Step Into the Future of Fundraising: Innovative Approaches to Grow Your Donor Base

You've probably heard the phrase "work smarter, not harder."?

But what does that mean for fundraisers??

I believe that in our digital-first, mobile-first world, leveraging data and technology is crucial to smarter fundraising strategies. At Classy and GoFundMe, we're pioneering enhancements to the Classy platform that promise not only to grow your donor base but also to maximize the value of every donation.?

Here's a glimpse into how our innovations empower smarter, more strategic fundraising:

1. Understanding and Engaging Your Supporters

With over 150 million people engaged, the GoFundMe and Classy community is rich with data offering deep insights into donor behaviors and preferences. We think a lot about how we can use this data effectively to help you fundraise smarter. Our latest innovation harnesses machine learning to suggest real-time, predictive, and personalized donation amounts directly on your forms. This level of personalization, previously only achievable through direct interactions, is now scalable, ensuring that each donor feels uniquely recognized and valued.

Imagine this scenario: You have a donor named James who gave $500 to your spring campaign last year. This year, when he saw default ask amounts of $25, $50, $100 and $150 he second-guessed his previous generosity and gave only $150. An impersonal donation experience = money left on the table.?

With our new Intelligent Ask Amounts, we tailor donation asks based on donor history and behavior. And because this feature is built on Classy and GoFundMe's extensive philanthropic dataset, it has been shown to drive 11% more revenue on average. Making every donor experience smarter and more personalized helps to ensure that every donor makes the best gift for them.?

What could you accomplish with 11% more revenue coming in through online giving?

2. Accelerating Donor Engagements with Flexible Giving Options

Why do your donors give? What’s important to them?

As nonprofits, we make our case for support, right? We can articulate why we believe people should give. But the fact is, your donors may have their own personal motivations to give.?

We may not immediately know why people want to give, or how they want to contribute. Giving is personal, and presenting your donors with different ways to engage and give creates more opportunities for them to find the way to connect that speaks to them personally.?

For example, Classy’s new Giving Cart enables donors to support multiple causes or projects in a single transaction, similar to an e-commerce shopping experience. Someone who chose to make a one-time gift may also consider giving additional gifts if given the opportunity. Imagine if you could offer ways to give that are aligned with the donors’ personal motivations like:?

• An additional gift, like books to the kids in your shelter, or food to a family in crisis?
• A recurring monthly gift
• Additional contributions to tip the scales on a crowdfunding/giving day goal

…all in one simple checkout flow.?

This flexibility encourages more giving and can significantly boost overall contributions.

3. Empowering Donors with New Tools

Eight years ago, my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a reality many in my community are aware of. Balancing my role as a busy working mom, I often find it difficult to dedicate as much time as I’d like to the Alzheimer’s Association. We all need simplicity in our lives, and GoFundMe’s new impact dashboard and links feature were an excellent solution for me. This innovation offers a way to leverage my connections for a cause close to my heart, making involvement straightforward, impactful, and, most importantly, simple.

June 20 is the longest day, and symbolic of fighting the darkness of Alzheimer’s. In support of this, I launched a GoFundMe campaign for the Alzheimer’s Association. My unique link allowed me to easily share the campaign with my network and monitor our collective impact, observing both the number of contributors and how much we raised. This approach not only makes sharing fun but also provides transparent insight into the direct effects of our community’s efforts. It’s empowering for supporters, offering a fresh, personalized way to engage our communities in meaningful action.?

Leveraging Advanced Tools for More Effective Fundraising

You can do this! In today’s fast-paced environment, embracing innovative tools that resonate with your donors’ preferences is crucial. Our mission is to make this easier for you, by simplifying your efforts in engaging and managing donor relationships, without complicating your processes. We’re here to support you as you adopt advanced new strategies, making your fundraising efforts more impactful and rewarding.?

Embrace the future of fundraising with us–where technology meets generosity. Take a look.?