Raising money to support goals is a process that never stops in nonprofits. There is always an ongoing drive to attract new contributors while preserving connections. Both involve considerable work, attention, and a little planning. One of the toughest tasks at hand for non-profit professionals is to discover sources of income and choose the proper fundraising strategy for their organization. It is not simple to decide on the correct approach to nonprofit funding.

In a competitive world, it is necessary to know where your donations come from. Individual donors to major donor corporations, all are donation types that a nonprofit business can receive.

Here we look at types of donations, how nonprofits get donations and what to say when asking for donations.

Types of donations?

Broadly we can categorize donation types based on individual or corporations or foundations.

Individual Donors

Individual donors can be people with a steady income or super-rich people. They donate majorly because they feel for the cause and want to support it. The type of donations they make can be either an online donation, mobile donation, monthly donations, pledges, or goods. Depending upon the donations made, you can categorize your individual donors into:

Major Donors

Sometimes, you have donations that give you a large influx of cash and it gets your project started. These types of donors may not be regular or consistent but provide a great monetary donation to your organization. You should have a plan at hand to attract these types of donors as they are good to have on your donor lists.

Regular Donors

As the name suggests, regular donors give frequent donations in small amounts. They are a steady source of income for nonprofits. They also make a large majority of the donor base, therefore having good donor acquisition and retention strategies is a must. Regular donors can be monthly or quarterly or yearly. Regardless, they are necessary for sustaining nonprofits.

Pledges

Pledges are nonprofit contributions, to be made over several months or years by individuals. They are used by individuals who wish to contribute a significant amount of money, but who cannot pay the whole amount in one payment. Rather, over time, these supporters provide an organization the money. Pledges are like monthly or repeated donations, but the distinction lies in the non-profit communication.

Offer services

There are individuals who cannot give monetary donations but like to offer their skills to give something to the organization. They can offer services like website development, marketing, and advertising, graphic designing, teaching, etc. These are also valuable to a nonprofit, especially if it’s a new nonprofit.

Volunteers

Many individuals certainly do not regard volunteer time as a kind of donation. It is difficult to perceive them not as donors of any kind, when you think of the time and effort numerous volunteers are giving to organizations. Volunteers can donate financially too, or they can give their time and efforts. However, if you compute the kind of donations that your organization receives, your organization should not count out volunteers.

Corporate Donors

A corporate endorsement may be an outstanding source of charity financing. In general, companies are willing to partner in programs aimed at improving the charitable image or at becoming a socially responsible business. CSR is more essential than ever because customers are more inclined to buy from socially responsible firms. Different companies will have different schemes for contributing – some of which may work for your company.

Many corporations provide grants to qualifying nonprofits, both locally and internationally. The application procedure frequently takes time, but these company subsidies might be worthwhile. Firms that do not want to provide money to a nonprofit organization might give some type of in-kind gifts. In-kind gifts are time, service, or commodities contributions that a corporation may deliver. Articles for charity auctions are another example of typical in-kind contributions. Local companies or people give goods that are offered by auction participants.

Foundations

Donations given by any foundation will fall under this category. Different foundations offer different types of donations. Largely, they give a mixture of monetary and in-kind donations.

A community foundation gives grants to nonprofits located in their geographic area. The most common causes to give funds to are research, scholarships, buildings and renovations, endowments, and annual funds. These types of foundations pool resources to give the grants. On the other hand, in private foundations, the money comes from one single source. The most famous example is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. They either give to one particular nonprofit or distribute their donations to a broad range of nonprofits.

The 7 Types of Donors

So far we have looked at the kind of donations made to nonprofits, here we look into the types of donors. Behind every donation, be it corporate or foundations, there is an individual involved. In 1974, Russ Alan Prince and Karen Maru File wrote a book titled The Seven Faces of Philanthropy. The book is a must-read for nonprofits to understand donor psychology and improve communications strategies. Depending upon the donor type, you can engage with them accordingly and not use one shoe fits all.

1. The Altruist:

They are the type you want to always have as a recurring or major donor. The altruists donate because they genuinely care for your cause and doing good. Recognition or credits are things they do not care about. “Do the Right Thing” is more than just a slogan, they truly believe in it.

2. Dynast:

It’s about legacy for them. Donation is in their blood and is more about carrying out the tradition. It’s a family thing. You should care more about the history than the person donating.

3. Devout:

A devout donor donates because of their strong belief in a group or cause and the desire to fit in with fellow devotees. Acknowledging their devotion and having an engaging communication strategy is a good way to go.

4. Repayer:

It’s about giving back and returning the favor. This type of donor feels a sense of responsibility or obligation towards those who have helped them get where they are. Gratitude is their language, so focus on messaging how you will give the outcomes they desire.

5. Investor:

A donation is a mere number and a business move. What are the tax benefits? Or Will it be good for business? are commonly asked questions. And it’s fine! A direct approach and a list of how a donation will benefit them should be handy.

6. Communitarian:

It is about the community. Whether based on location, race, gender, ethnicity, or culture, it is all about empowering the community. A good approach is to explain how their donation will uplift the community.

7. Socialite:

Lights, camera, and action! They want credit and recognition for the donations they give. They show up to galas and fundraisers to make their presence known. They also bring their friends, which means more donations for the cause. The best way to appreciate them is to be thankful publicly and mention their donations.

As mentioned there is not one single reason why people donate to nonprofits. There are plenty! Regardless, it is important to remember that nonprofits can reach their donor base only when there is a proper communication setup. If there isn’t constant engagement from the organization’s side then donors will deviate their donations to other nonprofits who appreciate their monetary gift. You shouldn’t take your donors for granted. Instead of always wondering what to say when asking for a donation, you should prepare a 2 min elevator pitch. If it interests them they will ask more or even get convinced in those 2 mins.

You should always ensure that you have a strategy when it comes to acquiring funding for your company. Invest in donor contacts, whether they be private people, foundations, businesses, or government funding agencies. It takes time to build and cultivate these relationships. All types of support should be respected.

Nonprofits help the community through charitable activities. Charitable activities require funds that come in the form of donations from philanthropists. Donations are raised through fundraising activities that involve donors. Several fundraising tools help nonprofits generate funds easily.

Let us First Understand how Nonprofit Functions:

A nonprofit associates itself with various charitable ventures. Ideally a nonprofit selects charities that are aligned to its vision and mission.

Need to establish their brand in the market and raise awareness for nonprofits. This is usually done by creating a digital presence in addition to its physical presence with the help of a website. The website is promoted using digital marketing techniques like search engine optimization, social media marketing, etc. These help the nonprofit spread the word about itself and what it stands for. These techniques help attract an audience to the brand.

The nonprofit needs funds to support the charities it is associated with. Hence, it organizes fundraising events to generate money.

Let’s now break down the all-important question, “how fundraising events raise money?”

Traditionally fundraising events were held physically and had donors participate in them and donate directly. For instance, fundraising events like auctions would be organized that would have donors bidding for items on auction. Funds would be generated by giving away the item to the highest bidder and the funds collected through bidding, registration, and ticketing would be utilized for charity. Or it could be fundraising events like marathons, etc. that would have several participants. The purpose for organizing the event would be indicated to the participants so that they could donate. Again, most of such events would require participants to purchase tickets that would contribute to the funds raised. Such events could have sponsors supporting them and donating for the event.

However, the pandemic has completely changed how nonprofit fundraising events are organized. Now, most nonprofit events are held online. And, this is where various fundraising tools have a vital role to play.

Why Fundraising Tools are Required?

Fundraising tools are software and apps that simplify the process of hosting fundraising events and raising funds.

Fundraising tools not only help organize fundraising events seamlessly but also offer multiple benefits.

Benefits of Fundraising Tools:

1. They help Reach New Donors:

Fundraising platforms have social media marketing integrated into them facilitating promotion to reach a wide audience.

They help Nonprofits Retain Old Donors: Nonprofits can retain old donors by engaging with them with the help of techniques like email marketing or adding fresh content to the site.

Nonprofit platforms support different types of marketing techniques.

2. Promote Campaigns:

When you organize a nonprofit fundraising event, you will need to promote your campaigns. Fundraising platforms for nonprofits offer the means to market your campaigns to reach a wide audience.

3. Hosting Fundraising Events:

Fundraising platforms help you host events by providing end-to-end event management tools. Nonprofits can use fundraising platforms for ticketing and registration, organizing events through webinars, zoom meetings, live streaming, and more. These platforms also facilitate collecting feedback from the audience. Fundraising platforms are designed to support specific types of nonprofit fundraising such as peer-to-peer funding or online auctions, etc.

4. Offer Seamless Collaboration:

These platforms offer a single point for connecting various stakeholders. This enables taking quick decisions and better planning.

5. Make Donating Easier:

These platforms make it easier for donors to contribute funds by providing features like text-to-donate, donation buttons on the website, etc.

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular fundraising tools:

1. Fundraising Platform

A fundraising platform is one of the basic tools that any nonprofit requires for supporting different functions. There are different types of fundraising platforms in the market, each offering different types of features. It is recommended that you compare the features offered by these platforms and choose the one that best meets the needs of your nonprofit.

2. CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

A customer relationship management system streamlines all aspects of client management. It facilitates track your donors, identifies donor personas, communicates effectively with them, etc. It helps in tracking relationships over time, integrating various systems, etc. Make sure that you select a CRM that integrates with the fundraising platform you have chosen.

3. Email Marketing Tools

Email marketing is one of the most important marketing strategies used by nonprofits because it helps establish a channel for direct communication with donors. Several email marketing tools are available to organize your email marketing.

4. Social Media Marketing Tools

Social Media Marketing tools help bring all profiles to a single platform from where you can update all of them. Social media marketing tools help in scheduling posts, tracking engagement, click rates, etc.

Besides these several other tools support different types of nonprofit fundraising strategies:

Peer to Peer Fundraising:

These refer to tools that enable support of different aspects of peer-to-peer fundraising. In other words, when peer-to-peer fundraising is done, this tool takes care of spreading the word about your fundraiser to your peers who can work with you in achieving your goals.

Auction Tools:

Online auctions are a popular choice of nonprofits for fundraising. Auction tools help in setting up and hosting online auctions seamlessly. These tools establish a system to help donors participate in the auction by sending their bids online. They facilitate comparison and finding out the winning bid, etc.

Donation Page:

Donation pages are set up by nonprofits on their websites to facilitate easy donations. Nonprofits must ensure that the donation pages are mobile-friendly to make it easy for more donors to contribute. Also, donation pages must be easy to navigate with clear instructions.

Text Giving:

Text to give is one of the easiest ways to donate. The donor sends a text message to a particular number associated with the nonprofit. He is then directed to the payment page where he can donate the amount he wishes to. This method has become extremely popular among donors because of the ease of use and the rising number of mobile users globally. A nonprofit will require a platform to set up a text-to-give system.

As we have seen, fundraising platforms help organize nonprofit events seamlessly. It is recommended that you compare different fundraising platforms before selecting one.

What are the Best Fundraising Platforms?

Different platforms offer varying features that can be used for fundraising by nonprofits.

Here’s a list of some of the most popular fundraising platforms:

1. Qgiv:

This platform offers a host of features that are beneficial for nonprofits such as online giving tools, event registration, peer-to-peer fundraising, tracking tools, auction tools, and more. It includes a myriad of options for small, mid-size, and large nonprofits to support different types of fundraising events.

2. Bloomerang:

This platform focuses on building the loyalty and commitment of donors. It offers features that facilitate building effective fundraising strategies.

3. Match Maker:

The focus of Match Maker is managing donor relationships.

4. Neon CRM:

It is a cloud-based CRM that helps nonprofits generate funds easily. It also enables nonprofits to track donor data easily which helps build effective strategies.

So, we see that the focus area of each platform is different. Hence the features in the platform are built according to its focus area. You can choose a platform that best meets the needs of your nonprofit.

Conclusion

iConnectX is a nonprofit fundraising platform that supports fundraising options such as:

• Online auctions
• Donation pages
• Ticketed events
• Text-to-give fundraising
• Mobile giving

iConnectX is well-suited to the needs of most nonprofits and offers a reliable support system through a team of experts to support fundraising strategies of nonprofits.

Since the day Facebook was launched, we have come a long way. Social Media seems to have become an integral part of our lives now. If you are not on social media your existence is questioned (quite literally). It is also why many brands have joined the bandwagon. For businesses, social media acts as a ground to display the company’s morals and vision being practiced.

With a huge audience, it’s time for Nonprofit organizations to also jump on the wagon. But it’s chaos out there.

If you run a nonprofit have you ever had questions like:

How to grow nonprofit social media?

Or how to use social media for nonprofit organizations?

Or how to run social media for a nonprofit?

Or even how to use social media for nonprofit fundraising or event?

In this case, this article is worth your time.

In this article, you will find an overview of why nonprofits should have a social media presence, and how they can use it to engage with their communities. So if you don’t know where to begin, BEGIN HERE!

Why Social media for Nonprofits?

Social media is an interactive tool, and the more people that interact with your nonprofit, the wider the reach. It is a peek into the work your organization does and displays it appealingly. The content that you put out can attract more volunteers and beneficiaries. Social media now also have an option to run your fundraiser online on their platform. Isn’t it cool and convenient? All you got to do is promote the campaign through posts, videos, stories, etc.

In addition, through social media, you can educate your audience on the issues that your nonprofit handles. For example, if you are a nonprofit that works for world hunger, you can educate your audience on how they can reduce their food waste or how food banks are helpful when it comes to food waste at events. Through interactive campaigns, you can educate people on food waste and how they can avoid it in their daily lives.

32% of people between the age of 12 to 34 use Facebook regularly, while 77% of people from 34 to 49 years use Facebook regularly. On the other hand, Instagram has 67% of regular users aged between 18 to 29. (source: https://csic.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/digital-persuasion.pdf) What these stats indicate is that you already have a huge audience listening to you. All you got to do is find the ones whose interests align with your organization and interact with them.

Now that we are clear on why your organization needs a social media presence, let us look further into the benefits of social media and how to grow nonprofit social media.

How to use social media for nonprofits?

You are not wrong when you think that it’s a jungle out there on social media. Content is increasing as years pass by. However, with proper strategy and execution, you will be able to answer the question – how to use social media for nonprofit organizations.

5 Type of content to run social media for a nonprofit

1. Success stories

What makes a nonprofit great is the impact they have, and what better way to show it than a success story. Whether it’s you helped an underprivileged child get a full-ride scholarship or saved a plot of land from the wrath of the corporate world, you need to tell it to the world. You can share it in the form of photos or videos but, the important thing is people see the work you are doing. It’s essential as it also acts as a scorecard for donors and your target audience. People looking for volunteering will have a look at your stories and decide to help your organization or not.

2. Share news and updates

Don’t keep it hush! Share the news with the world. Whether good or bad, frequently updating your audience about the projects going on in the organization shows trust and transparency. When one sees transparency, the person can build trust for the brand. This will keep them excited for your next fundraiser or campaign. Or who knows they might consider volunteering as well.

3. Educational information

Sharing educational information or tips in the field of your nonprofit brings awareness to the topics. Being an industry specialized in your niche domain establishes you as a leader and a reliable source when it comes to the niche your nonprofit operates within. If you are a nonprofit working with abused females, then you can share information about how to spot red flags early in the relationship.

4. Online events or Lives

All platforms are pushing for Live streams or online events. It’s time you catch up on the train as well! Host an online fundraiser or do a live stream with celebrities to spread awareness about the issue you work in. The possibilities are limitless.

5. Behind the scenes

All platforms are pushing for Live streams or online events. It’s time you catch up on the train as well! Host an online fundraiser or do a live stream with celebrities to spread awareness about the issue you work in. The possibilities are limitless.

Appreciate your employees/volunteers by bringing the spotlight on them on your page’s socials. Bring your audience on a journey on how things work in the organization. This is a nice way for future talent to see if they will fit within the team’s culture.

Let’s now take a look at how nonprofits are using social media to engage with their communities

Before you go ahead with creating content, we suggest you have a look at our top 3 tips.

1. The focused and consistent content strategy goes a long way:

Basically what the title says. To grow a nonprofit on social media, you need to have a content strategy. With that also comes being consistent and not flunking it as you go. You can read our blogs on the topic to understand further.

2. Target your content based on your audience:

Knowing what demographic audience you serve on each platform is imperative. Actively promoting fundraisers on Facebook will get you more success than promoting it on Instagram or Snapchat, since a majority of the audience is young who don’t have much to give monetarily.

3. Never forget Call to action:

CTAs are important! That’s the whole reason why you are expanding to social media marketing. Whether it is a call for volunteers or resources or donations, never forget to add a CTA at the end of your posts. People should know what they are looking to do once they reach your page.

The mainstay of nonprofits is fundraising events. Can social media play a role in fundraising? The answer is YES!

How to use social media for fundraising events?

Live streams on social media platforms are quite popular. This is one way to host a fundraising event using social media. Since social media is used by audiences across different demographics, live streams of your fundraiser can reach a wide audience.

Social media can be used for promoting online fundraising events. Since social media has a wide reach, social media campaigns are effective in spreading the word about fundraising events.

Social media platforms offer an opportunity to interact directly with your audience. This helps build trust and loyalty.

You can spread the word about your brand through social media and facilitate payment through social media channels as well.

Social media channels are the best way to spread the word about your brand and the fundraising events you host. This is because social media platforms offer an opportunity to share posts. So, if your audience shares the posts about your fundraising event, you can easily reach a wide audience.

Here’s how nonprofits are connecting to social media to drive change:

1. Room to read

Room to read social media gets the point across. They have effective CTAs while also highlighting the lives they have impacted.

2. World Wildlife Fund

One of the pioneers of using social media, especially Twitter and Facebook, WWF has campaigns on point and uses social media as the best way to spread awareness about endangered species and the work the nonprofit does.

Ultimately…

Social media is a tool that every nonprofit should use to grow and network to drive change. When the world shut down, it was social media that helped us stay connected! 55% of people who have engaged with causes via social media were inspired to do more and take action. This is what social media can do, and you should be part of the change.

Whether it is a social media manager or online fundraising or campaign manager, you should go to experienced and trustworthy professionals. iConnectX has a team of experienced experts who will help make online fundraising an easy task.

Just like any “for-profit” organization, a nonprofit organization works towards an objective. Strategic planning for nonprofits gives a direction to the activities of the nonprofit so that they are aligned to its mission.

Why do a Nonprofit Strategic Plan?

Nonprofit Strategic planning gives all stakeholders a path to work on common goals. Besides, it helps assess its resilience towards a changing environment. Nonprofit strategic planning helps it evaluate its progress and strengths with every initiative that’s launched. It also brings the whole team together enhancing its efficiency.

Strategic planning for any organization can be daunting because it has many components. If you are starting from scratch, it may look like an impossible task but it isn’t! With the right resources and direction, you can easily get started on the strategic plan for your nonprofit.

What should a Nonprofit Strategic Plan Include?

Think of your nonprofit strategic plans like a “recipe” that includes a set of ingredients and the method for putting them together to create the final product! In other words, we need to identify the key components of a nonprofit strategic plan and the step-by-step process to put it into action.

Here’s a guide to nonprofit strategic planning:

Let’s first identify, what are the four key elements of strategic planning?

1. Comprehensive statements of mission, vision, and values

The basis of a nonprofit is the purpose why it exists. A nonprofit organization cannot have vague goals which are up to employees’ interpretation. It will turn into a mess! A nonprofit organization exists because it wants to do some good in society and create change. Every nonprofit has a purpose for existence and it’s the first thing that should be mentioned in the strategic planning for nonprofit. This purpose is formally placed in the form of mission and vision statements. The mission and vision of a company may come from its founders or the industry or the stakeholders. Further, a set of values that the nonprofit abides by and does not compromise on further strengthens the mission and vision statement.

2. SWOT analysis for inside and outside work environment

Analyzing the nonprofit’s internal environment to determine its strengths and weaknesses helps with filling the necessary gaps to boost performance. Similarly, looking outside the organization to understand the threats and opportunities is a huge building block for having a robust system. It also helps include products/services which aren’t harmed by small environmental changes. A comprehensive analysis of the external and internal environment together determines the positioning of the organization. This forms the foundation on which the action plan is built.

3. Determine 3 to 5 years Goals to be Achieved

After the vision and mission are established, the nonprofit needs to build a roadmap for achieving them. This is done by establishing long and short-term goals. This clearly defines the role of each individual that will help achieve these goals. It also gives clarity to the staff about how their tasks impact the goals.

While setting the goals, it is important to include strategies that will be used to tackle any situation. This requires a wider and out-of-the-box perspective. Asking stakeholders for their ideas and thoughts is a great way to get a wider perspective on challenges and action planning.

4. Coping with Emergencies

If COVID 19 has taught us anything, it’s that things can change rapidly and we may never know where we may end up. A huge part of nonprofit strategic planning is determining what actions to take when an unprecedented event or situation occurs. Having a contingency plan is better than having a no plan.

Now that we know the essential elements of nonprofit strategic planning, we move to the process of creating a strategic plan.

What are the Five Steps in the Strategic Planning Process?

This step-by-step approach to nonprofit strategic planning will break down the process so that you do not get overwhelmed with too many things to be done.

Step 1: Research

The number one thing you should do before putting pen to paper is research. Developing a clear understanding of where your nonprofit stands are where you can start. It begins with doing a deep dive into programs and services offered by your nonprofit. Where the funding comes from and how it’s distributed. Understanding the areas you need to focus on and improve, gives the strategic planners an even ground to begin from.

At this stage, you should also look at various strategic planning models and where you fit. Selecting the most appropriate strategic model and tailoring it according to the goals of your nonprofit is the best way to go.

There are a large number of models available, some of the popular ones are

1. Conventional strategic planning
2. Issue-based strategic planning
3. Organic strategy planning
4. Real-time strategy planning

Step 2: Who should be involved?

The next step involves forming a strategic planning team. This team will be responsible for documenting the entire strategic planning for nonprofits. In this team, you have to ensure that you don’t only include major decision-makers of your organization. Ideally, you should have at least one person from each department on the team so that you have a set of wide perspectives and don’t create an incomplete understanding of what the nonprofit is doing. Once you have your foundations ready, you should get inputs from your stakeholders like staff, volunteers, outside consultants, and board members. These inputs can be considered by the planning team and include in the document. The planning team can take inputs before and after the strategic plan is done.

Step 3: Set SMART Objectives

SMART goal setting structure is the most effective tool for achieving your goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely. Each of these parameters answers specific questions. It brings structure and traceability to your goals and objectives. This helps establish milestones for each objective that can then be monitored. Every small milestone brings you closer to the main objective.

Step 4: Identify Strategic Issues and Action Plan

After getting your goals and objectives in order, the next step is outlining what strategies you will use to achieve that objective. If your goal is to increase fundraising, then find out areas where there are gaps and create a step-by-step plan to tackle them. Further, look into hiring a marketing or fundraising agency to improve fundraising activities is a way to start filling those gaps.

To achieve the objectives, setting up an action plan or establishing tactics that support specific objectives is a great way to showcase accountability and direction. When everyone is aware of how their tasks will impact the larger goals, it creates an environment of structure and responsibility. This ensures that everything gets done seamlessly.

Step 5: Make Rules and Guidelines

Lastly, creating a set of rules and guidelines to follow for every project and task gives employees more clarity on what NOT to do. While it is essential to point out the path to achieve goals it is equally important to highlight things that will not be accepted by the organization. This set of lists can include a code of conduct when interacting with volunteers or donors. These guidelines exist so that there is no gray area left, which can hamper the organization’s growth.

So now you are ready with your nonprofit strategic plan, what next?

Get ready to implement it!

Implementation of the Strategic Plan

Organize a meeting with your board members, donors, and employees. Bring the plan to action and make it a bible of your organization. The future look and plans should be ongoing: As numerous things change, the nonprofit’s plans may need to be adjusted. While the process of bringing everyone together to plan for the future is stimulating, don’t let the plan collect dust on the shelf once it’s completed. Revisit it regularly, make revisions and update it as needed.

When it comes to achieving your nonprofit goals, iConnectX has an experienced team that will simplify the implementation of your strategic plans!

Build and manage your own fundraisers. Don’t stop at collecting donations, add in auctions, events with tickets, even donated time sold to support your fundraiser!

Last year has soared to be a year of adjustments, and for nonprofits as well. One of the most obvious ways? Fundraising! Nonprofits are now shifting their fundraising strategy towards virtual and online fundraising instead of traditional fundraising.

If your nonprofit is shifting towards online fundraising platforms, you need the right fundraising platform for nonprofits to succeed.

That means finding the right tool that is best for your nonprofit. To make your online fundraising easier, we have listed the online fundraising way that we think might be a good fit for your nonprofit to raise funds.

We have simplified the online donation process for individuals to raise funds for charities of any level. Individuals are required to visit the homepage and browse the nonprofit they select to donate. Click on the Donate button and enter donating amount and other details to complete the process with or without registering on the platform.

An online auction is one of the most engaging fundraising ways where a bidder competes with other bidders by setting increasingly higher bidding amount on a web or mobile-based platform. Online auctions have made the world a smaller place by allowing bidders from any part of the world to participate in an auction. It has opened the door for both nonprofits and participants. Online auctions are also popular among nonprofits for fundraising because they enable charities to reach a wider audience across the globe without any time limit.

Text Giving is a monetary donation process using mobile device texting function. Text giving simplifies the donating process to happen anytime and anywhere within a few clicks. The text-to-give process enables nonprofits of all sizes to make it easier for their supporters to donate by providing modern & trending methods to help them increase fundraising.

Ticketed events are in many ways a combination of events and fundraisers. They allow nonprofits to sell tickets to an event you may be having, such as a gala, a concert, or a screening.

Like events, ticketed events have dates and times, optional locations and maps, a discussion board where purchasers and the host can keep in contact with each other, automatic 24-hour reminders, and the like.

What do the donors want?

• Information about the nonprofit before they donate.
• They want simple and secure donation methods.
• They want to feel a part of a charity initiative.
• There are some who also want their act of philanthropy to be in the public eye.

Fundraising platforms are the best solution for nonprofits to cope with the ever-changing demands of the audience.

An online fundraising platform offers a central source to manage different aspects of online fundraising. It helps manage multiple donors, organize campaigns, offer forms, facilitate credit card donations and many more.

This is a brief overview of how you can choose the best online fundraising platform for your nonprofit.

One of the best fundraising platforms for a nonprofit is iConnectX. This platform has all the features to support end-to-end event management, secure donations, forms, etc. iConnectX is a platform that has a long history in the field of philanthropy. It has been a part of several nonprofit initiatives over the years supporting both offline and online nonprofit events. The proven track record of iConnectX makes it an ideal fundraising platform for nonprofits. This platform supports a myriad of online fundraising strategies such as online auctions, crowdfunding, and many more.

iConnectX is a platform that has evolved over the years adapting to changing circumstances adopting innovative technologies. It has kept pace with technology to ensure that it offers its users the best experience while participating in philanthropic activities. It is a technologically advanced platform with regular updates to offer users the best features.

Solicit Donations and More!

Set up and manage your fundraiser on iConnectX. Tell your story, add pictures, set your goal, and start collecting. To make more of an impact, add in auction items, event tickets, and iBridges (donated time).

Promote your fundraiser in the iConnectX Marketplace as well as on your social pages and in emails to your colleagues.

Features

• Easy set up
• Set up a fundraiser for your nonprofit or select from one of the 1.7 Million IRS approved 501c organizations
• Have your members or sponsors set up fundraisers on your behalf
• Tell your story
• Add a picture
• Set a goal
• Add auction items, events with tickets and iBridges
• Promote your fundraiser in the iConnectX Marketplace, available to the community on browsers and in the mobile app
• Funds collected are sent to your nonprofit weekly

The first cell phone came into being just 30 years ago. Our cell phones have been able to connect to the Internet for just 15 years. And just within the past 2 years, mobile giving has passed fundraising through desktop – we are online on our phones more than we are on our computers. That is a lot of technological change in a very short amount of time. Of course, nonprofits must adapt to keep up. If you didn’t grow up around technology like the millennial generation, how can you adopt the latest technology trends to help nonprofit organizations more efficiently?

Online fundraising accumulates millions of dollars every year using various online fundraising methods like online donations, ticketed events, text giving, or mobile giving.

To make the donation process easy for you, here are some features and methods of the iConnectX online donation process. iConnectX tool is easy for donors to use for all levels of nonprofit fundraising. There are several fundraising sites available for both individuals and nonprofits. iConnectX has made it possible for both.

iConnectX’s user-friendly platform enables anyone to set up a fundraising page to raise funds for the cause you are passionate about.

iConnectX has set itself as a platform for nonprofit fundraising to help nonprofits reach their goals.

Support Your Cause

Promote donations from your advocacy site in iConnectX, your fundraisers and events. Any collected monies are sent to your nonprofit weekly.

Increase Your Donations

Solicit donations on your advocacy page within iConnectX, also on your fundraisers and in your event pages. We make it easy by integrating the payment form from a single click button. Payments are sent to your nonprofit directly.

Fundraising Tool to Watch

iConnectX has features a new set of online fundraising tools that are timely and relevant for the year to come. This year’s tools tap into fundraising trends that have emerged because of the COVID19 pandemic, from text giving or mobile giving to virtual events to online donations for nonprofits.

In this guide, we will deep dive to understand the online donations process, new fundraising trends and more. Nonprofits are not immune to the new changes and COVID19 has forced many nonprofits cancel their fundraising events resulting loss of revenue to support the cause.

Turning one-time donors into recurring donors remains one of the major challenges for nonprofits. The benefits of recurring donations are obvious – more funds and the ability to plan more events and programs. Due to the cancelation of nonprofit events, nonprofits losing the funds.

iConnectX, a fundraising tool for nonprofits, offering a platform for millions of 501c charities to create virtual events, online auctions, ticketed events, online donations for charities and more. In this guide, we will deep dive to understand the iConnectX’s Online Donation process.

How to Accept Donations Online

• Select the nonprofits based on City or Industry to make online donation
• Go to the nonprofit page and click on Donate button
• Choose the option to donate with or without registering on iConnectX
• Enter the amount to donate and other details
• Save your details for future recurring donations
• Receive the receipt on your registered mail for your donation

What Are the Best Nonprofits to Make Donations?

Once if you have decided that you want to support a cause based on your interest. The next process is to find the best nonprofits based on industry or city that will use your fund to make impact on the community. If you are making donations then it should not be hard, iConnectX have brought you more than best charities to donate to and 1.5 million non-boarded charities to donate to on our platform. Whether you are looking for charities supporting coronavirus programs or charities doing educational work – iConnectX has listed nonprofit for every cause. Find the list of best charities to donate to.

Easy to set up, web and mobile apps for bidding, notifications for bidders if they are the highest bidder or if they are out-bid, and of course, full reporting of bids and dollars raised.

So whether you are holding a silent auction at a golfing event, looking to turn those donated items into dollars through an online event, or holding a gala with elegant prizes, iConnectX has the solution for you.

Event cancelation, postponement or pandemic situation and alike force traditional events to cancel those results to loss of revenue for nonprofits. This is not a story of one or two nonprofits, but many nonprofits find themselves in the same situation. Traditional events, fundraisers, and programs are off the table for now, but that does not mean nonprofits cannot raise funds. Now, nonprofits are shifting their focus from traditional auctions to online auctions.

Online auctions are a great way to bring in revenue, build networks, social interactions, receive donations, and more.

Here, we will dive deep to understand what an online auction is, the advantages of the online auction, how to set up an online auction in iConnectX, and alike.

What is an online auction?

An online auction is one of the most engaging fundraising events where a bidder competes with other bidders by setting increasingly higher bidding amount on a web or mobile-based platform.

Online auctions have made the world a smaller place by allowing bidders from any part of the world to participate in an auction. This has opened the door for both nonprofits and participants.

Online auctions are also popular among nonprofits for fundraising because they enable charities to reach a wider audience across the globe without any time limit.

How do you set up an online auction?

So, whether you are holding a silent auction at a golfing event, looking to turn those donated items into dollars via an online auction, or holding a gala with elegant prizes, iConnectX has the auction solution for you.

It is easy to set up on both web and mobile app for bidding, notifications for bidders if they are the highest bidder, outbid or a winner, and of course, full reporting of bids and dollars raised.

• Go to iconnectx.com and register your nonprofit
• Add your items
• Add a description of your nonprofit
• Add current programs with a link back to your website
• Add volunteer opportunities, plus capture necessary information through an online form
• Take in donations
• Add events, auctions, and fundraisers
• Post stories and activities to the “Feed”
• Manage your admin users
• View reports of all activities
• Promote all activities in the iConnectX Marketplace
• Take advantage of upgrading your subscription and receive advertising on social media, on the site, and our login page

Here are advantages of online auctions:

Online auctions are a widely accepted fundraising method for the below reasons:

Convenience:

It is easy to hold online auctions for nonprofits, they can sign up here to complete the registration process to be eligible for online auctions on iConnectX. Nonprofits can easily set up online auctions from anywhere anytime, and at the same time bidders can enter the bidding process from anywhere anytime.

No Interruption:

COVID19 pandemic or similar situations has forced many nonprofits to cancel or postponed spring fundraisers indefinitely. Unlike traditional auctions, no pandemic can force to cancel or postponed online auctions as it happens over the internet.

Wider Reach:

Online auctions are an increasingly popular way to help expand not only the auction reach for a different range of products to auction, and it wider the reach of the audience. The physical presence of the bidder is not mandatory in such auctions, so they can bid or outbid the items from any part of the world.

Time Efficiency:

Online auctions not only increase the reach of auctioneers, but it saves time too. Bidding on an online auction saves time as you do not need to have at the location of the auction. On the contrary, you can bid online at a convenient time, monitor auctions in real-time.

Economical Too:

Since the online auctions happen online and not a physical location is required for the auction. So, bidders can save traveling expenses as they do not have to be required to travel to the location of the auction, instead of participating online.

Compare Prices:

In online auctions, bidders get a facility to check the price of items up in a online auction online before making the bid, and this enables bidders to place accurate bids.

No Time Restrictions:

Bidding for the auction item can be done anytime according to the convenience time of bidders, unlike traditional auctions. The only thing the bidders need to mind is the last day of entering the auction.

Social Interactions:

Online bidding encourages social interactions.

Generate Funds:

Online auctions include many bidders participating in the online auction that helps generate more funds.

What items put on online auctions for nonprofits

In this article, we have discussed how to set up a successful online auction, but what about the type of items need to auction. The nonprofits must avoid auctioning any gambling or illegal items.

With a state-of-the-art, cutting-edge platform, iConnectX undoubtedly emerging as one of the fastest growing online auction platforms that help nonprofits raise funds by auctioning the items received in a donation.

Today, iConnectX is one of the most reliable online auction platforms for nonprofits as it offers the safest marketplace platform for both nonprofits and bidders alike.

Additionally, iConnectX has many interesting features that are easy to use and easily customizable.

iConnectX sharing the item need to put in an online auction:

iConnectX has a wide variety of categories. In fact, whatever bidders want can usually be found here ranging from signed memorabilia to electronics to travel package.

You can bid for a wide range of listing namely:

• Travel package
• Signed memorabilia
• Collectibles and custom artworks
• Gift basket
• Sporting goods
• Free Training
• Books or Novels
• Fashion

Add an Online Live Auction to Your Online Auction Fundraiser:

Online auctions work in the following steps:

• The nonprofits need to register their organization
• List the auction items on the website
• Enter the minimum bidding amount to enter in an online live auction
• Bidders register and bid for the items
• Receive notifications on bidding, outbidding, and winning the auction
• The highest bidder wins the items
• The winning items are delivered to the winner through the mail, doorstep service, or collect from the nonprofit
• The funds generated through online auction go to charity

What makes iConnectX one of the best online auction sites?

• Easy to set up on both web and mobile platform
• Notifications for bidders if they are the highest bidder, outbid, or a winner
• Full reporting of bids and funds raised
• Easy to turn donated items into dollars through an online event

• Manage your admin users easily
• No platform fee for bidders to enter an online auction
• Build online presence for nonprofit

We are living in the era of smartphones where we prefer to do almost all our transactions on our mobiles. Most businesses had no option but to create mobile-friendly websites and apps so that they can cater to their audience. Nonprofits also needed to adapt to the smartphone era and introduce mobile-friendly techniques to connect to their audience. Text-to-give was a concept introduced to make it easier for donors to contribute to charities with their smartphones.

What is text giving?

Text-to-give or text to donate is a technique where donors text a specific keyword and an amount they wish to donate to a predetermined number. Donors can contribute to a fundraising campaign of a charity to the annual fund.

Let’s now understand how the text giving process works:

• The nonprofit will need to choose a text-giving platform to set up the text-to-give.
• Once the text-to-give system is set up, the nonprofit will need to raise awareness towards it using different promotional strategies.
• Donors will need to type in a keyword specified by the nonprofit and the amount they wish to donate and send the text to a number specified by the nonprofit.
• Once the donor texts, he will receive an acknowledgment and be guided to a responsive donation form. He can fill in the details in the form to donate.
• The nonprofit will send an acknowledgment of receipt of donation to the donor.

It is a straightforward donation process for both, the donors and the nonprofit. Mobile giving has become a popular method of donating because of the rising number of mobile users worldwide.

Besides this there are several other reasons why nonprofits use text giving:

• Text giving has emerged as the simplest method to donate in current times when the pandemic has made it difficult for nonprofits to hold fundraisers.
• It is one of the fastest methods to donate because of the simplicity of the process. The simplicity and speed of the process make it a popular choice among donors.
• Text giving makes it easier for donors to donate on the move. They can donate from anywhere at a time of their convenience. This helps attract more donors.
• This method helps nonprofits build a better relationship with donors because it offers a method of direct communication. The donors can donate directly and receive an acknowledgment instantly for their donations. This builds trust and confidence in the minds of the donors for the nonprofit.
• Nonprofits that offer mobile giving as a method for donating can reach a larger audience because the number of mobile users is large and is constantly growing.
• With effective promotional strategies, nonprofits can reach a wide audience across different age groups and ethnicity.
• Donors who may be hesitant to donate in case they want to donate small amounts find this method a great option.
• Mobile giving also encourages donors to make multiple donations because of the simplicity of the process.
• Text giving is a cost-effective method of donation. This method reduces the costs involved in setting up the donation process. The major cost involved is that of investing in a text-giving platform. Choosing a platform that works in a hassle-free manner and is easy to set up streamlines the mobile giving process for the nonprofit and the donors. iConnectX is one of the best text-to-give platforms that covers all aspects of mobile giving.

It is because of these reasons that text giving is being offered by most nonprofits extensively as a method to make donations. Since it is widely used by several nonprofits, you will need to make special efforts to stand out in the crowd!

You will need to put on your thinking caps and create text-giving campaigns that reach a wide audience and engage them.

Here are some best text giving practices that help you create successful campaigns:

1. Establish your Fundraising Goals

Determine what you wish to achieve through the text to give the campaign. Establish clear fundraising goals and the metrics against which you can measure your goals.

2. Keep Short Code Simple

Shortcode is the alphanumeric code that donors will need to type while donating.

Each text-giving platform has certain specifications to be adhered to while creating the shortcode. Make sure that you find out these specifications before creating your code.

These are details like the number of characters in the code, if the code is case-sensitive, etc.

Creating the shortcode will require some out-of-the-box thinking.

The code must indicate the type of charity it is being used for. For instance, if the charity works for environmental protection, it can have words like GREEN or ENVIRO, etc.

Make sure that you keep the code simple so that is easy to type and remember. Avoid using such a combination of letters which can lead to typographical errors. Complex codes may even discourage donors.

3. Make Forms Straightforward

After the donor texts the shortcode, he will be directed to a donor form. These forms must be simple and straightforward. It is recommended that you do not ask donors for too many details. Create a simple form that does not take too long to fill. However, the form must be designed such that it provides you all the essential information about the donors.

4. Promote Text Giving Campaign

To reach a wider audience across different demographics you must use multichannel marketing strategies.

You will need to create promotional strategies that reach a wide audience. Digital marketing techniques like social media marketing, email marketing, etc. can help you spread the word about your campaign. You could consider using promotional tee-shirts, etc.

Your website is a great platform where you can communicate to your audience details about your campaign. You can promote your campaign with print and online advertising.

It is best to allocate a fixed marketing budget and strategize according to the funds in your kitty. Based on your budget you can choose the right mix of promotional strategies to increase the visibility of your campaign.

5. Instruct Supporters

Once you have promoted your campaign, you will have many supporters who will want to participate in your fundraiser.

It is recommended that you help your supporters by instructing them on how to use mobile giving. Although some of these donors may know how it works, it might be a new concept for others. So, make the process easy for your donors by guiding them.

You can do this by sharing step-wise instructions of how it works in the form of infographics, videos, pictures, etc. These can be shared on your website, social media, and other channels. You can also share it in your newsletters with your email subscribers.

In addition to this, you could consider sharing this information in flyers that can be distributed. Another effective method is holding live sessions where you can explain the process to your attendees.

6. Offer Multiple Donation Option

It is recommended that you do not indicate a preset amount for donation. The reason is that this could discourage many donors who may not be able to donate that amount.

Even if you include options of specific amounts to be donated in the form, ensure that you add a custom field where donors can donate an amount of their choice. This approach encourages more donors to contribute.

In addition to this, you can offer an option for recurring donations wherein the donors contribute a fixed amount to the charity monthly. Recurring donations are especially popular among small donors. A recurring donor is also beneficial for the nonprofit.

Hence, it is a good strategy to offer flexible donation options to your donors.

7. Thank you Donors

The best way to build a long-term relationship with your donors is through clear communication. One of the starting points of building a communication channel is by sending personal thank you messages to your donors. Personal communication with your donors helps build trust and confidence. So, make sure that you acknowledge the contributions of your donors by thanking them for their donations. You can thank your donors by sending emails with thank you messages.

8. Review Donors

Once the campaign is over, you will need to check its efficacy based on the funds raised. You can assess your performance based on the data collected.

You can compare the results of your current campaign with your previous fundraisers. You can also check the success of different marketing strategies used, etc.

You can also check whether you have reached the desired goals.

In addition to this, you can conduct an online survey to get feedback from your donors on their experience.

These insights will help you create your future campaigns.

In Conclusion

Nonprofits need to change their online fundraising strategies from time to time based on the changing needs of their audience. With the rising number of smartphone users across the globe, mobile giving is no longer an option but a must for nonprofits.

Auctions have been one of the most effective fundraising strategies. Traditionally live auctions were organized by nonprofits where the donors were invited to the venue where the auctions were held. As the internet became a predominant aspect of our lives, online auctions made a foray into the world of charity auctions. Virtual auctions were slowly and steadily making a place for themselves. And, when the pandemic struck, they became the only way to hold charity auctions.

The nonprofits that had already adopted online auctions were able to adapt to the changing ways of working in 2020.

What is an online auction?

An online auction is held virtually. The items for auction are displayed on a website with the starting bid prices. The bidders can send in their bids through the website. The nonprofit holds a virtual meeting with all the bidders after the last date of the bids. The winners are announced in this meeting and the items are delivered to them.

Online auctions offer several benefits over traditional auctions. These auctions can attract bidders across the globe, unlike the physical auctions where participants were restricted because of their geographical locations. Also, it is easier to maintain the confidentiality of the bids. Online auctions also reduce the efforts required in terms of setting up the logistics such as finding the venue, arranging food, beverages, etc. for the event.

If these are not required, then what is required to create an online auction? is the first question that comes to mind.

The building blocks of an online auction are:

Auction Website

These are websites that are created specifically for hosting online auctions. There are several auction websites listed on the internet. It is recommended that you compare all sites and choose the one that best meets your fundraising goals.

Remember to choose an auction website that is user-friendly and easy to navigate. The choice of the website will also depend on the type of products you want to auction.

Auction Articles

When organizing an online auction, make sure that you select the items you want to auction carefully. Do your research to find out the type of articles donors will be interested to bid for. Finding out what items are listed on competitor websites will give you a fair idea of the type of items you could consider listing.

Customized Retail Store

You will need to set up a retail store on the auction website that is customized according to your brand. In other words, the retail store must include your brand’s logo and color scheme. Make sure to post high-quality pictures of the original products on the site. Include descriptions and details about the product on the site. Create an attractive store that is easy to navigate and bid. Ensure that you include a secure payment gateway that can be used by donors from any country.

Let’s now delve into how to create an Online Auction?

Step 1: Establish your Fundraising Goals

The chief objective behind organizing an online auction is generating funds for charity. Therefore, you will need to determine exactly how much amount you expect to generate through the auction.

Step 2: Determine your Budget

Decide exactly how much you propose to invest in the online auction and allocate specific amounts for different activities. This helps to keep a check on the expenses incurred in organizing the event.

Step 3: Select and Procure the Items you want to Auction

Find out what type of items your donors will be interested in bidding for and choose them. Procure the items from vendors/sponsors.

In an online auction, you will need to work out the logistics for the delivery of products. Delivery is easier if the products can be transferred electronically or through the mail.

However, the choice of the items for auction will depend largely on the purpose of the fundraiser, the interests of the donors, etc. Your focus should be on quality and not quantity while choosing the articles.

Step 4: Choose a Cloud-Based Auction Website

Auction websites like iConnectX are a perfect choice for creating an online auction. This is because they offer a single platform for all stakeholders to collaborate.

iConnectX is a platform that implies the process of planning, managing, and processing both in-person and online events. This platform streamlines the process of hosting an online auction.

This platform facilitates:

• Setting up an auction website
• Listing items for auction
• Mobile Bidding
• Offers a secure and integrated payment platform.

iConnectX is a user-friendly platform that can be used easily for hosting different types of online events like peer-to-peer fundraising, etc. It also makes it easier for different stakeholders to collaborate.

Step 5: List the Items on your Retail Store on the Auction Website

Listing the items on the website entails posting quality pictures of the products, their descriptions, and minimum bidding prices.

Make sure that you post HD pictures of the actual product instead of similar products. The description of the product must be precise and must include details of the products. The description must be written in a manner that engages the audience. A catchy headline for the product helps attract donors.

Step 6: Promote the Auction

You will need to create awareness and generate the interest of your audience for the online event. Digital marketing strategies are the most effective in connecting with your niche audience.

Optimize your website with relevant keywords so that it has good exposure and ranks high on searches. This makes it easy to attract traffic to your brand when someone types in search phrases like “online auction sites near me” or “free auctions near me”, etc.

Make sure that your website clearly communicates the mission and vision of your brand. Besides, it should be easy to bid for the listed items on the site. It is recommended that you include a section on “how to bid in an online auction site” to make the task easier for your bidders.

Create a buzz on social media to connect with your audience. Make sure that you post regularly on social media to engage your users. Use social media campaigns to tell the story of your brand to your audience. Connect with your audience to build trust. Social media campaigns also help you build a sense of urgency about the event. Posts like, “last few days left, etc.” are quite effective for lead conversions.

Email marketing is another effective strategy that helps you build a personal bond with your subscribers. You can communicate effectively through emails to generate interest in the event.

Step 7: Host the Online Auction

Host your online auction on an auction website like iConnectX.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create auction sites on iConnectX:

• Register your nonprofit on iConnectX.
• Upload a description of your nonprofit on iConnectX platform.
• List the items on auction with high-quality pictures, descriptions, and the minimum bidding amount.
• Add the event(online auction) with a link that drives the audience to your website.
• Include forms on your site to gather necessary data about your visitors.
• Post updates about your event on iConnectX platform.
• Take advantage of the iConnectX follower list by promoting your online auction to millions of followers in the iConnectX marketplace.
• iConnectX also provides you a comprehensive report of the bids and the funds raised.

Here’s how it works for bidders:

• A bidder can search for an auction website by typing relevant phrases like, “online auctions near me” or “live auctions near me.”
• The search engine will display a list of online auction websites. Bidders can select a website that is aligned with their ideas of donating.
• Bidders will view the list of items on the site.
• They can make their bids using any device of their choice. There is no platform fee for making a bid.
• They will receive automated notifications regarding their bids, outbidding, and winning the auction, etc.
• Winners receive the articles they have won via mail or doorstep service or can pick it up from the nonprofit.
• The funds generated are used by the nonprofit to support charities.

This is an overview of how nonprofits can create successful online charities to raise funds for charities.

Are you using a fundraising thermometer for your nonprofit? Did you know that they are the easiest way to track your fundraising goal? Besides, they offer complete transparency about your nonprofit to your donors!

Most nonprofits are already using fundraising thermometers for managing their fundraising. If you have not started using one, it’s time you did too!

Here’s a quick overview of the fundraising thermometer:

What is a fundraising thermometer?

We know that a thermometer checks the temperature of something. On the same lines, a fundraising thermometer indicates how “hot” your fundraising campaign is! Simply put, a fundraising thermometer indicates the amount of funds your fundraising campaign has generated. It is essentially like a fundraising goal tracker that helps you assess how close or far you are from your fundraising goals.

It is a way of displaying to the audience using the symbol of a thermometer with the analogy of temperature rise. As the temperature in the fundraising thermometer moves from cold to hot, it indicates that the donations are getting closer to the target goal. So, the hottest temperature is reached when the fundraiser reaches its goal.

Fundraising thermometers are known by different names fundraising meter, donation thermometer, or goal thermometer.

Why must you use a fundraising thermometer?

1. Visual Confirmation of Donation

When a donor contributes to a fundraising campaign and he sees the rise in the reading on the fundraising goal thermometer, he gets a visual confirmation of his donation. It is an established fact that visuals have a greater impact on people.

This helps the nonprofit offer complete transparency to its donors. This goes on to build trust and loyalty among the donors.

2. Encourage Donations

When donors see the reading on the thermometer slowly inching towards its fundraising goal, they are motivated to donate more to speed up the process.

A fundraising thermometer is extremely effective in encouraging donors to help the nonprofit reach its goals.

When the nonprofit reach its goals, the donors feel good because they can see that they have played a part in this endeavor. It boosts the donor morale to know that they have done their bit for society.

This builds brand loyalty towards your nonprofit.

3. Effective in Engaging Niche Audience

When donors participate in a fundraising campaign and receive instant gratification for what they have done through the fundraising thermometer, they get a sense of fulfillment.

This is how it works. People like to see any task they take up getting completed. So, when they watch the fundraising thermometer proceed towards its goals, it fills them with excitement to track the progress. This engages them until the end of the campaign. Besides, when they feel that the thermometer is not progressing at the speed it should, they might even go an extra mile and add more to hasten the process.

Once the fundraising goal is reached, the donors feel a sense of personal achievement. They get a feeling of accomplishment on reaching a milestone. This also helps in building the community as donors feel that they have achieved something together, as a community.

4. Team Crowdfunding Thermometers Encourage Peer to Peer Fundraising

By using the team crowdfunding thermometer, you can ask your peer-to-peer fundraisers to set goals on their page. And, the progress on pages of different team members can be consolidated to indicate the overall progress of the fundraising campaign on your campaign page.

Fundraising thermometers are dynamic, in the words, they give live updates on the progress of the fundraising donations towards its goals. These real-time updates can be displayed on large screens at outdoor events for the participants to watch.

Live fundraising thermometers can also be integrated with devices such as tablets, mobiles, desktops, etc. for the convenience of the donors, staff, and others involved with the fundraising campaign.

Several brands create and market fundraising thermometers with different features. Besides these ready-to-use platforms, there are several DIY templates available that can be used to develop a nonprofit donation platform.

Here’s a guide to the features you need for your nonprofit’s fundraising thermometer:

• Choose a fundraising goal tracker that can be customized with your brand logo and colors.
• Optionally, you can choose a template that is aligned with the cause your nonprofit is supporting. This sends a reminder to your donors about the mission of your nonprofit and how their donations are going to be used.
• Ensure that the fundraising meter tracks donations with live updates in real-time.
• Check if the fundraising meter includes a “donor roll.” A donor roll displays new donations as and when they are added.
• It is recommended that you choose a donation tracker in which the anonymity of the donors is maintained.
• The fundraising thermometer must include the Text-to-donate code in addition to the campaign-specific code.

In case, you are looking for fundraising thermometer alternatives to offer something different to your donors, you could try the visual fundraising tracking option.

A fundraising thermometer essentially tracks the progress of the fundraising campaign in terms of the funds generated as it heads towards its ultimate goal. In visual fundraising tracking the basic concept is the same aka indicating the progress of a fundraiser but it is depicted through imagery. An image is created which gets filled up as donations are added.

Some examples of imagery used in visual fundraising tracking are using an image of a night sky that fills up with stars with each donation received. Optionally, an image of a tree can be used where a flower blooms each time a donation is added.

Imagery can be used in innovative ways to choose images that are aligned with the cause supported by the nonprofit. For instance, if your nonprofit is working on saving rainforests, you could use an image of a ground in which a plant/tree sprouts up every time a donation is made.

This concept is also effective in engaging the audience as it clearly indicates their participation in the fundraising campaign. The main advantage of this method is that it does not indicate the exact amount donated. This encourages participation by donors who are hesitant in donating small amounts. This is because they can view their donation in a symbolic form like a star or a flower without the exact amount being displayed.

Visual fundraising is able to attract more small donors. This approach gives the donors the satisfaction of having participated in a philanthropic venture even if they are unable to donate large sums of money.

However, this method suffers from the drawback that it lacks the transparency that fundraising thermometer offers. Also, in a fundraising thermometer the donors can view in numeric value the exact amount reached and how close or further the fundraising goal amount is!

Whether you choose a conventional fundraising thermometer or a visual fundraiser tracking, here are some tools that can simplify your task of creating the platform:

• Canva
• Venngage
• Microsoft Word
• Certain CRMs include built-in features that enable you to create fundraising thermometers.

In addition to these, you have the option of using an online fundraising platform like iConnectX.

Online platforms offer several benefits:

• These pre-designed platforms are ready to use. So, you can get started right away without investing time and effort in designing one.
• Online platforms are automated. Hence, they update the progress of your fundraiser automatically.
• These platforms can sync with multiple fundraising campaigns enabling you to track the progress on all of them.
• Online fundraising thermometers can be easily embedded on your website providing live updates to visitors on your website.

In Conclusion

Fundraising thermometers are the best way to build the trust and confidence of your donors. They encourage donations and help in community building. With healthy growth in philanthropy and giving worldwide, it is a good idea to invest in a fundraising thermometer for your nonprofit, if you aren’t already using one!

Connect with the Experts at iConnectX for more on fundraising thermometers to track your fundraising goals!