Once your nonprofit receives a major gift, it’s your job to maintain that relationship by showing appreciation and communicating the donor’s impact. You might steward major donors by sending program updates, inviting them to VIP events, and publicly recognizing their support. All of these efforts are effective, but you can make them even more impactful by incorporating storytelling. 

Telling stories is vital to successful nonprofit communications, even in the stewardship phase. Use these strategies to fine-tune your approach and improve major donor relationships through the power of storytelling.

Your nonprofit likely tells plenty of impact stories — on your website, in conversations with major donors, through program impact reports, and during your donor acquisition and volunteer recruitment efforts. Demonstrating your organization’s impact through storytelling is a powerful way to engage your stakeholders and prove the value of your work.

But for your stories to inspire real action from your audience, they must be grounded in data. In this article, we’ll explore a few steps you can take to infuse data into your stories, helping you earn more support for your cause, steward donors, and improve relationships with funders.

Attending the Nonprofit Innovation and Optimization (NIO) Summit last month was an unforgettable experience! 

The energy was electric, and the opportunity to connect with other nonprofit leaders was invaluable. The summit spared no detail with an incredible Indiana Jones-themed production titled "Generosity Jones and the Holy Grail of Fundraising"—a fun and memorable touch.

And very fitting - don’t you feel like fundraising is always an adventure of its own?

While the summit was packed with insights, one message stood out: optimizing the donor journey is critical, especially as we approach year-end fundraising. Read on to discover a breakdown of some of the things we learned and simple steps you can take to maximize your year-end success.

Major campaigns, like capital or comprehensive campaigns, are no small feat. Before you can successfully engage your community and guide your organization to new fundraising heights, you must ensure your stakeholders are ready for such a monumental undertaking. 

That’s where feasibility studies, also known as campaign planning studies, come into play. In this guide, we’ll walk through five fundamental steps your nonprofit must take to plan and carry out a successful feasibility study.

When hosting a capital campaign, year-end campaign, or other significant fundraising initiative, it’s crucial to be strategic about the fundraising process. While smaller campaigns and fundraising efforts should still entail thoughtful planning, larger endeavors with lofty fundraising goals require more attention to the giving process and the specific donations you’re expecting.

That’s where gift range charts come in. These resources help set major campaigns up for success. The tips in this guide will help your team build an effective gift range chart that steers your campaign in the right direction.

If your nonprofit has ever fundraised for major or planned gifts, you likely know that developing donor relationships is essential for successfully securing these types of donations. Most donors are only willing to commit a significant amount of money to organizations where they feel valued as an integral part of furthering their missions. 

You may have also conducted prospect research to gather data that helped you identify potential high-impact donors. This information can provide useful insights for reaching out to and building relationships with prospects! 

In this guide, we’ll discuss some of the best strategies for incorporating prospect research into your efforts to cultivate donors. No matter what cause or campaign you’re fundraising for, these tips can help you make tailored donation requests, boost donor lifetime values, and increase supporters’ loyalty to your organization. Let’s get started!

According to 360MatchPro, nonprofits raise an average of $287 per monthly donor each year. When comparing that figure to the average annual revenue per one-time donor of $192, it’s clear that recurring donors can significantly boost your donation revenue. 

However, major and recurring donors don't just show up out of the blue (most of the time). The most successful nonprofits don’t just solicit donations and then forget about their donors. Instead, they build long-lasting relationships with donors through dedicated donor stewardship plans. 

In this guide, we’ll review three communication tips you can implement to improve your existing endowment and major donor stewardship strategy. As a result, you’ll fine-tune your approach and form even stronger bonds with your supporters.

Are hidden friction points in your donor journey causing you to lose valuable supporters? 

In today’s fast-paced world, people are constantly bombarded with distractions and have little patience for complicated processes. Any friction in your donor journey—whether it’s before, during, or after making a donation—could deter potential donors from completing their contributions, leading to missed opportunities for your nonprofit. 

That’s where donor journey optimization comes in. This strategy involves analyzing and improving each step of the donor's journey, from initial awareness to post-donation follow-up.

From Lost to Found: Turning Lapsed Donors into Loyal Supporters

Why do 57% of donors decide not to donate after their first contribution?

As somebody who worked in fundraising, this statistic stopped me in my tracks.

I remember how hard it was to attract and convert new donors. All the time creating content, crafting appeals, developing relationships, going to lunches, presenting to new audiences - just for them to give once and then ghost your organization? It makes me cringe!

In the world of fundraising, it can be disheartening to see once-dedicated contributors slip away. But fear not, because there is hope! With the right strategies and a well-executed plan, you can transform those lost donors into enthusiastic advocates for your cause.

In this article, we will explore proven techniques for rekindling the relationship with lapsed donors and getting them back on board. From personalized communication to compelling storytelling, we will uncover the secrets to reignite their passion and commitment.

Do you struggle to stand out on Giving Tuesday?  
Are you worried about donor fatigue at year-end?  
Are limited resources and technology hurdles holding your campaign back? 

As the Nonprofit Development Specialist at Carnegie Investment Counsel, I often hear these concerns. So when NXUnite reached out to me to be a panelist on their webinar, "The Final Push: Preparing for Giving Tuesday," I jumped at the opportunity!  

It was a great event where we shared strategies, trends, and innovative approaches that can help set your Giving Tuesday efforts up for success. I was joined by some seasoned development professionals who have been around the Giving Tuesday block many times: Laurie Hochman, Marketing Director from Auctria, and Kel Haney, Senior Consultant at Donorly. Along with our moderator, Colleen Carol from Nexus Marketing, we shared insights and ideas you can adapt to fit your campaign, including: 

• Effective Giving Tuesday campaign strategies. 
• Tech and tools to support your Giving Tuesday efforts. 
• How to measure impact and success after the day. 

But don’t worry if you missed it. You can watch the recording here or read on. In this article, I’ll share our insights so you can be ready for Giving Tuesday!