What are the most important fundraising trends for new professionals to know?

I agree! Digital Fundraising: The rise of technology and online platforms has transformed fundraising. Understanding digital fundraising techniques such as crowdfunding, peer-to-peer campaigns, and social media fundraising is essential. Embracing online platforms and leveraging digital marketing strategies can help reach a wider audience and increase donor engagement.

New fundraising pro skills? Think email marketing like a boss, crafting tweets that make wallets sing, and designing websites that beg for donations. Analytics, online platforms, social media sorcery – your toolkit just got a digital upgrade. But here's the magic: online isn't just about fancy gadgets. It's about reaching people across time zones, tailoring messages to their exact tastes, and learning what makes them tick (and donate!) thanks to all that data. Imagine segmenting your audience like a pro chef, serving up personalized fundraising goodness to each donor's unique palate.

So many nonprofit professionals show remarkable empathy toward the people they serve, designing life-saving and world-changing services, programs, and products. But what if you applied that same level of empathy toward donors? A donor-centric approach involves creating ongoing, stand-out experiences and touch points that help donors feel like they are known, valued, and belong to a meaningful movement of activists.

I agree! Donor-Centric Approach reveals their values: Donors now expect personalized and meaningful interactions. Adopting a donor-centric approach involves understanding donors’ motivations, preferences, and values. Building relationships, providing personalized communication, and demonstrating the impact of donations are key elements of this approach.

I agree! Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): DEI considerations are increasingly important in fundraising. Embracing diversity, ensuring inclusivity in fundraising strategies, and addressing equity issues can help organizations connect with a broader range of donors and communities.

For new fundraising professionals, embracing digital fundraising methods, including social media and mobile giving, is crucial. Using data analytics for personalized donor outreach is becoming a norm. Transparency about the impact of donations is increasingly vital to donors. Diversifying fundraising channels is critical for financial resilience. Also, there's a growing focus on social responsibility and environmental, social, and governance investing, especially in corporate philanthropy. Keeping these trends in mind can significantly inform and enhance fundraising strategies.

A reminder when considering continuous efforts to innovate and experiment is that losing sight of the basics can lead to failure. Instead, the key is to mix innovation with traditionally proven methods to find a successful balance. For example, new tools for email automation and outreach can provide scale, it won't in and of itself provide ultimate success. Much like simply sending one-off messages to contacts and following up won't allow you to increase your output. More simplistically, hoping that you can simply rely on digital communication rather than picking up the phone and calling someone will also put you behind. You can automate elements but cannot remove the need to dial and speak with a contact. Plan. Execute. Review. Repeat

Don't be afraid of AI and automation in fundraising. Not only can it improve efficiency for the fundraiser, freeing up more time for quality donor interactions, it can improve the donor experience through segmenting capabilities. Your donors will receive communications that are laser targeted and hyper relevant to them, which they will appreciate.

Non-profits must operate strategically, embracing innovation to explore diverse revenue streams beyond conventional fundraising methods. Take TikTok—an influential platform with 1 billion active users. Nonprofits can create educational video content on TikTok by sharing mission-related facts, stories, statistics, or insights. Nonprofits can raise money on TikTok by using donation stickers, which allow users to donate directly from the app. Sharing behind-the-scenes or impact-related videos is another way to attract Gen Z and Millennial donors. Yet, some are still hesitant to leverage such platforms, limiting their reach and impact in the evolving fundraising landscape.

Learn more about donor advised fund (DAF) giving! The average credit card donation hovers around a few hundred dollars, but DAF donations soar to an average donation of $5k. DAF donors, with their multiple annual contributions and annual renewals, showcase a significantly higher lifetime value for nonprofits. What can you do to increase DAF giving to your organization? Research the largest DAFs and confirm your organization's contact details are accurately listed in their database. Also, ensure your donors are aware that your organization accepts DAF donations on your site.

Constantly question what you're doing. 'Why' is the king of all questions. | Appreciate and talk to donors more. | Crunch those numbers. Understand the investment dynamics behind individual giving. | Find yourself a mentor. | Sign-up for fundraising blogs & read books. | Focus on those areas that give you the most returns. | Be ambitious. | Always focus on the donor experience. | Take calculated risks. | Be passionate about changing the world.