Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits in 2023

There’s no better way than with a dog wash to show your love for their furry friends. Get in touch with local writers who might be invested in your cause, and recruit them to read their work. Consider asking writers who might already volunteer with you, or who may have written books or essays relevant to your cause.
The beauty of this club fundraising idea lies in its simplicity. Hug booths are simple to put together – all you need is a stand/booth and a bunch of loving volunteers willing to give out hugs. Try to see if a local tree nursery would donate fundraising platform for nonprofits saplings to this event to increase your earnings even more. Get your community together at the local park and spend a day of goodness together. Organize a Cultural Theme Day focusing on a specific part of the world or a specific culture.

This way, you can keep people engaged at times when they might drop off. For example, if someone is outbid on an item, you can suggest they donate the amount they would have paid to your organization directly. Twice as likely to give through structured vehicles, such as DAFs. This past year, an international humanitarian conflict, major legislative changes, devastating natural disasters, and 40-year high inflation rates dominated headlines and our attention. These events raised demands for the nonprofit community and continued to fuel donor engagement, ignited by unprecedented supporter activation during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is advisable to use an online system that automatically collects this data through an online donation form and stores donor and donation information in the database.
We recommend that you take these events a step further by sending individuals a “cocktail kit” to make their own specialty beverage at home. Then, everyone can hop on a call together using video conferencing software and engage in conversation while sipping their homemade cocktails. Bloomerang Academy Learn from our team of fundraising and technology experts. Webinars & Events Watch informational webinars and attend industry events. Articles Read the latest from our community of fundraising professionals.

So it may seem obvious, but it’s vital to have mobile giving opportunities that both major mobile operating systems can use. Because there are more avenues than ever for reaching donors—social media, mail, email, ads—it can be difficult to keep your organization on the top of a potential donor’s mind. Sending text reminders is an easy, effective way to remind donors that your campaign is still active and that your mission deserves support. Collecting mobile donations means you don’t have to wait for checks in the mail or the end of the billing period to collect the funds your mission needs. Having giving kiosks available is a secure and easy way to collect donations without asking your donors to pull up your donation form on their own mobile devices. In an increasingly cashless world, kiosks give your organization more opportunities for in-person fundraising.
The famous “Buy One, Give One” concept, popularized byTOMS, is a straightforward and inspirational way to fundraise. Cafes are a great place to host your Paw Wars as there’s a lot of chance that people will have some spare change on them. If you’re passionate about wildlife and/or would like to organize an event that doesn’t necessarily involve pets, try organizing a bird-a-thon. Contact a variety of local businesses and see if one would allow you to take images at their locations and if they would sponsor the project.
Plus, BWF’s services extend beyond the typical consulting firm model. In addition to offering guidance and advice, BWF connects directly with donors to learn more about how they think, feel, and behave. Then, organizations work with BWF to segment supporters, create streamlined donor journeys, and convert more prospects into true supporters. Most online donors have a smartphone and will use that over their computer to research and donate to a nonprofit. To ensure you receive that donation, nonprofits must choose a mobile-friendly solution.

Likewise, if you’re trying to raise money for a literacy program, texting your donors to donate probably won’t work either. For example, one major nonprofit medical research organization never set a fundraising goal. Because they focused so narrowly on one specific research project that they didn’t even consider setting a fundraising goal. [If possible, add a personal connection to tie the donor to your cause.
Or, you can engage a company that can handle the details for you. While the goal of the call might be to secure a donation, you can learn a lot in the process. Keep your event true to your organization’s personality and donors’ interests. Here’s a great example of a nonprofit organization using Donorbox to successfully run its crowdfunding campaign.

Make sure your fundraising software offers mobile-responsive pages that let your donors easily give on the go. Establish a sense of urgency and build a narrative that encourages your supporters to raise a certain amount before the event in order to unlock day-of prizes. With the right fundraising software, you can empower your organization’s biggest supporters to leverage their personal networks on behalf of your cause. Below are four tactics to try that can quickly yield serious results.
Salesforce Nonprofit Fundraising solutions can help you capture all supporter information and interaction in one place to create a unified view of your constituents. This makes it easier to build strong relationships with lifelong givers. Plus, when you have access to relevant data and insights, you can make more informed decisions to drive impact. Host a virtual movie night using a platform like Netflix Party or Kast or stream on YouTube Live. Choose a movie with a plot or characters that align with your mission.
Include a link to your online donation page, so people have the opportunity to make additional donations. If possible, include an invitation to your next virtual fundraising event and add them to your email updates list. You’ll also need to be able to accept online donations for the event. A custom online donation page is easy to make and excellent for participants to share with their friends and family. If you plan to run the fundraising event as a peer-to-peer fundraiser, each participant will need their own unique donation page. Once you have your online entertainment lined up, start inviting people to attend!

When used strategically, social media can help your organization raise money and expand your reach in a short amount of time.. All it takes is a concerted effort to engage your supporters and patience to try different types of content to see what your audience connects with. The design of your online donation form should mirror the look and feel of your website. When branding a form, you should use the same font, colors, imagery, and language included on your website. An unbranded form can reduce a donor’s confidence in the security of their data—especially if they’re visiting the form directly from an email or social link. Before any fundraising campaign begins, you should set goals and track them with key performance indicators .
Charge an entry fee and/or instruct students to fundraise throughout the week. A social media plan will help you put out the information your donors need when and where they need it. Lots of nonprofits turn to giving circles or giving clubs to help them raise funds. These are groups of philanthropic individuals who gather to discuss where to direct their support. If you have the opportunity to present to such a group, you should take it! There’s no telling how much you can raise through a giving circle.