15 Best Digital Fundraising Ideas Any Nonprofit Can Incorporate

Fundraising, including digital fundraising, is the heartbeat of a nonprofit organization as it allows them to raise money. After all, a nonprofit needs money to reach its short & long-term goals that are beneficial for society. However, the fundraising methodology has shifted from direct mail and in-person events to online strategies like live streaming, website donations, etc.

The shift to digital fundraising is not without reason, though… From reaching a wider audience to raising more funds & awareness, there are only upsides to digital fundraising.

Today, we will take a closer look at how digital (online) fundraising works, along with a list of 15 proven digital fundraising ideas. By shifting towards the online medium, your organization can significantly increase the revenue from fundraisers!

What is digital fundraising for nonprofits?

Online fundraising involves any platforms or strategies that are used by nonprofits to raise funds online. By choosing digital fundraising, nonprofits can tap into a new stream of opportunities for raising money & awareness at a fraction of the cost.

Around 5.3 billion people are connected to the internet! This means a nonprofit can find its supporters around the world by going digital. Conversely, approaching fundraising in the traditional way will keep a nonprofit confined to its local geographic area.

Just imagine this for a moment – You can reach your supporters at any time & anywhere through desktops, laptops, mobile, tablets, & so on.

15 digital fundraising strategies for nonprofits

Not sure where to start with online fundraising? Not a problem, as we will share our top 15 ideas that are easy to use & can help you raise funds online like a pro!

1. Setup donations page

A dedicated donation page on your nonprofit website allows you to collect donations from supporters around the world.

If you don’t have a donation landing page set up on your website, then it is high time to make one. And if you don’t even have a nonprofit website yet, contact our expert team today to get started!

Coming back to the topic, a donation page should be easily accessible from the website. A good practice is to include a link to the donations page in the main navigation menu, sidebar, and footer section. This way, supporters will have easy access to the donations page throughout the website.

The donations page should include minimum elements to deliver a seamless & easy experience for the end user. The following elements are more than enough to create a good donations page:

• Consistent branding
• Title
• Intro (A short 1-2 lines to explain what you do)
• Compelling images
• Short form to collect information
• CTA button (Donate now)

You can also include videos, animations, & any other element that could compel the users to donate to your cause.

2. P2P fundraising

Why not let your supporters raise funds on behalf of your nonprofit? P2P fundraising is also a popular digital fundraising strategy that allows users to create their own fundraising pages & raise funds from their friends/family circle.

Some good examples of peer-to-peer fundraising include virtual running events, birthday fundraisers, and trivia/game nights, to name a few.

Using a P2P fundraising tool on your website, you can allow users to set up P2P fundraisers of different types.

The power of p2p fundraising lies in the fact that end users tap into their existing circle of friends and family members on social media, instant messaging apps, & other mediums.

Here’s a quick example of how P2P fundraising works:

John Smith’s birthday was on the 10th of January, and he decided to celebrate it differently this time. So, he goes to a nonprofit website and sets up an online fundraiser. Then, he shared the special link to his fundraiser on social media sites Like Twitter, Facebook, & others.

Now, Anyone who is connected to John on social media can participate in the fundraiser as a way to wish him a Happy Birthday!

As you can see, the beauty of P2P fundraisers is that nonprofits don’t have to make any effort as it is done by the end user.

3. Online events

Online events are a cost-effective alternative to in-person events with a lot of benefits! These events are hosted on a live-streaming platform & can be attended by anyone from any part of the world. When we look at in-person events, they can only be attended by those in the local area!

When it comes to hosting virtual events, you can do a lot of things, such as:

• Trivia nights
• Comedy nights
• Talent shows
• Workshops/Classes
• Gaming livestream
• Galas
• Online auctions

And much more.

The next question is how a nonprofit can earn money by hosting online events. Well, one of the many ways is to sell tickets to your online event. Another way to earn money is to ask the attendees to donate money during the event.

You can sell the tickets on your website by creating a temporary page for events. A good strategy to utilize here is to also collect registration details which can then be used to contact the users repeatedly.

4. Email campaigns

It would be an injustice not to mention email campaigns when talking about digital fundraising best practices. Email allows your nonprofit organization to communicate with supporters & ask them for donations.

It is best to separate your supporters into different groups, such as:

• Prospective donors
• New donors
• Repeat donors
• Lapsed donors

This segmentation will enable you to send relevant email content to each group. For example, you can send information about your cause to prospective donors before asking for donations. Similarly, you can thank new donors for their contribution & then maintain contact so that they contribute again & again.

For lapsed donors, you can send reminders, or you can ask them why they have stopped giving money to your nonprofit.

Either way, you will either be able to get them to donate again or find out the cause behind why they stopped donating. This information can then be used to make improvements & perhaps persuade the lapsed donors to start chipping in money again.

When compared with direct mail, it becomes clear that digital fundraising offers a far better way of communication via email! From sending personalized emails with names to sending relevant content, email campaigns stand at the top of virtual fundraising ideas.

5. Social media challenges

Another great digital fundraising strategy is to set up a challenge to your social media followers. For example, you can ask your followers to share acts of kindness that would be featured on your social media page.

Or, you can set up a photography contest among your followers and choose the winner based on engagement (most likes, shares, etc).

Always include a donation link and information about your nonprofit in the social media posts. Also, ask the participants of the challenges to include a donation link in their posts to reach a wider audience.

Some more examples of social media challenges are given below:

• Digital art contest
• Virtual fitness challenge
• Travel from home challenge
• Virtual 1K/2K/5K runs

And so on…

6. Virtual cards

Another digital fundraising strategy is virtual cards or eCards, which are digital versions of greeting cards. Donors can purchase a virtual card from your website and then send it as a gift to their friends/family members.

For example, a potential donor can buy a virtual card in honor of their loved one or to remember a late friend/family member. Similarly, virtual cards can also be gifted to those who have a birthday, which can be a nice gesture instead of the plain old physical gifts.

eCardWidget is one of the many platforms that can be used to set up an eCard fundraising page on your nonprofit website.

7. Text to give

I am sure you will have first-hand experience with a text-to-go fundraising campaign yourself… By sending a text message from their mobile, donors can send funds directly to the nonprofit organization from their mobile balance.

One way to approach a text-to-give campaign is to send a text message or email to the potential donors. You can specify the preset phone number and the keyphrase they need to text in order to donate money.

Another way to run a text-to-give campaign is during an online event, website, or social media. Once again, you can tell them the benefits of donating to your cause & how they can donate by sending a text message.

8. Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding allows nonprofits to collect donations from the crowd. The idea behind crowdfunding is that even small contributions can become a big amount if enough people do it.

For example, if 1000 people donate even $10 to a nonprofit, it would amount to $10,000 in raised funds. If you think about it, it is easy for people to chip in $10 as opposed to a big amount like $100 or even $1000.

One of the major benefits of crowdfunding is that it allows everyone to become a part of your nonprofit cause. Even if someone doesn’t donate money, they can still participate by sharing the crowdfunding page on their social media profiles.

If done correctly, crowdfunding campaigns can easily gather some major traction on social media sites. So, if you have yet to implement crowdfunding into your digital fundraising strategy, it is high time to do it now!

9. Pledge campaign

Running a pledge campaign can be a great way of encouraging people to promise a donation paid at a later date. One of the major benefits of an online pledge drive is that you can follow through with each supporter to increase the chances of receiving a donation.

For example, let’s say that 1000 people pledged to donate money to your nonprofit organization. Now, you can continue to provide updates & encourage them to go through with their donations. By utilizing online mediums to communicate with supporters, you can increase the chances of turning pledges into actual donations.

Once again, email campaigns can be a really great strategy to combine with pledge drives for improved donation rates.

10. #GivingTuesday

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving day is celebrated as a global day of giving. In 2023, donations on the Giving Tuesday are expected to reach $5.1 billion. In 2022, the donations reached $3.1 billion on Giving Tuesday, which highlights the power of this movement.

If #GivingTuesday is not a part of your digital fundraising strategy, then you are missing out on action! To use this opportunity, you can create a dedicated landing page on your site & then drive traffic to it via SEO, social media, email campaigns, text messages, & so on.

11. Google Ads

For small nonprofits, running an online ads campaign on Google was out of the question because of the high price. However, that has now changed with the introduction of Google Grants.

If approved, a nonprofit can get up to $10,000 worth of Google Ads. This can be used for driving traffic to online events, donation pages, or even for email subscriptions.

The bottom line is that you can reach a wider audience with the help of Google Grants & increase your chances of driving more donations.

Google Ads allow your nonprofit to rank higher on the Google search results through sponsored listings. With the right keywords, this can provide a fighting chance for your nonprofit to compete against the bigger organizations.

12. Matching gift programs

Out of all the online fundraising ideas, matching gifts is the one that is usually overlooked and underutilized by nonprofits.

Here’s how a corporate matching gift program works:

Employees donate whatever they feel comfortable with to an eligible nonprofit. The employer then matches the contributions of the employees by donating the same amount of money. Let’s say that 100 employees donated $50, which amounts to $ 5,000. Now, the employer will also donate $5000 and send a total of $10,000 to the eligible nonprofit.

If you think about it, corporate matching gift programs offer a good source of revenue for nonprofits. However, not many nonprofits/charities know about these programs & thus miss out on an important opportunity.

Statistics tell us that the $4 to $7 billion worth of matching gift funds remain unclaimed every year. In addition, around 65% of the Fortune 500 companies (top 500 companies based on revenue) participate in matching gift programs.

Now, the question is, how can a nonprofit incorporate this strategy into their digital fundraising initiative? The easiest way is to include a matching gift database tool on your website. This will enable the supporters to find out if the company they are working for participates in a matching gift program.

A more comprehensive solution is to use a matching gift automation platform like 360MatchPro on your website. They offer an extensive range of tools to help nonprofits raise more funds & save valuable time.

13. Merchandise

You can add a twist to fundraising by offering an incentive against donations. By selling merchandise on your nonprofit website, you can raise money while also offering something to potential donors.

Your nonprofit organization can sell a lot of merchandise items like mugs, t-shirts, hoodies, water bottles, bracelets, keychains & so on.

Also, make sure that each merchandise item you sell is branded and represents your nonprofit organization. This will ensure that every time a supporter wears the t-shirt or sips coffee from a mug, they will also spread the word about your nonprofit’s cause.

14. Recurring donations

What’s more valuable? A one-time donation or recurring donations that take place automatically? I am sure the answer is the latter!

A nonprofit organization can benefit immensely from donations that are deducted on a weekly, monthly, & yearly basis. Recurring donations are also beneficial for the donors as it saves them the hassle of entering their payment information every single time on your website.

Not only does it save time, but it is also a convenient option for those who want to continue supporting your nonprofit’s cause.

So, another great digital fundraising strategy is to offer an option for both one-time & recurring donations for the supporters. You will also have to contact your payment processor to see if they offer support for recurring donations.

15. Video content

Videos are everywhere, which is enough to speak about the popularity of this medium. According to statistics about video content, a user can only retain 10% of the message if it is in text form. Conversely, the retention ratio of the message is 95% in the case of video.

The bottom line is that the engagement & retention rate of videos is higher than that of text! By using video content, you can ask the supporters for donations and also highlight how your nonprofit is making an impact.

Showing the faces of people and the real-life impact of your nonprofit’s mission can help you raise more money & awareness.

Conclusion

To sum it up, the digital era has revolutionized nonprofit fundraising as well. By going digital, any nonprofit can tap into unparalleled opportunities for global outreach and increased support.

From donation pages to P2P fundraising and social media challenges, the digital landscape offers a wealth of proven strategies.

At Canadian Digital Consulting, we specialize in crafting tailored solutions for nonprofits, including:

• Website development
• Captivating landing pages
• Compelling visual branding

Our years of expertise ensure that nonprofits & charities can navigate the digital realm seamlessly, maximizing their potential for successful and impactful fundraising endeavors.