Faith Fundraising: 7 Accelerators To Increase Donations

Faith-based organizations do a lot of good for the community. They feed the hungry, help the homeless, motivate youths to find jobs, and support the education of underprivileged kids. These organizations include any group linked with religion and not necessarily just places of worship. In order for these organizations to make an impact, it is crucial they have adequate funding. Grants and faith fundraising are effective methods for them to fund many initiatives.

Fundraising is increasingly complex because gifts are rarely given without you asking the donors for funds. Here are seven ways for faith-based organizations to increase donations and build a long-term relationship with donors.   

1.  Support and empower partners

Faith fundraising isn’t a one-man mission. It is a community fundraising. You have to recruit mission partners to do the job for you. Online fundraising software solutions such as GivingX have this team or peer-to-peer fundraising feature that enables fundraising campaigns to empower the team or family members to raise funds individually for a common cause. 

On the ground level, you can utilize students to form individual groups in their college. Similarly, volunteers who work in offices can engage their colleagues to build social followings and raise money. Equip your mission partners with partner fundraising models to maintain a supportive community to fund the cause.

2.  Invest in tools and technology     

With the world becoming internet-oriented, nonprofits have to invest in modern tools and technology to reach prospective customers where they are. Setting up a donation page on an online fundraising platform such as GivingX gives an impetus to your collection drive and enables your cause to reach more people. It increases awareness and gets you more volunteers and in-kind donations in addition to funds. Similarly, campaigning on social media and emails is a must to open broader avenues of faith fundraising.  

3.  Build donor community

Faith fundraising isn’t always about donor-nonprofit relationships. It is also the donor-donor relationship. A survey has shown that donors who have other donors as friends in the nonprofit give more as compared to donors who have no common friends for the cause. What does this mean? Nonprofits should focus on building a donor community for associated causes. The mistake most faith fundraising nonprofits make is they use the power of social media and messaging services to form communities and increase engagement with their donors. But they also have to put some effort into donor-to-donor engagement to accelerate the fundraising initiative. Encouraging the donor community will get you more funds and also open more channels for fundraising.    

4.  Make a personal connection

In the good days of digital marketing, nonprofits have forgotten the old charm of visiting donors individually and requesting funds. Meeting with prospective donors or talking to them over the phone helps to nurture relationships over the long term. Agreed, digital marketing strategies and crowdfunding on online fundraising platforms are necessary to get new customers on board but at the same time, do not forget to run your traditional marketing techniques. Running sponsored ads or events is the entry point for donors. If you have to get traction and deepen the relationship building, you have to engage with the donors not on a professional level but on a personal level. Break away from general appeals and go on a one-to-one campaign to make the prospective donors feel aligned with your mission.

5.  Get to the depth of the cause

Don’t make raising funds for the cause your main mission. Instead, try to get funds to solve the root of the problem. For example, if the majority of families in a particular community are poor, try to raise funds for their education and vocational training instead of arranging for food and shelter. High-net-worth and mature donors would rather donate for research and systemic problem-solving initiatives the effects of which will solve the big problem rather than covering the issue on the surface. Such types of causes need long-term dedication. Such faith fundraising attracts donors as it directly benefits the residents of the community.    

6.  Appreciate donors and show them the impact

For every cause they donate to, donors desire to share the success. Donors don’t just donate because they have money or for tax benefits. They donate because they relate to the cause in some form or the other. When you involve them in the cause, they are most likely to give to the solution than the need. But often, donors are sidelined and made to feel they are just giving the money while the charity is giving the impact. This sends a wrong signal when you don’t consider donors as a part of your nonprofit. They are not just funding the impact, they are in it together with you. Appreciate the donors and let them know the impact their donation is having on the cause. Make them feel that their investment in the cause has made someone’s life better. This will make them believe in your commitment to the cause and turn them into your loyal supporters for life.

7.  Teach donors how to donate

Often, faith fundraising has one goal, to request funds from donors. Once they get the cheque, they feel their task is accomplished. But one thing they don’t realize is that there are many donors out there who do not really know how to give. Many feel that donating funds is a donation. This is partly true. Instead, nonprofits have to study how wealth is held and how it can be donated. For example, you can approach a rich wealthy donor and convince them to keep the recurring donations continuing even after their death by setting up a fund. They can convince enterprises to start corporate giving programs. Deferred instruments, real estate, private company equity- there is a broad range of assets that can be donated. It’s up to the nonprofits to become philanthropic advisors and guide the donors to give funds in their lifetimes and beyond.

Concluding Thoughts

In faith fundraising, there are three significant relationships: the sponsoring individual or organization, the faith-based nonprofit arranging for funds, and the community receiving the sponsorship. These three entities represent more than just a financial transaction. In the business of caring for people and their needs, you need to first understand how to collect and sustain funds. Equally important for faith fundraising is to nurture relationships with donors.  

GivingX, the best online fundraising platform, provides the perfect channel for faith-based nonprofits to collect more funds, help more people, and work better to improve the community. It has advanced features to empower the nonprofit’s supporters, widen the network, and increase donations to needy initiatives. If you are a faith-based nonprofit, here’s your chance to serve the community. Start a fundraiser on GivingX today!