Your 7-Step Online Fundraising Makeover

Refresh your digital fundraising in 7 steps

Build these simple steps into the nonprofit planning process to freshen up your online fundraising, align your multichannel strategy, and streamline your development operations.

1. Clean up the data in your nonprofit CRM

Clean donor data provides the solid foundation for every part of your nonprofit plan, including your digital strategy—so before you do anything else, take time to ensure the records in your fundraising CRM are up to date.

When your donor records are clear and accurate, you can:

• See donors’ giving and engagement trends
• Understand how, where, and when donors are most likely to give
• Strategize around donors’ preferred communication methods
• Track the performance of digital marketing and email campaigns

Prioritize fields that shape outreach and reporting

When you’re auditing your donor records, focus on the data fields that are most relevant to your digital fundraising strategy and reporting.

Here are a few fields to prioritize:

• Contact information (e.g., salutation, email, mobile)
• Constituent relationships and organizational links
• Giving history (total, recency, frequency)
• Campaign, appeal, and fund designations
• Communication preferences

These are the details that shape donors’ digital experience, drive smarter segmentation, and enable you to make data-informed strategic decisions throughout the year.

Build data hygiene into your operations

The best strategy adjustments are the ones you don’t have to repeat every time you build a new plan. To ensure clean data and reporting year-round (and from one year to the next), consider building a few simple habits into your team’s regular planning:

• Check for duplicate records (monthly)
• Standardize gift, campaign, and solicitation codes
• Update special affiliation tags (e.g., volunteer, board member, former staff)
• Create routine post-campaign reports

Not sure where to start with your donor database clean-up? Download The Clean Data Checklist for Nonprofits and get clear steps and simple best practices that keep every member of your team on track.

2. Get to know your donors

Once you’ve taken the time to clean up your data, you can use it to better understand the supporters who keep your mission moving forward.

Donors want to see that they’re recognized and valued, not just as financial supporters, but as people with specific interests and motivations for giving. With the right tools, your nonprofit CRM can show you a fuller picture of each donor—enabling you to target your online fundraising strategy to donors’ capacity, behavior, and preferences.

Start with smart segmentation

You don’t need complicated analytics to make meaningful improvements to your donor outreach. Using the reporting tools in your nonprofit CRM, filter for the donor segments that make the most sense to prioritize in your online fundraising strategy.  

Here are some key donor groups to consider:

• First-time donors – Ripe for communication and sustained engagement
• Monthly donors – Your most consistent and committed supporters
• Peer-to-peer fundraisers – Advocates in your online fundraising campaigns
• Volunteers or event attendees – Actively engaged participants in your mission

When segmenting for your digital communications, it’s also a good idea to filter by giving behavior and communication preferences. For instance, a donor who consistently gives by mail rather than online might not figure into your digital strategy. (But they’d be a prime candidate for your annual direct-mail campaign!) 

See your donors clearly with custom reports.

With DonorPerfect’s built-in reports and analytics, you can turn donor data into actionable insights. Track engagement trends, measure campaign performance, and create smarter donor segments based on giving history and behavior—so your outreach is more personalized, strategic, and effective year-round. See DonorPerfect reports in action >>

Consider non-financial engagement metrics

Giving history matters, but it’s not the only indicator of donor engagement. A supporter who opens every email or attends every event is telling you they care about your mission, even if they haven’t made their next donation yet. The more you track those touchpoints, the more effectively you can create donor journeys that build connection over time.

Pro tip: Today’s donors are looking for meaningful, authentic connections that go beyond the gift. By integrating modern donor engagement models into your digital fundraising strategy, you can more effectively reach new donors and enhance long-term retention.

3. Align your messaging across channels

Once you understand who your donors are, the next step is making sure your nonprofit communications feel consistent wherever donors interact with you.

Your website, donation forms, emails, and social media aren’t separate marketing projects—they’re all part of a cohesive digital donor experience. When messaging feels disjointed across platforms, donors notice. Even small inconsistencies can create friction, especially for new supporters who are still deciding whether they trust your organization.

If you’re in the middle of the strategic planning process, you’re probably already refreshing your nonprofit storytelling. What story are we telling this year, and where and how are we telling it? A online fundraising makeover is an opportunity to ensure that a unified story is clear and consistent from one outreach channel to the next.

Connect messaging to your nonprofit plan

Your annual fundraising plan outlines specific priorities: programs you’re funding, goals you need to hit, and communities you’re serving. Your digital communications should reinforce those priorities clearly, so donors understand what their support makes possible.

Instead of writing appeals that feel transactional, focus on impact-driven storytelling that shows donors why their gift matters right now.

Create reusable impact stories

The strongest nonprofit messaging focuses less on your organization than on your donors’ role in creating change. What tangible outcome(s) has their generosity made possible? 

While you’re planning, consider choosing one impact story that you can adapt across multiple channels. This multichannel adaptation enables you to tell your story in a variety of creative formats, and it reduces the chance of a donor missing your message entirely. It also ensures donors receive consistent messaging everywhere they engage with your nonprofit—and helps keep your team aligned throughout the year.

Repurpose impact stories with ease.

Turn one strong impact story into many tailored messages with DonorPerfect’s AI-powered communications assistant. Whether you need a social post, email appeal, newsletter blurb, or campaign headline, this smart tool helps you generate variations that stay on message and save time while keeping your storytelling consistent and engaging across all your digital channels.

Consider how you could repurpose your story across these channels:

• An email appeal 
• Your online donation form 
• Social media posts
• A personalized thank-you video

Pro tip: Creatively repurposing one impact story across channels keeps your communications aligned while saving your team valuable time to focus on the relationships that matter most.

4. Optimize your online donation forms

Your online donation form is one of the most important parts of your online fundraising strategy, because it’s where inspiration turns into action.

Donors may feel deeply connected to your mission, but if they reach your donation form and find that it’s confusing, slow, or overly complicated, they might abandon the process without ever completing their gift. When revamping your online forms, focus on creating a frictionless giving experience that feels like a natural extension of your fundraising communications.

Design a donor-friendly giving experience

Assess your current donation form. Does it feel modern? Is it mobile-friendly and easy to complete? If not, a few small improvements can go a long way. 

Most nonprofits see better conversion when forms include:

• Suggested giving levels
• Minimal required fields
• Mobile-friendly design
• Modern payment options

Pro tip: If you’re refreshing your online fundraising, consider adding scan-to-donate QR codes to your printed materials—brochures, direct-mail appeals, event signage—to provide an even smoother giving experience.

Reinforce mission and impact at the point of giving

The most effective giving page is more than a simple payment form. It’s also a reflection of your organization’s ethos and a seamless continuation of the nonprofit storytelling that has inspired donors to give in the first place. 

If your current giving page is just a basic form on a blank white field, think about redesigning with text and visuals that reinforce your institutional identity and emphasize donor impact.

Consider these tips when refreshing your online donation forms:

• Brand your forms with your nonprofit logo and website color scheme.
• Align title, description, and featured image with your chosen impact story.
• Replace suggested gift amounts with specific impact outcomes.

Modernize online giving with DonorPerfect + Givecloud 

Givecloud brings a modern, donor-centric giving experience to your digital fundraising through seamless integration with DonorPerfect. Designed for today’s nonprofit needs, this combined solution gives you a best-in-class digital fundraising solution that supports strategic planning, improves donor experience, and enhances your ability to grow sustained support.

• Impact-focused donation options: Frame giving around mission-driven outcomes, so donors clearly see what their support enables. Customizable asks, campaign pages, and themed giving options help you tell compelling stories that inspire action.
• Sleek design and custom branding: Create beautifully branded giving experiences that match your website and campaign identity. With templates and design flexibility, your donation pages feel like a natural extension of your nonprofit’s voice and visuals.
• Modern giving options: From one-click giving and mobile-optimized forms to payment methods like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and DAFpay, make donating easier on every device—lowering friction and improving conversion.
  

Already have DonorPerfect? Learn about adding Givecloud to your plan.

Not a DonorPerfect user? Discover how DonorPerfect with Givecloud can upgrade your online fundraising. 

Highlight recurring giving

If long-term sustainability is part of your nonprofit plan, monthly giving should be part of your online fundraising strategy. Recurring donors are often your most reliable supporters, and the donation form is the natural place to invite them into that deeper commitment.

If your current donation form is limited to “one-time” giving, add a prominent “monthly” option with a clear explanation of the difference sustained giving makes for your mission.

Pro tip: You can make recurring giving feel more approachable by illustrating how even small monthly gifts add up to have a significant impact over time. In addition to providing reliable and sustainable support for your mission, what could a gift of $10 or $20 a month make possible over the course of a year? 

5. Spruce up your website and social channels

Your website and social media are often the first places a donor interacts with your organization. Before someone gives, they want to know: Is this nonprofit credible? Do I understand the mission? Do we share the same values?

Think of your website as your digital front door

During planning season, it can be helpful to experience your organization the way a new supporter would. Set aside time to “step inside” your nonprofit as a first-time guest. Access your site on a computer or phone, scroll the homepage, click through each tab, and scan your donation page. 

When evaluating your website, ask yourself these questions:

• Is the design clear and compelling, or cluttered and difficult to read?
• Is there a clear statement of our organization’s history, mission, vision, and values?
• Do images and impact stories accurately reflect the work we do?
• Are there prominent opportunities to donate or participate on every page?

Pro tip: Build regular website maintenance into your annual workflow. While your core mission and vision should remain consistent from year to year, keep impact stories, videos, and images fresh to highlight recent successes and demonstrate responsiveness and timeliness to donors.

Use social media platforms strategically

A smart social media strategy goes beyond occasional posts or status updates. Social platforms work best when they’re treated as an extension of your donor communications strategy that builds trust, visibility, and engagement over time.

As part of your online fundraising makeover, consider how social media can (realistically) support your broader nonprofit plan. Think about the donor segments most likely to use certain platforms, the impact stories most likely to engage them, and the storytelling tools each platform provides.

These are just a few ways to use social media strategically:

• Use social media bios to communicate mission and impact in just a few words.
• Promote campaigns like GivingTuesday with shareable photos, videos, and live progress updates.
• Make posts easier to discover with hashtags (e.g., #nonprofit, #charity, #impact, #giveback).
• Post photos and short videos that bring followers “behind the scenes” of your mission.
• Encourage community engagement through interactive content like Q&As or polls.
• Drive traffic to key digital touchpoints, like donation forms or event registration pages.

Bring your mission to life with DP Video, DonorPerfect’s video fundraising integration designed to boost engagement across your website, email, and social media. Easily create and share compelling donor-focused videos that deepen connection, strengthen storytelling, and inspire supporters to take action.

When social media is aligned with your fundraising communications plan, it becomes a creative way to grow your community and deepen supporter engagement year-round.

6. Revamp your digital marketing and emails

Email remains one of the most powerful tools in online fundraising because it allows you to communicate directly with supporters in a way that feels personal, timely, and measurable. 

As part of your online fundraising makeover, it’s worth taking a step back during planning season to evaluate how your nonprofit is using email and digital marketing overall. Many organizations send messages only when they urgently need donations or are scrambling to assemble last-minute appeals. A stronger approach is to treat email as an ongoing engagement channel that supports donors throughout the year, not just during peak fundraising moments.

An aligned digital marketing strategy can help you:

• Keep donors connected between campaigns
• Share consistent impact stories tied to your priorities
• Improve donor retention through regular stewardship
• Drive traffic to key fundraising opportunities like events and online giving

Audit what you sent last year

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel! Annual planning is the perfect time to review your recent email performance and identify opportunities for improvement. 

Look back at past appeals, newsletters, and updates and ask:

• Were subject lines clear and compelling?
• Did emails get to the point quickly?
• Was there one strong call to action?
• Did messages feel donor-centered and mission-driven?
• Were emails easy to read on mobile devices?

Pro tip: If you use an integrated digital marketing platform like Constant Contact, take advantage of built-in reporting and analytics to track email performance and improve your outreach over time. Monitoring metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates can help you evaluate past email campaigns and test the messaging and design of new ones.

Use segmentation to personalize outreach

As mentioned above, donors want to feel personally connected to your mission. Rather than take a one-size-fits-all approach, target your messaging to the needs and interests of different donor segments. 

Tailor your email communications for the following segments:

• New donors – Welcome to your mission and provide opportunities for involvement.
• Monthly donors – Recognize consistent support and shared commitment.
• Lapsed donors – Acknowledge past support and invite to reengage.
• Mid-level donors – Emphasize impact with opportunities for upgraded support.

By strengthening your email strategy now, you set your organization up for more consistent donor engagement, clearer messaging, and stronger fundraising results throughout the year.

7. Build digital workflows in your nonprofit CRM

A meaningful online fundraising makeover improves not only the communications your donors receive, but the systems your team uses to stay on track.

The tools in your fundraising system can help you strengthen donor engagement while reducing manual work. When routine stewardship and follow-up happen automatically, donors feel cared for and staff have more time to focus on building authentic relationships. 

Automate donor stewardship

With your nonprofit CRM’s built-in fundraising automation tools, you can ensure that key donor moments never slip through the cracks: timely thank-yous, follow-up reminders, renewal outreach, and engagement tracking.

Use fundraising automation to:

• Send acknowledgments and gift receipts quickly
• Remind recurring donors to renew, and reach out as soon as they lapse
• Prompt staff for scheduled personal outreach
• Monitor donor engagement trends year-round

Nurture connections with donor journeys

Every donor’s relationship to your nonprofit evolves over time. While each path is unique, mapping common donor journeys—new donor acquisition, donor retention and upgrade, and lapsed donor reactivation—can help you shape a cohesive experience that gently guides donors toward authentic, lasting engagement.

With DonorPerfect, you can build personalized donor journeys directly in your nonprofit CRM. From a curious prospective donor clicking through an email to a loyal donor slowly increasing their support over time, DonorPerfect helps your team track every touch—and send the right message at the moment it matters most. 

Donor journeys can transform your online fundraising from a series of one-time transactions into a consistent strategy that aligns with your nonprofit plan and keeps supporters engaged across every email, campaign, and online giving opportunity.

Ready to integrate donor journeys into your online fundraising makeover? Download our guide to The Donor Journey and get practical tips for automating authentic paths to long-term support with your nonprofit CRM.