Fundraising Reminder: People Are Still Donating

The news around individual giving may not be good, and that doesn’t mean giving can’t be good for your organization.

In the last several months, reports from nonprofit groups and businesses like CRM and data organizations have come out sharing data about nonprofit fundraising last year, specifically around donor giving.

These reports show a decline in giving last year.

The focus in conversations and social media has been on this. I see it all over LinkedIn and mentioned on podcasts. It’s become quite the talking point. Giving to nonprofits is down.

I’m not a data person, and I trust the reports.

You can trust them too. And then move on.

Don’t let this information stifle your fundraising efforts. 

People are still giving. Many of them. And they’re not giving less. This can be especially true for your donors.

Your donors still love your mission and your impact. They still want to help make the world a better place, and they feel they can do this by donating to your organization.

Take what you can from the current data. Learn from it. Then go meet with your donors. Make sure they know what your organization is doing, the impact you’re having, and most importantly, that you need their support.

All of the effort you put into building relationships with your donors in the past will make a difference now.

Giving can be down and it doesn’t have to be down for you.

More donors can become lapsed donors and that doesn’t need to be the case for your organization.

Special events for fundraising or relationship building may not work for some organizations, yet can thrive for you.

You may not be in the perfect situation in regard to leadership, board support, or having good data, and you can still have success with fundraising.

Write your list for the day, reach out to a donor (or three!), check in with your program teams, start writing your next e-appeal.

In other words, don’t stop.

—

Take a risk. Be of service. Support your friends and colleagues. Be kind.