Fundraising Guides - Snowball Fundraising

The Ultimate Text-to-Give Guide: Mobile Donations Made Easy

Snowball Fundraising — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 15:07:20 +0000

Enable donors to give to nonprofits via their mobile phones.

Inside: The Basics of Text-to-Give, Text-to-Give Pro Tips, and Text-to-Give Platforms and Tools

Nonprofit leaders are tasked with capturing the attention of potential supporters and creating a convenient experience that invites them to continue donating. That’s why fundraising methods like text-to-give are so popular!

In addition to boosting revenue, text donations enable nonprofits to secure long-term support for their cause via boosted donor engagement and retention. In this guide, we’ll cover all the must-know information and vital tips for better text-to-give fundraising, including:

Text-to-Give Fundraising FAQs
How to Launch a Text-to-Give Fundraiser
10 Text-to-Give Fundraising Tips
Best Text-to-Give Fundraising Platform and Tools

Text-to-give is an effective giving vehicle that organizations shouldn’t overlook. Ready to enhance your fundraising plan and boost donor engagement? Let’s dive in!

Text-to-Give Fundraising FAQs

What is text-to-give fundraising?

Text-to-give fundraising, or text-to-donate, is a form of fundraising that enables supporters to give to nonprofit, faith-based, and political organizations through text messaging. It allows donors to give anytime, anywhere in only a few seconds.

The process is simple:

Your organization is assigned a phone number by its text-to-give provider.
A supporter texts a keyword (also known as a trigger word) and a donation amount to your organization’s phone number. Alternatively, donors may send only the trigger word and receive a link to your mobile donation page in response, where they’ll submit their gift.
You designate these donations to go toward your annual fund or to a specific campaign.

That’s it! Mobile giving is easy for both your organization and your donors. Let’s look at a few other ways this modern fundraising approach can transform your fundraising.

How much does text-to-donate cost?

The cost varies per platform, but typically, it’s based on a flat fee amount in addition to a fixed processing rate for credit cards. For the most cost-effective investment, choose a platform that gives you unlimited text and text-to-give keywords and bypasses mobile carrier fees (like Snowball!)

What’s the standard gift size?

According to Nonprofit Source, the average donation size for text-to-donate campaigns is $107. Not only can these donations be substantial, but text-to-give enables easy setup for future recurring donations. In other words, you may encourage ongoing support and gifts from donors without making additional donation appeals.

Is text-to-give secure?

With a PCI-compliant text-to-give provider like Snowball, your mobile gifts will be in safe hands. We use authentication and tokenization to protect your donors’ sensitive information, such as billing information and addresses.

What types of nonprofits host these fundraisers?

Countless nonprofits use mobile fundraising and text-to-give to drive support for their causes, including:

Faith-based organizations: Most religious organizations also encourage their members to take out their phones and use text-to-tithe in addition to traditional collection plates.

Health and wellness organizations: Healthcare organizations can use mobile fundraising as part of their grateful patient programs and annual funds.

Animal rights organizations: Animal rights charities inspire supporters to give via their mobile devices by sending out cute pictures, GIFs, and videos of animals.

Educational advocacy organizations: With the increase in popularity of text-to-donate and mobile giving software, one of the best ways teachers can improve their classrooms is to launch their own online fundraisers. It’s also a great resource for PTAs looking to launch a new school fundraiser.

Environmental awareness organizations: Text-to-give is a paper-free giving method, meaning environmental awareness and advocacy groups are increasingly imploring donors to use their mobile devices.

Arts and cultural organizations: Museums, theaters, zoos, and galleries tend to use methods like ticket sales and membership programs to raise money. A growing trend toward using mobile donation software provides more convenient solutions to interested donors.

Any type of nonprofit can benefit from mobile fundraising and any type of supporter can leverage the convenience of donating from their cell phones.

What are the pros and cons of hosting a text-to-give fundraiser?

When someone tells you there’s good news and bad news, which would you rather hear first? Since the list of text-to-give cons is so short, we’ll get the disadvantages out of the way first:

Donation amount cap: Some providers (not Snowball!) may put a limit on how much donors can give via text-to-donate.
Engagement limitations: The simplicity of text-to-give also means donors provide minimal information and spend less time interacting with your nonprofit.

However, the pros vastly outweigh the cons of text-to-give fundraising.

As one of the most effective donation methods, text-to-give empowers nonprofits of all sizes to reach new fundraising heights. Since so many of your supporters own mobile devices, incorporating text-to-give into your fundraising strategy allows your nonprofit to tap into the growing influence of mobile usage:

97% of Americans own a cell phone, making it the preferred method of communication. Because text-to-give uses technology that most donors and fundraisers already use on a daily basis, they’ll be more inclined to take the time to send a quick donation to their favorite organization.
57% of nonprofit website traffic came from mobile devices last year, meaning mobile giving aligns with the way potential supporters are already engaging with your nonprofit’s information. In fact, 1 in 4 donors use mobile devices to discover nonprofits they were previously unaware of.
Since 91% of Americans look at their cell phones around 80 times a day, mobile giving is an easy way to keep donors involved and excited without slowing them down. Plus, donors are more likely to pay attention to mobile giving requests because 90% of text message reminders are read in 3 minutes.

Mobile fundraising is one of the easiest ways donors can contribute to your organization. It completely streamlines the donation process by eliminating the need to use a desktop, a laptop, or even direct mail. Donors can even opt to set up recurring donations and continue showing their support.

The simplicity of text-to-give also makes it a great way to run concurrent fundraising initiatives. For example, you can promote and accept text donations at your in-person auction to maximize fundraising revenue and awareness of your nonprofit’s programs. This fast, easy, and engaging donation process lays the groundwork for stronger donor relationships.

Ready to raise more with Text-to-Give?

Get Started Today

How to Launch a Text-to-Give Fundraiser

If you’re sold on text-to-give fundraising and ready to get started, you may be thinking, “What now?” Let’s look into the steps you need to take to launch your campaign.

1. Implement a text-to-give strategy.

First, you’ll need to determine the logistics of your fundraiser. To implement text-to-give in your fundraising strategy, answer the following questions:

Who will be in charge of running your text-to-give campaign?
What will the donations support? Are they for a specific project?
When will you launch and close your text-to-give campaign? When do you expect to reach your donation goal?
Where will you promote your campaign and post updates?

The answers to these questions will guide the rest of your planning. For example, knowing what project will be supported by text-to-give donations can help you craft compelling marketing materials to promote your mission.

2. Set attainable goals.

Donors should know exactly how their hard-earned money is helping, and so should your nonprofit! Clearly define goals for your text-to-give campaign to determine where the money will go. Use the SMART goal framework to ensure your goals are:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-bound

After you determine your objective and launch your campaign, you’ll need to keep your supporters updated on its progress. Use a fundraising thermometer to show how donors’ gifts contribute to the bigger picture, incentivizing their participation. Feature your thermometer on your donation page and website and share updates on social media.

3. Put a marketing plan in place.

Once you’ve straightened out the fine fundraising details, it’s time to share your campaign with the world! Regularly update your supporters and encourage them to share your text-to-give campaign with their networks. To spread the word, consider the following:

An email newsletter with simple guidance on how donors can get started.
A press release emphasizing your organization’s role in the community.
An announcement on your website such as a video from your nonprofit’s team.
Search engine marketing to draw attention to your campaign page.
Social media posts that supporters can share with their followers.

Seek out influencers to help boost the visibility of your text-to-give campaign. By recruiting influential advocates, you’ll inspire new donors to trust you and contribute.

4. Collect data on campaign progress.

Just like any other campaign, you need to track (and act on) key analytics. Remember to track the following:

Individuals’ text-giving frequency
Average text donation size
Marketing channel engagement (website click-through rate, social media engagement rates, etc.)
Donor information (name, mailing address, etc.)

By tracking this data, you’ll gain a better sense of what’s working and what’s not. Which marketing channels are receiving the most engagement? What about the least engagement? Is your campaign messaging actionable enough? Make strategy adjustments according to what you learn.

10 Text-to-Give Fundraising Tips

As you become more experienced with mobile giving, employ a more advanced approach to yield the best results. Consider these tips to make the most of your campaign:

1. Focus on clear campaign messaging.

Before you can explain how to give, you’ll need to convince donors why they should give. Be clear about the need for your campaign and its goals by providing:

Specific and actionable reasons for your campaign
The importance of your cause (and why it’s worth supporting)
A sense of purpose through the act of giving

Take the Red Cross’s disaster relief efforts for example:

The organization gives numerous, specific examples of its disaster relief efforts, even giving a specific example of an individual beneficiary. Then, it explains what is accomplished with donor gifts and even gives some impressive statistics about the nonprofit’s reliance on volunteer work.

2. Feature it on marketing tools.

Across all your communications, actively promote your organization’s number and keyword with calls-to-action. Adjust your tactics according to the platform:

Direct mail will need eye-catching inserts to capture the attention of recipients. You can also include QR codes to encourage supporters to move online.
Emails can highlight the number and keyword subtly in your email signature or loudly with a pop of color.
Social media posts provide opportunities to use visuals, such as compelling photos and videos.

Feel free to get creative! Most importantly, vary your approach across platforms so that your text-to-give campaign appeals to all of your different audiences.

3. Input collected donor data into your CRM.

Make sure to input donors’ names, phone numbers, email addresses, and billing addresses into your existing database. This way, you can incorporate them into your future fundraising efforts.

4. Track and analyze your data.

As with any fundraising activity, you should keep track of your performance. Track text-giving frequency and average text donation size to help inform your future donation appeals. Make note of any trends as well as any shifts away from those trends.

5. Host it with an event.

Incorporate text-to-give into your other fundraising events to maximize revenue. For example, you might hang engaging flyers with your text-to-donate number and shortcode around the venue at your auction.

The right event management software will streamline multiple capabilities, making it easier than ever for you to host concurrent campaigns. That way, you can keep your event tasks and text-to-give fundraiser information all in one place.

6. Try a peer-to-peer campaign.

A peer-to-peer campaign isn’t just a great way to spread the word about your cause; it’s a great way to spread your text-to-donate number, too. Encourage your volunteers to create their P2P pages like they normally would. Then, when they share their fundraising pages with their social networks, they can advertise your text-to-give number and shortcode.

7. Assign someone to be in charge of new donor data.

When you run a text-to-give campaign, you’ll be flooded with new donor information. Assign a staff member to take charge of the data. Then, put processes in place to account for common concerns, such as what to do if new data differs from old data and how to handle duplicate information.

8. Host a pledge campaign.

A pledge campaign is a great twist on traditional text-to-donate campaigns. Since the average mobile donation pledge for fundraising events is $167, your organization stands a good chance of boosting donations.

Have volunteers create their pledge pages. Then, they can share your organization’s text-to-donate information. Supporters will have the option to pledge their support with the pledge page or donate right then by texting their gift.

9. Incorporate matching gifts.

To give via text, donors will have to give you their contact information. This is the perfect opportunity to email them about matching gifts because their text donation might be eligible for a match through their employer.

Reach out to your text-to-donate participants and encourage them to explore matching gift opportunities through their employer. Once supporters submit a request for their employer to match their gift, your nonprofit could receive another donation!

10. Make text-to-give part of your Giving Tuesday efforts.

Giving Tuesday (and other time-based initiatives) represents a great chance to encourage donors to expand their giving as a result of an urgent push. Because there’s a limited time frame, donors are motivated to act fast, and texting their donations is the fastest way to give.

Best Text-to-Give Fundraising Platform and Tools

The key to hosting a successful text-to-donate fundraiser is having the right tool to facilitate it, like Snowball. Snowball Fundraising is a mobile-optimized fundraising suite for any organization, nonprofit, or church.

At Snowball, we have a simple solution for giving on the go—one that doesn’t require donors to have a credit card handy 24/7. Our text-to-give platform enables donors to give wherever they are, whenever they want. All it takes is a couple of taps: one to send a text with the donation amount and another to confirm the payment.

With our platform, you’ll receive more than the basics. Streamline all your fundraising efforts with these features:

Unlimited inbound text messages
Unlimited custom trigger words (or keywords)
Instant setup
No extra software or accounts for your donors
Easy repeat and recurring donations
Affordable outbound text messaging
Text-to-bid, text-to-tithe, and text-to-ticket capabilities

Unlike other platforms, once a donor enters their information for the first time with Snowball, they never have to enter it again—even if they’re donating through another online or mobile avenue. Best of all, with our PCI-compliant technology and single-factor authentication, you’ll know your donors’ information is completely protected. Our platform is highly secure, allows donations to reach your nonprofit within a few business days, and integrates seamlessly with your other fundraising initiatives.

Additional Resources on Text-to-Give Fundraising

Remember, the great thing about a text-to-give campaign is that it can be hosted on its own or in coordination with your other events and campaigns. You’re sure to boost funds so long as you take a strategic approach and keep the donor experience front of mind.

Here at Snowball, our mission is to provide nonprofits with the intuitive tools they need to maximize fundraising success. No matter your organization’s mission, we’ve got you covered.

Check out these additional resources for more information:

4 Top Strategies to Boost Your Mobile Giving Potential. Looking for more tips on maximizing your mobile giving success? Check out these strategies to help your organization reach more potential supporters and increase engagement easily and quickly.
Free Fundraising Software for Nonprofits: 15+ Providers. Digital tools can streamline crucial nonprofit fundraising tasks, but software can get pricey. Check out our favorite affordable fundraising software providers!
Donor Stewardship: 3 Fundamentals for Growing Nonprofits. Want to explore more ways to engage your supporters and strengthen donor relationships? Learn how to effectively steward donors in this guide!

Enable donors to give to nonprofits via their mobile phones.

Inside: The Basics of Text-to-Give, Text-to-Give Pro Tips, and Text-to-Give Platforms and Tools

The post The Ultimate Text-to-Give Guide: Mobile Donations Made Easy first appeared on Snowball Fundraising.

How to Make Silent Auction Bid Sheets: A Complete Toolkit

Snowball Fundraising — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 16:55:37 +0000

Auctions, whether live, silent, in-person, or online, can generate significant funds for nonprofits. There are plenty of reasons to choose a silent auction as your next fundraiser, from the fundraising potential to building a sense of community among supporters to partnering with local businesses. But to reap these benefits, your nonprofit must provide a positive experience for attendees.

Silent auction bid sheets facilitate the bidding process for both donors and your nonprofit, making them a vital component of the auction planning process.

If you’re not sure where to start, don’t worry! We’ll cover each of these topics in detail:

What Are Silent Auction Bid Sheets?
What to Include in an Auction Bid Sheet
Free Silent Auction Bid Sheet Template
Silent Auction Bid Sheet Best Practices

Bid sheets aren’t overly complicated, but they contain a lot of important information. Let’s explore the basics to ensure your bidding sheets represent your nonprofit in the best way possible.

What Are Silent Auction Bid Sheets?

Silent auction bid sheets detail information about each item in a nonprofit auction and provide space for bidders to list their names and bid amounts. These sheets can be physically printed and placed in front of auction items or virtually created and filled out online.

Auction bid sheets both influence the amount that attendees decide to bid and event management for nonprofit teams. Here’s how both bidders and event organizers can use them:

How Do Bidders Use Them?

Here’s what the silent auction will look like for your attendees when using bid sheets:

Arrive at the auction, register, and get a number from the organizers.
Walk around the space to peruse items, and start making decisions about what items to bid on.
Write their name, number, and bid amount on each chosen item’s bid sheet.
Check the status of items throughout the auction by looking at bid sheets.
Increase bids by writing a new entry on the bid sheet if they see that someone outbids them.
Make donations for any items that they won and take home the prize at the end of the auction.

In case any of your guests are attending an auction for the first time, include information about how the process works in your promotional materials. For example, you could create a set of branded social media graphics that explain each of these steps and post them on your organization’s Instagram page. This way, you’ll promote your event and help your supporters feel prepared at the same time.

How Do Event Organizers Use Them?

Organizers use bid sheets to track auction progress, determine the highest bidder, and close bidding for an item at any point during the auction. Here are the steps your nonprofit’s team will take on the auction day when using bid sheets:

Set up: Arrange your items in an organized way throughout the event space, being careful not to crowd them together. Label each of the items and place the corresponding bid sheets nearby. Be sure to set out plenty of pens!
Register guests: You’ll need plenty of volunteers to run your auction successfully. One of their most important roles during the event is to collect guests’ contact information as they arrive and assign them their bidder numbers. You’ll need this information to be organized and easily accessible when you distribute items at the end of the auction.
Make announcements: Communicate start and end times at the beginning of the event so everyone knows what to expect. Then, announce the remaining time throughout the night.
Monitor bidding progress: Volunteers should walk the floor of the auction and check bid sheets to see each item’s progress. If anyone bids an item’s guaranteed purchase price, close out the item and note the winner immediately.
Determine and announce winners: Once the time for bidding ends, collect all of your bid sheets and determine the highest bidder for each item. Then announce the winners! Let attendees know the total funds raised for your campaign. This is a great moment to remind them of your organization’s mission and what their donations will help you achieve.
Collect donations and distribute items: Call the winners up individually to process payments and hand out their prizes.
Thank your donors: Be sure to thank every attendee for participating in the auction and donating to your cause. eCardWidget’s guide to donor retention recommends thanking donors within 48 hours of the event to help them feel valued by your organization.

Remember, filling out a bid sheet for each item when you receive it makes the set-up process much easier on the day of the auction. Also, in the weeks and months after your silent auction, evaluate your success and brainstorm ways you can make your next auction even better.

How To Create Virtual Auction Bid Sheets

Online silent auctions work the same way as in-person silent auctions, except guests view and bid on everything online instead of writing bids on physical bid sheets.

Using an online auction platform, you’ll set up a virtual catalog of items that attendees can browse from their phones or computers. As they bid, the website will track bidding progress and update automatically with the current highest bidder. This catalog is where you’ll create your virtual bid sheets.

To create bid sheets for virtual auctions, your organization first needs to choose a charity auction website that offers online and mobile bidding features. Your auction software should include virtual bid sheets that you can easily customize with item information.

Snowball’s auction software sets you up with clear, intuitive virtual bid sheets with plenty of customization options. For each item, add up to five photos and the item description. Then, add all of the same information you’d put on a physical bid sheet, such as the name of the donor, the starting bid amount, and the guaranteed purchase price. You can even place items into categories so guests can find items more easily.

Here’s an example of what your virtual bid sheet might look like using Snowball’s online auction platform:

Once your nonprofit has prepared its virtual catalog with information about each item, guests can begin bidding! This bidding can take place at a certain date and time just like an in-person auction, or you can set a more open-ended run time, such as multiple days or even weeks.

When guests are ready to bid, here’s how they can use their bid sheets:

Guests explore your catalog of virtual bid sheets.
Bidding starts! Attendees can bid online or using Text-to-Bid.
Your auction website updates automatically and notifies bidders via email or text if another guest outbids them.
At the close of the auction, winners are notified virtually and make their donation through a secure online payment portal.

If your nonprofit doesn’t want to go fully virtual, but you still want the ease of online auction functionality and the benefits of mobile giving, consider implementing a Text-to-Bid element to your in-person auction. Give guests the option to write down their bids on bid sheets or text in their bids at any time. Just remember to have volunteers update their physical bid sheets with the highest bid so everyone remains on the same page.

What to Include in an Auction Bid Sheet

During your event, guests should be focused on competing for auction items, not puzzled by the bidding process. Label everything clearly on your bid sheets to make it easy for them to participate and avoid any confusion. Here are the essential elements your auction bid sheet should include:

Item name and information: The name of the item should be clearly listed at the top of the bidding sheet. Below, include a short description of the item, its retail value, the item number, and who donated it. Including the name of the person or business that donated each item gives them not only recognition for their donation but also valuable promotion for their business.
Starting bid: You can list the starting bid with the other item information at the top of the bid sheet, but we recommend placing it in the first line of the table with bidder names and amounts. This will make it more obvious for attendees and prevent them from accidentally bidding too low.
Minimum raise: Each new bid must be higher than the last by a minimum number of dollars. The minimum raise will be different depending on each item’s value, so be sure to label this number clearly.
Guaranteed purchase price: Also known as the “buy now” price, this is the bid amount that can end all bidding for an item immediately. While this is completely optional, it may allow you to more easily reach your fundraising goal for certain items. To determine the guaranteed purchase price, multiply the retail value by 150 to 200%.
Space for bidder names, bid amounts, and contact information: The number of rows will depend on the size of your event, but we recommend leaving at least 10 blank rows. Asking for a phone number or email address ensures that you can reach the winning bidder even if they leave the event early.

Ensure that these fields are organized and labeled with clear directions, and use a readable, appropriately sized font. Remember that the right auction software can make the design process easy, or offer templates so you don’t have to play with the design at all!

Once you’ve filled out a bid sheet for each of your items, create labels or name cards to place next to the items on display at the event. These should match the item names exactly as they’re listed on the bid sheets.

Free Silent Auction Bid Sheet Template

To simplify your auction planning, we’ve put together a one-size-fits-all solution that you can use to easily fill in information about each of your auction items.

Silent Auction Bid Sheet Best Practices

Even with the perfect silent auction bid sheet template, there’s still more you can do to make them work in your organization’s favor. Follow these best practices to use your silent auction bid sheets effectively:

Brand your bid sheet to your organization. Include your organization’s name and logo at the top of every bid sheet. If making your own template, align your bid sheet with your nonprofit’s branding. Use the same fonts and colors you use across your regular communications so that your bid sheets remind donors of the cause that they’re supporting.
Make minimum raises at least 10%. To drive higher bids and more donations for your nonprofit, make each item’s minimum raise 10% to 15% of its retail value. That way, bidders can’t outbid someone else by bidding just five more dollars.
Consider color coding your bid sheets. You can color code bid sheets for groups of related items so that guests will be able to find other items they’re interested in easily. Or, you can color code items and bid sheets based on retail value. With this system, attendees can focus on the items in their preferred price range.

Also, consider providing an option for anonymity. Leave blanks only for bidder numbers, instead of names and contact information. For the process to work correctly, however, your volunteers need to be diligent about assigning every attendee a number and collecting contact information as guests arrive.

Final Thoughts On Silent Auction Bid Sheets

Now that you understand the basics of silent auction bid sheets, you have everything you need to host a successful silent auction, whether virtual, hybrid, or in-person! Check out these additional resources to expand your knowledge of general auction best practices:

Virtual Auctions: How to Plan A Fruitful Event in 5 Steps. Virtual auctions can be more convenient, cost-effective, and fun! Learn how to plan a successful event in this guide.
Auction Items | 101 Best Ideas [& Tips for Procuring Them]. Need ideas for what type of items to auction off at your event? Get inspired by our list of over 100 options.
Mobile Donations Made Easy: The Ultimate Text-to-Give Guide. If you’re looking for additional fundraising activities to add to your silent auction, mobile giving is the way to go! Check out this full guide to mobile giving for more information.

1,5000+ organizations host successful auctions with Snowball....

And yours can too!

The post How to Make Silent Auction Bid Sheets: A Complete Toolkit first appeared on Snowball Fundraising.

Starting a Nonprofit Org: Raise Money Now

Snowball Fundraising — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 16:34:05 +0000

How to Start a Nonprofit Organization: 12 Steps + Checklist

Inside: Getting Set up, Getting Official & Getting Started

If you’ve decided to start a nonprofit, congratulations! You’re about to embark on a fulfilling journey with an incredible purpose: to do good things in this world. Working in nonprofits is extremely rewarding, but founding your own organization can be a major challenge.

Building an effective, long-lasting organizational structure takes determination and planning— and the right tools. Yet being fully prepared and understanding every aspect of nonprofit work goes a long way to help ease the process.

The following steps are key to establishing and growing your new nonprofit organization.

Use this list to jump to a specific step, or follow along from the top:

As you read through these essential steps, remember that while some may be pursued in whatever order you see fit, others should follow this particular order. For instance, you must write your initial bylaws before applying for 501(c)(3) status, and you must set up your online donation page before you start any fundraising campaigns.

Starting a nonprofit organization is among the most admirable work you can do. You owe it to yourself and your mission to be fully prepared. Follow these essential steps for building an organization that will benefit its community for years to come.

1. Define your nonprofit’s mission.

What first inspired you to start a nonprofit organization? What issue or need do you see in your community that drives you to act?

You already understand your motivations and the goals of your nonprofit’s work, but transcribing and communicating them to others can be more challenging that you might initially assume.

A strong mission statement should accomplish all of the following:

Clearly express the mission of your nonprofit.
Focus your organization’s work and relationships.
Guide your nonprofit’s growth and development.
Explain your purpose to constituents, donors, and funding bodies.

Remember, a mission statement doesn’t need to explain everything about your nonprofit and its work, but it does need to clearly evoke the essence of your drive and purpose.

Try to keep your mission statement short and sweet— one or two sentences at the most. We walk through more best practices in our longer guide to writing a mission statement.

Taking the time to draft an effective mission statement moving forward is a smart move. Establish a clear mission that defines your driving passion, the actions you’ll take, and the impact you’ll have. This will act as a guiding light as you work through all the steps for starting your nonprofit organization— and it’ll keep your vision focused on the bigger picture.

Take a Personalized Tour

Schedule a demo with one of our fundraising consultants. We’ll show you how the Snowball platform has benefited other nonprofit organizations, and how it can help you.

2. Build your nonprofit’s leadership team.

Next, build a strong team of leaders to help guide the creation of your nonprofit organization. You may already be part of a group that shares a vision and has decided to found a nonprofit together.

If you’re driven by your own individual mission, you’ll need to find partners who share it. Creating a reliable leadership structure composed of passionate, committed individuals is the only way to ensure that your nonprofit’s operations will be sustainable.

The founding participants of a nonprofit organization should include:

Members of a board of directors
An executive director
Other volunteers.

Nonprofit organizations tend to grow out of existing networks of individuals who are brought together by a common goal or interest. If you’re part of a group working together to found an organization, this is where you’ll find these key individuals.

Once your organization has gained its footing, you’ll be able to take on dedicated staff members, compensate your executive director, and create a more extensive leadership structure. You’ll establish an official board of directors comprised of at least three members, and preferably an odd number of individuals.

In the meantime, it’s important to accept help wherever possible but also refrain from taking on too many individuals!

And you must make it easy for your team to work together. This means regular, open communication and easy-to-use systems with multi-user access. Everything should be an open book, and everyone should be on the same page!

Nonprofit organizations tend to operate on extremely slim budgets, especially when they’re young. This, combined with the inherent challenges of founding a nonprofit, means that you must remain focused on your mission and vision.

3. Get up and running with online fundraising tools.

Fundraising software: An ideal fundraising toolkit will include an online platform for accepting gifts, pledge fundraising options, event planning and registration tools, and data reporting features.
The thousands of available fundraising tools might seem intimidating at first to the new fundraising professional. Juggling numerous systems will likely complicate, rather than simplify, management of your nonprofit— so look for an all-in-one platform for donations, events, and reports.
Online donation page: Next, it’s a good idea to get set up with online fundraising tools.
Having your online donation page ready to go when it’s time to start fundraising is a smart way to save time and money.
Many nonprofits struggle to gather momentum throughout the process of initial operations and applying for 501(c)(3) status. This creates the risk of a gap period when you’re in a position to begin fundraising but don’t yet have the basic tools in place to process donations. Since your online donation page will serve as the foundation of your fundraising campaigns, it’s a good idea to start there.
Text-to-give tools: Now that your fundraising platform is in place, you’ll want to offer easy ways to give and accept donations. In addition to online giving, text-message-based donations are a great way for your nonprofit’s supporters to give on the go.
Donors text a keyword (such as “give”) to your nonprofit’s text-to-give phone number and then confirm the amount they’d like to give. First-time donors fill out a short donation form with their credit card information. The first-time process takes under a minute; repeat donations take just two clicks.
A marketing strategy: You will need to think deeply about how to position yourself in the nonprofit—and wider—world. Think about how your nonprofit compares to similar ones, and what sets yours apart.
Branding isn’t just for commercial businesses. It defines how any organization expresses its goals and conveys its mission. Key tools to market your new nonprofit include your website, social media profiles, and press outreach.
Matching gift software: One smart way to support your nonprofit’s long-term goals from the start is to embed corporate philanthropy into your fundraising strategy early on. Do this by investing in a matching gift database that embeds into your donation software and website.

The main reason that donors don’t use their matching gift power is simply that they don’t know it exists. Include educational resources in your email newsletters and on your website, and then encourage them to use your database to look up their own eligibility and complete their matches.

With access to these key tools, you’ll be able to collect and store critical donor data, build your support base, and establish long-term relationships. The best part is that many of these fundraising platforms have free tools that are perfect for a newly incorporated nonprofit, with potential upgrades available for your organization as it grows.

4. Legally incorporate to start your nonprofit organization.

In order to move forward with starting your nonprofit, you’ll need to write up a draft of your official charter. Also known as the articles of incorporation, your charter is what defines your new nonprofit as a legal entity.

Officially incorporating your nonprofit is required for eventually receiving 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, accepting donations, and essentially functioning as a legal nonprofit organization.

Though it may sound intimidating, creating and filing nonprofit articles of incorporation is actually one of the easiest steps in the entire process. Do some quick research on your state’s nonprofit laws, then simply complete the incorporation document with the following information:

The legal name of your organization
The official location of its operations
The names and addresses of all initial trustees, or board members

Each official board member identified in your bylaws then needs to sign the articles of incorporation. Submit this document to your state’s secretary of state office, and you’ve legally incorporated your nonprofit organization!

For more specific guidance, check out this handy template from the IRS that can guide your team as you draft your own founding charter. Of course, this process varies slightly from state by state, so do your research before starting.

5. Write your new nonprofit’s bylaws.

Next, build a strong team of leaders to help guide the creation of your nonprofit organization. You may already be part of a group that shares a vision and has decided to found a nonprofit together.

The founding participants of a nonprofit organization should include:

Members of a board of directors
An executive director
Other volunteers.

In the meantime, it’s important to accept help wherever possible but also refrain from taking on too many individuals!

6. Apply for and receive 501(c)(3) status.

Next, build a strong team of leaders to help guide the creation of your nonprofit organization. You may already be part of a group that shares a vision and has decided to found a nonprofit together.

The founding participants of a nonprofit organization should include:

Members of a board of directors
An executive director
Other volunteers.

In the meantime, it’s important to accept help wherever possible but also refrain from taking on too many individuals!

For a more thorough explanation, be sure to read our complete guide to the 501(c)(3) application process.

7. Secure some startup funding for your organization.

Nonprofit grant writing can be a major challenge, especially in the earliest days of your organization. However, finding and applying for nonprofit startup grants is extremely important to the launch of your organization.

First, you’ll start by researching the different sources and types of nonprofit startup grants. Funds can be secured from corporations, private foundations, and federal, state, or city governments. Without some initial funding, it can be difficult to reach and engage with the donors who will support your work in the future.

Next, you’ll need to familiarize your team with the grant writing process. If most or all members of your team are new to grant writing, doing some research beforehand will go a long way toward boosting your chances of success. Put generally, the steps of grant writing are:

Understand your goals.
Identify grant opportunities and research the sources.
Build a grant writing team.
Get started on the proposal, refining your strategy as you go.
Build a strong case for support.
Review and submit.

Securing some initial funding early on is the best way for your nonprofit to start pursuing its mission. Continue researching and applying for startup grant funds as you work on the next step, too.

Take a Personalized Tour

Schedule a demo with one of our fundraising consultants. We’ll show you how the Snowball platform has benefited other nonprofit organizations, and how it can help you.

8. Identify local partners for your nonprofit.

Next, identify a few local partners in your community who can help support your launch. At this point in the startup process, deliberately cultivating a local network of partners is beneficial because it builds momentum and keeps everyone excited.

Your community partners will become essential once you actually start reaching out to constituents and donors. It can be very difficult to engage new stakeholders without already having a shared connection.

Think about the local partners who might be interested and useful to your mission, like:

Local businesses
Schools and local universities
Other nonprofit organizations
Local municipal offices or agencies

Reach out to these partners and emphasize what you have to offer in the arrangement— such as free publicity and boosted corporate social responsibility.

Remember, you’re founding a nonprofit organization to better your community and address a specific problem. Your founding leadership is likely already well connected, but expanding your local network is always a good move. The right connections will unlock new donor bases, marketing outlets, and opportunities to directly pursue your mission.

9. Get started pursuing your mission.

You’ve been excited to get started bettering your community, and now all the official startup processes are out of the way. If you’ve already begun identifying local partners who can give you a foothold in the community, start leveraging those relationships.

You might begin reaching out to donors and engaging constituents in all kinds of ways, including:

Events: Organize an event with a community partner. Maybe an established local nonprofit also focused on improving the community would be willing to help you host and promote a kick-off event. This is a great chance to meet new donors, hear from your neighbors and civic leaders, and promote your first projects.

Pro tip! Before your first event, make sure you have event software set up, so you can sell tickets (if applicable) and collect information about who will be attending.

Donations: In the digital age, it’s crucial for nonprofits to accept both in-person and online donations in various ways. In the last few years, online giving has taken over as the most popular way to give. According to Double the Donation, 55% of millennial and Gen X donors prefer to give online, so you have to meet them where they are.

Pro tip! If you haven’t set up your donation platform yet, now’s the time. You don’t want to lose out on the initial momentum your nonprofit is building.

Relationship building: One of your overarching goals at this point in your nonprofit life should be to build relationships. Developing and nurturing initial relationships with donors and partners will form a strong foundation of support from which your nonprofit can grow. Keep outreach as a top priority, and be sure to nurture any relationships that are already underway.

Pro tip! Set up social media pages and begin building an audience. Ask supporters to share your content, and be sure to invite your following to participate in fundraising events.

10. Begin building a base of support in your community.

Next, build a strong team of leaders to help guide the creation of your nonprofit organization. You may already be part of a group that shares a vision and has decided to found a nonprofit together.

The founding participants of a nonprofit organization should include:

Members of a board of directors
An executive director
Other volunteers.

In the meantime, it’s important to accept help wherever possible but also refrain from taking on too many individuals!

11. Build your nonprofit’s professional network.

As your nonprofit gets to work pursuing its mission, you and your team will discover the immense value of developing an extensive professional network.

Building a professional network for your nonprofit can have some major benefits early on— particularly because others who believe in your mission will be happy to promote your work to their own audiences.

Important individuals and groups to connect with might include:

Other nonprofits in your area of any size or mission
Nonprofits in the wider region with missions similar to yours
Digital outlets, such as blogs or news channels, that focus on nonprofits
Other media outlets related to your mission
Networks or associations that work in your field

Expanding your network will help to increase visibility for your work, attract new donor bases, and connect your nonprofit with essential resources.

12. Lay some foundations for future growth.

You’ve put in plenty of hard work to get your new nonprofit organization up and running. That’s a real testament both to your passion and the value of your mission.

Now’s the time to plan ahead and invest in your nonprofit’s growth. Having smart development plans in place will greatly reduce any growing pains or internal friction as your hard work continues to pay off.

In addition to building scalable methods into your structures from the very beginning, go ahead and identify some tools that you’ll need in the future, like:

An adaptable CRM or database system
New digital donation tools and platforms
Automated marketing systems
Volunteer, member, and staff management tools
Matching gift automation software

Consider how your staffing and leadership strategies will adapt to growth as well. Have strategic plans in place for officially growing your board, instituting membership programs, and creating new staff positions.

Planning for your nonprofit’s successful future is the best way to invest in its stability and healthy growth!

No one works in the nonprofit sphere because it’s easy. Nonprofit organizations are founded for one key reason: to better the world and the communities that comprise it.

If you’ve made the admirable decision to start your own nonprofit, familiarize yourself with the entire process and be prepared to learn as you go! Always be on the lookout for useful resources that can provide you with new insights and resources, like these:

Best Nonprofit Software to Raise Money Fast. Choosing and managing a digital platform for collecting donations is essential for modern nonprofits.
Digital Asset Management Software for Nonprofits. Easily define and maintain your nonprofit’s brand and mission with your donors.
Innovative School Fundraising Ideas. Learn some unique fundraising strategies perfect for new nonprofits with educational missions.
Fundamental Grant Proposal Template: 8 Crucial Components. Here’s what to know when you’re applying for external funding.
Nonprofit Digital Strategy: How to Maximize your Online Presence. These key tips will help you establish an effective strategy for your nonprofit organization’s digital marketing.
Donor Retention: Attracting and Retaining Supporters. Find out how to get your donors returning time and time again.

How to Start a Nonprofit Organization: 12 Steps + Checklist

Interested in other ways to raise money?

Click here and we will reach out to you!

The post Starting a Nonprofit Org:
Raise Money Now first appeared on Snowball Fundraising.

Pledge Fundraising | The Complete Guide [with Tips]

Snowball Fundraising — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 19:25:00 +0000

Fundraising is an important (if not the most important) activity that nonprofit organizations must conduct on a continual basis. Yet finding new strategies, donation tools, and engagement techniques can be a struggle— especially while adapting to changing times.

Even as you attract and retain a pool of devoted donors, volunteers, and supporters, it’s crucial that you continue to grow your base of support. After all, reaching new donors is an essential part of pursuing and expanding your mission.

That’s where pledge fundraising comes in! Launching a pledge campaign can generate a lot of support for your cause quickly, but it does require forethought and planning. That’s why we’ve created this ultimate guide to prepare you for your first (or next!) pledge campaign. Here are three of the most-asked questions to get started:

What’s the Difference Between Pledges and Donations?
What are Some Pledge Campaign Best Practices?
How Do I Choose the Right Pledge Fundraising Software?

Feel free to skip around to the sections that interest you most, or read along from the top as we walk through basic terminology, best practices, and suggested tools for a powerful pledge fundraiser. Let’s jump in!

1. What’s the Difference Between Pledges and Donations?

Getting started, it’s important to have a solid understanding of the similarities and differences between fundraising pledges and typical donations. Both types of gifts are made by supporters who believe in your mission and the goals of your campaign, and both can financially support your nonprofit’s operations.

However, the ways in which you structure your campaigns and solicit each type of donation are fundamentally different, as illustrated by this diagram:

Fundraising pledges:

Are promised support of pledged funding to be paid and processed in the future.
Require carefully-developed pledge campaigns that include specific timeframes and conditions.
Work best for urgent needs such as disaster relief, unexpected expenses, and advocacy work.

Traditional donations:

Are accepted immediately, all across the duration of the fundraising campaign.
Can usually be accepted at any time, but most typically during a campaign with clearly-defined goals.
Work well for evergreen needs such as classic fundraisers and general programming expenses.

What unites these two donation styles— fundraising pledges and traditional donations— is the need for a compelling case for support. Donors must feel emotionally compelled to give you their support either as a pledge or a direct donation.

However, this is especially important for pledge campaigns. Since the idea is to quickly collect promises of support, maintaining energy and momentum is key. An emotionally or socially compelling mission will encourage quick action and take your pledge campaigns to the next level.

Your mission, project, fundraising goals, and time constraints will all play into the development of an effective pledge campaign by boosting urgency and creating compelling pledge conditions.

After all, it’s easier to convince supporters to pledge a donation rather than ask them to immediately part with their money. And since the majority of pledges are fulfilled, by offering pledges as an option you’ll secure more gifts overall than if you only accepted immediate donations.

Look at it this way:

Out of 1,000 potential donors, 900 chose to pledge a donation using a pledge-style fundraising page. Of those 900, 85% of them followed through to complete their pledged donations. That’s 765 completed donations!

Compare this to traditional donation pages — only about 250 out of 1,000 potential donors actually bother to complete the donation process at all. You leave a ton of money on the table that way.

Let’s say each of these donors makes a gift of $125. With traditional donation pages, that gives you $31,250. With pledge software, you raise a whopping $95,625.

2. What Are Some Pledge Campaign Best Practices?

If this is your first time hosting a pledge fundraiser, it may seem a bit overwhelming. However, by implementing a few simple best practices, you’ll be ready to get started in no time. Let’s check out our top seven tried-and-true pledge fundraising tips!

1. Ensure a streamlined user experience.

Hosting a pledge campaign requires pledge-specific tools designed to help nonprofits like yours meet their goals. Be sure to focus on providing a streamlined user experience and flexible options. That’s because making it faster and easier to pledge support is the key to success.

A streamlined user experience allows you to keep your donors in the giving mood, shows respect for the individual’s time and effort, and reduces the opportunities for donation form abandonment. On the other hand, slowing the process down by requiring any more data input than necessary will actively harm your campaign.

2. Allow users to complete the donation on the spot.

Make sure your donation and pledge platforms offer the option to complete an immediate donation if your supporter chooses to do so. For example, Snowball’s pledge fundraising platform allows each donor to decide whether to make a quick pledge or complete their donation right then and there— providing an increased sense of control over the entire experience.

3. Focus on a concrete goal or project.

Pledge campaigns are the most effective when built around a specific goal or project. This allows donors to know exactly where their gifts are going and provide a sense of urgency for your organization to reach your goal.

Examples of central goals or projects that regularly motivate pledge supporters include:

Disaster relief for local, national, and international crises, like hurricanes or the COVID-19 pandemic
Fundraising for advocacy or community work around a specific social or political issue
Buying your nonprofit’s rented facilities or offices to secure your future
Covering surprise major expenses your nonprofit has experienced
Raising support for a new major program or community project

It helps to have a specific number as your fundraising goal, and allow donors to keep up with your progress with tools like your fundraising thermometers.

4. Make use of a donor’s emotional connection.

Of course, nonprofits of all sizes also find success using pledge campaigns to boost their annual fund drives. It’s always possible to build a pledge campaign around a less urgent or high-stakes goal, but it requires a slightly different approach.

In these cases, make sure that your annual fund pledge drive taps into an emotional connection that your donors feel with your organization. Compel your donors to pledge their support out of a sense of responsibility, love for community, and attachment to your work.

Get creative when highlighting your recent accomplishments! An annual drive focused on sustaining your growth could be a strong motivator for your devoted base of support.

5. Set up engaging pledge campaign conditions.

Pledge campaigns can come in all shapes and sizes, so it’s important to set clear guidelines beforehand. For example, you’ll want to arrange:

A tight deadline. A definite endpoint within sight is essential for keeping up campaign energy. Use your fundraising thermometer on your campaign page and email communications for sustained impact.
Pledge triggers. Pledges are activated and eligible for collection only when specific goals are met, like reaching a total amount pledged, signatures received, or major gifts secured. Creating a strong sense of group effort in this way can really bring your community together.
Matching periods. Discuss arranging a special gift matching period with one of your major donors or corporate sponsors. Every pledge you receive during a chosen short period of time will be matched for double the impact.

This will allow your organization to plan a better fundraiser and your supporters to understand what they’re agreeing to.

6. Keep your campaign data as organized as possible.

Every fundraising campaign requires some tidy data practices, but this is especially true for pledge drives. After all, your wealth of campaign data can assist you in tracking your fundraising progress, following up and collecting funds, reaching out to new donors, and analyzing trends.

However, you don’t want to get too caught up in data collection that you slow down the pledge process. Make sure that you’re only asking supporters for the bare minimum needed to follow up later— such as their name, email address, phone number, and pledge amount.

Using effective fundraising software for your pledge campaign ensures your data is collected and sorted properly as it’s generated, which will dramatically simplify collecting your pledges later!

7. Follow up with your pledge campaign donors.

Your team’s ability to follow up with supporters at the conclusion of your fundraiser is what ultimately results in a successful pledge campaign. After all, even if you hit your pledge goal, you have to actually collect the funds to make an impact.

When it’s time to follow up, be sure to take a systematic approach to collect pledges. A standardized script for letters, emails, and phone calls will yield better results than an ad hoc or individualized process. Past due pledges are often the result of forgetfulness, so a polite reminder or two can go a long way.

Now that you know how to get started with a pledge fundraiser, it’s important that you select the right tools to bring about desired results.

Take a Personalized Tour

Schedule a demo with one of our fundraising consultants. We’ll show you how the Snowball platform has benefited other nonprofit organizations, and how it can help you.

3. How Do I Choose the Right Pledge Fundraising Software?

If you’ve never conducted a pledge drive before, you might be unfamiliar with what to look for in an online or mobile pledge tool. There are a few key characteristics to prioritize during your search— speed, ease of use, and flexibility.

Pledge fundraising software should provide a fast, streamlined process.

Remember that the core purpose of a pledge drive is to secure pledged support and contact information — that’s all you need. Asking for anything more than that will drive away potential supporters right off the bat. The faster the process, the fewer opportunities for your donor to drop out and abandon the pledge.

Effective pledge software will help you quickly secure support while strengthening your pledger’s emotional connection with your cause. For best results, look for software that lets you secure a card on file and set up a recurring donation for continued support.

Pledge fundraising software should be easy-to-use for you and your donors.

Just like too many required fields and a lengthy donation process can lead to increased donation form abandonment, so can an unnecessarily complicated or difficult to navigate one. That’s why it’s just as crucial that your fundraising software employs an easy-to-use pledge process.

Be sure to optimize both the initial pledge process as well as the follow-up and payment collection processes. For example, automatic donor communication tools should provide each user with step-by-step instructions and a link to the final payment form.

Pledge fundraising software should offer flexible options.

When you employ a pledge fundraising tool with increasingly flexible capabilities, you allow your supporters to personalize their own donation experience to what suits them best. For example, make sure your supporters have the choices to:

Complete the donation right away. Never force your pledgers to complete their donation — that would defeat the whole purpose. However, offering the choice to enter their payment info after submitting the pledge is an easy way to secure more support and boost donor engagement.
Select a method of payment. Offering multiple choices for payments provides an increasingly convenient donor experience. That way, each supporter can choose the form that works best for them— the most popular being credit card and ACH payments.
Set a communication preference. When you encourage donors to select their preferred method of communication right off the bat, you increase the likelihood that you’ll be able to keep in touch with them after the fundraiser ends.

Ideally, your pledge software will come as part of a larger suite of donation tools that can be adapted for different purposes. Look for a donation platform that offers core donation functions, pledge fundraising options, and even text-to-give tools. With more features available, you can fine-tune your strategies to keep the process focused on the donor’s experience.

The Best Choice for Pledge Fundraising Software

Here at Snowball, our mission is to provide more nonprofits with the tools they need to build relationships with new and existing donors. We prioritize speed and optimized user experience to ensure that supporters stay focused on your mission rather than get distracted or turned off by the process itself.

Our core fundraising philosophy boils down to 3 core steps:

1. Don’t kill the donor’s buzz.
2. Master the art of securing a card.
3. Focus on recurring donors.

Pledge drives and pledge software are perfectly suited for the first step — don’t kill the donor’s buzz.

That’s why Snowball’s mobile fundraising pledge software is a great example of a flexible tool that prioritizes user experience. Built on Snowball’s complete suite of lightning-fast 2-click giving platform, this pledge tool secures support for your campaign quickly and easily. Plus, it automatically follows up and allows supporters the option to easily complete their pledged donations afterward!

Wrapping Up

Hosting a pledge fundraiser is a great way to drum up support for your organization— from new and existing donors alike. By leveraging an emotional connection to your organization and the urgency surrounding your mission, you can engage with supporters in a unique and exciting way.

For more information, check out our top fundraising resources for nonprofits like yours:

Free Fundraising Software For Nonprofits: 15+ Top Providers. Getting up and running with effective fundraising tools doesn’t have to break the bank. Check out our favorite free providers here.
Text-To-Give | Complete Guide For Nonprofits And Fundraisers. Mobile giving tools allow donors to give on-the-go anytime they want. Find out how to use text-to-give to bring increased convenience to your donors and increased funds to your organization.
Virtual Fundraising: The Complete Guide For 2020 & Beyond. As nonprofits everywhere shift to increasingly digital practices, it’s important that you don’t get left behind. Learn more about modern virtual fundraising strategies here.

The post Pledge Fundraising | The Complete Guide [with Tips] first appeared on Snowball Fundraising.

Fundraising Pledges Vs. Donations | What’s the Difference?

Snowball Fundraising — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 15:02:53 +0000

Fundraising is an important (if not the most important) activity that nonprofit organizations must conduct on a continual basis. Finding new strategies, donation tools, and engagement techniques can be a struggle. Even as you attract and retain a pool of devoted donors, volunteers, and supporters, it’s still crucial that you continue to grow your base of support. After all, reaching new donors is an essential part of pursuing your mission!

If your fundraising organization is considering conducting a campaign to collect fundraising pledges, your team might be wondering exactly what the difference is between this method and soliciting traditional donations.

Our quick guide will run through the basics and help get you started with next steps:

Basic differences
When to use each
Finding the right tools

Use this explainer as a starting point when you being to plan your new pledge campaign. Once you’re ready to move forward, check out our more comprehensive guide to pledge campaigns to help you more fully develop your goals and strategies.

Ready to dive in? Let’s go!

1. Basic differences between fundraising pledges and donations

Both fundraising pledges and traditional donations are gifts made by supporters who believe in your mission and the goals of your campaign. The ways in which you structure your campaigns and solicit each type of donation, however, are fundamentally different.

Let’s run through these differences in more depth:

Compare this to the ways in which you can campaign for and collect traditional donations:

In practice, the differences between these fundraising styles deeply impact the types of strategies and goals that work most effectively with each.

2. The best campaigns and missions for using each donation style

Fundraising is never easy work, but organizing your campaign in a way that sets you up for success can make it just a little easier! Fundraising pledges and traditional donation styles of fundraising are each more appropriate and useful to certain types of campaigns or missions.

Asking for pledged support tends to be a smart strategy if your campaign revolves around any of the following:

Disaster relief drives
Advocacy work or protest campaigns around specific social or political issues
Unexpected or important expenses your nonprofit faces, like moving costs
Annual fund drives

With the exception of annual fund drives, which can make extremely successful pledge campaigns, fundraising pledges are used in situations where your goals are urgent. Time-sensitive or particularly relevant issues are the most effective.

Campaigning for traditional donations works best in these situations:

Classic fundraising campaigns and events to fund your programming and mission
Most types of online crowdfunding or peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns
In-person donation collections
Matching gift or other corporate philanthropy drives
Any other fundraising situation in which donations are collected at that time instead of later

You already know that traditional fundraising campaigns require a great deal of planning and strategy, just as much as for pledge campaigns. Choosing the right tools, engagement strategies, events, online components, and more are crucial to the success of any campaign.

Building a compelling case for support

What unites these two donation styles — fundraising pledges and traditional donations — is the need for a compelling case for support. Donors simply must feel emotionally compelled to give you their support either as a pledge or a direct donation.

While this is true for both styles, it’s especially important for pledge campaigns. Since the idea is to quickly collect promises of support, you have to maintain energy and momentum. An emotionally or socially compelling mission will compel quick action and take your pledge campaigns to the next level. Similarly, you might capitalize on the emotional attachment that supporters feel for your organization, as in a pledge drive for your annual fund.

Your nonprofit’s mission, the project you’re raising money for, your fundraising goals, and time constraints will all play into the development of your pledge campaign. Use them to boost a sense of urgency and create compelling pledge conditions.

For traditional donation campaigns, convincing donors to directly make a gift requires a different strategy. Urgency and emotion are still important, but not quite as crucial as they are for pledge drives. A compelling case for support for a traditional campaign will build on emotion, logic, and evidence of your past work. Of course, every fundraising campaign is different. Let the specifics of your project guide the development process.

3. The right tools for fundraising pledges and traditional donations

Whatever your mission, case for support, or fundraising style, finding the right tools for the job is essential! You’re probably already familiar with some common fundraising tools and donation processing platforms, like these:

Online donation forms
Crowdfunding and peer-to-peer campaign pages
Text-to-give services

These are 3 of the most common digital tools that nonprofits use to accept traditional donations, but what about fundraising pledges?

Top qualities to look for in online or mobile pledge fundraising tools

If you’ve never conducted a pledge drive before, you might be unfamiliar with what to look for in an online or mobile pledge tool. There are a few main characteristics that you should prioritize during your research: speed, ease of use, and flexibility.

As we discussed above, securing fundraising pledges is all about momentum! Make the pledge process fast and easy for your supporters to complete. All you really need from them is their contact information and pledge amounts. Making it any more complicated that can actively hurt your campaign by increasing donor abandonment!

Snowball’s mobile fundraising pledge tool is a great example of a flexible tool that prioritizes user experience. Built on the Snowball suite’s lightning fast 2-click text-to-give platform, this pledge tool secures support for your campaign quickly. Plus, it allows supporters the option to easily complete their pledged donations afterwards!

If your organization is considering starting a fundraising pledge campaign in the near future, make sure you and your team have a clear understanding of the differences between pledges and traditional donations.

The differences between the two styles can have a major impact on the solicitation strategies and digital tools you might incorporate. Think about your mission, project, and goals as you develop your pledge campaign. This helps ensure that all your strategies are aligned to boost your chances for success!

Be sure to continue your fundraising research with some additional resources, too:

How to Collect Pledges: 6 Steps for Securing Pledged Support. Wrapping up your campaign and collecting your fundraising pledges is one of the most important steps in the process. Follow a few best practices to maximize your results.
51 Top-Notch Fundraising Ideas from Bonfire. Get creative with your next fundraising project! Incorporating a unique element into your pledge campaign is always a smart move.
The Nonprofit Grant Writing Guide: How to Find and Apply for Funding. Grants represent a major source of support for most nonprofits. Get started on your next application today!

The post Fundraising Pledges Vs. Donations | What’s the Difference? first appeared on Snowball Fundraising.

4 Best Practices for Your Upcoming Dance Studio Fundraisers

Snowball Fundraising — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 01:00:51 +0000

Your dance studio relies on revenue to power your operations, from running high-energy classes with expert choreographers to providing upkeep for your facility. While your studio will mainly bring in funds from your tuition payments, you might need an extra source of income to supercharge your business. This is where fundraising can help.

A strong fundraising strategy can help your dance studio expand its offerings, attract new students, and keep existing students engaged. Plus, you can use the funds to cover major financial needs, like purchasing new equipment, renovating your studio, or even giving back to your community by establishing scholarships and financial aid programs.

To plan and host successful fundraisers, you need the right strategies. Use these best practices to take your dance studio fundraisers to the next level:

Host an engaging event.
Take a peer-to-peer approach.
Leverage gamification strategies.
Sell branded merchandise.

The right technology can help streamline your fundraising efforts and reenergize your dance studio operations. Leverage a software solution with dance studio apps so you can plan performances, manage transactions, and communicate important updates with parents about your fundraisers all on the go. Armed with the right dance studio software, you’ll be in great shape to lead a winning fundraiser. Let’s begin!

1. Host an engaging event.

Pulling off a fundraising event can be hard work, but your dance studio will reap plenty of benefits by investing ample time, resources, and energy into your fundraiser. A well-designed fundraising event can help you strengthen relationships with students, increase exposure for your dance studio, and pull in major funds!

For a dance studio looking to raise money from their community and better engage with its members, it’s a good idea to choose a dance-themed event. For example, here are some of our favorite dance-related fundraising ideas that can bring in tons of funding for your studio:

Dance-a-thon: Encourage students to sign up, set goals, collect pledges from friends and family members, and dance for as long as they can! Adding in a competition element can motivate students to raise as much as possible for your studio.

Dance workshop: Ask one of your dance teachers or choreographers to lead a specialized class for your students. Then, leverage your dance studio software to sell tickets to students, and reinvest the funds into your dance studio’s growth.

Talent show, recital, or performance: Performances are a great way for your dancers to showcase the skills they’ve learned and even come up with their own innovative routines. Sell tickets to community members and dance parents to maximize funds.

You can also adapt any fundraising event to take place virtually. For example, you might host your dance-a-thon via a live-streaming platform so participants can comfortably dance from home. This way, you can reach even more people with your fundraiser and bring in more funds, all while making the experience more convenient for participating students.

2. Take a peer-to-peer approach.

According to the OneCause guide to peer-to-peer fundraising, this type of fundraising campaign empowers your community members to take charge of the fundraising process by enlisting help from their personal networks. Typically, supporters of an organization will create their own fundraising campaign pages, set personal fundraising goals, and share their pages widely to build momentum for their campaigns and your studio.

By tapping into peer-to-peer fundraising, your dance studio can reach larger audiences, develop deeper connections with existing students and dance families, and skyrocket your fundraising results.

To lead a strong peer-to-peer campaign, follow these steps:

Ask supporters to fundraise on your behalf. For a local dance studio fundraiser, these supporters will likely be your dance students (or perhaps their parents, depending on your students’ ages). That’s a huge benefit of hosting a peer-to-peer fundraiser as a dance studio—you already have a built-in group of dedicated fundraisers!
Equip fundraisers with the resources they’ll need. The most important resource your fundraisers need is their own fundraising pages. Consider investing in a peer-to-peer fundraising platform so your dance families and students can easily develop custom fundraising pages and share them on social media (or send the link to family and friends by text and email.) Alternatively, your studio and its supporters can leverage social media platforms like Facebook that have built-in peer-to-peer fundraising capabilities.
Launch your campaign and encourage fundraising efforts. Once your students have their fundraising pages ready, it’s time to launch your fundraiser. Encourage students (and their parents) to promote the campaign far and wide. With individual fundraising pages, you can even monitor each student’s progress and offer personalized instruction for fundraisers who need additional support reaching their goals.

Peer-to-peer fundraising immerses your students deeper into your organization by encouraging them to take on a larger role. Your dance students will appreciate being tasked with more responsibility and the opportunity to function as an ambassador for your business. In turn, your studio will receive extra funding from each student’s own personal network of support. It’s a win-win!

Take a Personalized Tour

Schedule a demo with one of our fundraising consultants. We’ll show you how the Snowball platform has benefited other nonprofit organizations, and how it can help you.

3. Leverage gamification strategies.

Gamification infuses friendly competition into the fundraising process and energizes your community members to push your dance studio past its fundraising goal. Consider adding the following gamification tactics to your next fundraiser:

Try a fundraising thermometer: Fundraising thermometers visually showcase your progress toward an overall goal and show supporters the real impact of their contributions. Display a fundraising thermometer on your donation page to inspire giving.
Use a countdown clock: A countdown clock can help create urgency and motivate more donations to come through as your event winds down. Display a countdown clock on a screen at your fundraising event or pair it with your fundraising thermometer on your donation page.
Offer prizes: High-value prizes like discounted dance classes, free dance recital tickets, or coupons for dance merchandise encourage supporters to give in larger amounts or raise as much money as possible for your studio.

Make sure your community members are aware of any prizes by marketing these opportunities in advance. These prizes can be especially motivating for your peer-to-peer fundraisers, giving them the fuel they need to promote their campaigns widely.

4. Sell branded merchandise.

If your dance studio isn’t already selling branded merchandise for an additional revenue stream, you’re missing out on a huge fundraising opportunity. After all, students (and their proud parents and family members) would love to support your studio in style by making a purchase. Plus, product fundraisers are wildly popular because the supporters actually receive something in return!

To maximize sales (and—by extension—fundraising revenue), be sure to make your branded merchandise available to purchase:

Online
At your studio
At various events

To facilitate the online sales of your branded merchandise, you need the right technology. DanceStudio-Pro’s guide to the best apps for dance studios recommends working with software that has an integrated point-of-sale system, allowing you to set up an online store for all of your dance apparel. Your dance families can then securely purchase your branded merchandise on both desktop and mobile devices.

By selling branded merchandise, you have the opportunity to raise both money and awareness for your dance studio. Once your supporters purchase their merchandise (whether that’s a tote bag, t-shirt, or coffee mug), they essentially function as a walking billboard for your business when they wear or use their merchandise in public.

Running a dance studio fundraiser has a lot of moving parts, but with the support of your team and a strong strategy, you’ll be able to boost your funds in no time. Brainstorm fundraising ideas that make the most sense for your dance studio’s audience and promote your campaign or event widely with a multi-channel marketing strategy. Once your fundraiser is over, take time to reflect on your progress and identify areas of improvement to strengthen your overall strategy.

The post 4 Best Practices for Your Upcoming Dance Studio Fundraisers first appeared on Snowball Fundraising.

Nonprofit Donation Processing: Full Guide + Top 7 Providers

Snowball Fundraising — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 15:05:13 +0000

If your nonprofit wants to start accepting online and mobile donations, you need a donation processing tool. Donation processing tools take your donor’s funds and deposit them into your nonprofit’s bank account.

While there are hundreds of different donation processing tools that your nonprofit could choose from, it’s important to find the one that meets your specific fundraising needs and goals.

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about choosing the right nonprofit donation processor, including:

Nonprofit Donation Processing FAQs
5 Must-Have Features for Nonprofit Donation Processing
Top 7 Nonprofit Donation Processors

Nonprofit donation processing allows you to take control of your donations and provide donors with a safe and easy way to give. Ready to learn more? Let’s get started!

Take charge of your nonprofit donation processing with Snowball.

Nonprofit Donation Processing FAQs

Review these common questions to discover what nonprofit donation processing is

and how it can support your fundraising efforts. With this foundational knowledge, your search for the perfect provider should be a breeze!

What is donation processing?

Nonprofit donation processing is the process of managing and facilitating an online or mobile giving transaction. This process occurs starting from when a donor’s financial information is first entered into your donation form to when that information is translated into a donation and deposited into your organization’s bank account.

How does nonprofit donation processing work?

After a donor fills out the necessary information on your donation form and presses submit, their contribution is transferred to a payment gateway, where their information is kept safe. Meanwhile, your donation processor alerts the credit card card company and bank associated with the transaction.

The bank then approves or denies the transaction. Once approved, the credit card company moves the money from the donor’s bank account into yours. All of this happens within seconds.

Keep in mind that every donation processor takes a percentage of your gift to account for processing fees. For credit card transactions, this will be a card processing fee plus a percentage of the transaction. However, you can provide an option for donors to cover the processing fees and ensure you receive your donations in full.

5 Must-Have Features for Nonprofit Donation Processing

As you search for a nonprofit donation processing tool, look out for these key features:

Low processing fees: Although it costs money to process donations, it shouldn’t be a financial burden for your nonprofit. Look for a platform that has low credit card processing fees and provides donors with an option to offset those fees. Most donors will be willing to pay less than $5 (as that’s normally the cost) to help your nonprofit receive the entirety of their donation.
Flexible payment options: Find a donation processor that accepts all major credit cards, including electronic transactions and international payments. This provides donors with multiple giving options.
Secure payment processing: It’s important to choose a processor that complies with Payment Card Industry (PCI) security standards, because it means they work diligently to protect cardholders from data leaks and theft.
Credit card storage: Securing a donor’s card on file makes giving easier, helping to drive long-term value for your nonprofit. An effective donation processor will naturally convince donors to put their credit card on file by demonstrating how easy it is to support you.
Additional fundraising features: Most donation processors are designed specifically for nonprofits, meaning they offer other tools to help boost your fundraising revenue. For instance, Snowball offers customizable donation forms, recurring gift options, and fundraising thermometers to help you raise more.

These donation processing features allow your nonprofit to accept donations with ease. Donors, in turn, will see how easy and secure your donation process is and feel more inclined to give again. In the long run, this helps to boost your donor retention rates and improve your fundraising efforts.

Top 7 Nonprofit Donation Processing Tools

There are hundreds of different donation processing tools available to your nonprofit. To help you narrow down your search, we’ve compiled a list of our favorites so you can start raising more with online donations.

1. Snowball – Best Tool for Accepting Donations

Nonprofit Donation Processing Overview

Snowball is a comprehensive fundraising platform that allows your nonprofit to accept donations using online giving tools like donate buttons, embeddable donation forms, donation pages, and text-to-give features.

Even better, this nonprofit donation processing tool is effective at converting regular supporters into repeat donors by securing credit card information and donor data for future giving.

Why This Nonprofit Donation Processor Stands Out

Snowball allows you to create custom donation form fields, turn on recurring donation frequency options, and enable supporters to pay your credit card processing fees. With Stripe as their payment processing partner, you can ensure your donations are secure.

Simply link your bank account to your fundraising campaign page and start receiving donations within days.

Pricing

Snowball’s premium plan provides you with unlimited access to fundraising campaigns, email blasts, text-to-give, and donation processing for a 2.5% + $0.30 transaction fee.

2. Stripe – Best Tool for Fundraising Integration

Nonprofit Donation Processing Overview

Stripe is an online payment processor and credit card processing platform that accepts all major credit cards in over 135 different currencies. With this easy-to-use platform, all donors have to do is enter their credit card information on your website’s donation page and their payment information will automatically be passed along to Stripe for processing.

Why This Nonprofit Donation Processor Stands Out

Stripe accepts more payment options than any other provider. Plus, it integrates with Snowball’s comprehensive fundraising features, making it the ideal platform for nonprofits. With Snowball and Stripe, you can send out automatic receipts, reminders, and notifications for every donation and purchase.

Pricing

Stripe’s regular payment processing fee is 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. However, they offer a reduced rate for nonprofits, down to 2.7% + $0.50 per transaction for verified 501(c)(3) organizations.

3. Fundly – Best Tool for Crowdfunding

Nonprofit Donation Processing Overview

Fundly is a leading crowdfunding platform that allows nonprofits and individuals to maximize their online donations with personalized fundraising pages. For the technical credit card processing, Fundly gives users the option of going through WePay or Stripe.

Why This Nonprofit Donation Processor Stands Out

Fundly goes beyond payment processing, allowing your nonprofit to reach more donors and raise more money through crowdfunding. The platform also includes built-in gamification tools to provide donors with fundraising incentives, like t-shirts and water bottles. This rewards system is an easy way to boost your fundraising efforts and re-energize donors.

Plus, Fundly seamlessly integrates with 360MatchPro, a matching gift software. Automatically collect matching gift eligibility from donors within your donation forms to increase your fundraising revenue.

Pricing

Collecting crowdfunding donations through Fundly is free! Organizations will only pay a platform fee and 2.9% + 0.30 per transaction payment processing fee once they start receiving funds.

4. Regpack – Best Tool for Virtual Event Fundraising

Nonprofit Donation Processing Overview

Regpack is an online registration software that specializes in virtual event fundraising. This platform offers key features such as embeddable registration forms, group registration options, scheduling and check-in tools, and donation processing. Their PCI-compliant payment processor allows you to create customizable forms and collect donations directly from your website.

Why This Nonprofit Donation Processor Stands Out

Accept donations and manage your virtual fundraising events with Regpack. During your online auction or gala, you can send out donation forms that only ask for the most necessary information, allowing donors to quickly lend their support amid the excitement.

Pricing

Regpack’s plans start at $125/month with 2.1% in processing fees. Get a quote and request a demo to learn more.

5. Braintree – Best Tool for Donation Tracking

Nonprofit Donation Processing Overview

Braintree is a PayPal company offering flexible donation processing to nonprofits. With this powerful platform, you can accept donations from Apple Pay, Venmo, and all traditional credit and debit card payments.

Although Braintree is easy for donors to make a contribution, it’s a bit more complicated on the nonprofit’s end. In most cases, nonprofits will require a developer to get their payment interface up and running. After that, you can begin accepting donations and tracking donor information.

Why This Nonprofit Donation Processor Stands Out

Braintree’s reporting features allow your nonprofit to set custom tracking options to help you stay on top of your fundraising goals. With their reporting feature, your team can view transaction history by card type, date, and more. You’ll also have access to disputes, settlements, and real-time notifications.

Pricing

Braintree’s standard processing rate is 2.59% plus $0.49 per transaction.

6. Venmo – Best Tool for Social Proof

Nonprofit Donation Processing Overview

Venmo is a digital wallet made for peer-to-peer payment processing. To take advantage of this popular payment platform, nonprofits simply have to create a business profile.

Then, instead of going through the formal process of filling out a donation form, donors can send money directly to your bank account.

Why This Nonprofit Donation Processor Stands Out

Venmo provides nonprofits with a powerful fundraising tool: social proof. With the “friends feed” feature, donors can share their charitable contribution with their network. This provides your nonprofit with free publicity and increases your chances of reaching more donors.

Plus, making a donation on Venmo is convenient. It only takes supporters a minute to complete the donation process right from their wallet or the linked bank account.

Pricing

Venmo doesn’t charge any monthly fees. Instead, there’s a 1.9% + $0.10 fee for accepting donations.

7. SparkVirtual – Best Tool for Point-of-Sale Transactions

Nonprofit Donation Processing Overview

SparkVirtual is perfect for nonprofits that use point-of-sale transactions to accept donations or purchases. This donation processing tool integrates seamlessly with a DipJar device, a credit card reader designed specifically for nonprofits.

Using the device, Spark enables you to display your fundraising progress in real-time each time a donor gives.

Why This Nonprofit Donation Processor Stands Out

With SparkVirtual, you can give donors the option to cover the transaction fees associated with making their donation. In offering this feature, you’ll receive the full amount of the donor’s intended gift.

Your nonprofit will also receive access to a suite of tools to help you stay informed about your campaigns and hone your strategy. These tools include donation tracking, campaign specific impact results, and donor management.

Pricing

SparkVirtual offers a 2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee, along with $299 per Dipjar device that you purchase.

Choosing the right nonprofit donation processor is a crucial first step in online fundraising. Now that you know what nonprofit donation processing is and which features to look for, you and your team can decide on the best one to drive your mission forward.

If you’re interested in learning more about online giving, check out these additional resources:

Complete Text-to-Give Guide for Nonprofits and Fundraisers. Looking for more information on mobile giving? Check out our complete guide on text-to-give tools.
15 Best Nonprofit Websites + Tips for Making Your Own. Having a well-designed nonprofit website is the key to accepting gifts online. Check out the 15 best nonprofit websites for inspiration and follow our tips to make your own.
Top 8 Paypal Alternatives: Expert Tools for Nonprofits. PayPal isn’t the only option available to nonprofits looking to accept donations online. Find the right fit for your organization with these PayPal alternatives.

Nonprofit donation processing makes giving easy and secure.

Partner with Snowball to accept donations anytime, anywhere.

The post Nonprofit Donation Processing: Full Guide + Top 7 Providers first appeared on Snowball Fundraising.

4 Ways Your Nonprofit Website Can Drive Donations

Snowball Fundraising — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 14:32:35 +0000

Online giving is more important than ever for nonprofits. The switch to virtual operations necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a boom in online donations, but online giving was on the rise even beforehand. In fact, Blackbaud’s online giving trends report found a 42% increase in online giving within the last three years.

What does this mean for your nonprofit? It’s increasingly important to find innovative and exciting ways to engage with new donors online. As your online fundraising and marketing hub, your nonprofit website is your greatest tool for engaging supporters digitally.

It’s worth it to review your nonprofit website and make sure it’s optimized to drive donations. This article will walk through strategies and web design practices to improve online giving:

Provide a seamless online donation process.
Incorporate call-to-actions throughout your site.
Ensure your website is accessible.
Use your website to tell your nonprofit’s story.

Take a look at any of the best nonprofit websites, and you’ll find that they all leverage these strategies in their own unique ways to engage their audiences. These organizations know that the key to better online engagement is meeting supporters where they are and appealing to their needs and interests. Read on to find out how to do this with your website.

1. Provide a seamless online donation process.

If you want to optimize your website to increase online fundraising revenue, the first place you should look to is your online donation page. A well-designed, streamlined donation page is one of the most important elements of your donor’s online journey because it’s what donors use to actually show their support for your mission.

You might think that once visitors land on your online giving page, they are guaranteed to fill out the form entirely. However, just because someone intends to make an online donation doesn’t mean they will follow through. In fact, people often end up abandoning a donation page because the form is too long or overly complicated.

To provide a seamless donation experience, incorporate these tips into your online giving page:

Embed the donation form into your website for a streamlined process.
Customize your donation forms to collect only necessary donor data.
Offer suggested giving amounts to help guide donors’ decisions.
Minimize the number of required fields.
Optimize your page for mobile use, with simple navigation and large buttons.
Provide a secure and integrated payment process.

Above all, your donation page shouldn’t hinder or interrupt the giving experience but instead encourage supporters to complete their donations.

Find a giving platform that allows you to design customized, mobile-responsive donation pages for every type of fundraising campaign. The right tools and page design can make the giving process convenient for both you and your donors.

Take a Personalized Tour

Schedule a demo with one of our fundraising consultants. We’ll show you how the Snowball platform has benefited other nonprofit organizations, and how it can help you.

2. Incorporate call-to-actions throughout your site.

Once you’ve optimized your online donation page, you now have to guide website visitors to it. You can do this by incorporating key calls-to-action (CTA) throughout your site.

CTAs can be an image, line of text, or button that prompts users to take action. For example, if you’ve ever received an email from a business prompting you with a new discount code, they probably also include a link or button to their website to encourage you to buy something. Without that CTA, you receive the information about the sale, but not clear directions about how to act on it.

Supporters could just look up your website themselves, but that extra step is often what leads people to forget and move on to something else. With compelling CTAs, you capitalize on moments when supporters are inspired to give and provide them with an easy, immediate way to take action.

Incorporate CTAs throughout high-traffic pages where supporters might feel inclined to give, such as your:

Mission statement page
Past fundraising accomplishments roundup
Homepage
Current campaign page
Blog posts
Testimonials page

Also, ensure your CTAs speak to the interests and motivations of a wide range of audience members. For instance, you might include CTAs that allow visitors to sign up for your monthly giving program. This gives supporters an easy way to take their engagement to the next level and show increased support for your mission.

For those who can only contribute a small amount, you might even use a CTA with a specific fundraising request, such as “Donate $5 Now.” This allows you to offer flexible giving opportunities to appeal to and engage a wider variety of donors.

3. Ensure your website is accessible.

Web accessibility compliance is the process of ensuring that your website’s content and functionality are accessible to all visitors, regardless of their individual circumstances or abilities. Ensuring web accessibility is crucial to creating a positive user experience for all of your supporters.

For baseline accessibility, design your website with all needs and abilities in mind. This means your website needs to comply with laws and regulations such as the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

A fully accessible and compliant nonprofit website will allow you to:

Foster an inclusive culture, not just on your website but also for your organization as a whole.
Promote an overall more user-friendly and pleasant browsing experience.
Minimize website visitor loss due to inaccessibility or user disability.
Allow all types of devices to access your site.
Improve search engines’ ability to read and understand your website.

An accessible and compliant website isn’t just good practice. If you want to expand your audience and ensure your mission is reaching as many people as possible, it’s essential (and in many cases, legally required).

If you’re wondering if your nonprofit website is accessible, use these quick tips to improve your site:

Ensure that non-text content (image, video, audio) has a text alternative.
Avoid using sensory characteristics like sound and appearance as the only way to convey important information.
Don’t use flashing elements or bright lights.
Ensure there is a sufficient color contrast between the background and your text. The recommended ratios are 4.5:1 for small text or 3:1 for large text.

While the above tips are great to follow, your website might also benefit from more in-depth help. Consider partnering with a dedicated website support service for more concrete and actionable next steps!

According to Kanopi’s guide to nonprofit technology consulting, web design professionals can help you develop a more accessible website that complies with all relevant regulations. They can meet you where you are and recommend tips and strategies that are tailored to your overall website design and strategy.

Take a Personalized Tour

Schedule a demo with one of our fundraising consultants. We’ll show you how the Snowball platform has benefited other nonprofit organizations, and how it can help you.

4. Use your website to tell your nonprofit’s story.

Supporters donate to your organization because they’re passionate about your cause. Something about your nonprofit’s story resonates with them enough to give their time and money to support your organization. Telling your nonprofit’s story is a key part of donor engagement, and your website plays a central role in this effort.

By incorporating your nonprofit’s story and journey into website content, supporters will be reminded of why they care about your mission and might be inspired to give.

Getting Attention highlights several web design tips for telling your nonprofit’s story effectively:

Clear links to your Mission Statement and About Us page in your main menu.
Use your homepage to highlight past accomplishments.
Within your online donation form, connect direct impact with each of your suggested giving levels. For instance, an animal shelter might explain that a $50 donation allows them to purchase supplies to house one additional shelter dog, $150 helps house three animals, and so on.
Use engaging and interactive infographics to depict different aspects of your organization, such as a timeline of your organization’s history or a map of where you work.
Include compelling testimonials from community members, volunteers, and staff that share each individual’s personal story and connection to your cause.

Your website shouldn’t just be the vehicle that enables you to collect online gifts. It should also be the resource supporters use to become well-versed in your cause. Creating an emotional connection with your website allows you to build stronger, genuine relationships with donors, gaining their support for the long term rather than just a one-time donation.

When your nonprofit website is optimized for driving donations, you can link to it throughout all of your other marketing materials, including social media posts, emails, and even direct mail. This is the beauty of a well-designed, accessible, informative website—it can anchor your outreach efforts and offer supporters a centralized hub for connecting with you and showing their support.

This guest post was contributed by Anne Stefanyk at Kanopi Studios.

As Founder and CEO of Kanopi Studios, Anne helps create clarity around project needs and turns client conversations into actionable outcomes. She enjoys helping clients identify their problems, and then empowering the Kanopi team to execute great solutions.

Anne is an advocate for open source and co-organizes the Bay Area Drupal Camp. When she’s not contributing to the community or running her thoughtful web agency, she enjoys yoga, meditation, treehouses, dharma, cycling, paddleboarding, kayaking, and hanging with her nephew.

The post 4 Ways Your Nonprofit Website Can Drive Donations first appeared on Snowball Fundraising.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising: What Nonprofits Should Know

Snowball Fundraising — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 14:58:56 +0000

In recent years, nonprofits have had to learn to be increasingly innovative with their fundraising techniques, and that trend isn’t going away. To keep up with donors, organizations must create fundraising campaigns that blend traditional and digital elements. One effective way to do this is to use peer-to-peer fundraising.

Peer-to-peer fundraising has been used by nonprofits for years with great success, but this type of campaign is only increasing in popularity as nonprofits focus more on hybrid fundraising strategies.

As experts in online fundraising, we’re here to give you all the information and tools you need to create your own successful peer-to-peer campaign. In this guide, we’ll cover everything your nonprofit needs to know:

What is peer-to-peer fundraising?
How peer-to-peer fundraising works
Peer-to-peer fundraising FAQ
Peer-to-peer fundraising vs. Crowdfunding
Peer-to-peer fundraising tips
Top 5 peer-to-peer fundraising ideas
Considerations when choosing a peer-to-peer platform
Top peer-to-peer fundraising platforms to choose from

Peer-to-peer campaigns can work well for any nonprofit, including yours. Let’s go through the basics so you can get started creating your own campaign!

Launch your best fundraiser yet with our all-in-one fundraising platform.

What is peer-to-peer fundraising?

Peer-to-peer fundraising is a type of fundraising where a nonprofit’s supporters take the lead by raising money on behalf of the organization. Each supporter who volunteers to participate creates their own campaign page, then they reach out to their own social networks to ask for donations.

This method works so well because of the idea of social proof. Essentially, when someone sees a friend promoting your organization, they’re more likely to trust your mission and donate themselves.

In fact, a survey by YouGov found that “almost four in 10 (39%) Americans say they’ve donated to a charity because of a request from a family member or friend.” Instead of receiving just one donation from a supporter in a standard campaign, you can end up with a whole family’s contribution through peer-to-peer fundraising.

With each of your volunteer fundraisers publicizing their support, your nonprofit receives access to entire new networks of potential donors.

How peer-to-peer fundraising works

Your supporters take the lead in peer-to-peer campaigns, but your organization sets the structure and provides guidance. We’ve broken the peer-to-peer fundraising process down into seven key steps:

Set a peer-to-peer fundraising goal. Just like any other fundraising campaign, you want to start by setting a goal. What does your organization need from this fundraiser? How much do you hope to raise?

Select a platform for your campaign. This is the online platform that will host all your volunteers’ campaign pages, so choosing the right platform is an important decision. We’ll go into more detail later in this article about the different software available and the benefits of each.

Ask supporters to design their fundraising pages. Each volunteer will direct their friends and family to their individual fundraising page. The more personalized these are, the better. Ask volunteers to add photos and biographies about their history with the organization. They can also personalize their appeals for donations to explain why they’re supporting your cause (and why their friends should, too).

Supporters share that fundraising page with friends and family. Peer-to-peer fundraising tools make it easy for supporters to share their pages on social media. Look for software with social sharing buttons to make this process even simpler for your fundraisers. Of course, they’ll also use email, word of mouth, and any other way they can reach their personal networks.

Friends and family of fundraisers donate to the campaign page. Here’s where the donations come in! As donations start adding up from each individual campaign, keep your supporters updated on the overall campaign progress. Keep the momentum going right to the end.

Optional—wrap up the campaign with an event. If you want to celebrate your peer-to-peer campaign and the volunteers who made it happen, you can host a fun wrap-up event. This can work well either in-person or online.

Follow up and say thank you! Don’t forget this important step. Your supporters made this campaign work, so show them your appreciation! Follow up to thank both those who raised money on your behalf as well as those who donated to the campaign. They were both integral to your campaign’s success.

Now that you know what peer-to-peer fundraising is and how it works, let’s go over any remaining questions you may have.

Peer-to-peer fundraising FAQ

What are the benefits of peer-to-peer fundraising?

Aside from the great potential to raise money as a part of your campaign, the greatest benefit of peer-to-peer fundraising is access to a wider network of potential donors. Through this extended network, your supporters spread the word about your organization’s mission. Your nonprofit benefits from increased awareness, and you acquire new first-time donors who may become lifetime supporters.

The other major benefit for your organization is engagement with your existing supporters. Often, donors who are passionate about your mission want to be more involved, and peer-to-peer fundraising gives them a great opportunity to do so. Make being a volunteer fundraiser an enriching experience for them, and they’ll want to give their support even more in the future.

What are the different types of peer-to-peer fundraisers?

The simple structure of peer-to-peer fundraisers offers plenty of room for flexibility. They can be completely virtual, a mix of in-person and online elements, or structured around a major event. You can make your campaign into a friendly competition with teams of volunteers or run everything on an individual level. It all depends on what you determine to be best for your nonprofit.

Most variations of peer-to-peer fundraising fall into two main categories:

Rolling campaigns are a year-round opportunity for supporters to set up a campaign whenever fits their schedule. For example, someone may ask friends to donate to your organization around their birthday.
Time-based campaigns follow a schedule that you set and have a predetermined end date. These can be focused on a specific theme, event, or project. With time-based campaigns, keeping volunteers engaged with progress updates and encouragement is especially important.

To decide which type of campaign will work best for you, think about your organization’s goals and budget. Consider the size of your support base and their preferences, too.

How do you retain donors after your peer-to-peer fundraiser?

It can be a challenge to retain new donors if they only donated because a friend asked them to. You can combat this by being intentional and proactive.

Before the campaign starts, reevaluate how you thank donors. Make sure that you send out immediate, personal thank you’s to each and every donor. Include information about your mission and ways they can get involved. Then, thank them again at the end of the campaign, and show them tangibly how they’ve made an impact.

What kinds of organizations benefit from peer-to-peer fundraisers?

It’s not just for large nonprofits! With the right tools, resources, and planning, any organization can run an effective peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. This includes small nonprofits, churches, schools, and other community organizations.

Make use of peer-to-peer fundraising’s flexibility and tailor the campaign to meet your needs. Always keep your audience in mind, and use the results of previous fundraisers you’ve run to inform your decisions.

Peer-to-peer fundraising vs. Crowdfunding

Both peer-to-peer fundraising and crowdfunding enable your supporters to help your organization raise money, so what’s the difference?

In a crowdfunding campaign, your supporters are less directly involved in the fundraising process. Crowdfunding involves:

Only one main donation page
Supporters share that same campaign page with friends and family
A crowdfunding platform
No volunteer fundraisers

Peer-to-peer fundraisers, on the other hand, empower individual supporters to be the focal point of the campaign. Peer-to-peer fundraising involves:

A personal campaign page for each volunteer
Supporters share their own donation pages
A dedicated peer-to-peer fundraising platform
Individual goals in addition to overall goals

Crowdfunding is a great way to fundraise online and continues to grow in popularity. But if you want to raise money and build stronger relationships with your supporters at the same time, peer-to-peer fundraising is the best choice.

Peer-to-peer fundraising tips

To run effective fundraisers, you should constantly try to improve your campaigns. Base decisions on your own past fundraising wins and challenges, and use data whenever possible. Here are some general tips you can use to improve your campaign and get the most out of peer-to-peer fundraising:

Gamify your fundraiser

To keep up your volunteers’ spirits, make the fundraising process fun! Peer-to-peer fundraising platforms offer several easy ways to gamify your campaign.

Use fundraising thermometers to create a visual representation of the progress you’ve made towards your goal. Supporters can check back often to see how much the “temperature” has risen and to easily see how much more money they need to raise to reach the goal. As you get closer to the end of a time-based campaign, thermometers also create a sense of urgency for the final fundraising push.

Another way to add a fun element is to encourage a little friendly competition with leaderboards. Supporters can check the leaderboards to see which volunteer fundraisers have raised the most money at any given point in the campaign. You can also use your nonprofit’s social media accounts to shout out and tag top fundraisers.

Choose an intuitive software platform

Using a fundraising platform that’s easy to navigate makes it much easier for supporters to get involved. Choose a platform that allows each supporter to design and personalize their donation page with drag and drop or other simple customization features.

With intuitive software, you can make sure all of your supporters’ fundraising pages are well-designed, personal, and compelling. Be sure to check out our selection of top peer-to-peer fundraising platforms to choose from at the bottom of this page.

Check in with your fundraisers often

Make sure you’re giving volunteers enough support throughout the entire campaign, not just in the beginning. Here are some best practices for supporting your fundraisers:

Provide fundraising page guidance. Show them step-by-step how to create a fundraising page, and suggest ways they can personalize them. Give examples, and let them know where they can find technical help if they need it.
Coach them on how to get the most out of their fundraising efforts. Show supporters how to create social media posts to engage their followers, and encourage them to share posts from your organization’s main account.
Send out periodic updates. Post on social media, and email supporters progress updates from the fundraising thermometer and the leaderboard. You can do this weekly or whenever donations reach a key milestone.
Be available for any help they need. Give supporters a specific email address they can reach out to so they can contact your organization. Emphasize that they can ask for help or advice at any time.

And of course, thank your volunteer fundraisers often! Don’t wait until the end of the campaign to let them know how much you appreciate and value them.

Tie the campaign to an event

A 5K or bike-a-thon is the perfect way to make the most of your peer-to-peer fundraiser. Running your campaign around an event gives your supporters added motivation to raise money. It’s also an opportunity to build community, especially if you can hold the event in-person. Learn more about event ideas in the next section.

Top 5 peer-to-peer fundraising ideas

This type of fundraising offers so much room for creativity! We’ll review five of our favorite ideas that you can use as part of your peer-to-peer fundraising plan.

1. 5K Race

Who doesn’t love an opportunity to raise money for a good cause and stay active at the same time? 5K races tend to be extremely popular fundraisers, and they’re very easy to pair with peer-to-peer techniques. When participants ask friends to donate to their campaign pages, they can also ask them to attend or participate in the race. You can sell t-shirts or branded water bottles at the event for even more fundraising potential.

2. “Thon” – Style Events

For “thon” events, participants use their campaign pages to collect pledges for donations before they complete an activity, such as walking or biking. For example, in a walk-a-thon, donors would pledge to give a certain amount for each mile walked. Then, your volunteer collects donations based on how far they ended up walking. Other “thon” events you can do include:

Bike-a-thons
Dance-a-thons
Bake-a-thons

Survey your supporters ahead of time to see what kind of activity they’d like to do best. You’re not limited to these options—you can make almost any activity into a “thon”!

3. Gala

Galas are always a fun way to gather supporters together and raise money. Add a peer-to-peer element to this classic fundraising event by having your volunteers sell tickets to the gala in exchange for a certain donation amount. You can even recognize top fundraisers at the gala itself.

4. Matching Gift Drive

Add matching gifts to your peer-to-peer campaign to maximize campaign success. Many of your supporters likely work for companies that offer to match employee donations at a certain rate, but they may not even know it. Adding a matching gift drive element to your campaign is a great way to raise awareness of this opportunity (and funds!). Donors will be able to see if they’re match eligible, and if they are, their donation will get matched!

5. Viral Video Challenge

TikTok challenges continue to rise in popularity, so why not use one to raise money for your organization? Create a video challenge for your supporters to do, then tell them to tag friends in their videos to challenge them next.

Each person who completes the challenge should donate a small amount to your nonprofit, and those who refuse the challenge should donate even more. This is a twist on traditional peer-to-peer fundraising that can be a lot of fun for your supporters.

Considerations when choosing a peer-to-peer platform

Once you have a plan for the kind of campaign you want to run, it’s time to start looking into peer-to-peer fundraising platforms. We’ll go over our suggestions for platforms in the next section, but here are the factors you should look for when making your decision:

Intuitive navigation. You want to make creating a campaign page as easy for supporters as possible. The less time they have to spend solving technical difficulties, the more time they can spend fundraising.
Customization options. Look for software that allows supporters to add their own images and text to personalize their fundraising pages.
Sharing buttons. Volunteers should be able to easily share their pages on social media to reach more of their friends.
Gamification features. Fundraising thermometers and leaderboards serve as motivators for your volunteers, and they make the campaign more fun!
Mobile-optimization. Since donation pages will be shared most often over social media, they need to function properly on mobile devices. Make sure you choose a platform that makes all of your pages look right and function properly on mobile.
Easy campaign reporting. Great peer-to-peer fundraising platforms give you access to lots of data! This is important for reaching out to say thank you to your donors as well as planning future fundraisers, marketing, and tracking the demographics of your donors. You can’t get access to this data from platforms like Facebook donation tools.

With all of these tools and features, you’ll have everything you need to create a successful fundraiser.

Top peer-to-peer fundraising platforms to choose from

We recommend these top eight peer-to-peer fundraising platforms for the best results. Let’s take a look at the top three here.

Snowball Fundraising

Our peer-to-peer fundraising platform offers unlimited campaigns and complete customization for your campaign pages. Collect donations securely online, and use our gamification features to keep supporters motivated.

With Snowball, you’ll gain access to both a peer-to-peer platform and a full suite of fundraising resources. You can use our platform to track supporter information, create segmented donor lists, and generate reports for all your important fundraising data. Leverage built-in tools like Text-to-Give to promote your campaign using unlimited trigger words and ticket sales to invite supporters to attend your peer-to-peer event.

Our platform is effective for any size organization. And best of all, we’re constantly creating new features aimed to give you the best fundraising experience possible.

Launch your best fundraiser yet with our all-in-one fundraising platform.

OneCause

OneCause’s peer-to-peer software is a good choice for enterprise-level nonprofits or any organization basing their campaign around an auction. They offer a wide range of social media tools geared towards supporter engagement, and their platform includes customized options for different campaign types.

Bonfire

Bonfire is a product fundraising provider that specializes in t-shirt fundraising, and they include peer-to-peer options as part of their platform. Try Bonfire’s platform if you’re interested in collecting donations in exchange for branded merchandise. You can create a t-shirt design using Bonfire’s tools, then create a peer-to-peer campaign to sell those t-shirts to new supporters.

Recapping what you’ve learned

In this guide, we’ve covered everything from what peer-to-peer fundraising is to the myriad of different ways you can tailor your campaign for your nonprofit’s needs. You know the steps to run a campaign effectively, the best ways to support your volunteers, and how to evaluate different platforms to determine which is the best for you.

Peer-to-peer fundraising is a valuable opportunity to acquire new donors and empower your existing supporters at the same time. You now have the knowledge and resources you need to create a well-run campaign with fantastic results.

For even more tips on making your fundraiser as successful as it can be, check out these additional resources:

7 Donation Page Tips to Raise More for Your Nonprofit. Use this guide to improve your main campaign page. You can also share it with your volunteer fundraisers when they create their pages.
Fundraising Thermometer Best Practices + Free Template! Learn more about fundraising thermometers and why they work well for peer-to-peer campaigns.
Nonprofit Donation Processing: Full Guide + 7 Top Providers. Read our full guide to processing donations easily and securely.

Ready to launch your most successful fundraiser yet?

Partner with Snowball to take your peer-to-peer fundraising to the next level.

The post Peer-to-Peer Fundraising: What Nonprofits Should Know first appeared on Snowball Fundraising.

Hosting a Charity Auction: A Step-by-Step Guide for Success

Snowball Fundraising — Thu, 19 May 2022 18:11:13 +0000

So you want to host a charity auction. That’s great! Auctions can be a fun way to engage your supporters and raise funds for your worthy cause. Plus, bidding on a unique item can be just the right motivation your donors need to give.

If you’ve started planning an auction, you know that it can take a lot of work. To get the most out of your event—whether it’s virtual or live—you need to maximize your donation potential.

This article will guide you through the process to help you raise the most funds from your event. Let’s take a look at the steps:

How do you host a charity auction? FAQ
Select comprehensive auction software.
Choose your auction items wisely.
Promote your event and items to generate excitement.
Accept online and mobile bids.
Engage with supporters during the auction.
Set up a place to accept donations from those who don’t win.

Whether you’re a seasoned auction host wanting to brush up on best practices or you’re planning your first auction, this guide will give you all of the information you need for success. Let’s get started!

How do you host a charity auction? FAQ

A charity auction can be an excellent and fun way to raise money while bringing your community together. However, it can be a big task to take on, especially if you’ve never hosted one before. To help you out, we’re answering some of the most frequently asked questions about charity auctions.

This guide primarily focuses on live charity auctions, but silent auctions are another great option that your organization can explore.

What can I sell at a charity auction?

There is no end to what you can sell at a charity auction! Depending on your particularly supporter base and your organization, some items may make more sense than others but there are always many options that are a great fit. From experiences to free meals, massages, works of art, and more, you can find the right items for your event in our list of 101 auction items for different organizations and types of auctions.

How does an online charity auction work?

A virtual auction works very similarly to an in-person charity auction, with just a few key differences. This is also true of hybrid auctions, which combine the best of both worlds!

To host a successful virtual auction, you’ll need robust virtual auction software as well as digital catalog capabilities, and potentially a platform to host your event on, like Zoom.

Step #1: Select comprehensive auction software.

Think of your software as the foundation for your charity auction. It will help you prepare for all the planning that’s to come!

Charity auction software helps you set up your event and track your items. Additionally, it allows donors to bid online with mobile phones (or any device, for that matter), enabling widespread participation and making bidding easier.

That’s why auction software is so crucial. But, what features do you need? Let’s look at a few that can help you raise even more money:

Event websites with item listings. Your nonprofit will have a unique site dedicated to your auction. Your site will be the place where supporters come to register for the event and where you can promote your items. You can even open up online bidding on your items before or after your in-person event to raise more!
Secure payment processing. Before the bidding has even started, donors register their payment information. If they’ve won an item, their cards are securely and automatically processed.
Scoreboards and fundraising thermometers. Keep participants updated on the top bidders with visuals that they can easily access on your site.
Tracking and analysis. Choose software that lets you track your progress, learn about your donors’ giving habits, and gives you other insights that will help you hone your auction.

Of course, every auction software platform has different features, so look for a provider that meets all of your needs.

The final point: Maximizing your auction’s full potential starts with getting the right software. Choose one with features that will better promote your event and make it easy for donors to give.

Are you ready to plan your best auction yet?

Step #2: Choose your auction items wisely.

The next thing you want to consider is your list of auction items. To get your supporters excited, you need to collect items that they’ll genuinely want. Usually, unique, one-of-a-kind items or experiences perform well.

Donors will be more motivated to bid if the items can’t be found elsewhere. Additionally, when multiple donors have an interest in one item, they can drive the bids higher.

So before you go out and procure items, think about your target audience. Which supporters are you trying to target with this event?

For instance, you don’t want to pick items that are priced too high, especially for donors that don’t have the financial means to give that much. However, if you’re hosting the event for your major gift donors, then you should absolutely aim for those big-ticket items!

As you choose your items, it’s also important to consider what type of charity auction you’re hosting. With a live auction, your emcee will be able to fully explain each item and generate excitement. As a result, you can choose items that are unique and less well-known.

For example, if you’re auctioning artwork created by a lesser-known artist, the emcee will be able to tell the story of the piece and the artist’s vision behind it.

Alternatively, with an online auction, you’ll have less space to compel donors to bid on your items. Of course, you’ll be able to write about each item in your catalog and display pictures from several angles. However, there won’t be an emcee that can gauge the audience to really sell the item. In which case, you might want to procure items that are more recognizable.

The type of items you pick will depend on your donors and the kind of auction you’re hosting, but make sure there is a mix of options so that everyone can find an item (or experience) that they’re interested in.

Some ideas for your auction items can include:

Tickets to a local museum or theater
Technology (laptops, phones, TVs, etc.)
Signed sports equipment
Plane tickets to an exotic location

The final point: Your auction items are what makes your event unique. Find things that cater to your donors’ interests, so they’re more motivated to bid.

Step #3: Promote your event and items to generate excitement.

Before your event begins, you need to start promoting your auction and the items. That way, donors can get excited and start figuring out what they want to bid on.

You should promote your event in a way that reaches the most people, so use multiple channels to reach out to your supporters.

We’ll go over a few strategies you can use to market to your donors:

Use social media, text messages, and email to spread the word. Use as many channels as you can to share your event with donors. Include links to your auction page and encourage your supporters to spread the word.
Educate donors on the bidding process before the event. Send out emails before the event with instructions on how to make bids online or through their mobile phones. Additionally, if you’ve set up an auction site, it should include a page that teaches donors how to participate in the auction. That way, donors are already prepared on the big day.
Create a catalog of your auction times. Your catalog can be online on your auction site or in print. Either way, each item should have high-resolution images and a description. When your participants know about the items, they’ll be more excited to bid on the day of the auction.

The more hype that surrounds your event, the more supporters you can get to participate. Additionally, a strong interest in your auction items will increase the bid activity so that your organization will raise more.

The final point: Promote your event so that donors have plenty of time to get interested and share it with their friends and family.

Step #4: Accept online and mobile bids.

According to BidPal, mobile bidding generates about 10-30% more funds than traditional bidding. Coupled with the convenience of online auctions, your organization’s auction fundraising potential is greater than ever before.

Auction software lets donors bid no matter where they are. With more bidding options, donors will be more receptive to participating in your auction, since they can do so in the way that’s preferable for them!

Aside from an increase in funds, online and mobile bidding offer other advantages, such as:

Instantly alerting donors when they’ve been outbid.
Fewer elements to manage (i.e., keeping track of bid sheets or manually keeping track of bid activity).
Bidding on the go, which enables more supporters to participate.
Faster payment processing.

Additionally, mobile bidding makes it easier for you to engage with donors throughout your auction (more on this soon!).

The final point: Accepting mobile bids makes it easier for you to manage the auction and improves your fundraising. What other reasons do you need?

Step #5: Engage with supporters during your auction.

As we mentioned in the last section, mobile bidding makes it easy for you to engage with your donors on their mobile phones. During the event, your donors are already spending a significant amount of time on their phones, so it makes sense to interact with them through this channel, too.

For example, you can use your mobile bidding software to:

Update donors on your fundraising progress.
Showcase items with the highest bids.
Highlight items that have fewer bids to focus more attention on these items.

Interacting with donors keeps them just as excited about the event as it’s happening as they were when it started. Additionally, interaction with donors gives you the opportunity to cultivate your relationships further.

If you’re hosting a live event, you can learn about their interests and preferred giving channels.

All this information can help you make improvements when planning your next auction so that you can raise even more funds!

The final point: Interaction with your donors isn’t just about raising more funds; it’s about getting to know your supporters on a more personal level.

Are you ready to plan your best auction yet?

Step #6: Set up a place to accept donations from those who don’t win.

Unfortunately, not everyone can win in an auction. And without the right setup, those donors who don’t win will leave without giving to your nonprofit (aside from paying for their tickets, of course).

Those that don’t win are still interested in giving to your organization. Therefore, having a place where they can contribute will give everyone who wants to the opportunity to support your cause.

Luckily, you can address this by having a donation station (if your event is live) or by sending reminders at the end of your event encouraging donors to give through other channels (for example, text-to-give). If you’re using mobile bidding software, donors will also have the option to make a donation right from the platform.

If your auction is live, you can also set up giving kiosks to accept credit card donations. Giving kiosks are portable donation forms that organizations can use during events or on-site.

Kiosks work great because they can be branded to match your organization and are easy to use. Just set up your kiosk in a prominent, visible location and place a sign beside it that shows donors how to give.

As guests start to use your device it will encourage even more supporters to give via your kiosk.

No matter how you decide to accept donations, make sure that your giving tools integrate with your charity auction software. Capturing donors’ information will aid your follow-up strategy and allow you to more accurately measure your event’s success.

The end of the event is also the perfect opportunity to engage with guests through text messages and emcee announcements. With these channels, you can promote your giving methods as well as suggest ways guests can stay connected to your organization, like following you on Facebook or Twitter.

When you ask for contributions throughout the event, your guests are more likely to visit your donation table at the end and contribute if they didn’t win an item in the auction.

With other donation channels in place, supporters who don’t win and had every intention of giving won’t leave without donating, helping you maximize your donations. Plus, guests will be happy to leave your event feeling they’ve supported you in some way.

The final point: Encouraging the participants who didn’t win to contribute still is an excellent way to raise more funds during your auction.

With this step-by-step guide, you can increase your fundraising potential and make the most out of your next charity auction.

Now, it’s up to you to start using these strategies. If you want more ways to maximize your fundraising, check out next year’s trends to help you raise even more.

For more nonprofit fundraising advice, read these fantastic additional resources:

Online Donation Software. Whether you’re hosting an event or just want to provide donors with more convenient ways to donate, this guide to online giving tools will help you collect donations from even more supporters.
Free Fundraising Software. If you plan on using software for your charity auction, this guide will help your find the perfect tool. Keep reading to get 9 top free fundraising platforms.
Mobile Giving Guide. Learn more about mobile giving options and how to promote them at events like charity auctions!

Are you ready to plan your best auction yet?

The post Hosting a Charity Auction: A Step-by-Step Guide for Success first appeared on Snowball Fundraising.

Fundraising Guides - Snowball Fundraising

The Ultimate Text-to-Give Guide: Mobile Donations Made Easy

Enable donors to give to nonprofits via their mobile phones.

Text-to-Give Fundraising FAQs

What is text-to-give fundraising?

How much does text-to-donate cost?

What’s the standard gift size?

Is text-to-give secure?

What types of nonprofits host these fundraisers?

What are the pros and cons of hosting a text-to-give fundraiser?

Ready to raise more with Text-to-Give?

Get Started Today

How to Launch a Text-to-Give Fundraiser

1. Implement a text-to-give strategy.

2. Set attainable goals.

3. Put a marketing plan in place.

4. Collect data on campaign progress.

10 Text-to-Give Fundraising Tips

1. Focus on clear campaign messaging.

2. Feature it on marketing tools.

3. Input collected donor data into your CRM.

4. Track and analyze your data.

5. Host it with an event.

6. Try a peer-to-peer campaign.

7. Assign someone to be in charge of new donor data.

8. Host a pledge campaign.

9. Incorporate matching gifts.

10. Make text-to-give part of your Giving Tuesday efforts.

Best Text-to-Give Fundraising Platform and Tools

Additional Resources on Text-to-Give Fundraising

Enable donors to give to nonprofits via their mobile phones.

How to Make Silent Auction Bid Sheets: A Complete Toolkit

What Are Silent Auction Bid Sheets?

How Do Bidders Use Them?

How Do Event Organizers Use Them?

How To Create Virtual Auction Bid Sheets

What to Include in an Auction Bid Sheet

Free Silent Auction Bid Sheet Template

Silent Auction Bid Sheet Best Practices

Final Thoughts On Silent Auction Bid Sheets

1,5000+ organizations host successful auctions with Snowball....

And yours can too!

Starting a Nonprofit Org: Raise Money Now

How to Start a Nonprofit Organization: 12 Steps + Checklist

Part I: Getting Set Up

Part II: Getting Official

Part III: Getting Started

1. Define your nonprofit’s mission.

Take a Personalized Tour

2. Build your nonprofit’s leadership team.

3. Get up and running with online fundraising tools.

4. Legally incorporate to start your nonprofit organization.

5. Write your new nonprofit’s bylaws.

6. Apply for and receive 501(c)(3) status.

7. Secure some startup funding for your organization.

Take a Personalized Tour

8. Identify local partners for your nonprofit.

9. Get started pursuing your mission.

10. Begin building a base of support in your community.

11. Build your nonprofit’s professional network.

12. Lay some foundations for future growth.

How to Start a Nonprofit Organization: 12 Steps + Checklist

Interested in other ways to raise money?

Pledge Fundraising | The Complete Guide [with Tips]

1. What’s the Difference Between Pledges and Donations?

Fundraising pledges:

Traditional donations:

2. What Are Some Pledge Campaign Best Practices?

1. Ensure a streamlined user experience.

2. Allow users to complete the donation on the spot.

3. Focus on a concrete goal or project.

4. Make use of a donor’s emotional connection.

5. Set up engaging pledge campaign conditions.

6. Keep your campaign data as organized as possible.

7. Follow up with your pledge campaign donors.

Take a Personalized Tour

3. How Do I Choose the Right Pledge Fundraising Software?

Pledge fundraising software should provide a fast, streamlined process.

Pledge fundraising software should be easy-to-use for you and your donors.

Pledge fundraising software should offer flexible options.