. Vague impact statements don't cut it anymore. Monthly giving over big one-time asks. $50/month is manageable. That's $600/year of recurring revenue you can count on. Let them volunteer, advise, and co-create before you ask for money. They want to be part of the work, not just watching from the sidelines. If your donation page requires mailing a check or takes forever to load... you've lost them already. The biggest mistake I see? Treating young donors like they're just "future major donors" instead of partners right now. You're not building a relationship, you're waiting for them to turn into someone else. That doesn't work. When they do have money to give... they'll remember the organizations that valued what they brought to the table today. Not the ones who put them on hold for a decade. You don't get to wait for them to age into your system. Build something they want to be part of now. What's your experience engaging younger donors? Drop a comment. #YoungDonors #NonprofitFundraising #MillennialPhilanthropy #PeerToPeerFundraising #DonorEngagement

🔹 Struggling to Find New CSR Donors? Here’s the Strategy That Works 🔹 In my recent poll, the #1 fundraising challenge that stood out was: Finding New Donors. And I get it. The usual advice—"research prospects, send cold emails, apply for grants"—isn’t enough. The real problem isn’t finding donors, it’s attracting them. Here’s how I’ve helped organizations consistently acquire new funders: 1️⃣ Donors Fund What They See—Are You Visible Enough? Most NGOs expect funders to find them, but in reality, funders are actively looking for high-impact organizations. The question is: Are you in their line of sight? 🔹 Be active on LinkedIn—Thought leadership builds credibility. 🔹 Attend sector-specific events—Grantmakers and CSR heads don’t sit in isolation. 🔹 Leverage media & PR—A published impact story can attract unexpected funders. 💡 New donors don’t come from new emails; they come from new visibility. 2️⃣ Your Outreach Isn’t the Problem—Your Positioning Is Most fundraisers send out asks. Instead, think like a strategic partner: ✔ Speak funders’ language—Link your work to their ESG, CSR, or SDG goals. ✔ Show long-term impact, not just needs—Funders fund solutions, not problems. ✔ Use warm introductions—Cold outreach has a lower success rate than referrals. 💡 Stop “seeking donors.” Start attracting them with a compelling impact proposition. 3️⃣ Expand Your Donor Pipeline Strategically The best organizations don’t rely on one donor type. They diversify: 🔹 Corporate Partnerships – Target ESG-driven companies, not just CSR teams. 🔹 High-Net-Worth Individuals – Engage philanthropists via networking events. 🔹 Institutional Funders – Focus on multi-year grants instead of one-time funding. 🔹 Community Giving – Crowdfunding and individual giving add resilience. 💡 If you only rely on grants, you’ll always struggle to find new donors. 4️⃣ Funders Talk—Make Sure They Talk About You A warm referral from an existing donor is 10x more effective than a cold approach. How? ✅ Keep existing funders engaged—They will introduce you to their networks. ✅ Ask for introductions—Many funders know other funders. ✅ Share impact updates regularly—Make it easy for funders to showcase your work. 💡 Fundraising isn’t just about acquiring donors; it’s about making them your ambassadors. Final Thought: The Best Fundraisers Don’t “Find” Donors—They Position Themselves to Be Found. If you’re struggling with new donor acquisition, it’s time to shift from chasing funding to attracting funders. #FundraisingStrategy #NGOFunding #NewDonors #CorporatePartnerships #NonprofitGrowth #SocialImpact #DonorEngagement

Why do millions like and share a cause… but only a few actually give? That attention-action gap is the black hole of digital fundraising. But behavioural science offers some answers. Here are 7 proven insights from research and campaigns that can help turn clicks into commitment: 1. Make it good to show off People share things that boost their image (Social Currency, Berger 2013). Example: Movember worked because growing a moustache wasn’t just fundraising – it was a public, identity-boosting act. That visibility made people want to share. 2. Time your ask to daily habits Sharing isn’t just about emotion – it’s about timing. Example: UNICEF UK’s Currency Appeal spiked donations by asking travellers to give leftover foreign coins right after summer holidays. Simple, relevant trigger = higher engagement. 3. Emotion spreads – but only the right kind High-arousal emotions like anger or awe drive sharing. Sadness alone often shuts people down (Berger & Milkman, 2012). Blend urgency with hope. People act when they feel both moved and effective. 4. One face beats a thousand stats People give more to one named person than to large-scale need. Study: The “Rokia” experiment (Small, Loewenstein & Slovic, 2007) found donations dropped when numbers increased. Empathy doesn’t scale – keep it human. 5. Make the impact crystal clear Donors need to know their gift works. Example: Charity: Water links donations to specific outcomes, down to GPS-tracked wells. That clarity boosted donor retention by 30% in a year. 6. Private actions lead to real commitment Study: Kristofferson et al. (2014) found that public token actions (like profile pics) make people feel they've done enough. But private actions (like email sign-ups) reinforce identity – and make donations more likely. 7. Strip out friction Tiny tweaks matter: Making mailing address optional = 3.4% lift in donations Highlighting a “Most Popular” gift = 94% more revenue Showing “Alex just donated” = 3.5% higher conversion (Results from A/B tests across nonprofit platforms. Grounded in behavioural science principles including friction reduction (Shah & Oppenheimer, 2008), anchoring (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974), and social proof (Cialdini, 1984; Goldstein et al., 2008).) The lesson? Emotion grabs attention. But clarity, identity, and simplicity drive action.

Here's how I would raise $5,000 a month, every month, if I were a small charity: No galas. No grants. No huge donor base required. Just a simple, repeatable system that actually works. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁. 50 donors at $25/month = $1,250 in predictable revenue. That's your foundation. Name it something meaningful. Make joining feel like belonging to something bigger. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸. Yes, every week. Not a newsletter—an ask tied to a specific need or a story that connects them to your organization. Most small nonprofits under-ask and under communicate by a mile. Your donors WANT to help. Let them. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯: 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝟱𝟬 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵. A simple "thank you" or quick impact update. No ask. Just connection. These texts take 30 minutes and keep your best supporters feeling seen. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟰: 𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶-𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿. A 3-day push with a clear goal and deadline. "Help us raise $2,000 by Friday to fund summer camp scholarships." Urgency + specificity = action. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟱: 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆. Within 48 hours of their first gift. The conversion rate will surprise you. This isn't complicated. It's consistent. The charities hitting their goals month after month aren't doing anything fancy. They're just showing up in the inbox, telling great stories, and making it easy to give. What would you add to this list?

An appeal isn't just a request for donations—it's about creating experiences that donors treasure. It's crucial to understand that we're not asking donors to support our mission; instead, we're aiding them in fulfilling their vision of a better world. Here’s how we make donating a joyful and meaningful act: 1. 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: Shift the focus from needs to highlighting opportunities for donors to make significant changes in the world. 2. 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: Provide donors with intimate insights and special access to see the impact of their contributions firsthand, making them feel like integral parts of our journey. 3. 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Move beyond standard acknowledgments. Customize your gratitude to reflect the unique impact of each donor’s contribution. 4. 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: Share powerful stories that illustrate the direct results of their generosity, portraying donors as the heroes of these narratives. We have the power to transform giving into an enriching experience, elevating our donors from mere supporters to valued partners in a shared mission. By engaging donors meaningfully, we celebrate and support their aspirations to improve the world.

As a professional in the philanthropy sector, particularly overseeing projects aimed at Gen Z like TalkIsrael Foundation, I often reflect on the younger generation's familiarity and interest in philanthropy. A recent report from Blackbaud offers some fascinating insights into Gen Z's giving and fundraising behaviors. Here are a few key points that stood out to me: ✅ 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐍𝐨𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 - Gen Z actively supports causes in diverse ways, including: - Following or promoting organizations - Signing petitions - Wearing branded merchandise - Donating goods or services - Making direct financial donations ✅ 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐨𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 Gen Z is driven by: - Compelling mission statements - Trust in the organization - A sense of community - Urgency of the cause - The organization’s reputation - Privacy considerations - Belief in the impact of small donations ✅  𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 Social media platforms like TikTok play a significant role in Gen Z’s fundraising efforts. Features such as donation-activated filters enable them to feel that even small actions can make a substantial impact. ✅ 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 While Gen Z may approach things differently, their core values align with older generations. They seek to make meaningful contributions through their roles as employees or volunteers, driven by a genuine desire to effect real change. ✅ 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐞𝐧 𝐙 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐲 - Engage Gen Z with transparency and authenticity. - Listen to and understand their values and expectations. - Request donations while being mindful of their financial capabilities. - Align your nonprofit’s work with causes important to Gen Z, such as environmental issues, social and economic justice, and community support. - Diversify your approach to engage those who are new to philanthropy, helping them embark on their philanthropic journey. By understanding and addressing these factors, we can better connect with Gen Z and harness their enthusiasm and commitment to make a lasting difference. 💙 #GenZ #Nonprofits #Philanthropy

If I had to rebuild nonprofit impact reporting from scratch today, I wouldn’t start with glossy annual reports. I’d start with: Timing. Because most nonprofits don’t lose donors due to lack of results. They lose them due to lack of memory. Here’s exactly how I’d rebuild donor reporting so it sticks: 1. Respect the 72-hour rule Cognitive science shows memory fades after 3 days. If you wait 3 months to share impact, donors forget the emotional spark that led them to give. Don’t let the moment slip. • Send an update within 72 hours. • Even if it’s raw or imperfect. • Tie it directly to the donor’s gift. Momentum beats polish. 2. Micro-updates, not mega-reports Stop saying: “Wait for our end-of-year report.” Start saying: “Here’s what your gift did this week.” Short videos, quick photos, a 3-line story. Your donors want to feel progress, not sift through 20 pages. 3. Make impact a habit, not an event The best donor journeys are built like fitness routines. Consistent, bite-sized reps, not sporadic marathons. Do this instead: • Weekly “impact snapshots” • Monthly behind-the-scenes notes • Quarterly deep dives (not the other way around) Build rhythm. Build trust. 4. Anchor updates to emotion, not just outcomes Data fades fast. Emotion lingers. • Instead of “We planted 5,000 trees”… Say: “Meet Lucia. She’s breathing cleaner air today because of you.” Stories keep the trigger alive. 5. Create recall moments If you want donors to give again, bring them back to their first spark. • Replay the video that moved them. • Send the photo that made them act. • Use the same language that triggered their gift. Remind them why they cared in the first place. Delayed reporting doesn’t just cost attention. It costs retention. In 2025, donor communication should feel less like PR. And more like a memory anchor. Not an annual report. A living reminder. Comment “retention” and I’ll send you our playbook on how to do all of this using LinkedIn. With purpose and impact, Mario

These are the 10 things I did to blow past historical results and generate 400% increase in annual revenue when I ran an annual giving program inside a nonprofit: 1. Assessed everything the department did and cut any activity that wasn't producing at least a 2:1 return on investment. This created the time we needed to invest in higher value activities. 2. Implemented a stewardship program where we called to thank every donor who sent a gift of $100 or more each month (that's what we had capacity to do), sent handwritten thank you notes to any donor who gave a gift of $500 or more each month (again, capacity), and personally signed (w/notes) each thank you letter. 3. Started calling lapsed donors asking them to renew their support and sharing the impact they made with their prior giving. 4. Overhauled the org's newsletter to stop talking about internal stuff and celebrating internal staff and refocused it on telling great stories of impact made possible by donors. 5. Pulled Mid-level donors out of the standard communications stream and created a unique stream of mailings, emails, and calls to more effectively engage Mid-level donors. 6. Moved our fundraising communications from talking only about positive outcome stories to telling stories of human need, crisis, and opportunity, and asked donors to step in to help solve the problem. 7. Shifted our donor acquisition strategy from "target everyone" to focusing on finding high net worth supporters who were interested in investing in healthcare in our community. 8. Cut the number of community events we managed and shifted those hours to direct donor relationship building and engagement. 9. Launched a monthly giving program. 10. Asked our top donors to double their giving. Every nonprofit is different. But most of the things that hold us back from raising more money for our cause are pretty similar. What can you pick from this list that will help you raise more for your cause this year?

I keep seeing the same mistake on nonprofit LinkedIn pages. The organization posts an update. A few staff members share it. Engagement is mostly from people who already follow you. New donors, partners, and sponsors? They rarely see it. Org updates still matter — they build consistency and keep your community informed. But if that's your only strategy, you're leaving reach on the table. Here's what works better: Team-led storytelling, amplified by the organization. Instead of only the org posting "Thanks to everyone who came to our gala!" — your development manager posts about a conversation they had with a first-time donor that night and why it reminded them why they do this work. Then the organization reshares that post. The difference? → Engagement is deeper. People connect with people, not logos. → Reach grows. Every staff member's network extends your visibility to donors, partners, and sponsors you'd never reach otherwise. → Trust builds. Authentic voices from your team create emotional connection that polished org posts can't match. This doesn't mean stop posting from your org page. It means your people become your strongest advocates — and the org page supports them. A few ways to make this work: • Give staff prompts, not scripts. Try: "What's one moment from this year where you saw our mission come to life?" or "Tell us about someone you met through your work who stuck with you." Let them write in their own voice. • Encourage everyone to share — not just comms. Your ED and board build credibility; your staff bring the human perspective; your volunteers show community in action. • Amplify, don't just originate. Let personal stories lead. The org page extends their reach. Team-led posts will almost always outperform org posts. That's not a knock on your page — it's just how LinkedIn works. People engage with PEOPLE. Your team is your biggest untapped marketing channel. Let them tell the story.