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4 Steps to Start Your Donor Acquisition Strategy
When you’re in the beginning stages of developing a donor acquisition plan for your nonprofit, it’s a great time to start thinking about how you can showcase your mission through storytelling, amplify your fundraising goals on social media, and create a stress-free workflow for welcoming your new donors.
But first, a quick win!
The first step to gaining more support for your mission only takes a few minutes! All you have to do is put yourself in your new donors’ shoes.
Go through your donation process as a first-time donor to develop your ideal strategy:
- How long does it take to fill out your form? Are you thanked? Do you feel appreciated? Was it easy to make your donation, and would you do it again soon?
- Do you have volunteers? Count them as part of your community of supporters. Ask them to help you brainstorm new ideas or connect you with their donor networks. You can even have them go door-to-door – equip them with a hand-out that introduces who you are and what you do, and include a QR code that links to your donation page for easy access.
Step 1: Develop your library of creative content
Watch
Learn how to tell a concise and compelling story that inspires people to participate in your mission. Nonprofit executive coach and sought-after strategic advisor, Joan Garry, recently shared her expertise with DonorPerfect in How Storytelling Can Up Your Fundraising, a recorded webinar.
WATCH NOW
Read
Ready to take action, but need a brainstorming buddy? Nonprofit social media expert Julia Campbell worked with DonorPerfect to create a Social Media Content Planner, where you’ll find tips for creating your posts and developing your strategy.
Download The Social Media Content Planner »
People give to people they know and trust, so it’s important to give your mission a friendly face and a warm voice. You don’t need anything fancy or professional to do this – you don’t even need a tripod – you can simply record a voice or video message while holding your mobile phone in your hand! Just letting people know that you care and are going to take actionable steps toward change is all that matters.
Step 2: Act like an ambassador to your new donors
Read
If a welcome series is a new concept for you, no need to worry! This DonorPerfect blog is for you: Retain Donors With a New Donor Email Welcome Series. You’ll quickly learn what they are, what they do, and how they help your nonprofit acquire and keep new donors.
Read
Setting up an email, or a series of emails, to welcome your new donors is an invaluable step in growing your relationships – and you don’t have to write or send them manually! If you’re working solo, or as part of a small fundraising team, using email templates will standardize and speed up your process for welcoming new donors. Build stronger bonds with the New Donor Welcome Series, an email template kit!
Download The New Donor Welcome Series »
Research shows that donors who are thanked within 48 hours of their gift are 4x more likely to give again, and automating your thank-you process ensures you don’t miss this opportunity window. DonorPerfect users who take advantage of automatic, personalized gift acknowledgments have seen their retention rate increase by 56%.
LEARN MOREStep 3: Develop your social media presence to spread the word
Watch
Not sure where to start when it comes to creating a social media strategy? Listen as two digital marketing mavens, Dana Snyder and Brynne Krispin, discuss how to use social media to grow awareness and raise funds for your cause in their recent podcast episode, Building Brand Authority and Connections Online: Brynne Krispin and Dana Snyder Share Organic Social Media Strategies.
WATCH NOWAgain, people give to people they know and trust. The people who care about your mission are already on social media, and they would love to see you there, too. Not sure that this will work for your nonprofit, or if it will bring the return you’re hoping for? Beyond your posts, there are several tricks you can use to ensure you’re building relationships on social media.
Listen
Draw inspiration from this social media case study with Chelsea Edwards, Director of Peer-to-Peer Giving for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. In less than 30 minutes, her organization was able to raise thousands on Facebook – without spending anything!
Listen to $3,705 Raised on Facebook with $0 Ad Spend with Chelsea Edwards »
Step 4: Use social media to start building your email list
Watch
Struggling to grow your email list? What if we told you that you can attract new potential supporters every single day? I’ve taught my lead generation strategy to hundreds of nonprofits with incredible results… like 100+ new email subscribers in 7 days kind of results! Check out my recorded webinar – aptly named 100 New Email Subscribers in 7 Days – hosted by DonorPerfect on May 9th, 2024.
P.S. Even if you start slow, you can still build your list super effectively!
Did you know that every DonorPerfect system comes with your very own Constant Contact account built right in? Yes, you can take advantage of 30+ exclusive email templates – created for you by professional fundraisers and communicators – and top-rated email marketing features that do the work for you!
LEARN MOREFind new donors with DonorPerfect
Discuss your donor acquisition goals with a representative from DonorPerfect to see how we can help you make it happen!
You might feel a bit uncomfortable trying something new – but as we all know, growth doesn’t happen in comfort zones.
Let’s get growing!
Dana Snyder
Dana Snyder, Digital Strategist
CEO & Founder of Positive Equation
Contact DonorPerfect Sales: (800)-220-8111
Contact DonorPerfect Support: (215)-628-4343
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