Blog Articles

Do you feel like you are stuck in a rut in raising money for your cause? Are you looking for inspiration or new ideas to reach more donors and boost contributions? Check out these seven unique ideas to help your organization improve its fundraising efforts.



(Your event attendees need to be able to register online. Click here to download our guide to selecting a holistic fundraising platform for your non-profit.)

1. Captivate with Infographics

People only see a small percentage of text on a website or in an email and that text is processed at a much slower rate than pictures. Grab the attention of donors by creating infographics to visually show your nonprofit’s mission, how you are making a difference, the call to action you want, the impact of donations, and the successes of your organization. Using a mixture of powerful words and pictures (graphs, diagrams, illustrations) allows you to present information in a way that is easier to consume and more likely to be read and retained. Infographics can be used in email campaigns, donor receipts, and on social media.

2. Highlight Recurring Donors

Recurring donations bring in a steady source of funding and when you convert a donor into a recurring donor, you raise your chance of keeping that donor from year to year. Add extra value for your donors to persuade them to be a recurring donor. Make recurring donors a part of a special group that has its own title for its members and recognize this group on your communication channels. Create recurring giving levels and offer a thank you gift at each level when a commitment is made. Recurring Giving is available on all our solutions and allows your nonprofit to easily segment its communications for different groups of recurring donors.

3. Tell Stories Through Video

Storytelling especially done through video is an effective way to captivate and influence donors. Film stories from current donors, those that work with your organization and those impacted by donations. Have your storytellers explain their relationship to your cause, why your nonprofit is important to them and how donations impact them personally or your organization. Instead of filming the stories, you can ask your fans to create their own personal story videos and upload them to your website or their social media channels. Have them include a specific hashtag related to your message so you can easily find and keep track of videos.

4. Text Message For Donation

Given the immense popularity of texting, “Text-to-Donate” campaigns are an excellent means of obtaining donations. While emails go unopened for hours or days, text messages have an exceptional open rate and are more likely to receive immediate attention by recipients. Mobile giving opportunities allow your donors to give effortlessly anywhere and at anytime. Text2Donate, our text donation platform, lets you segment your text donation campaigns by donor groups and send your donor's personalized receipts. All mobile giving pages through the Text2Donate platform are responsive and will render to the device’s screen size.

5. Offer Branded Merchandise

Sell promotional merchandise that has your nonprofit’s logo or event on it to generate additional revenue. You can also offer promotional items as a bonus gift for people who participate in a fundraising event or for donors that give at a certain level. Adding an online storefront page to your website provides an intuitive, secure experience for those purchasing items. Customers can be given the option to add a donation to their purchase amount or set up scheduled donations. Providing merchandise for sale or as a gift with a donation not only increases funds but also advertises your non-profit when branded items are used by donors.

6. Host a Contest

Attract more donors by hosting a contest where for a chance to win a prize, you have to make a donation. For example, $5 donation = 1 entry, $20 donation = 5 entries. Tell your donors your nonprofit will do something fun or crazy if your fundraiser reaches a certain amount. You can spread awareness for your non-profit by hosting a photo voting contest where people can upload photos of them at your fundraising event or interacting with your non-profit and then encourage their family and friends to vote for their photo. The photo with the most votes at the end of the contest wins a prize.

7. Donations as Gifts

Set up donations as shares or memberships that may be purchased online as gifts for birthdays or holidays. Promote how a charitable donation is a gift the giver can feel good about, one that will never go to waste and is easy for the last minute shopper or a shopper wanting to avoid crowded stores. Giving online donations is unique and perfect for one who has everything. Encourage donors to organize a fundraiser for their own birthday or holidays by asking attendees or gift givers to make a donation to your cause as a gift. Make it easy for donors by building a giving form page specifically for buying donation shares and memberships as gifts.

Fundraising is a critical part of running a nonprofit and at Paperless Transactions, we understand that. We offer innovative solutions such as mobile giving, event registration, and donor management combined with cost-effective, secure payment processing that is easy to integrate with your current database and website. If your nonprofit is looking to reach donors in new ways and raise more funds, Paperless Transaction Corporation is here to help. Download our Guide to Selecting a Holistic Fundraising Platform for your Non-Profit to see how our comprehensive platform can help your organization with event management, accounting, marketing, and more.