The pandemic significantly affected low-wage earners who bore the brunt of business closures across the country. Aside from dealing with shelter-in-place orders that resulted in job losses, they also lived in communities susceptible to severe virus cases due to the prevalence of pre-existing medical conditions.
These communities need a lot of help from nonprofit organizations. But with the recent surge in the number of cases, these organizations should focus on raising funds online to protect themselves from the more transmissible Delta variant of the virus. Here are the things that these nonprofits can do to raise funds online.
Tell an Honest and Compelling Story
The nonprofit should tell an honest and compelling story about the community and how it plans to help the people living in the community. The story should focus on the people and community they are helping. Telling a meaningful story can evoke empathy among potential donors and increase the chances of raising enough funds to help the community.
People tend to respond to compelling stories, making it essential for nonprofits to create an emotional connection between the donor and the recipient. Even as nonprofits want to connect the beneficiaries with potential donors, they may feel embarrassed to ask for help.
But a member of the community needs to tell the story to increase its credibility among the audience. The storyteller should also decide the direction of the story with the guidance of the nonprofit. Additionally, the story should focus on the people and the community. The nonprofit should facilitate connecting the beneficiaries and donors and not act as the hero in the story.
Use Crowdfunding
Nonprofits can also use crowdfunding to raise funds for the community. Crowdfunding is the practice of raising funds from a large group of people. The practice focuses mainly on raising small amounts of money online from a large group of people. But it can also allow nonprofits to reach philanthropists who can provide a huge donation to organizations.
Nonprofits should use a platform that can support their needs. With this, the platform should allow customization so nonprofits can show their brand, which increases the credibility of the crowdfunding campaign. It should also allow nonprofits to embed the form into their websites to facilitate donations to the nonprofit.
The platform should also offer payment processing options that allow donors to donate through different payment methods. Aside from encouraging people to donate, crowdfunding also spreads the story of the community and allows them to reach a bigger audience online.
To increase the traffic to the crowdfunding page, nonprofits can use a digital marketing strategy. In this situation, they can consider hiring an agency offering pay-per-click or PPC services to reach as many potential donors online. The agency should make sure that the campaign should focus on reaching philanthropists who can contribute a considerable amount to the community. While the campaign can reach ordinary donors, reaching these philanthropists can increase the amount that the nonprofit can raise for the community.
Connect with Donors Through Social Media Platforms
With around 70 percent of American adults using social media platforms, nonprofit organizations can also use them to connect with potential donors. They can use these platforms to interact with them and answer any questions about the community they are helping.
Nonprofits can also use the different tools available through these platforms to increase their audience and reach more donors. They can post content relevant to the campaign and encourage their audience to act or donate to their cause.
These platforms also allow these organizations to provide real-time updates to their supporters. They can also organize live fundraising events online, which allows them to reach more people while avoiding a super spreader event.
Nonprofits can also use their network to reach their volunteers who can extend the organization’s audience by inviting their family and friends to watch the live fundraising events. They should take advantage of the features of these platforms so that they can reach more people online.
Simplify the Campaign
Nonprofits should also make the donation process simple. They should use the right tools that allow donors to send their donations online. They should also offer different payment methods if the donor prefers a specific way of sending money online.
Aside from online tools, nonprofits can also work with banks to reduce or eliminate fees if a donor wants to send donations through the bank. Additionally, nonprofits should ensure the safety of their donor’s information if they send their donations through their website.
Advancements in technology have made it easier for nonprofit organizations to reach potential donors and accept donations through different online tools.
