Mia
Technology has brought a multitude of innovations that can optimize efficiency with cost-effective tools to several industries. And fundraising is not an exception.
If your organization has been mulling over an ambitious new fundraising goal or an aspiration to refresh its existing fundraising approach, there will be several things to take into consideration. But one of the priorities should be the technological approach.
Being fully aware of the impact that technology has on fundraising will work wonders for finding out appropriate strategies that will provide a strong return on investment and will most likely to new donors. With that in mind, this article will come up with some useful knowledge not only about tech’s impacts but also ways to make the most of it.
Major Impacts
1. Offer Opportunities For Smaller Orgs.
Thanks to tech, direct email, e-commerce, and social media are now all comprehensible for smaller nonprofits to spread awareness, reach, and manage donors without the need for expertise in technology.
More and more incorporated fundraising technology which can empower any consumer to fundraise for any charity instantly is all the rage. Additionally, with the help of digital assistance providing tips, tools, and extremely helpful insights from bolsta.co, it’s no longer a big deal to embark on a fundraising journey. In other words, technology has leveled the fundraising playing field for smaller entities to join.
2. Boost Efficiency
Manual and paper-based processes filled with red tape are drastically replaced by automation. This helps speed things up and frees up a massive demand for human labor whose costs are probably unaffordable for many newborn entities.
Thus, executive directors can utilize their time for more important things like fundraising, compliance, community impact, direct service, building volunteers, and other activities that improve productivity. The right technology is, therefore, immensely beneficial for organizations by helping increase their revenue.
Electrical solutions enable leaders to request donations without having to attend formal meetings, saving vast time for both parties.
3. Arrange Document With Less Hassle
Cloud-based storage allows organizations to store a huge amount of documents with certain arrangements suitable for their operations. Thus, important documents and databases can be frictionlessly found within minutes when necessary.
Plus, cybersecurity measures can help to reduce the risk of hacking so that the data’s security is ensured. So technology not only helps to protect the assets but also reduces potential legal liability.
Recommended Practices
1. Cultivate A Robust Giving Page
In our current technological age, the digital approach has become ubiquitous. The appearance of your online process is, hence, paramount. It’s critical to consider experience from donors’ perspectives at every moment on your site.
A donation form is a crucial element that separates a potential supporter from a committed donor, so always make sure it is efficient, intuitive, and flexible.
An ideal donation form should include only necessary fields to complete, provide just the tools and options that donors will want, and importantly, be seamlessly embedded on any of your pages. It’s also a good idea to make the form mobile-friendly.
Put extra care into the construction of your giving page to avoid common issues that could easily be resolved. Because most other budget-friendly fundraising methods will be dependent on a high-functioning giving page.
2. Conduct A Strong Process
Now that you’ve built a robust online process through which supporters can donate to your organization by digital means, it’s time to take some proper practices:
- Accept gifts from various tenders. Choose an online giving page provider that ensures no supporters are deterred from making their gifts due to tender type whether credit/debit card or ACH direct deposits.
- Share the page on your main website, social media, in your email newsletter, and any physical print materials sent to supporters to spread awareness. It’s also a good idea to encourage supporters to share your posts among their networks.
- Thank supporters for their digital gifts as this is crucial for building relationships and retention. Ensure a personalized thank you is sent to each donor every time you receive a digital gift.
A great innovative financial or donation tool will provide you with new resources, boost your donations, and let your donors enjoy the contribution.
3. Utilize Tools
Building relationships is a decisive factor in a successful fundraising game. It means leveraging all the information and interactions that supporters have with an organization.
Don’t let piles of paper overwhelm you and make you lose sight of your valuable supporters. It’s time to utilize tech-based tools and management systems to keep track of all crucial information and sharpen your focus for more important tasks.
Organizations can benefit from donor management systems to optimize their operations and set better goals with accordingly achievements.
Flexible Strategies
With the help of technology, leadership teams can successfully address deficiencies such as the lack of visibility, security, and speed while boosting efficiency, sharpening focus, and building retention.
However, new technology solutions aren’t meant to replace the tried-and-true principles of fundraising. They only augment and boost fundraising when thoughtfully adapted and applied to an organization’s specific goals. Thus, wisely conduct effective strategies to make the most of technology while preserving the good points of the conventional approach.
