Addressing Fundraising Challenges During Covid-19

When All Else Fails, Go Back to the Basics

No industry has avoided the pandemic, including the nonprofit sector, where the most direct impact has been financial. The demand for services has increased dramatically while most organizations do not have the funding in reserve to address these growing needs. This often results in prioritizing services, back-burner-ing nonessential programs and staff, and rethinking how funds can be raised in a new and sometimes unconventional manner – and quickly.

Nonprofits Respond

The unexpected end to all in-person fundraising events necessitated an immediate response. In many cases, the reflex was to move current activities and events to “virtual activities and events,” offered through virtual platforms.

According to Greater Giving, a nonprofit virtual fundraising platform, much of the strategy you’ve built into fundraisers for your organization stays the same. You just switch tactics to move away from a live event and into the virtual world. Some nonprofits have seen success with virtual events. Others not so much. But we are all learning how to modify fundraisers to accommodate our current environment.

Other nonprofits are exploring new, innovative ways to increase revenue streams. It is certainly a good time to reframe your funding model so that income streams are more diverse and less dependent upon a single revenue source. Organizations that have been primarily funded through events are now looking at individual giving programs. Others are moving away from solely grant funding and are now incorporating service fees. 

Not matter which way you head, one thing remains consistent: when it comes to fundraising success, embracing the basics is always a good course of action.

Return to the Basics

Over the last 8 months I have had conversations with nonprofits who are desperate to recover lost funds and design a program that will secure adequate funding to see the organization through this difficult period. When asked, I remind everyone to “get back to the basics.” We all need to remember what we know works, execute well, and incorporate these basic fundraising elements into the new and innovative programs we are implementing. 

So, what are the basics in fundraising? Here are my top five for your consideration:

# 1: The Fundraising Golden Rule. 

I have always believed the golden rule of fundraising was that people give to people. Strong relationships remain the catalyst for giving and I would render that, during these difficult times, the donors with whom you have established strong relationships will be the ones you can count on the most. Even though in-person contact with supporters may have taken a pause, your nonprofit needs to continue providing donor engagement opportunities to develop and maintain relationships throughout these difficult times. 

OneCause is a virtual fundraising platform committed to helping cause-driven organizations amplify their message and raise more funds with easy-to-use fundraising solutions. What I like the most is that they recognize that donors are looking for a connection, and they offer mobile solutions for socializing as well as raising money.

Engaging sponsors and partners in your organization is key to maintaining their support, and that engagement goes beyond simply securing the gift. It means integrating these generous entities into your nonprofit community. And relationships built through strong partner and sponsor engagement will serve nonprofits well during both good times, and bad. 

#2: Creativity is a Key Ingredient. 

Being creative has always been a key component to a strong fundraising program. The creativity factor always applies, but during this period of remote work and limited social engagement, it is even more important. I would offer the more creative the better. 

Many of our clients have been launching virtual events, from silent auctions to cooking extravaganzas. Bloomerang provides a great list of 20+ virtual fundraising ideas. The virtual fundraising ideas throughout this article are designed to be engaging for your supporters and accessible both during and after the pandemic.

I also recently released a “12 Days of Giving” article that provides a menu of ideas for how to engage donors during the end-of-year giving period.

#3: Show the Value. 

Every campaign should have a message or messages that you share with your communities. It’s important to identify a key story to share in your appeal letters, email blasts, social media, and any outreach activity that is part of your end-of-year campaign. It provides purpose, continuity and illustrates the impact your organization is providing. This message will serve as the common thread that will be woven into all the materials developed for the end-of-year campaign. 

The message, most importantly, must let donors know why their gift, large or small, will make an impact. They need to understand why their gift matters and how their support will change your organization. Clearly articulating how their contributions will impact a cause that is meaningful to them is the best way to retain and grow donor support.

#4 Capitalize on the Best Time of Year for Giving.  

Even with Covid-19, the 4th quarter of the year is always the best time for giving. Are you prepared to take advantage of end-of-year giving opportunities? 

A nonprofit’s year-end giving campaign is often one of the most important fundraising efforts for the year. Because 30% of all annual charitable donations take place in December, the end-of-year fundraising push is an exceptional opportunity to connect with supporters and to secure vital fundraising dollars.

Why do people give at the end of the year? 

?There are multiple reasons. Some give to take advantage of tax benefits. For others, the holiday season truly becomes the “season of giving,” and they make time to support those causes that are important to them. Still others give at the holidays because they are happy and moved to do something special. Whatever the reason, it pays for nonprofits to be prepared to take advantage of the “best time of the year for giving.”

#5 Ask! 

Just because donors are more likely to give at the end of the year does not mean they will automatically make a gift to your organization. You’ll need to ask! And you may need to ask a few times. Plan to provide a script for phone calls and letters that can be modified by your solicitors to reflect their individual styles and personalities. Suggest practicing direct solicitations through role playing. It can help build confidence. Then by all means - let everyone go and ask!

Be Distinctive

To successfully address the challenges to fundraising during the pandemic, it’s essential for you to get the basics right. I believe when organizations focus on the core principles and best practices of fundraising, no matter how simple, basic, or straightforward, it leads to sustainable and substantial growth.

Even in 2020, this time of year is the busiest and most important for nonprofits and their fundraising programs. Realize that your audiences aren’t just hearing from you, they will be receiving solicitations for their support from many other nonprofits daily. Make sure your message is clear and distinctive, so that your appeals stand out from the rest. 

We have all come to realize that this is more of a marathon than a sprint, which is why “returning to the basics” may be the best way to win the race.