We are bound to experience recession and well, it has already begun. Many leaders may be prompted to take a step back by lowering contacts with prospects and delaying the introduction of new initiatives. However, we at GiveCentral strongly suggest that leaders must remain proactive and develop a strategic plan at this moment, this could be multi-year as well. For instance, adopting a good donor management software with a well thought out plan for execution is a great place to start from. Nonprofits can actually prepare for any storm coming their way. Here are a few ways in which your organization can raise funds even in the face of a recession.
Preach & practise gratitude
In all your communication, be thankful. You can create images and videos that speak volumes about how the support of your donors is contributing to a greater good. Make sure that you create and sustain connections at an emotional level; people never forget how you make them feel, so never miss an opportunity to make your donors feel good about themselves. You can even put in numbers in terms of the number of people or even animals that are getting aid, thank your donors for their help. These images and videos can be sent out to your audience through social media, emails and even on your website.
To help, GiveCentral has launched a new, Communications Toolkit designed to provide inspiration and help you easily engage your parishioners. The ready-to-use resource features a variety of pre-written content.
A realistic approach
Being an optimist is a wonderful state of being, yet it is so important to be practical. It is true that you may have to hold back an over ambitious campaign which otherwise would have worked if the situation was any different. But you don’t have to entirely give up on them; you can make adjustments along the way in terms of goals and strategies. Perseverance is the word in order to remain in the competition. As you make changes, keep your donors in the loop; this will help you avoid any kind of communication gap in the future. If necessary, make use of your donor management software to communicate updates to your donors. You can even brief your supporters by getting on a live session with them; softwares like GiveCentral Live, among others allow you to livestream with direct donate buttons.
Strengthen your case
Nobody wants to invest in a near collapsing nonprofit, so be careful how you present yourself. In short, strengthen your case for giving. Truth be told, your nonprofit needs funds from donors to survive, however the focus should not be you. Highlight how the causes you are supporting will die out without funds, remember that you are the middleman here. Your donors care about the performance of the charities and causes. Your supporters must understand the urgent requirement you have during these difficult times and also the effort you’re making to keep the good work going. Reaffirm your organization’s mission; it is your responsibility to communicate this the right way.
Attention to volunteers
As talks about donors continue, this is also the time to focus on your volunteers. Include them in your planning, this is a phase in which you need to view your plans from different perspectives, volunteers are a great section to gain that from. Hear them out and see if there are any takeaways that could actually benefit your organization at this point in time. In addition, when you let your volunteers know about the proactive planning that has been going on and ask for their feedback, you will add fuel to their commitment to your nonprofit. It is indeed a win-win situation.
Up your online game
Through online and mobile giving, a lot of nonprofits including churches have been able to raise a large sum for their charities and causes. For instance, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Little Rock has raised $55,573.72 in the last 3 months with the help of GiveCentral’s donor management software. It is recommended that you focus largely on your online giving methods and strategies, promoting your tools and systems. Get influencers, friends and family from your network to talk about it, online crowdfunding is also another great way to raise money. Remote giving should become your strength, not your drawback.
Here’s how some of our parishes have been doing this well. Read More
Get social
Increase your outreach, get very social. Make sure that you are regular with your social media posts, make updates that are compelling and engaging. Share posts by other pages and increase your network. You can even look out for partnership opportunities with an organization that has over 100K followers, a social media takeover for example. This will not only be fun but it will also increase your presence and visibility, thus indirectly contributing to the generation of more funds.
It is important to remember that panicking, quitting and crawling into a hole is never the solution: problems exist so that we solve them. Keep in touch with your donors and also with your employees; it is everyone in this together.
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