By Michael Ip MSocSc, RSW, Non-profit Strategist

It was a recent story from a non-profit community service center. The team in charge of education programs for married couples noticed that the program participants were mostly middle-aged couples and wanted to extend their reach to younger couples. They landed on Instagram as the main promotional channel to use. They thought this made perfect sense since Instagram users are typically younger.

Now, this is where it gets interesting. For the past few years, the teams have been using online forms for program enrollment, which means they have gathered a ton of user data in digital format. I spent some time sorting out the data and ran a simple Excel calculation to see if I could learn anything. What I found was surprising. The team serving parents, in fact, had previously reached out to several younger couples. My question was, why did they not then attend the programs? I raised this question to the two teams and together we came up with a conclusion that young couples with kids, who joined the parenting programs, were full-time mothers who could attend during the day while their kids were in school. However, they could not attend the marriage enrichment program with their spouses at night as they had no childcare resources to relieve them. The discussion shed light on the issue for the team and shifted their mindset. The promotional effort could reach out to young couples with kids, but they would not be able to attend the couple's program anyway. They needed to redefine their target audience for the couple's programs to people who were married without kids or those with access to childcare support. For those unable to afford childcare service, the team may have to work out alternatives for them to include them.

This story is not just about rethinking our target audience. It is about three important concepts of organizational change: digitization, digitalization, and digital transformation.

Digitization means converting our data into digital format.

Digitalization refers to using digital tools and platforms to make our operation more efficient.

As the team in my story above previously adopted online registration; they had already received users' profile in digital format. Then they could more easily use the data for the digital process of program registration and follow-up communication.

Digitalization enhances our filing systems and makes our work more efficient as users' data can be stored and retrieved in a breeze. However, that data remains underutilized until we dive in and use it to gain a better understanding of our work. We still rely on our personal impressions and assumptions until we take advantage of the data for a holistic profile.

Lacking a deeper understanding of their users through the data, the team had jumped to a premature conclusion deciding quickly to shift their resources to a new strategy.

Digital transformation can help organizations gain a better understanding of their users and adapt their programs to better serve their needs. Digital transformation is a mindset change in which we intentionally make use of data analysis as a significant input in ourdecision-making, strategic planning, and monitoring. Digital data is not only for making our filing system more efficient. It should be used to provide insight into our target communities, and the process and outcomes of their engagement journey.

By utilizing data analysis and adopting a digital mindset, we can make better decisions and provide more effective services to the non-profit communities we serve.

By Bryna Dilman, Fundraising Kit

Technology has revolutionized the way we live, work, and communicate, and the non-profit sector is no exception. Technology has the power to transform the way organizations operate and achieve their missions. By harnessing the power of technology and staying on top of technology trends, non-profits can increase their reach, streamline their operations, and grow their impact. 

In our latest podcast episode, Strengthening the Non-Profit Sector through Fund Development, with Bryna Dilman from Keela, she talked with our CEO, Zahra Esmail about how data-driven technology, and inclusive fundraising practices can help inform and transform the capacity building opportunities for non-profits. Their conversation explored the depths of how non-profits work, how they can come together, and where the responsibility for the sector lies.

Bryna is passionate about helping mission-focused organizations make a lasting difference in the world. She continues to pursue her vision of a more equitable and impactful non-profit sector, driven by data and tech. 

In this blog, Bryna shares more about her vision and passion for strengthening our sector through the power of technology:

Can Technology Transform the Non-profit Sector? 

Technology has already transformed the way non-profit organizations operate. Every area of a non-profit is impacted by technology, but adopting tech doesn’t mean that your organization needs to undergo a full digital transformation. It is equally important for non-profits to keep in mind that technology is intended to enhance the work being done by non-profits, not replace them. Human interaction will always play a critical role and technology should act as a sidekick, not the main star. The goal of tech options should be to relieve some of the administrative burdens that may be taking staff away from more important tasks such as strengthening relationships. With the right tools and strategies, technology can help non-profit organizations achieve greater impact and reach more people.

The COVID-19 pandemic only furthered the need for digital transformation and tech will play a huge role in the future success of non-profit organizations that are seeking to build their capacity, such as:

1. Streamlining operations: Tech tools and platforms can help automate administrative tasks, freeing up staff time to focus on more important tasks.
2. Improving communication: Technology allows non-profits to communicate more effectively with their supporters, volunteers, and staff, through social media, email, and messaging platforms.
3. Enhancing fundraising potential: Online fundraising platforms and donation pages have made it easier than ever for non-profit organizations to raise money and reach new donors.
4. Measuring impact: Reporting is a longstanding challenge within the non-profit sector, however there are tools available that can analyze data to generate quick, digestible reports that accurately track progress and measure impact. 

How Can Non-Profits Use Technology?

Non-profits can best use technology by focusing on the specific needs and goals of their organization, supporters and volunteers. 

When considering tech options, it's important to choose tools and platforms that address the unique needs of non-profit organizations. For example, non-profit software solutions like Keela offer a range of features designed to help manage operations more effectively, including donor management, fundraising tools, volunteer management, and CRM functionality. 

One of the most important pieces of technology for a non-profit organization is a CRM (customer relationship management) tool that will safely store and manage all people data. According to a survey conducted by the Non-profit Technology Network, non-profits that use a CRM have seen a 29% increase in their donations, and yet only 53% of non-profits are currently using a CRM. A proper CRM is the most important piece of technology for a non-profit as the data collected provides critical insights allowing non-profits to make important decisions. 

Technology has become increasingly important for non-profit capacity building in recent years and is a key component of day-to-day operations. With the right technology tools and strategies, non-profits can streamline operations and engage with their supporters more effectively. 

As the non-profit sector continues to evolve, technology will play an increasingly critical role, providing non-profits with the resources they need to succeed. By embracing technology and adopting the right tools and strategies, non-profits can achieve greater efficiency, effectiveness, and impact, and continue to drive positive social change.

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This blog is brought to you by Fundraising KIT.

Fundraising KIT was built by a nonprofit leader to support the nonprofit community. Fundraising KIT’s data-driven toolkit helps nonprofits raise more for their cause. Integrating with leading nonprofit databases, KIT identifies supporters ready to give, segments donors for targeted communications, and tracks fundraising progress, all while saving time and resources in the quest to increase revenue.

By Meredith Gray, Fundraising Kit

The pandemic changed the way we do just about everything. From shopping to banking, the tasks that we used to venture out into the world to do are now all available to us without leaving our homes. This includes fundraising. While a strong digital fundraising component, such as donations pages, is critical to fundraising success, it’s important not to let your direct mail marketing strategy fall to the side. 

When we think about direct mail, we tend to think it’s only popular with older generations, but that way of thinking could be leaving money on the table. Yes, direct mail does see the highest return coming from donors over the age of 60, but when combined with other elements such as email marketing or social media, direct mail can resonate strongly with donors of all ages. 

So, how do you build your direct mail marketing strategy to raise as much as possible? This article is designed to help you do just that!

1. Nail Down Your Impact Messaging

Donors like to feel like they’re making a difference with their gift. Your job is to help them understand how they’re doing just that. Take a moment and put yourself in the mindset of your donor. Let’s say you received a piece of direct mail that told a brief storythen asked for a donation in the amount of your choosing. How much would you give? 

Now, imagine that piece of direct mail asked you to give just $10 more than what you had originally planned, BUT you knew exactly what that extra $10 would do for the cause you’re supporting. Would you hesitate in giving that extra $10?

Creating effective impact messaging is a team effort between your fundraising, marketing, and mission teams, but it starts with your fundraising metrics. Take a look at your last direct mail campaign and look for giving trends. If the majority of your donors gave $100 through your last campaign, consider creating an impact statement tied to a value of $110 or $120 to increase your average gift size.

2. Integrate Direct Mail with Other Channels

Remember when we mentioned that direct mail is most popular with older generations? The over-60 group may be most likely to respond directly to your appeal, but a multi-channel direct mail marketing strategy is the key to engaging donors of all ages.

Millennials and Gen Z are quickly becoming the monthly, major, and recurring donors of the future. So what if I told you that 84% of gen z’s that receive a piece of direct mail with a QR code will interact with it online? On top of that, 90% of millennials LOVE receiving mail and 57% of them act on direct mail offers from corporate brands.

The key to engaging younger donors is to make yourself known to them multiple times in several different ways. In fact, it can take 18-20 different touchpoints to reach a donor for the first time. Sending them a piece of direct mail is a great start, but it’s important to ensure that they are seeing your campaign in other places as well, such as through email and on social media.

3. Follow a digital-first approach

We’ve said it already, but we’ll say it again. Direct mail isn’t dead, but it is changing. With donors being 3x more likely to give online in response to a direct mail appeal over an email appeal, it’s clear that those little envelopes arriving in their mailboxes are making a difference.

By following a digital-first approach to your direct mail marketing strategy, not only are you offering donors multiple ways to give, but you may also save money. 

Now hold on, it’s not time to give up on those business reply envelopes just yet, but by diving a little deeper into your donor information, you can be a bit more strategic. 

Start by looking at your previous campaign and pulling out the people that mailed back the direct mail envelope, add in any other donors over the age of 60 and BOOM, there’s your shortlist for how many business reply envelopes you need! It’s still worth it to send mail to all donors, but adding in a QR code or link to donate online is likely a better fit for the majority of your prospects.

4. Segment, Segment, Segment

There isn’t a one-size fits all approach when it comes to asking for money. Donors want to feel like they are one of a kind, not one of many, and that all starts with segmentation.

But where to start? By geographic location? By donation history? The truth is, the answer to that will be different for every organization but we have a couple suggestions to help you out! 

1. By Past Donation Amount

Pull a list of all donors who have given to you through a campaign in the past and the amount they gave. This is a great way to create your segments and increase your overall campaign revenue. Tying this back to the impact statements, you can then segment donors by previous giving amount and develop a custom ask that is slightly higher than what they have given in the past!

2. By Giving Capacity

Sometimes giving history doesn’t give the full story on how much a donor is able to give. By using wealth screening tools, you can segment your donors by their giving capacity. Bundle this with a custom ask for that amount and you’re sure to increase your average gift size.

Pro tip: There are TONS of tools out there that can do this work for you at a reasonable investment, so make sure to research the best option is for your organization!

5. Think about Timing

Now, we don’t want to state the obvious, but with 30% of your donations arriving in December, year-end seems like a great choice to run your direct mail campaign.

Year-end is the perfect time to engage your donors and should definitely be part of your direct mail marketing strategy. Between bites of turkey and unwrapping gifts, the holiday spirit promotes generosity in your donors (plus the last chance to get a tax receipt isn’t a bad incentive either!).

Align the messaging and creative elements between your email marketing strategy, social media channels, direct mail efforts and telemarketing campaigns to ensure that your donors are seeing your campaign front and center on every platform they interact with! 

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Optimizing your direct mail marketing strategy can do more than just raise money for your cause. It can also help improve the quality of your relationships with your  donors. Donors will always appreciate a personal, thoughtful approach to a solicitation. With direct mail, you can tick that box. There’s no better time than now to be thinking about your next direct mail campaign. Send out your campaign and watch the money start rolling in!

This blog is brought to you by Fundraising KIT.

Fundraising KIT was built by a nonprofit leader to support the nonprofit community. Fundraising KIT’s data-driven toolkit helps nonprofits raise more for their cause. Integrating with leading nonprofit databases, KIT identifies supporters ready to give, segments donors for targeted communications, and tracks fundraising progress, all while saving time and resources in the quest to increase revenue.

By Bryna Dilman, Fundraising Kit

As a fundraiser, have you ever felt there just aren’t enough hours in the day? Between prospect research, stewardship, marketing, and everything in between, you likely have a growing to-do list staring back at you leaving you wondering if there’s an easier way to raise funds for your organization. Good news - there is! 

As more nonprofits look to maximize their impact with fewer resources, automation is becoming a growing trend in fundraising. A powerful way to streamline your marketing efforts, automation saves valuable time and makes better use of your data. 

Using automation software is the easiest way to save time and money while reducing errors. And it’s starting to catch on: 48% of nonprofit organizations boosted their tech spending in 2019, and as new tools become available, that number is only increasing. If you’re looking for creative ways to automate your tasks to increase efficiency, you’ve come to the right place.

5 Ways that Automation Will Lead to Greater Fundraising Success

#1: Fundraising

When it comes to automating your fundraising strategies, thinking outside the box is the key to surpassing your revenue goals. With the right tools, identifying and segmenting the strongest prospects for your next campaign is easy and will certainly lead to the growth of your monthly and major giving revenue streams. 

With the help of data-driven tech options, you can build your fundraising strategy in a matter of minutes and quickly identify the areas in which automation will help your team save time and resources. Knowing how and when to make the ask, you can easily automate your donor outreach, meaning that you’re never leaving any high-value prospects on the back burner and your team has more time to make strong face-to-face connections.

#2: Stewardship

Frequent and impactful touchpoints with stakeholders is the key to retaining your donors. With it being 5x more cost effective to retain donors than recruit new ones, understanding the best ways to steward them and prevent donor lapse is critical to your organization’s growth.

Donors like to be thanked and to understand the impact of their gift, and there’s a good chance that the platform you are using has the ability to automate that work for you. Setting up your system to auto-send a thank you email each time a donor makes a gift, allows you to thank your donors quickly and effectively. You may even be able to set up the email with the tax receipt attached to it, meaning that your donor gets one email with everything they need to feel good about giving to your cause. 

In addition, never underestimate the power of your newsletter! Ensuring that your donors are represented in your newsletter mailing list provides automated, regular communications to them sharing the latest news on how your organization is investing their donor dollars.

#3: Reporting

Tracking and analyzing metrics allows you to make educated decisions and monitor your performance. It should come at no surprise that automation tools are ideal for pulling data from your records and building reports that will inform and direct your activities.

Setting up automated reports allows you to set key performance indicators (KPI) that are automatically updated as you send communications, receive donations, and acquire new donors. The ability to quickly and easily generate and view reports is a gamechanger, allowing you to see just how well your campaigns are doing at any time and adjust your strategy as needed.

#4: Marketing & Communications

A strong marketing and communication strategy directly ties back to how much money you are able to raise. More than 60% of nonprofits use a customer relationship management (CRM) platform to orchestrate communications with their supporters.

Having these tools is the first step, but the real magic happens when you optimize them to automate your marketing and communications as much as possible. 

Pre-scheduling emails is the most common use of these tools, and can save fundraisers a lot of time and energy at the busiest time in their fundraising season. By building and scheduling emails that will recruit, engage, and thank donors and fundraisers, your team will have more time to invest in building the relationships that will lead to your fundraising success.

#5: Social Media

Automation allows you to more strategically craft your approach to social media. By planning out your content calendar in advance, you can build and schedule posts using tools such as Hootsuite to ensure that you maintain an engaged follower base on your social channels. 

When social media automation is bundled with your email marketing strategy, you can expand your reach across all of your different communications platforms, making it a great tool to use for your next campaign. By scheduling posts that contain a consistent call to action as your campaign, it’s easy to go live on social at the same time that you schedule your email, meaning that your audience will see the same message in multiple places and are more likely to take the action you’re asking them to.

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By looking for automation opportunities within your work, your nonprofit can evaluate your goals and ensure you have the right tools and technology for the job. Automation is just the beginning when it comes to all of the ways that Fundraising KIT can help you raise more money for your cause. Ready to unlock the full potential of your donors? Contact us to talk to a fundraising expert!

This blog is brought to you by Fundraising KIT.

Fundraising KIT was built by a nonprofit leader to support the nonprofit community. Fundraising KIT’s data-driven toolkit helps nonprofits raise more for their cause. Integrating with leading nonprofit databases, KIT identifies supporters ready to give, segments donors for targeted communications, and tracks fundraising progress, all while saving time and resources in the quest to increase revenue.