Non-profits rely on a constant stream of donations and contributions to continually support their cause, and often help is needed to boost donations.

Appealing to potential donors requires thought. Below are five points to consider when creating a donation culture for your NFP.

5 things to consider when asking for donations

1. Make a compelling case

The first place to start is to craft a compelling story. Appeal to potential donors by outlining a narrative around why your cause exists, the issue at-hand, the intended outcome of your support, and the potential loss/concern if support is not provided.

Also be sure to create honesty and legitimacy by providing links to additional information and resources/further reading. For example, social proof of how you have supported the cause so far or specific information about where the donated money goes.

2. Leverage email

Email is one of the best ways for an NFP to be able to communicate directly with existing donors and people who have indicated an interest in your cause, at a low cost.

Using email templates is a great way to quickly get your emails up and running and into the inboxes of potential donors. Later in this blog, we will list the three Ortto templates that will get you started.

3. Dial up the personalization

When building your emails, consider who you’re talking to and why that person cares about your cause.

In Ortto, you can create audience segments in your CDP, meaning you can send the right message to the right person, and increase the chance of receiving a donation. You can then use merge tags and custom activities to further personalize communications (e.g. their first name and whether they downloaded a whitepaper/watched a webinar/attended an event).

4. Create a sense of urgency

When requesting donations, words are everything. Use storytelling and emotive language to dial up the urgency to compel potential donors to contribute sooner rather than later. You could even experiment with implementing deadlines and fundraising targets.

5. Be direct and specific

People will be more likely to donate if they know exactly what you are asking for and why, so be sure to lay out the most important information clearly, and provide a clear CTA.

3 templates to increase donation requests

Speed up the process of communicating with donors and potential donors with these three Ortto templates.

1. Nurture subscribers to donate (playbook)

Oftentimes, it can take a few nudges to get people to make a donation, so we have created a playbook template that does just that.

The playbook features three emails sent seven days apart, and each email has a different focus: statistics around the issue the NFP supports; practical tips/steps in a listicle format, and then a call-out to the initiative in question and a CTA to donate.

You can set the entry criteria as a specific audience or use action-based filters (e.g. a person has attended an event), and set the exit criteria as ‘donation has been made’.

2. Request donation or contribution (email)

Ortto’s Request donation or contribution email template is the best place to start when boosting donations, as it has a simple layout, space for information, and a clear CTA.

3. Thank donors for their donation (journey)

Something that should never be forgotten is to give thanks to donors for their contribution, no matter the contribution size.

Ortto’s Thank for donation journey template is an easy way to ensure every donation is acknowledged. Simply add in your desired content, and create a Journey where donors are automatically sent this email upon donating.

Final word

Boosting donations can be tricky, but with Ortto’s plug-and-play templates, you can set up emails in minutes and automate the donation request – and acknowledgement – journey. Check out our templates directory by signing up or signing in today.