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Increasing Donation Opportunities and Where You’re Going Wrong

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The opportunity to donate to charities is all around us. The pairing of non-profits and technology makes it easier than ever for donors to give and organizations to receive. Checking out at a local grocer means adding a dollar to your bill to help feed a hungry family. You scroll through a favorite social media page and see posts from far-off friends raising money for an unexpected health crisis. A text message notification reveals its time to pay the utility bill which also features an opportunity to donate to the local animal shelter. But does easier translate into more for non-profits? Is it really that important for a non-profit organization to have an online giving platform and mobile donation app?

Donor Digital Data

Charitable giving studies for 2015 revealed the following data:

  • December was the strongest month of the year for charitable giving. 30% of annual donations were received during December, 2015, with the most revenue generated the last three days of the month.
  • Donors preferred to give on Thursday with Tuesday as runner-up. 20% of donations were made on Thursday, 19% on Tuesday.
  • Thursday’s average donation amount was $151.
  • 97% of charitable gifts were given through a desktop computer.
  • 90% of gifts were a one-time thing.
  • One-time gifts averaged $137 with recurring gifts averaging $52.
  • The most giving times of the day were 10am-11am, 1pm-3pm, traditional work hours. That means the majority of giving took place while people were on the job.

Traditional v. Digital

There is no doubt that statistics reveal giving trends are going digital. While overall charitable activities were up 2% in 2015 as compared to 2014, online giving was up 9%. But, exactly, where are people giving online? Who are these donors?

More than half of online donations are given on a particular branded charitable organization web page. The strongest givers, with a gift size average of $183, were employees donating through employer-sponsored causes. Whether it was payroll deductions, company sponsored charity events, or workplace fundraisers.

E-mail fundraising efforts grew in 2015. On average, 4.4 cents was raised per e-mail. For every 1,000 e-mails delivered to a potential donor’s mailbox, $44 in revenue, on average, was generated. It may not sound like much compared to digital giving that took place directly on a non-profit’s webpage. However, e-mail generated revenue for charitable organizations actually grew by nearly 20% last year. It far outpaced the previous year’s 12% growth.

Every opportunity to digitally connect with donors gives a non-profit the chance to grow. Sharing content and joining a non-profit’s email list is just as important to a non-profit’s growth as a supporter’s donation.

Out of all charitable giving, only 3% was non-digital. For charities dependent on cash or checks, this is bad news. The Salvation Army reported raising nearly $145 million through their holiday season Red Kettle cash donation campaign, which is the backbone of the organization’s annual fundraising. Such numbers simply can’t compare with the amount of money raised for donations online.

The Winning Digital Recipe

What does all this data mean? To take advantage of the obvious generosity of donors, a charitable organization needs all the elements of a winning recipe:

  • Connect with an online giving platform that donors trust.
  • Create a mobile app.
  • Connect with employers interested in sponsoring your non-profit’s cause so that you can tap into the contribution resources of a company’s employees.
  • Create the opportunity for potential donors to share content and sign-up for e-mail notifications.

All In One Place

 Online giving performs strongly for a number of reasons that are all tied to together in the same place:

  • Convenience.
  • Anonymity.
  • No pressure.
  • Opportunity to research the organization before giving.
  • Donors can set-up a recurring donation.

Today’s donors are not just technologically savvy, they are also informed, consumers. While online and considering giving a gift, a supporter has the opportunity to learn about a non-profit’s cause. That is why it is so important for a non-profit to be connected with the right giving platform. Just as a brick and mortar storefront’s success is all about location, location, location, the same can be said for any organization’s cyberworld address. When donors arrive at a site that they know is as reputable as it is easy to navigate, they not only give with confidence, there is a greater chance that they will become a regular benefactor. So, whether you are a non-profit or a donor looking to connect with the right cause, get connected in the right place.

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Proven Thank You Letter Techniques That Work

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Why are thank you letters so important? Poorly executed thank you letters can have a negative impact on your organization’s relationships with donors.  Just the same, effective and well written thank you letters can increase donor retention and ensure repeat donations year after year.

Thank you letters are important – you probably don’t need us to tell you that.  The real struggle is finding an effective thank you letter strategy that secures repeat donors.  Where to start?

Thank ALL of Your Donors

Yes, that’s correct, we said thank ALL of them.  Whether they’ve given $5 or $500, donated 1 item or 10 items, they all need to be recognized as having an impact on your organization’s cause.

A lot of nonprofits only send thank you letters to donors who have given above a certain amount. This is the wrong approach as most donors (numbers show as high as 75%) are not giving you as much as they could the first time around. They want to see how you treat them and what you do with their money before committing to a bigger number. A first-time gift of any amount is the beginning of a relationship. Acknowledge that relationship and nurture it. via Nonprofit Thank You Letters – Resources for You

Watch the Clock

You’re aware that thank you letters are important and you know you need to thank all your donors.  What about your timeline? Typically, you want to reach out to your donors with a thank you letter between 48 hours to a week after you have received their donation or gift.  It’s important that your committee sets a timeline that works with your schedules, while still recognizing your donors in a timely manner.  You know your donors better than we do – so you should learn over time what they need from your organization in order to ensure recurring gifts.

Make it Unique

Odds are, your donor is giving a donation to more than just your organization. Donors typically give to between 2 and 3 non-profits annually (via nptechforgood.com). Therefore, your donor would hopefully be receiving between 2 and 3 thank you letters a year.  Donors need to see that their gift is making an impact on your organization and your cause in a unique way.

You have the ability to show your donor why their donations matter, specifically what they go toward, and what impact their donation had on your cause can help ensure a second and even a third donation.  Why wouldn’t you?

 

Creative School Fundraisers

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Winter break is over! Your kids are back in school. Now you want to help give back to that school and help raise some money. Well, here are some of the most successful school fundraiser ideas that we have come up with to help you on your money-making endeavors:

Raffle: Sell those tickets! Take the time to think of a great prize that everyone would be interested in. Whether this is a draw for cash, a school-related item, or a gift basket.

Bake Sale: This one is fun for everyone! Parents can have the opportunity to bond with their children while baking some goodies and the staff can contribute as well.

Pancake Breakfast: Have the students be a part of a delicious one-day breakfast event. They could sell tickets for food and drinks. This makes all the students come together.

Craft Sale: Let’s get crafty! Not only will this promote parents and children to create some fun crafts but it will let the students’ creativity fly. This could be done individually or as a classroom.

Dance-A-Thon: These are very popular! Take pledges based on how long a student will stay on the 24-hour dance floor. And the most important part? Good music to groove to and plenty of drinks & treats throughout the event.

Not only are these all wonderful fundraiser ideas, but you could turn them into something more and have each one of them be utilizing mobile bidding as well.

How Texting Can Increase Engagement During Your Event

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In a world where technology is the focal point of any event, it is no wonder why incorporating SMS into your fundraising strategy is an A+ idea. Not only does including text messages raise engagement with the crowd, it also drives more contributions for your great cause. Mass text messaging is a must-have tool for any fundraiser or gala – note to self – Use. Mass. Texting.

You may be asking yourself.. What is the simplest way to have texting become a part of your event? To start, sending out a reminder to donate can be easily done in a texting fashion with the WEDO Charity Auctions platform. Completing this via text message not only is  a simple way to get the message across, but is also a great way to start to raise money for your organization (aka, WEDO’s main priority).

It is very well-known that the less steps that a patron has to take to donate, the happier the camper will be. So, we make it simple for you to include a link that you would like your crowd to be directed to. For example, if you would like to send a link to a website, all you have to do is send it via text in our easy-to-use platform, and they will see it instantly. 

By using this channel and taking the text message route during your mobile bidding war, you will soon begin to see all of the benefits. Open rates, quick responses, building engagement, more donations, & more. Taking advantage of mass messaging for your nonprofit is definitely something that every fundraising event should be taking part of in order to increase participation and raise more money.

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Bid Early; Every Bid Counts! | WEDO Charity Auctions

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Bid early; Every bid counts! WEDO makes it easy for your nonprofit to raise money. What’s better than bidding on the day of the event? How about opening the bidding portion up EARLY to get ahead of the curve. By opening up your bidding early for your fundraiser, you are able to get in front of your donors before the day of the event and collect any donations.

Make it a part of your day; get a head start! Before the event even begins, with the click of a button, you could sit back and relax on your couch while watching the big game AND bidding for your favorite charity or cause. You can use your smartphone or even an iPad! WEDO Charity Auctions makes mobile bidding simple. What a great & easy way to help raise additional funds!

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Indy WNBA Gets Involved With Nonprofit

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Indianapolis WNBA Gets Involved With Nonprofit

Tamika Catchings, the star of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, created the Catch the Stars Foundation in 2004. This foundation empowers the youth to achieve their dreams by incorporating goal-setting programs which promote literacy, fitness, and youth development. Tamika & the Catch the Stars Foundation just recently had their 10th Annual Back to School Celebration this past July and it was a huge success.

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During the Back to School Celebration event, over 500 local youth in Indiana are able to receive backpacks, school supplies, and a fun community fair to participate in. Since most of the children at the event are unfortunately not able to afford the items, such an event is invaluable. Without the help of Tamkia and the Catch the Stars Foundation as well as all the donations, these 500+ kids coming to the event would have much less in their hands today.