Fundraising is a year-round concern for nonprofit organizations, delivering the critical donations and contributions they need to keep their operations running. That isn’t always easy, especially during times of economic uncertainty. 

These hardships make it more challenging for nonprofits to conduct successful fundraising campaigns and encourage donors to give. With the high cost of new donor acquisition, the best course of action may be to focus on the supporters you already have and get them more involved in your mission. In this guide, we’ll explore the basics and best practices you can follow to retain existing donors, get them reinvested in your cause, and build stronger donor connections. We’ll cover:

• 3 Individuals and Organizations to Ask for Donations
• 10 Ways to Get Donations for Your Fundraiser
• Tips to Strengthen Your Fundraising Ask
• How Can Nonprofits Get Donations for a Fundraiser? Top FAQs
• How Marketing Can Increase Donations

Let’s get started by walking through the different people and groups you’ll ask for donations to your nonprofit.

3 Individuals and Organizations to Ask for Donations

When requesting donations, it’s key to tailor your appeals to the person or group you are asking. Studies show that around 72% of consumers only engage with marketing that is personalized to their unique needs and interests, and those preferences can carry over into communications about fundraising.

While you can (and should) adjust your approach to each donor as much as possible, marketing campaigns and fundraising asks should also be adjusted depending on which entity you are requesting the donation from. The three main people or groups you’ll request funding from include:

• Individuals. Individuals contribute a significant share of overall funding for most organizations. They can donate in many different ways, including online donations, fundraising on your organization’s behalf, contributing to recurring giving programs, and more. Additionally, they can give at different levels, ranging from small, one-time gifts (e.g., $10) to major gifts (e.g., $100,000). To fundraise among individuals, you’ll need to learn about their unique motivations for giving as well as their giving capacity and affinity. Then, appeal to these traits in your marketing.
  
• Businesses. When businesses give to a nonprofit, they are engaging in corporate philanthropy, or the practice of contributing to social good through charitable donations. Businesses most often give through matching gifts, corporate and volunteer grants, or in-kind donations of free goods or services. To ask for donations from a business, your nonprofit can reach out to form a partnership with the company and spread awareness of matching gift opportunities among your individual donors.
  
• Foundations.  Foundations typically donate grants to similar nonprofits in order to help them further their missions. Usually, your nonprofit will need to reapply for these grants each year. Applying for grants is an art form in and of itself, and research and preparation are key. To apply, you’ll need to seek out foundations with a history of supporting causes like yours, strive to make a professional impression on the application, and, if you receive the grant, be able to prove that you used funds effectively.

While each of these groups provides an important piece of funding for organizations, your marketing efforts will likely target individual donors most often. 

10 Ways to Get Donations For Your Fundraiser

Now, let’s explore 10 ways to leverage marketing and other communication strategies to motivate donors to give consistently.

1. Prioritize repeat donors.

Donor acquisition can be extremely time-consuming and expensive. While nonprofit organizations should always actively recruit new supporters, you need to maintain a healthy balance between acquisition and retention. To make the most of your available resources and get more value out of your fundraising efforts, focus on existing supporters.

A 2024 Fundraising Effectiveness Project study found while overall fundraising grew by 4.1%, retention rates declined. By focusing on connecting with these donors, showing them how their investment in your cause is making a tangible impact, and offering alternative ways to get involved, you can support steady or increased retention at your organization. 

2. Focus on mid-level donors.

Your mid-level donors are those who give and participate more than the average donor but don’t provide major gifts. These donors have made multiple donations, donated regularly throughout the year, and engaged in other ways (e.g., volunteering or attending events). The amount mid-level donors give will vary for each nonprofit, but benchmark metrics indicate a range of $1,000 to $10,000 annually.

Mid-level donors are an often overlooked group, but they offer consistent, loyal support. Some advantages of focusing on mid-level supporters include:

• High retention rates: This segment of donors typically has a stronger connection to your cause and organization than a newer, one-time donor would, as demonstrated by repeated contributions and engagement.
• The ability to recruit from existing donors: Mid-level donors come from your existing pool of supporters. This pre-existing connection makes it easier for your nonprofit to solicit additional contributions, build trust, and deepen the relationship.
• Fast return on investment: This donor segment can be more responsive to targeted campaigns and personalized appeals, offering your organization a higher return for less effort.
• Increased giving potential: Mid-level donors often have greater financial capacities and willingness to give, opening the door for larger gifts in the future. Because they are so passionate about your cause, they may also be more likely to participate in planned giving.

Additionally, you can leverage cutting-edge artificial intelligence and automation tools to engage these supporters. For example, use AI to analyze donor data and personalize messages at scale by including details about the donors’ preferences and behaviors. Or, provide better donor experience by automating messages like acknowledgements and thank-yous.

3. Build a dedicated sustainer program.

Sustained or recurring giving is a huge boon for nonprofit organizations. Because supporters have committed to making a set number of donations throughout the year, you’ll have a reliable and consistent stream of funding available. With a robust recurring giving program, you’ll grow both your funding and relationships with donors.

Some of the key benefits of sustainer programs are that:

• Contributions are automated. Typically, you’ll charge a saved credit card at set intervals so you receive a steady flow of donations during that period of time.
• Sustainer programs make it easy to give. Engaged donors can contribute to your cause without having to write out a check or remember to make a digital payment every few months.
• They are easy to promote. If you already have a sustainer program in place, don’t forget to highlight it in your newsletters, emails, and other communications. Donors may not realize that option is available to them, and a friendly reminder can pay off.

Keep in mind that just because donations are automated doesn’t mean your organization should fall behind on follow-up communications and expressions of gratitude. It’s essential to stay engaged with sustainer donors, thank them for their contributions, and show them how they are supporting your cause.

4. Personalize outreach efforts.

Supporting a charitable or non-secular organization is a deeply personal commitment for most people. When supporters donate to a charity, it’s because they firmly believe in that cause and want to see the organization succeed. Reward this personal commitment to furthering your cause by personalizing your communications with each donor.

Every email, mailing, and newsletter should be tailored for each individual, including the requested or recommended donation amount. If you analyze donor data and see that a patron has given $100 in the past, for example, you can use that figure as a baseline in your ask. Then, detail the specific ways a similar or slightly increased donation will help your cause.

By making donors feel like they are part of a larger cause and can directly contribute to achieving those goals, you’ll encourage them to increase the value and frequency of their gifts.

5. Establish a sense of urgency.

It’s easy for previous donors to put off making another contribution until a later time. However, “later” can often turn into “never” without persistent follow-up from your organization. 

Your nonprofit can help supporters break out of complacency by creating a sense of urgency with their donation requests. That may be extremely easy to convey, depending on the cause, especially for nonprofits that are focused on helping people in need. 

For example, the Minnesota Zoo Foundation (MZF) participated in the 2023 “Give to the Max Day,” an annual, state-wide day of giving organized by GiveMN. To rally support, MZF worked with Allegiance Group + Pursuant’s direct response team to create a series of nine emails and a web pop-up. 

These emails leveraged a sense of urgency to motivate supporters to give, using language like “Give Now to Help Us Win!” They also incorporated time-sensitive, compelling calls to action, like “Give Now,” “Double My Gift,” and “Donate Today.” As a result, MZF exceeded its fundraising goal by 37%, generating a total of $137,317 in fundraising revenue.

6. Show supporters where donations go.

Many nonprofit organizations provide suggested donation amounts when reaching out to supporters. However, patrons are less likely to increase the value of their gifts if there’s no clear description of how those donations will be used.

Let’s say a large environmental conservation organization implements this tactic. The nonprofit might list suggested donation amounts on its donation form alongside a description of what each donation could provide:

• $50 – can purchase supplies for a community clean-up event for 20 volunteers
• $150 – funds the monitoring of a wildlife habitat for one month, including trail camera costs and data analysis
• $300 – supports the implementation and maintenance of a native plant habitat

Providing a breakdown of various donation tiers and how each level supports different aspects of your organization can help spur gift-giving. The more detailed and concrete these descriptions are, the more likely people are to increase the size of their donations.

7. Ask for more support.

It may sound obvious, but many nonprofits simply never ask contributors to increase their donations. Supporters could be entirely willing to give more to their favorite charities but assume that the amount they currently provide is sufficient. Sometimes it can be more effective to request an increase in the frequency of donations rather than an increase in the amount of each contribution, so consider testing different approaches to find the right strategy for your donor base.

Be judicious about which donors you approach with these requests and when you choose to do so. Repeatedly asking supporters to contribute more money to your cause can cause friction and turn away even dedicated patrons. Always be mindful of the financial hardships and responsibilities your supporters face when requesting donations.

To increase the size of donors’ gifts without putting extra strain on donors, spread awareness of any matching gift programs that might be available to your donors. It’s an easy way to dramatically increase contributions, but some donors may not be aware that such programs even exist.

8. Send thank-you gifts.

Thanking supporters for their donations is always a good practice for nonprofit organizations. Providing thank-you gifts for major donors and other patrons can go a step further in showing your appreciation and gratitude. Many nonprofits offer branded clothing or accessories as donor appreciation gifts, but you should explore more creative and unique donor gifts to build engagement.

No matter what type of gift you choose, align donor appreciation gifts with your cause. An animal advocacy group, for instance, might send pictures of an animal that was saved due to its patrons’ contributions. A children’s hospital could deliver handwritten thank-you cards or artwork made by the patients who benefitted from the funding.

Putting in a little extra effort to create thank-you gifts for sponsors shows your biggest donors how much their support means to your organization. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean increasing spending on thank-you efforts—donors want to know their contributions are going toward your cause, not address labels or gifts. Explore our guide on how to thank and retain donors to learn more.

9. Create a donor database.

Understanding who your major donors are and their contribution activity can help direct outreach strategies. Building a comprehensive donor database offers clear insight into donor relationships. Collect and track data like:

• The total dollar value individuals have contributed
• The frequency of their donations
• How they chose to contribute
• Specific communications that have been sent their way

This information can be used to determine the most effective ways to engage specific supporters or types of donors and encourage them to increase their contributions.

10. Hire a major gifts officer.

As noted earlier, major donors have a huge impact on any nonprofit organization’s future prospects. Managing relationships with high-value patrons should be a top priority, and in many cases, requires a dedicated position to oversee major donor relationships.

Major gifts officers communicate directly with prospective donors and current supporters to actively increase gift giving and fundraising. That may include putting together proposals for specific contributions, developing outreach programs to increase engagement, and contacting high-value donors regularly to keep them in the loop.

Major gifts officers must be warm and engaging to interact with donors during in-person events while also being meticulous and detail-oriented to manage outreach strategies. Finding the right candidate for the job is certainly worth the effort, as these positions help nonprofits raise more funds and improve relationships with major donors.

Tips to Strengthen Your Fundraising Ask

Making the ask is one of the most important—yet scary—parts of getting donations for your fundraisers. However, there are some steps you can take to mitigate stress and make your solicitations more effective.

Consider the following tips and best practices as you prepare your asks:

Be prepared.

Doing your research is key. Aim to learn as much as you can about your donor before making the ask so you can tailor your solicitation to their preferences, financial status, charitable interests, and more.

Start with supporters who have some history with your organization. Because they already know about your work and have shown that they are interested in and willing to back your cause financially, they’re the most likely audience to donate to your campaign. Keep in mind that they may want to hear about the impact of that past support and prepare some relevant impact metrics to share.

Research these donors’ giving history to understand how, when, why, and how much they give, then adapt your ask accordingly to motivate them to take action. 

Reach out strategically.

Using what you’ve learned about donors, align your efforts to their communication preferences. The way you reach out should: 

• Be appropriate for the fundraising ask. For instance, you wouldn’t want to send a text message requesting a major gift, for example. 
• Adhere to the donor’s individual communication preferences. Using familiar channels along with strategic timing will ensure they actually see and engage with the message. 
• Offer a clear path to your donation form. Digital media, like an email or social media post, should provide a link to donate, and physical media, like direct mail, can include a QR code to the page.

Not only does this increase the likelihood that supporters respond positively to your ask—ideally by donating—but it also shows that your organization values them enough to learn and adapt to their preferences.

Tailor the ask amount.

The amount you ask a donor for will vary greatly depending on the size of your organization, the donor’s giving power, and their willingness to donate to your cause. This is why it’s so important to research your donors—it will help you see how much they tend to donate and gauge how receptive they’ll be to upgrades.

You can unearth more insights about a donor’s wealth and affinity for your cause by conducting wealth screenings. With a wealth screening, you’ll gather information about the donor’s:

• Net worth
• Household income
• Stock and real estate holdings
• Employer/affiliations with businesses
• Political contributions

Along with providing a guide for how much they may be able to donate, a donor’s political contributions and involvement with other charitable organizations can reveal more about their values and which causes they are passionate about. Remember to look out for non-financial involvement, too, like volunteering or serving on a board.

Use storytelling.

Storytelling adds personal, authentic, and emotional touches to your fundraising solicitations. Rather than simply asking for funding to support a general program or vague cause, tell the story of a specific beneficiary that has or will benefit from that funding.

To do so, you might include the following in your solicitations:

• Detailed success stories that illustrate the beneficiary’s journey and experience with your organization
• Short testimonials from beneficiaries from each of your projects or programs and donors who have seen the impact of their support firsthand
• The connections between donors and success stories that show how their individual donations make an impact
• Impact metrics that illustrate your organization’s progress (e.g., the change in the number of people you’ve been able to serve, thanks to donations)

When using real stories, always remember to take an ethical approach. Use positive, inclusive language, obtain informed consent, share honest and unembellished stories, and allow the subject to review and approve their story before you share it.

Be transparent.

Transparency matters to donors—they want to know they can trust your word about how money will be used. GuideStar, a registrar of 501(c)(3) organizations, offers a Seal of Transparency for nonprofits that go above and beyond to provide the public with details about their programs, financials, goals, and more. GuideStar found that the organizations that had a Seal received 53% more contributions, showing that transparency is well worth your time. 

While you may not be able to secure a Platinum Seal of Transparency overnight, there are small ways to boost transparency when asking for donations. Work with your nonprofit accountant to provide clear financial information, such as a high-level breakdown of your funding. Often, this information is included in your annual reports and public-facing financial statements.

Additionally, share your specific goals for the campaign and how you plan to achieve them. Be honest about any challenges you’re facing, how you will overcome them, and how donations can help you get there.

How Can Nonprofits Get Donations for a Fundraiser? Top FAQs

Do we need to have 501(c)(3) status before fundraising?

No, it’s not necessary to hold 501(c)(3) status to fundraise.

Any individual or organization can fundraise no matter their tax status. However, the difference is that 501(c)(3) status makes organizations tax-exempt, meaning they won’t have to pay taxes on fundraising revenue. The 501(c)(3) status also makes donations tax-deductible, which can be an important factor in motivating donors to give.

To maximize the funds you raise and limit the complexity of future financial processes and tax filings, it might be best to wait.

How can nonprofits overcome objections or hesitation from donors?

During times of economic hardship, you’re more likely to encounter hesitant donors. It’s crucial to be understanding of these objections and show compassion for donors who may be in stressful financial situations themselves. Actively listen to donors’ feedback, concerns, or objections, and find constructive ways to address them and move forward.

Here are some common statements you may hear from hesitant donors and how you can address them:

• “I can’t afford to give right now.” Reinforce that your nonprofit values every gift it receives, and consider demonstrating the cumulative impact of smaller donations. If the supporter truly can’t donate, share non-financial ways to support your cause like volunteering or spreading awareness online.
• “I’ve already given [X amount].” Step back and evaluate the supporter’s contributions. Based on what you know about them, gauge whether that contribution is at the top of their capacity and affinity range. If not, consider gently nudging them toward another contribution by indicating how urgent your needs are, how their donation would help you, or unforeseen or special circumstances that required you to make another ask (e.g., a natural disaster).
• “My donation is small and won’t make a difference.” First, share the tangible benefits of a small donation—for example, maybe $5 will provide three meals at your community kitchen. Reinforce that your work is built on collective efforts rather than individualism, and every donation you receive strengthens that collective. Share ways supporters can boost the impact of their support, such as by submitting a matching gift request to their employer.
• “I’m unsure about your cause and/or the work you do.” Point the donor to some educational materials on your website, such as your About page or landing pages dedicated to specific programs. Have these resources on hand to share when these questions arise.

Remember that some supporters just aren’t able or willing to give, and that’s okay. Recognize when you’ve received a hard “no,” accept it gracefully, and preserve the relationship for the donor so you’re ready for the next campaign.

When should nonprofits ask for donations?

As mentioned above, the timing of your solicitations will depend on donors’ preferences. For example, you may share a solicitation during the weekend when they aren’t busy with work. 

However, there are also ways to strategically time your fundraising campaigns to boost revenue. Consider asking for donations:

• During or after events. Events energize your supporter base and get them excited about furthering your mission. Express that donating is one of the best ways to do so.
• During Giving Days. Giving Days are 24-hour campaigns designed to raise a significant amount of funding within a short period of time. You can create your own Giving Day or simply ramp up your efforts for GivingTuesday.
• In response to urgent needs or emergencies. If there is a crisis, disaster, emergency, or other time-sensitive need that impacts your beneficiaries, act swiftly to secure donations that provide immediate support. Infuse a sense of urgency in your appeals.
• During affinity months. There may be an affinity month, such as Black History Month and Women’s History Month, that aligns with your cause. This is a great opportunity to highlight the work you do and request additional support.

Many organizations also push fundraising at the end of the year. Many donors tend to feel especially generous during this season of giving. Share holiday greetings and well wishes and ask donors to allocate a portion of their holiday spending to your cause.

How Marketing Can Increase Donations

Working with a marketing agency that specializes in nonprofit marketing allows organizations to level up their communication strategies (and gives them more time to cultivate one-on-one relationships with supporters).

Allegiance Group + Pursuant is a full-service marketing and fundraising agency. We strive to support your nonprofit by growing its supporter base, increasing fundraising revenue, and boosting loyalty among donors. Our team of experts is dedicated to helping organizations like yours grow through your marketing efforts, with an emphasis on diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and respect.

At Allegiance Group + Pursuant, we offer any combination of the following services to support your cause:

• Direct marketing
• Direct mail
• Web and app development
• Strategy and planning
• UX, brand, and design
• Analytics and insight
• Loyalty and incentives program

To learn more about our marketing services (and our fundraising tools), reach out to our team today!

Additional Resources

During economic shifts and downturns in charitable giving, it’s more important than ever to focus on your base of loyal supporters. Using the best practices in this guide, you can invest your time and resources into growing positive relationships with your existing donors to ensure continued support and even encourage upgrades.

If you’re looking for help from nonprofit marketing and fundraising experts, reach out to Allegiance Group + Pursuant.

To enhance your marketing strategy and fundraising results, explore these additional resources:

• The Most Effective Fundraising Tools You Need to Try. Think it’s time to upgrade your approach to fundraising? Check out this list of the top fundraising tools.
• Digital Donor Acquisition Strategy Best Practices. The world of digital communications can feel overwhelming. Discover how to pinpoint the individuals who are ideal donors and motivate them to support your nonprofit.
• Direct Mail Donor Acquisition Strategies. Want to get more out of your direct mail fundraising campaigns? Learn the best ways to acquire new donors through this channel.