5 Tips for Fall Fundraising: Make Sure Your Nonprofit Digital Program is R.E.A.D.Y.

By Stephanie Tippitt, VP/Digital Strategy

Get R.E.A.D.Y. with 5 fall fundraising ideas to make it the best ever!

The fall fundraising season is almost here! I’m excited as I see all the digital media we’re getting ready to deploy for our BDI clients – especially knowing that for many nonprofits, the fall fundraising season generates more than 60% of their annual fundraising revenue.

Yes, you read that right. More than 60% of nonprofits’ annual revenue!

Because of that, I want you to be ready for this busy and critically important fundraising season. Of course, with your digital fundraising… but also, mentally and emotionally. The fall fundraising season takes a lot of energy and time, so here are some ways you can be fully prepared to meet it head on.

Here are 5 fall fundraising tips to make sure your organization is R.E.A.D.Y.  

Recharge. 

The pandemic has been hard on all of us – but especially people who serve in the nonprofit human services sector. And if you’re working from home, or even if you’re back at the office, it can be a challenge not to sit down at your computer and pop open your email for a quick look… day and night. I know that’s been true for me! 

My first recommendation (and one I hope to do myself) is that you and your team set aside time throughout the fall to recharge. That may be scheduling some all-team lunches and outings – or spending a day or two together with the team away from your desks. However you and your organization decide to recharge, your time away will help you feel more focused and prepared to serve your organization during this incredibly busy season of fundraising. 

Evaluate your website. 

Not only is fall the strongest fundraising time period, but your website is also going to see increased traffic this time of year. Some of that traffic will be coming to your website for the very first time, which is so exciting! 

If that sounds just a bit scary as you think about your organization’s website, here’s a  checklist to make sure your website is ready for your new visitors. 

View your homepage through the lens of a new visitor… 

• Does it quickly tell your organization’s story (mission and vision)? 
• Can you easily find the link to make a donation? 
• Is the content current? 
  • If not, delete any old events or news stories that are no longer relevant.
• Is it easy to use on both your desktop computer and your mobile device?
• Pull a report from your Google Analytics account viewing the top 10 or 15 visited pages on your site. 
  • Make sure these pages are current and have a clear Call To Action (donate, learn more, etc.). 
• Ask yourself this question: “After someone views this page, do they know exactly what I want them to do next?”

Analyze your donation page. 

Here are a few questions to ask about your donation page: 

• Is it easy to make a donation on both your desktop computer and your mobile device?
• Is the user’s experience free of any friction during the giving process?
• Does it share your value proposition clearly and compellingly?
• With the latest Facebook and Google requirements, make sure you are either embedding the donation page or have a sub-domain set up such as give.missionname.org.

Read this past article I wrote for some more ideas on how to optimize your donation page.

Digital media channels must be authorized.  

With the many recent changes made by Facebook and Google, there are a few additional steps you must take to avoid any interruptions to the fall paid media campaigns and ensure their effectiveness. 

• Verify your website domain for Facebook. 
• Set up a subdomain for your donation page like mentioned above. Facebook and Google are requiring that your ads link to a donation page that has the same domain as your website. 
• Facebook ad tracking update. Adjustments must be made in your Facebook Business Manager account so that you can continue to report on revenue.

Though this can sound overwhelming, the BDI digital team is prepared to assist you and make sure your digital media is good to go throughout the fall fundraising season. You can email us directly at websupport@bdiagency.com.

Yes. Say yes to creating a social media calendar. 

Just as your website and donation pages will see increased traffic during the fall, so will your social media channels! So the fall fundraising season is a great opportunity to build your social audiences. 

My best tip: Review the BDI digital marketing calendar for each month in the fall and pre-plan your own complementary social media posts for this timeframe.  

Quick ideas: Create a few posts that support and enforce the fundraising message of the month, share compelling success stories and create posts for the holidays. You’ll most likely add to this calendar during the season, but if you have a few pre-scheduled posts prepared, it will definitely save you time and improve the overall quality and quantity of content on your channels.

As we experience the beautifully-busy, crazy-cool fall fundraising season together, remember to take a deep breath. You got this… and we’re here to help throughout the fall if or when you need it!

For more details on these fall fundraising ideas and more, please contact the BDI Digital Team at websupport@bdiagency.com. We would love to hear from you!