How to Create Effective Virtual Volunteer Training Courses

 When you think of volunteer training, you may think of printed handouts, PowerPoint slides, and a litany of procedures and regulations. While the exact nature of each volunteer onboarding program depends on the work of the nonprofit and the tasks at hand, this kind of training can get a bad rap for being tedious. 

This is true even when the information shared is critical for effective, organized, and safe volunteer labor. Plus, on top of the responsibility-related details, you also want new volunteers to understand the mission of your organization and how the work they’re doing makes a tangible difference. This is a tall order for “normal” times, let alone in the circumstances of 2021. How can your nonprofit accomplish all of these goals in an engaging way even when the volunteer landscape has been transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic?

Many organizations have had to close their doors to volunteers completely or drastically cut down on the number of individuals who are able to serve. For volunteers who are over the age of 65 or have underlying medical conditions, even socially-distanced involvement opportunities are not safe or feasible.

When possible, many nonprofits have implemented new virtual volunteer programs so that supporters can contribute from the comfort of their own homes. But with a new type of volunteering comes a new need for virtual training materials that help supporters understand and retain essential information. 

At Skyepack, we design engaging digital course materials for organizations and educators who want to create the best experience possible for their learners. To help you optimize your virtual volunteer training program, we’ve compiled a few key strategies: 

  1. Consider the goals of your volunteer training program.
  2. Analyze differences between in-person and virtual training.
  3. Choose an engaging course delivery platform.
  4. Iterate and improve the course over time.

Your volunteers are essential to the progress and productivity of your organization. Make sure they have the tools and knowledge they need to succeed—even virtually—by offering a training program catered to their needs. 

Consider the goals of your volunteer training program.

Broadly, the goal of your training program is to empower new volunteers to contribute effectively to your organization. On the most basic level, you want each individual to be equipped to fulfill their responsibilities without feeling overwhelmed or confused. However, you should also consider how your training program can support the long-term sustainability of your organization.

Volunteer onboarding is the first step in what will hopefully be a long relationship with each volunteer. In order to build that foundation, you need to start off with a good first impression. After all, if you invest in engagement from the start, you’ll have more commitment from volunteers and ultimately, higher retention rates.

To design a volunteer training program that will drive long-term support, you need to carefully tailor the course to the needs of your volunteers and your organization. As you analyze the overall goals of your volunteer training program, keep the following questions in mind:

  • Is it one-time or ongoing? Consider whether the training program is exclusively part of the onboarding process or whether it is a resource volunteers will continue to find valuable over time.
  • What information do you need to include? Be sure to cover a brief history of your organization and mission as well as the details of the volunteer responsibilities.
  • How long should the course take? The length of the course will vary depending on the skill of the volunteer work—individuals training to quality test audiobooks will need more training than people in a nursing home pen pal program.
  • Will all volunteers complete the course in its entirety? Assess whether there are skills, procedures, or concepts that will only be applicable to a certain group.

This list is not exhaustive and won’t cover the specifics of every organization, but it should jump-start your thinking about which needs you must address.

Finally, don’t limit yourself to a one-size-fits-all approach. You may consider having separate sections of the course for new and returning volunteers. For longtime volunteers, be sure to include any updates that are virtual-specific as well as general information about hours tracking, sign-ups, and corporate volunteer grant programs.

Analyze differences between in-person and virtual training.

The foundation of your virtual volunteer training course will be similar to what you covered in person. After all, the core of your mission and your organization hasn’t changed! 

However, you must also consider how to reframe your volunteer experience for the virtual world. This applies both to the volunteer activities themselves and to the training program. 

For the volunteer tasks, take into account the changes you’ve made since you pivoted to the virtual sphere. Be sure to update any training documents that are only relevant to in-person volunteering. 

A course design specialist can help you update existing material, curate new high-quality resources from external sources, and create new documentation where needed. For instance, if you’re adopting a new tech platform to handle remote volunteer activities, you may need a walk-through of the specific processes each individual will need to know.

From an educational perspective, you’ll also need to consider how volunteers will be able to address questions that arise. While an online course is a powerful tool for instruction, it can be more challenging to detect misunderstandings and confusion when volunteers aren’t in the room together. You’ll want to create a way for volunteers to connect with each other virtually in order to foster a sense of community and provide a space for questions. A private Facebook group can work well to meet this need.

Choose an engaging course delivery platform.

As you determine which training course platform to add to your nonprofit’s tech stack, be sure to look for a service that is tuned in to the rapidly-evolving nature of digital course materials. 

With the increased prevalence of online learning, there are many hot topics in the world of instructional design trends. Course designers and instructors are finding new ways to use technology to facilitate effective learning experiences even outside of a traditional classroom.

While not every trend will make sense in  the context of volunteer training, you should consider implementing innovations such as:

  • Mobile learning. More and more web traffic originates from smartphones, so your training course should be mobile-friendly. Then, volunteers will have convenient access to key information while on the go.
  • Interactive learning. Make sure your course offers interactive elements like quizzes, drag and drop activities, and comprehension questions.
  • Social learning. Collaboration and discussion can enhance the learning experience and allow volunteers to immerse themselves more deeply in the content.
  • Video. Today’s online courses use a variety of multimedia content, but in our streaming-focused society, video is one of the biggest players to consider.

These features will ensure volunteers can engage and interact with your content rather than simply skimming through the material. Your volunteers likely process information in different ways—such as through sight, sound, practice, or interaction. Offering a variety of content delivery and engagement options will increase the efficacy of the training. 

Iterate and improve the course over time.

To engage and retain volunteers, they need to feel recognized, listened to, and empowered to make a difference. As a volunteer coordinator, you know these elements are key indicators for whether a volunteer will return time and time again. To keep volunteers coming back, Lumaverse’s guide to volunteer appreciation recommends stewarding your volunteers with just as much effort and intention as you would your donors. Part of this gratitude and appreciation should involve asking your volunteers for honest feedback about their experiences volunteering with your organization. 

Among other volunteer management areas to gather input on, be sure to include your training program in any survey you send out. Collect qualitative feedback on which parts of your course are most effective (and which could use some work), as well as which elements volunteers found the most engaging and entertaining. You should consider both the format and content of the course to get a comprehensive picture.  

You also may be able to gather quantitative data from your course delivery platform to see which topics were the most challenging, or which activities seemed most effective. Taken together, these data sets will help you make improvements for the next cohort of volunteers going through training.

With this in mind, it’s best to follow a course development process that isn’t a one-and-done approach. By following a cyclical framework like Skyepack’s Agile instructional design model, you can prioritize the needs of your volunteers at every stage of the process, even after the course is launched. 


Soon, we’ll be able to resume in-person volunteer activities like sorting donations, serving food, and building homes. In the meantime, virtual volunteering can still enable your supporters to give back and engage with your organization. 

To make these virtual opportunities as effective as possible, be sure to equip volunteers with an interactive and informative training program. A positive onboarding experience will pave the way towards a long and mutually beneficial volunteer engagement.


About the Author: Brady Kalb, CEO

Brady is a “reformed engineer turned entrepreneur”. After engineering gigs at two Fortune 100 companies, Brady left the corporate world to pursue a business degree and seek out new challenges. Brady’s passion for education stems from his desire to “always be learning” and find innovative solutions to difficult problems. Brady enjoys family outings to the park, explaining the answers of “Life, the Universe, and Everything” to his daughters, and reading just about anything (favorites are classics, popular fiction, and biographies).

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4 Important Donor Data Practices to Bring into 2021

This past year has shaken up the efforts of even the most experienced fundraisers. No one could have expected a global pandemic and the resulting mass social distancing guidelines, let alone their effect on how nonprofits connect with supporters and solicit donations. 

With most face-to-face interactions paused, nonprofit leaders had to modernize their fundraising efforts and communicate with supporters in creative digital ways. Virtual events have now become the norm, and there’s been a major shift of organizations moving to remote work

Because of digital advancements like these, nonprofits also saw an increased dependence on management tools and communication tech, as well as the data they produce and collect. As we prepare for 2021, it’s important to remember this: Taking a data-based approach is invaluable and is the best way for nonprofits to reach their supporters in meaningful ways and further their fundraising goals.

Using data to back up your nonprofit strategies and donor engagements has been a reliable method of growing organizations for a while now. Since most of your nonprofit engagements are currently limited to digital communications and other virtual tools, you likely have more data available to you than ever before. 

This guide will walk you through some of the most important donor data practices you should follow, especially as you head into this new year. You’ll be exploring the following tips:

  1. Ensure your donation forms collect key information.
  2. Use your donor data to create targeted marketing content.
  3. Regularly analyze your donor data.
  4. Take necessary steps to protect your donor data.

Donor data is valuable when the methods to obtain it are organized and accurate. This will likely rely on the tools you use, so investing in a dependable online donation tool and nonprofit payment processor is key. Ready to learn more? Let’s begin.

1. Ensure your donation forms collect key information.

To build an arsenal of rich and valuable donor data, you will need a donation form that asks for that information. This seems like a basic tip, but ensuring your donation forms are optimized and collecting the right information is the first step to getting your donor data in tip-top shape. 

The donor data that your organization considers relevant will depend on your unique mission, goals, and engagements. For instance, if your organization often hosts ticketed events, a relevant field that you’ll want to include is ticket amount and ticket type. In general, the key information you want your donation form to collect will include:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Email address/Phone number
  • Donation amount
  • Payment information

Pulled from iATS Payments guide to donation form best practices, here’s an example form that asks for the essentials:

Make sure your online donation form is integrated with your donor database. This way, all of your critical supporter information is directed to centralized and comprehensive donor profiles. Having an integrated nonprofit tech solution is crucial for many reasons, especially to ensure that your data is accurate and can be used for any engagement, like in your marketing efforts.

2. Use your donor data to create targeted marketing.

Now that your donation form is collecting the right donor data, let’s discuss how you can use it. A best practice that you should definitely continue in 2021 is using donor data to create targeted marketing campaigns and content. 

According to AccuData’s data marketing guide, “the main benefit of data marketing is the specificity the strategy offers, improving your ROI and the overall success of campaigns.” In simple terms, using data to inform your marketing strategy allows you to focus on high potential supporters as well as create content that is most likely to increase engagement. But how do you do so?

First, look at your donor and fundraising database. Take note of any key spikes in engagement and if a particular marketing campaign caused it. This gives you a clear idea of successful past strategies and what might work again. 

You can also use your donor data to learn more about your nonprofit audience. For instance, see if there are any common metrics that your donors share. This could be something like age, location, past engagement type, and more. Then, segment your supporters by these common metrics and create personas for them. This gives you a concrete “target” for any marketing strategies and content that you create. 

Let’s use an example: Segment your major donors in your nonprofit database. You might define these supporters as those that donate over $10,000 each year. These individuals respond most positively to personal phone calls and hand-written letters. Using this persona information, draft targeted messages and main points to cover during phone conversations,

This targeted information along with a fundraising appeal will inspire the supporter to give again more so than a generalized email asking for a gift. This way, the recipient is reminded of how much their previous contribution was valued, enticing them to be a part of this high-impact group and give again.

3. Regularly analyze your donor data.

A huge benefit of collecting donor data is its ability to help you improve future processes and optimize nonprofit strategies. That’s why it’s essential that you regularly analyze your donor data. 

Using your donor database, compile key reports on relevant metrics and fundraising data in order to track a campaign’s process. This might depend on the type of database you use, but many of them will compile these types of reports for you. For instance, after your organization hosts an event, you should compile reports and analyze key data points from it. Include metrics like many attendees there are, how many of those attendees made an additional gift, and so on. 

A good practice to keep is compiling a nonprofit annual report. Not only should you compile data for your team to analyze, but pulling key information into an annual report allows you to distribute insights to your supporters as well. This will summarize your organization’s progress for the year and present it in a visually pleasing and digestible format for supporters and other stakeholders of your mission. This shows them your progress, as well as the goals that you will tackle in the new year.

4. Take necessary steps to protect your donor data.

As your nonprofit expands and takes on additional software solutions, you are able to collect more information through online interactions with supporters. However, this increased transfer of information could also increase your vulnerability to hackers and fraud if you’re not careful.

When someone gives to your organization, they’re submitting sensitive information and financial details all in the name of supporting your cause. They’re putting a lot of trust in your organization. Show that you value this trust and work to keep it by taking the necessary steps to protect donor data. 

The top area of concern is likely your online payment tool. It’s critical that you invest in a payment processor that:

  • Is PCI compliant
  • Has data portability
  • Offers 24/7 security assistance
  • Has experience with nonprofits

Along with the above, your payment provider should incorporate additional fraud protection tools. Taking some insight from this article on online fraud protection for nonprofits, some common fraud protection tools are an address verification system (AVS), bank identification number (BIN) blocking, and a card verification code requirement (CVV2).

Wrapping Up

Donor data is a valuable resource that all nonprofits and fundraisers should be taking advantage of. Not only does it make your tools and internal processes more efficient and streamlined, but it can also definitely aid your fundraising efforts and donor engagement strategies. As you compile additional donor data, make sure you’re keeping it safe so that you maintain the trust of your supporters and can continue growing, especially as we head into a new year. Good luck!


About the Author: Matt Dunne

Driven by his desire to support numerous charitable causes in his home country of Ireland, Matt joined the iATS Payments Team in March 2016 to leverage his entrepreneurial experience in support of the non-profit industry. He empowers partner organizations to provide impartial, accurate and valuable payments information and knowledge to the Nonprofit community.

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3 Strategies for Nonprofit Volunteer Retention in a Virtual World

Donor retention gets a lot of attention, and with good reason. Generally, the average nonprofit retention rate has hovered around 40% for years. However, when you increase that rate by simply 10% (or hopefully more), you can raise tens of thousands of dollars more at your organization. 

Similarly, when you engage and retain volunteers, you’ll save money on recruitment and training activities for the future, helping you focus more intently on your mission. 

The first step to increasing your volunteer retention rate is showing your appreciation appropriately to those who engage with your organization and contribute to your success. 

This will help you develop effective and beneficial relationships between your organization and your valuable supporters. Luckily, there is a lot of overlap between the strategies that help retain donors and the strategies that help retain volunteers. At the end of the day, supporters of every kind want to be recognized, appreciated and engaged.

Here at Bloomerang, we designed our nonprofit software solution with retention in mind. We help thousands of nonprofits improve their retention rates by developing strong relationships with supporters every day. From our ample experience, we’ve developed a list of appreciation strategies that your organization can employ to cultivate your relationship among volunteers. 

Without further ado, let’s dive into some volunteer appreciation and stewardship ideas that can help you develop relationships and improve your retention rates. 

1. Provide Non-Traditional Volunteer Activities

Social distancing may have limited your ability to host in-person volunteers. But beyond the pandemic, you may have supporters who love you but don’t live near your office or service area, or who are unable to help in-person due to a disability. In any case, it’s a good idea to have virtual volunteer opportunities so that all of that passion doesn’t go under-leveraged.

There are many ways for volunteers to help out from the comfort and safety of their own home. Consider, for instance, the following merchandise ideas: 

  • Peer-to-Peer Fundraising. Encouraging supporters to leverage their networks to create new donor opportunities is a high-value activity with a low cost of donor acquisition. For example, if you have birthday data on your volunteers, suggest they host a Facebook birthday fundraiser that benefits your nonprofit.
  • Letter Writing. Volunteers are great people to say thank you to donors; even more so that staff members. Thank you phone calls to donors are also a great use of volunteer time and energy. It doesn’t just have to be donor-facing. Consider asking volunteers to write letters of advocacy to local politicians, or sign petitions for change that benefits your organization. 
  • Social Media. Sharing is caring! If you have a campaign that is being promoted on social media, don’t be afraid to ask volunteers to go out and engage with those posts. It will help drive engagement and show the network algorithms that it’s content worth promoting to a higher percentage of the newsfeed.

When you make volunteerism more accessible and the opportunities more diverse, you can go beyond just pulling weeds or painting walls and really begin to engage your volunteers in unique ways that pay dividends!

2. Foster Community Among Supporters

Now more than ever, society craves the comforts of a tight-knit community. We’re more physically separated from one another than we have ever been. When you’re able to foster community among your supporters, you can satisfy this need for social interaction and connection, even while everyone remains socially distant. 

Using some of the remote opportunities and technologies that have become available this year, nonprofits like yours are able to create virtual opportunities for community gatherings amongst their supporters. While it does present a bit of a challenge, your nonprofit can still engage your supporters remotely; all it takes is some additional planning and prep work. 

The first step to create community among your remote supporters is to start with excellent virtual event opportunity ideas. As you begin, we recommend analyzing past successful virtual fundraising ideas. Make sure to rework them so that the event can be free for donors and volunteers to attend—after all, this event is to show appreciation rather than ask for funding. 

For instance, consider some of the ideas listed on Bloomerang’s virtual fundraising ideas guide

  • Online cooking night. Do you know a local chef in the community? Is there one on your team? Ask them to lead your supporters through a mouth-watering home-cooked meal. Send out the list of ingredients ahead of time. Then, you can video tape (or live stream!) the instructional video so that your supporters can follow along. 
  • TED Talk events. Offer TED Talk or other educational event opportunities so that your organization can present valuable information about your cause to your supporters. Create an engaging and informative presentation during which you can present new trends and research information about your mission. 
  • Virtual happy hour. Spark discussion by encouraging all of your valued supporters to gather together via virtual conferencing platform and enjoy their favorite beverages. Plan out discussion questions ahead of time to make sure everyone gets involved in the conversation.
  • Virtual book discussions. Book clubs are a great way to encourage people to come together for an engaging discussion. Look for a book that highlights the importance of your mission, then offer virtual book club opportunities so that your supporters can “gather” together regularly. 
  • Send physical gifts. Never underestimate the power of a small token of gratitude and the immense impact it can have on relationships with your supporters. Try branding these items to your organization so that you can spread awareness of your brand while showing your appreciation. Facemasks, stickers and t-shirts are low-cost and functional ways to let volunteers show off their pride for you, while getting your name and brand out in the community. Include a section in your budgeted expenses for volunteer appreciation gifts and try not to exceed that limit. 

When you design your organization’s strategic plan for the year, be sure to factor in both your fundraising events and your stewardship/appreciation events. There should be a good mix of both in your prospective calendar, creating a balance so that you can present involvement opportunities and show appreciation opportunities to supporters. 

This balance is what creates the best communities. Your supporters should neither feel like you’re pestering them for funding nor like they’re not helping the cause. 

3. Recognize and Encourage

There was a study conducted at Harvard discussing how praise and positive feedback results in increased “self-activation.” The study states,

“People whose best-self concepts were activated felt better and were more resilient to stress, more resistant to disease and burnout, better at creative problem solving and performance under pressure, and formed stronger long-term relationships with their employer.”

In terms of your volunteers, this means that recognizing and encouraging their work not only means that they feel appreciated, but that their quality of work will also likely increase in the future! 

Meanwhile, when donors give, the brain releases “feel-good” chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin. These are the same types of chemicals that are released when we receive recognition and positive feedback. Increasing these feel-good chemicals for your donors makes it more likely that they’ll continue giving in the future. 

The first half of this strategy is to recognize your supporters for the work that they’re doing with your organization. There are several ways that you can do this: 

  • Feature volunteers in your monthly email newsletter. This is a great place to dedicate content in your email newsletter, taking some of the burden off of you for what needs to be created every month to populate the newsletter. Plus, you can brag about volunteers to a large group of recipients.You can also do the same in your annual report! Be sure to acknowledge the impact that some of your volunteers have had on your mission. 
  • Spotlight volunteers on social media. Try creating a Volunteer of the Month program where you give a social media shout out to different volunteers each month. Share a little bit about them and explain how they’ve been helping your organization. Volunteers will look forward to seeing who is featured and will love seeing their own name appear! 
  • Give shout-outs during get-togethers and meetings. If one of your volunteers does something especially caring or goes out of their way to help your organization in unexpected ways, tell the team about it! Giving bravos to your team about the wonderful work individuals are doing shows that you care about their hard work and encourages others to also go the extra mile. 

The second important part of this strategy is that your nonprofit should encourage volunteers to continue doing good work in the future. Don’t simply recognize, but be sure to also give a next action item for supporters. For example, if you spotlight Janine on social media, you might end the post by saying, “Keep it up, Janine!” This takes a recognition opportunity to the next level and encourages future action. 

When you use the recognize and encourage strategy to show your appreciation, make sure to include these four key elements in your shout-out to supporters: who they are, what they did, how it helped, and what they can continue doing. This gives people both the specifics of the support as well as the big picture impact


Showing appreciation for your valuable supporters is an important part of nonprofit stewardship strategies. Be sure to create your own stewardship program in order to show your supporters that you care and to encourage them to continue engaging with your organization. 

Look back over this guide and see if there are opportunities where you can combine multiple ideas into one strategy. For instance, start a Volunteer of the Month program and send a goodie bag of branded merchandise to the winner! Or, start a happy hour book club with your supporters so that they can enjoy a beverage while discussing their most recent read! 

There are infinite ways that you could show your supporters that you care about their contributions to your mission. Get creative! 


About the Author: Steven Shattuck

Steven Shattuck is Chief Engagement Officer at Bloomerang and Executive Director of Launch Cause. A prolific writer and speaker, Steven is a contributor to “Fundraising Principles and Practice: Second Edition” and volunteers his time on the Project Work Group of the Fundraising Effectiveness Project and is an AFP Center for Fundraising Innovation (CFI) committee member.

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6 Ways to Strengthen Your Relationships With Supporters

As a fundraising professional, you’ve heard countless pieces of advice about why and how to connect with your supporters: say thank you, write handwritten notes and be sure to do it all as swiftly as possible.

Most of the time, these discussions are rooted in a desire for increased donations. And this is understandable—after all, you rely on donations to drive your mission forward and make the world a better place.

But supporter relationships should be more than just a means to an end. While it’s true that stronger connections lead to more successful fundraising, your donors will be able to sense your inauthenticity if you’re only pursuing a payday.

By cultivating relationships with intentionality and sincerity, you form a strong community that your nonprofit can depend on. 

At Aly Sterling Philanthropy, we empower organizations to engage their communities, fundraise more effectively and plan for the future. Through our work as nonprofit consultants, we’ve compiled a list of recommendations to deepen your relationships with supporters:

  1. Put the donor first.
  2. Offer diverse opportunities for engagement.
  3. Maintain campaign-level energy throughout the year.
  4. Leverage supporter data.
  5. Craft a compelling story.
  6. Consider a nonprofit consultant.

As you develop your stewardship plan, remember that every organization and supporter base is unique. These tips are general enough to be appropriate for most nonprofits, but you should always take the time to tailor your strategies based on what you know about your donors. A nonprofit consultant can help you develop a stewardship plan that works for your unique audience.  With that in mind, let’s dive in.

Put the donor first.

As any happily married couple can tell you, a successful relationship is a two-way street. This is true for your donor relationships as well.

To be fulfilled, both partners need to be able to give and take. Your supporter is already doing their part by dedicating their time or resources to your organization. Therefore, your nonprofit must also invest energy back into the relationship and put the donor first whenever possible.

This analogy stretches a bit then when you recognize that large nonprofits must cultivate relationships with thousands of individuals, but that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.

Ensure a donor-centric approach is baked into the foundation of everything you do, from your communications efforts to your fundraising campaigns. 

Most importantly, confirm that you have a solid donor recognition plan in place. Your plan may include a physical display like a donor recognition wall, digital elements such as social media shoutouts or traditional handwritten notes. However you choose to thank donors, make sure your plan differentiates between giving levels for a targeted approach.

Then, even in communications that aren’t specifically intended to thank donors, you should continue to frame your supporters as central to everything you do. When you create your annual report or write your monthly newsletter, share your accomplishments from a plural perspective to inspire a feeling of community. The difference between “Our organization did this” and “We made this happen together” is a small but meaningful shift.

Offer diverse opportunities for engagement.

Supporters will feel more connected to your cause if they can take action in ways besides simply making a donation.

To further engage your community, offer diverse opportunities for interaction and connection, such as the following:

  • Volunteer opportunities. Give supporters a chance to contribute labor and energy to your mission. Depending on the nature of your organization, you may even be able to offer virtual activities for supporters to donate their time. 
  • Stewardship events. These events (like a virtual happy hour) give supporters the opportunity to bond and network with each other in addition to engaging with your team.
  • Social media campaigns. While you should always encourage supporters to follow and interact with you on social media, a specific campaign heightens the opportunity for participation.
  • Behind-the-scenes tour. Give supporters a glimpse of where the magic happens with a tour of your facility. You can do this via video conferencing or livestreaming if you aren’t able to host visitors in-person. 

If you aren’t sure what activities your supporters would like to participate in, it never hurts to ask! Consider putting together a survey that asks supporters to share their desires and preferences for interacting with your organization. Based on their feedback, you’ll be able to implement new programming that you already know will be in-demand.

Maintain campaign-level energy throughout the year.

During your biggest fundraising campaigns, you treat every activity with care and consideration. Each interaction, communication and ask are part of a broader plan. 

Extending this intentionality to your everyday operations will help you connect more deeply with your supporters.

At Aly Sterling, we call this attitude “campaign mentality,” and it essentially means you treat each day like you are in the midst of a capital campaign.

While this may sound exhausting, we believe wholeheartedly that this effort is worth it. Working with a campaign mentality will give your team extra urgency and purpose as you execute daily responsibilities. 

Additionally, a campaign mentality encourages you to prioritize stewardship rather than placing it on the backburner. And when you approach each conversation with a supporter with this heightened sense of commitment, your energy will be contagious. 

Leverage supporter data.

A better understanding of your current supporter base and any prospective donors will make your relationships more meaningful and sincere. To deepen your knowledge of supporters, you can analyze your existing donor database or conduct additional prospect research.

First, consider the information you already have on file. This data can help you evaluate your current engagement tactics—for instance, do supporters respond more favorably to direct mail or texting campaigns? What was the participation rate for last year’s year-end campaign? What do you know about supporters’ interests and motivations?

Instead of looking only at individual-level data or a broad overview, use this information to develop donor segments. Utilizing segmentation in your outreach efforts helps you create targeted and relevant communications that will resonate more strongly with each group.

In addition to making use of this existing data, you can also gather fundraising-specific information on current and potential supporters through prospect research. According to Double the Donation, prospect research helps your nonprofit determine a potential donor’s ability and desire to contribute to your cause.

Prospect research data generally falls into two categories:

  • Philanthropic indicators. These data points represent a donor’s warmth towards and interest in your nonprofit. Key philanthropic indicators include previous donations to your nonprofit and others, history of board involvement, and background information like hobbies and interests.
  • Wealth indicators. These markers reveal an individual’s financial capacity to give, including real estate ownership, stock holdings, past political contributions, and known business affiliations. 

Both types of data are essential to forming a complete picture of each prospect.

With prospect research, you’ll be better prepared to initiate conversations and make fundraising asks without overstepping or damaging relationships. This helps establish a culture of trust and respect. 

Craft a compelling story.

How do you tell the story of your nonprofit? 

Hopefully, you have some powerful constituent testimonials or volunteer stories up your sleeve that spotlight your work. For your story to be persuasive, you must be able to convey why your mission is important as well as empower supporters to contribute to that mission. 

When you tell the story of your nonprofit, make your donor the hero. This doesn’t mean a cape-wearing superhero, but rather the protagonist in your mission’s story. Your organization is simply the conduit by which your supporters are able to reach your community and make a difference. By representing your donor as the hero, you can more effectively call them to action. 

In addition to your written story, you can include multimedia elements to further demonstrate your work. When possible, feature photos and videos of your supporters making a difference. Even though you won’t be able to highlight every one of your donors, their presence as part of your story will make it easier for other supporters to see themselves in your narrative too.

Consider a nonprofit consultant.

Since donor relationships are foundational to your success as an organization, it’s worth considering seeking the advice of an expert. An experienced nonprofit consultant can bring a fresh perspective and seasoned advice to improve your stewardship strategies.

While it’s possible to strengthen your supporter relationships without external support, a consultant can help to amplify and accelerate your existing efforts.

Specifically, a nonprofit consultant can assist your organization with:

  • Crafting a donor recognition plan.
  • Making recommendations to improve donor retention.
  • Conducting prospect research to better understand existing and potential supporters.

Just be sure to select a nonprofit consultant with the right area of expertise. In the Aly Sterling Philanthropy guide to hiring a fundraising consultant, we explore who should be part of the decision-making process, how to find and assess a potential consultant, and the questions you should ask to confirm an appropriate fit. With the right consultant, you’ll be well-positioned to fortify your connections with donors. 


Every moment that your nonprofit invests in supporter relationships will pay dividends as your organization grows. With a community that is dedicated to the success of your nonprofit, in good times and bad, you’ll be prepared to weather any storm. These recommendations should put you on the right path to strengthen those critical connections. Best of luck!


About the Author: Aly Sterling

Long before Aly Sterling founded her eponymous consulting firm, she was solving the unique yet similar problems encountered by nonprofit organizations.

Her decision to start her own business in 2007 was driven by her belief in leadership as the single most important factor in organizational success, and her determination to work with multiple causes at one time to scale societal change.

Aly’s expertise includes fundraising, strategic planning, search consultation and board leadership development for the well-positioned nonprofit. She is regularly sought for comment by trade and mainstream media, including the Chronicle of Philanthropy and U.S. News & World Report. She has contributed to publications of BoardSource and The Governance Institute, as well as the Toledo Chamber of Commerce and The Giving Institute.

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2020 In Review: Looking Back & Looking Ahead

So that’s it, that’s a wrap on 2020.

This year was unexpected to say the least. The world was met with challenges and turbulence that tested our strength, perseverance, and community bonds. Looking back on this year with reflection, we’d like to shed one small light on things that went well and moments that gave us spirit.

You Rose to the Challenge

In 2020, we watched organizations extend their budgets, services, and/or of-the-moment missions to take care of their communities. Even while events were cancelled and volunteers were temporarily asked to stay home, organization leaders continued working toward the health and safety of their communities.

Facilities turned into food delivery pick up points and screening centers. Virtual volunteering opportunities quickly scaled to a “new normal”, as we all found ways to put ourselves and our resources to good use.

It was an honor to work with you all this year.

Strides Forward Together

Just a few months into the year, the team at VolunteerLocal began following your lead. We retired our preconceived plans for the year and leaned in to honest conversations with clients like you.

As needs changed in 2020, you told us exactly how. New feature requests surged this year as events rescheduled and nonprofit programs reassessed their needs and impacts.

As a result, new features were quickly introduced to our development road map, including: postponed event settings, no-contact check in, volunteer self-reported hours, volunteer qualifications, COVID-19 notices, and more.

We’re committed to continue rising to the occasion with you, building the technology you need to do your job well.


Postponed event settings: Whether your event/program has been cancelled or rescheduled, VolunteerLocal can help you navigate those changes.

If volunteers were already registered for shifts prior to cancelling or rescheduling, head over to: Events -> Your Events -> Event Detail. Scroll to “Volunteer Profile Options”. Enter any text you like to the textbox, in order to inform and remind volunteers of the news. Finally, uncheck the box labeled “Display shift detail and demographic information on the volunteer profile page”. That way, volunteers will no longer see the shifts they had been registered for, so you do not need to remove each volunteer from each shift.

When you’re ready to launch your rescheduled event, setup will be speedy. Simply copy your old event, scheduling it for the new date. You’ll have the option to copy over as many or few details as you like: jobs, shifts, volunteers, confirmation settings, etc.

No-contact check-in: Keep volunteers busy, track their hours, and avoid contact with shared surfaces.

At the start of the year, VolunteerLocal introduced the Check-In Kiosk, which allows volunteers to quickly check themselves in and out on-site.

A few months into the year, we shared techniques to make that process contact-less. First and foremost, if you continue to use a check in kiosk on-site, we recommend disinfecting the surface after each use. As an alternative, you can share the Kiosk URL and code to allow volunteers to check in and out from their own devices. (Checking in and out is also possible by downloading the free mobile app.)

Volunteer Self-Reported Hours: With virtual volunteering on the rise, volunteers may now report their hours via their volunteer profile, anywhere with internet connection.

On the volunteer profile, volunteers may self-report the job they performed, the date, and the hours worked. These self-reported hours are available for admins to review, edit, approve, or deny.

Volunteer Qualifications: This feature ensures that only qualified volunteers are able to view and sign up for certain jobs. Volunteers without those qualifications would not be able to view or sign up for those jobs.

This feature can be used for a variety of purposes, even regardless of the pandemic. However, we began to see organizations using this feature creatively, as a way to categorize volunteers into groups based on their COVID-19 risk factors. (For example: qualifying volunteers based on their age group.) This better protected volunteers from unknowingly signing up for jobs that would put them at higher risk of infection.

COVID-19 Notices: As the months go on and COVID-19 familiarity (or fatigue) sets in, it is important to regularly remind volunteers of organization-wide safety protocols. As a result, we added a new option to the “Disclaimer” feature in VolunteerLocal.

Now, organizations can require volunteers to read and sign the COVID-19 notice every time they sign up for a shift. (Please note: we do not provide the content for this notice, as it will likely be different for each organization.)


The Year Ahead

Although there are likely more surprises in store for us in 2021, surely we will all face them with more readiness than before.

In regard to the technology you use to perform your daily jobs and duties, continue to consider VolunteerLocal as a partner in these efforts. Reach out to us anytime for support, solutioning, or even feature requests.

We’ve got exciting announcements in store for the year ahead, and we can’t wait to share them with you all. If you’d like to be one of the first to know, reach out to us anytime and we’ll add you and your colleagues to our newsletter.

Wishing a happy, healthy New Year from our team to yours. See you all in the New Year.

Warmly,

Isabel & VolunteerLocal Team

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Rebuilding and Reframing for Volunteer Management – Post COVID

As we begin to consider what our new normal will look like, remembering the roots of volunteerism and adapting them the new world is crucial. This evolution is not just essential for the good of our agencies, but for our profession as well.

We must be forward thinking. WE have to be the leaders to promote our programs and prove the value of engaging the support of volunteers.

Our fundamentals are rooted in recruiting, screening, training and the placement of volunteers. Many volunteer managers haven’t stopped their work through COVID-19 but many must reinvent and recreate their programs. Listed below are some tips to getting back to basics as you begin welcoming your volunteers back!

Needs Assessment

The first step is to conduct a needs assessment. There are four points to consider. What are the community needs, the organizational needs, the needs of the volunteer services program and the needs of the volunteers? Where is the sweet spot where those four aspects intersect? Can your volunteers serve these needs virtually or within social distancing guidelines? If not, can you consider an out of the box solution to move your program forward?

Recruiting

Once completing your needs assessment, plan to reassess current volunteer placements. Collaborate with your organization’s staff and leadership to consider all aspects of your organization’s needs and how volunteers can help serve those needs.

Screening and Training

Through this pandemic, we have learned that screening and training can be completed virtually. It isn’t our first choice, but it can be done well. There are great resources to help support the implementation of virtual screening and training, many are free or inexpensive. One such example is the free online webinars offered by the Texas Volunteer Management Conference (https://texasvmc.org).

Placement

Consider the need for facemasks, gloves and social distancing for volunteer placements. Also consider your own agency’s requirement, local and state requirements. Many organizations have successfully created opportunities to continue volunteer involvement while maintaining healthy social distancing practices. Consider current legal requirements, taking temperatures, updating the volunteer handbook and creating a COVID questionnaire and waiver. Solicit support from HR and your peers in the volunteer management community.

Leadership

Create your plan and present the post COVID-19 volunteer management plan to your organization’s leadership team. It is imperative to have buy in from leadership. Now, more than ever, volunteer professionals must insist on having a seat at the table.

As professional volunteer managers, the last thing that we want to see is the decline or elimination of opportunities to serve, opportunities to create advocates, opportunities to move the needle of our missions. Many of us have spent our careers being creative and constantly being problem solvers. We must continue to think out of the box with ways to connect our volunteers to the mission of our organizations.

While so much of this can be overwhelming, this is what we do. We adapt to the needs. The needs of the community haven’t stopped. In many respects, they’ve grown. Who’s hurting, who needs support? It might be our very own volunteers.

Disconnection and social distancing are unnatural to our work. At our core, we are connectors. How do we continue to connect our volunteers to meaningful work and our mission? While many of us have been paralyzed by fear, we cannot and will not give up!

Now, more than ever, we need to work together for the good of our profession and for the sake of those in need. There may be some uncertainty or even a bit of fear with the unknown future of volunteerism. That is precisely why we need to be leaders in our profession. We have the unique opportunity to be trailblazers, to CREATE the new normal for volunteerism. Our agencies and our volunteers are depending on our experience and our vision for the new face of service.

This is where peer support is imperative. Supporting each other professionally has never been more important. Together, we can overcome the challenges facing us. Let’s work TOGETHER to create what WE think the new normal should be for service and volunteerism.


Guest post by Stephanie Canfield, Leadership Community Advocate.

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5 Modern Tools to Improve Your Tech Stack

In 2020, it may feel like there is an abundance of obstacles standing between your nonprofit and accomplishing “the big picture.” A global pandemic, unprecedented economic downturn, a society more distant and divided than ever in recent memory— all challenges when it comes to making a difference.

For modern nonprofits, these challenges are far from insurmountable. With the right tools in your tech stack, you can improve relationship-building, fundraising, and internal operations. That’s where this guide comes into the picture!

At DNL OmniMedia, we help nonprofits discover and implement the software solutions necessary to reach their fundraising, stewardship, and advocacy goals. We’re going to cover five modern tools that your team can implement for more effective fundraising in 2021 and beyond:

  • Mobile Apps
  • Volunteer Management Software
  • Virtual Events Software
  • Grant Management Software
  • Time-Tracking Software

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that incorporating any new technology into your operations requires a careful evaluation and adjustment of your strategy as a whole. This is to ensure that all of your tools— existing and newly added— work cohesively together to reach your nonprofit’s fundraising and advocacy goals.

Nonprofit digital strategy isn’t the topic of this post, so we’re not going to dive into the details here. But, you can check out the DNL OmniMedia guide to building a nonprofit digital strategy to make sure you’re incorporating new tools intentionally and according to an effective strategic plan.

With that, let’s explore a few modern tools that can improve your nonprofit’s tech stack.

Mobile Apps

Think about the ways in which you interact with the outside world, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Browsing the internet, connecting via social media, and even video chatting— all of these methods of connecting are now handled through mobile phones.

At this point, 96% of Americans own a mobile phone, and 81% of Americans own a smartphone. It makes sense that interactions with the nonprofit sector are moving toward mobile accessibility as well! The following graphic from this guide about nonprofit apps shows a few interesting statistics about people’s interactions with mobile phones:

In particular, we want to highlight that 1 in 4 donors use smartphones to discover new nonprofits. If you’re not interacting with supporters on their mobile phones, you may be missing out!

Nonprofit mobile apps are an impactful tool that can be used to improve your tech stack, opening a new frontier of donor, volunteer, and advocate interactions. There are a variety of apps created specifically for nonprofits, including:

  • Peer-to-peer fundraising apps
  • Advocacy apps
  • Crowdfunding apps
  • Auction apps
  • Board management apps
  • Member management apps
  • Volunteer management apps

Beyond providing another outlet for engagement, mobile apps also empower you to connect with supporters who you may not have otherwise. After all, 1 in 5 Americans is a smartphone-only internet user— this means that the only way you’re going to connect with them on the internet is through their mobile phones!

Volunteer Management Software

Effective volunteer management is crucial to continue growing your volunteer program over time. However, with an increased need for volunteer assistance and a community that’s more physically distant than ever, an analog method of volunteer management won’t cut it anymore.

This is where volunteer management software comes into play. With this, you can automate key management tasks and connect with supporters near and far.

To choose an effective volunteer management software solution, seek features such as:

  • Intuitive interface for self-scheduling
  • Effective data management and custom reports
  • On-site check-in to manage in-person volunteers
  • Marketing tools such as social media sharing
  • Communication tools such as SMS messaging

But, how can you find the perfect volunteer management software for your organization? Prioritizing user-friendliness, scalability, and software support are great tips to start. For more tips to help find your perfect VMS solution, check out this blog post.

Virtual Events Software

This year has brought with it many challenges for the nonprofit sector. Some challenges, such as the economic downturn, can’t be overcome with technology alone. However, there is one challenge that you can solve with the incorporation of new software— the mass cancellation of events.

With the right virtual events software, you can get creative with online events to avoid canceling key fundraisers. There are a few different forms this could take:

  • Virtual Auction Software: With the right auction software, you can list items, live stream the auction event, collect bids, and facilitate guest checkout.
  • Virtual Conference Software: Conferences are exhaustive events, virtual or not. A dedicated virtual conference software is key to manage the many panels, speakers, and networking activities included in this type of experience.
  • Social Networks: Did you know that Facebook can be used to host virtual events? With the platform’s live-streaming and live donate tools, you can stream an experience and collect donations for the duration.
  • Video Conferencing Software: For simpler events, you may be able to utilize video conferencing software (such as Zoom) to conduct your experience. This would need to be partnered with an effective online donation tool for fundraising events.

The use of virtual events is hardly new— in fact, national nonprofits have been using virtual means to conduct their peer-to-peer fundraising events for quite some time now. However, the expansion of virtual events for the primary method of gathering together is unique to 2020. We recommend exploring the many possibilities for virtual fundraising events as you begin planning your 2021 calendar. To get started, check out this comprehensive GoodUnited guide!

Grant Management Software

This year, many nonprofits discovered the value of diversifying their revenue streams to combat the financial challenges caused by COVID-19. For some, pursuing grant funding was the key to staying afloat during the crisis. However, there’s no denying that grants are challenging to secure— even during times of economic prosperity.

Grant management software can be a game-changer when it comes to giving your proposals a competitive advantage. This software is created to help your team effectively manage grants from start to finish, or from the initial search and application process through the final implementation tasks.

Of course, not every grant management software solution is equal. We recommend seeking features such as:

  • Integrations with key databases, such as your nonprofit’s CRM
  • Multi-user access for team collaboration
  • Accounting and reporting capabilities for transparency
  • Grant tracking calendar to monitor progress and upcoming deadlines
  • Project management features to keep your team on track

Grant management is a highly customized process. Not only will each nonprofit have its own strategy, but each grant will as well! This is why we recommend working with a nonprofit consultant to create your grant management strategy. These partners can review your nonprofit’s fundraising strategy holistically to effectively incorporate grants. Then, they can help you customize your management software to carry out the most effective and efficient plan.

Time-Tracking Software

Last, but certainly not least, is a technology that’s already popular in the for-profit sector: time-tracking software.

Essentially, this is software that tracks your staff’s time to better understand the work they do on a day-to-day basis. But, why should your nonprofit start tracking time? Here are a few benefits it can provide:

  • Improved Staffing: You’ll understand exactly what your staff is spending time on and where you need to increase (or decrease!) time for various activities to make efficient use of your paid employees.
  • Increased Funding: You can be more transparent with funders and tell them exactly what their donations will go toward. This can be invaluable to raise future donations.
  • Simplified Audits: Audits are a common pain point for nonprofits when they are required to report on their expenses as they relate to specific programs. Time tracking handles some of that lift ahead of time, rather than collecting this information retroactively.
  • Better Program Management: You will understand the tasks that go into different programs and the overall cost of those programs. With this, you can better plan for future programming.

Additionally, these benefits extend beyond your staff as you can track volunteer time as well! By doing so, you can provide rewards to volunteers that have given a certain number of hours. And, you can use that data to fulfill potential volunteer grant requirements.


In summary, new nonprofit technology can drastically improve your nonprofit’s operations— from supporter engagement, to events capabilities, to internal operations. Technology can be a game-changer when it comes to reaching your nonprofit’s greatest goals. However, it’s not as simple as purchasing a new software license.

To truly have success with the platforms described above and other nonprofit tech solutions, consider working with a nonprofit tech consultant (such as the team at DNL OmniMedia!). This partner will ensure you have a holistic strategy to reach your goals, for which all of your solutions must work in tandem.


About the Author: Carl Diesing

Carl co-founded DNL OmniMedia in 2006 and has grown the team to accommodate clients with on-going web development projects. Together DNL OmniMedia has worked with over 100 organizations to assist them with accomplishing their online goals. As Managing Director of DNL OmniMedia, Carl works with nonprofits and their technology to foster fundraising, create awareness, cure disease, and solve social issues. Carl lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife Sarah and their two children Charlie and Evelyn.

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3 Steps to Begin Planning Your Capital Campaign

Capital campaigns are intensive, game-changing undertakings for nonprofit organizations. These major campaigns raise significant amounts of funding for specific expansion projects, like constructing new facilities, investing in new equipment, or creating an endowment fund. As major investments in your organization’s ability to grow, these campaigns require tons of strategic planning to be pulled off successfully.

At the Capital Campaign Toolkit, we believe that planning is doing. Simply put, this means that the early planning stage of your campaign should accomplish more than just outlining the steps you’ll follow later. Instead, effective capital campaign planning should be a more active process, one that begins engaging the board members and key donors who’ll be integral to your overall success.

Let’s discuss three steps you can take now—before outlining specific fundraising tasks, writing letters to donors, or diving into the world of virtual galas—to give your capital campaign a strong footing from the get-go.

The first three steps you should take when planning your campaign are:

  1. Clearly define your campaign’s purpose.
  2. Plan with a focus on your top donors from the start.
  3. Actively speak with your key donors.

We’ve helped equip countless nonprofit development teams with all of the tools and support they need to conduct a successful capital campaign, and we’ve found that one of the best ways to set up any campaign for success is to make the most of the planning process. Let’s dive in.

1. Clearly define your campaign’s purpose.

Capital campaigns aren’t dreamt up in a day. They’re massive fundraising efforts that go above and beyond any other campaign, far surpassing your annual fund in dollars raised.

Capital campaigns are driven by a very specific need or project that require an infusion of resources to build capacity. The identification of those needs often grows out of a strategic or long-range plan that spells out what it will take for the organization to reach the next level of operation. 

This means that the first step in planning your capital campaign should be to specifically define what you’re raising funds for. To convince people to rally behind your organization and give generous contributions, you must clearly articulate why you’re seeking their support and what difference their support will make. The purpose of a capital campaign will be composed of two parts:

  • Objective: This is what you’re raising funds for. So, for a nonprofit organization that provides after-school programming for students, this might be constructing a new gym or art room.
  • Goal: This is the specific financial amount you need to raise in order to complete your objective, like raising $10 million to construct the new gym.

When setting this goal, work with your board from the start. This early collaboration serves two purposes:

  1. It builds excitement across your board and obtains their buy-in to the process, getting them invested in the campaign and ready to contribute when the time comes.
  2. It gives you additional perspectives to consider, allowing you to set an objective and goal that’s informed by your board’s knowledge of your nonprofit and current fundraising capacity.

Of course, your board will need to approve any major fundraising efforts and campaign spending anyway, so don’t overlook this step. Take this first task a step further by asking your board to assist with crafting your case for support or case statement—a document that clearly communicates why you’re raising funds, how you’re going to use those funds to meet your objective, and why prospective donors should give. 

When developing a case statement, we recommend conducting a “Features and Benefits” exercise with your board to discover the features of your campaign (what your campaign will fund) and the benefits of each feature. For example, a soup kitchen raising funds to build a new eating hall would list their new building as a key feature of their campaign. Its benefits would be the many more constituents that the organization would be able to feed. 

Working with your board members in the early planning phase of your campaign will build the trust you will need for them to approve the campaign. So be sure to give them an active hand in shaping your campaign and laying the groundwork for a powerful case for support. Here are some tips to help you improve communications with your board.

2. Plan with a focus on your top donors from the start.

Once you’ve identified what you want to accomplish with your campaign—your objective and working goal—then you can begin planning with a focus on your top donors.

Capital campaigns are top-heavy by nature. You should plan to raise at least half of your total campaign gifts from the top 10 donations during the initial quiet phase of your campaign. Keep this in mind from the start of your campaign and begin identifying who those key donors are once your plans start taking shape.

The standard way to keep your efforts donor-centric is to anchor your plan with a gift range chart. This guiding document will be an invaluable resource throughout the entire duration of your campaign. When examining prospects in your donor database and beyond to identify potential contributors, consider the following:

  • Who has the financial capacity to make multi-thousand to million-dollar gifts?
  • Who has a strong existing relationship with your organization and cause?

Focus the majority of your cultivation and solicitation efforts on donors with this winning combination of capacity and inclination to give.

A quick tip to make sure you’re planning with a spotlight on these critical supporters: Block out at least two hours per week during your campaign to personally meet with or talk with major donor prospects.  

This doesn’t mean that you’re going to solicit gifts each week but rather that you’ll plan from the start to intentionally focus on building relationships with your top donors. That will generate buy-in from prospects and strengthen their attachment to your cause. Successfully soliciting a large gift takes time and persistence.

3. Actively speak with your key donors.

You’ve planned to meet with prospects for at least two hours each week—excellent! Begin these conversations with your key donors by interviewing them as part of your feasibility study. 

A feasibility study is an important early step in any capital campaign, and it involves discussing your plans with key stakeholders to gauge their thoughts on your goals and interest in potentially giving. If feasibility studies are a new concept for your organization, check out our complete guide for an overview.

An effective feasibility study will aim to answer a few key questions. Do your key stakeholders and prospects believe your nonprofit is prepared for a campaign of this magnitude? Do they have advice that you can use to drive your campaign to success? These answers will be extremely useful for shaping your strategies as your campaign plans come into sharper focus.

If you’ve encountered feasibility studies before, you might think that nonprofits should only ever bring in third-party consultants to conduct them. However, we encourage you to consider speaking with your key donors yourself.

Remember, planning is doing. While a feasibility study is seen as part of the broader planning phase of your campaign, these conversations are invaluable opportunities for you to begin actively building relationships with the donors who could potentially make or break your success. Don’t wait to start building and strengthening those relationships!

Ask your prospects and stakeholders overarching questions about what they think of your organization, leadership, and case for support. This will give you insight into your campaign’s feasibility, as well as signal to the donor that you value their views. You may find that they believe that you’re well prepared, or you may find that they believe you need to hit the books to better prepare for the endeavor. Either way, seeking their advice will let them know that you respect and value their perspectives.

After you’ve already introduced your campaign and gauged their interest, take this opportunity to begin directly asking prospects about potential involvement. Try questions like:

  • Among your philanthropic priorities, where is our organization?
  • Do you see yourself making a gift to the campaign when the time is right? 
  • Would you consider volunteering for the campaign

With these questions, you can better understand your prospects’ expectations of your campaign and their involvement in it. These insights will immediately benefit your cultivation efforts, helping you quickly get a sense of where to focus attention. You may even secure early gift commitments from your most dedicated supporters!

Feasibility studies are a critical part of any capital campaign, but don’t assume that the entire process will have to be completely out of your hands. These interviews and discussions are your first major chance to begin developing the relationships that will drive your campaign to success, so take an active approach. There are resources available (such as our Guided Feasibility Study) to help your team select donors, train to conduct the interviews, and prepare reports for your board.


Planning a capital campaign is a months-long process. After all, you’re raising more funds than your nonprofit likely ever has before and mapping out years of stewardship and fundraising strategies to reach what is often a multi-million-dollar goal.
However, you don’t have to wait until the planning process is complete to begin acting on those plans. By taking an active, intentional approach and collaborating with key stakeholders early, you can begin building valuable relationships that will fuel your campaign down the line. Wishing you a hugely successful campaign!


About the Author: Andrea Kihlstedt

Andrea Kihlstedt, Campaign Expert & Co-Founder, is the author of Capital Campaigns: Strategies that Work, now in its 4th edition, as well as How to Raise $1 Million (or More) in 10 Bite Sized Steps, in addition to several other fundraising books. She has been leading successful capital campaigns for over 30 years.

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4 Tools to Boost Your Next Crowdfunding Campaign

In the midst of a global pandemic, it’s easy to get discouraged. Most of the world is stuck at home, and organizations are struggling to engage prospects and secure sufficient funding while keeping a safe social distance. Many donors are facing major economic hardship due to staff furloughs and for many nonprofits, the future is wildly uncertain.

If one thing’s for sure, it’s that nonprofits have to get creative if they want to keep serving their communities and successfully come out of the other side of this pandemic. After all, what sets successful nonprofit professionals apart is their determination in the face of adversity.

Crowdfunding is one of the most popular ways to reach today’s donors, and for good reason! These campaigns allow prospects to continue giving to your cause from the comfort of their own homes without putting their health at risk. Crowdfunding offers organizations like yours refuge in economically uncertain times, but only if you take the vital steps to set your campaign up for success.

As you ramp up planning for your next crowdfunding campaign, take every step possible to make the most of your fundraiser. Incorporate these four tools to take your efforts to the next level:

  1. An Effective Platform
  2. Photos and Videos
  3. Social Media
  4. Matching Gift Tools

It’s natural to feel hesitant about launching a fundraiser during the pandemic. After all, you don’t want to seem insensitive to supporters who may be facing tough financial circumstances right now. But crowdfunding can offer much-needed economic stability in challenging times. Many prospects are willing to step up to the plate; you just have to ask. 

Let’s dive into the top four tools that will help your crowdfunding campaign reach (and hopefully succeed!) its fundraising goals.

Crowdfunding Tool #1: An Effective Platform

A vital first step to any crowdfunding campaign is to select a platform. Otherwise, you won’t be able to share your story, promote the fundraiser, and collect supporters’ generous donations.

Not all fundraising platforms are created equal. If you want to maximize your revenue, you need to take the time to locate a crowdfunding website that suits your organization’s needs and is backed by sufficient tools. As you explore your options, encourage your team to keep an eye peeled for these core features:

  • Customization and visual appeal. Ensure your platform enables you to add your personal story and customize the visual appearance of your crowdfunding page. You should be able to incorporate your nonprofit’s color scheme, logo, and other familiar branding elements in order to make your campaign appear trustworthy to donors.
  • Mobile accessibility. Setting your campaign up for success means making it available to as many prospects as possible. With an ever-growing dependence on mobile technology, this means ensuring that your campaign is available on mobile devices. That way, anyone can absorb your story and donate when motivation strikes — no matter if they’re using a computer, tablet, or smartphone.
  • Secure payment processing. Ensure your platform comes equipped with safe payment processing tools. Otherwise, you risk deterring donors if the platform appears untrustworthy. You should be able to access your account and immediately accept donations. Be wary of how long the processing period is as well. Ideally, you should be able to withdraw donations within a week.

While there are plenty of features that can increase success, these three serve as a fantastic foundation for kickstarting your search. Once you’re equipped with a sufficient platform, you’ll be able to move forward with planning and executing your campaign.

Crowdfunding Tool #2: Photos and Videos

Multimedia has the power to supercharge your crowdfunding campaigns by helping prospects connect to your cause. In fact, research has found that campaigns with personal videos raise 105% more than those without them. This is because it adds a relatable face to your cause and keeps users on your campaign page for longer, ultimately leading them to donate. 

Effective videos and images get prospects invested in your campaign because they can physically see what they’re financing, rather than just reading about their potential impact. 

When creating your promotional materials, develop high-quality images and videos that resonate with prospects by keeping these two tips in mind:

  • Tell a story. Images and videos put your organization in a unique position to tell its story beyond what words can. Visual storytelling has the power to connect with prospects on an emotional level and motivate them to donate, so put a face to your campaign by sharing videos and pictures from your staff, board members, volunteers, and those impacted by your work.
  • Get the video length right. Go for short and impactful. As a general rule of thumb, keep your videos around 2.5 to 3 minutes. With short attention spans and plenty of other information to distract users, people tend to lose attentiveness and click away, so this provides enough time to get your message across without losing their interest. 

Fundly’s guide to crowdfunding explains that a crowdfunding campaign can’t survive on just words alone. You should create a schedule and post an image or video to social media and other marketing outlets either once a week or every few days. 

Making consistent, repeated asks in a multimedia manner helps to bring your cause to life, which can push prospects who are on the fence toward donating to your cause. Take sufficient time selecting emotionally-charged photos and creating impactful videos that accurately depict your cause. In the end, this extra effort will show in your campaign results.

Crowdfunding Tool #3: Social Media

Social media’s impact on the nonprofit community is undeniable, and crowdfunding is a prime example of its potential. In fact, the majority of crowdfunding donations tend to come from social platforms like Facebook and Twitter, so you’ll need to take the time to develop a comprehensive social media strategy in order to connect with your younger generation of supporters.

As described in Crowd101’s guide to crowdfunding, you can harness the power of social media by incorporating the following tips:

  • Embed your campaign directly onto your social media posts. The more convenient it is to donate, the more donations your campaign will receive. Embedding your campaign simplifies the donation process for anyone who stumbles across your profiles, so ensure your platform offers integrations like this.
  • Update multiple social media pages. Sharing your campaign across multiple platforms increases its visibility. While it’s time-consuming to send social media blasts manually, some platforms empower you to automatically update every platform at once or schedule posts for the future.

What’s more, you should encourage followers to share your campaign online, even if they’re unable to donate themselves. Social shares ultimately expand your crowdfunding campaign’s visibility by getting it in front of more prospects. Plus, this allows those who are unable to give to contribute to your campaign and feel like they’re making a difference.

Overall, you’ll want to develop your social media strategy and solidify a schedule before launching your campaign so you know exactly what needs to be posted and when. In turn, you’ll maximize your social impressions and donations.

Crowdfunding Tool #4: Matching Gift Tools

For nonprofits, matching gifts represent an incredible source of untapped potential. In fact, matching gift research indicates that 84% of donors are more likely to donate if their employer offers one of these programs. Plus, 1 in 3 surveyed donors indicates a propensity to make a larger gift if matching will be applied. 

In other words, these programs have the power to substantially boost your fundraising efforts, so long as you take the time to effectively promote them.

That being said, it’s a smart move to incorporate matching gifts into your campaign materials. First, iterate the availability of these programs, spelling out what they are and how they work. Then, take it a step further by telling them how to research their eligibility. Your best bet is to share access to a matching gift database where they can easily type in their employers’ names and be greeted with all available information regarding their program (e.g. eligibility requirements, forms, etc.).

Be sure to share this information in your announcement posts and your follow-up messaging to make as many people aware as possible. When donors have the potential to multiply their contributions without reaching back into their pockets, they’re very likely to do so. By making donors aware of these opportunities, you’ll increase the chance that you’ll get this bonus funding from your supporters (and maybe some initial donations that you wouldn’t otherwise receive).


So long as you devote sufficient time and effort, crowdfunding campaigns have the potential to substantially increase your funds and maximize your reach online. Not only do these campaigns enable you to engage your community in times of crisis, but they’re also highly effective for reaching larger audiences under normal circumstances.

In any case, make sure you start with an effective crowdfunding platform that prioritizes the donor experience and makes it easy to fully customize your campaign. Then, expand your efforts to adhere to best practices, such as incorporating multimedia, sharing your campaign on social media, and promoting matching gifts. In turn, you’ll create a highly-impactful campaign that stands out to supporters and garners donations. Good luck! 


About the Author: Lomesh Shah

As CEO of Fundly, Lomesh spends much of his time immersed in the nonprofit industry both as an industry leader, speaker, and in service to several organizations as a board member and volunteer. Outside of the industry, Lomesh is a technology junkie and will give anyone willing to listen an assessment of the latest trends in anything from espresso makers and mobile gadgets to electric cars and wind power.

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4 Tips for Building a Flexible Fundraising Strategy

Take a moment to think of your fundraising strategy like a rubber band.

If pressed, how much could you stretch this band? 

A rigid, unyielding rubber band might snap under tension. In this scenario, a lack of flexibility in your fundraising plan could make it much more difficult to bounce back from a crisis. Instead of quickly adapting to change, you’re forced to pick up broken pieces before starting from scratch. 

In contrast, a flexible fundraising plan will be more resilient. This rubber band can stretch and move to adjust to rapidly changing circumstances. 

We’ll go ahead and drop the analogy. An adaptable fundraising strategy will enable you to respond gracefully and creatively to unexpected challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic. 

At Aly Sterling Philanthropy, we partner with nonprofits to power strategic planning, fundraising, and board leadership solutions that allow them to thrive. Based on this extensive experience and our belief in the power of positivity, we recommend the following tips to enhance the flexibility of your fundraising strategy:

  1. Assess your current fundraising strategy.
  2. Lead with a strong case for support.
  3. Diversify your revenue streams.
  4. Offer versatile giving options.

While these suggestions are particularly applicable to the current circumstances, a strategic approach to fundraising will always be relevant. By embracing a fundraising plan that is adaptable, diverse and intentional, you’ll be well-positioned to drive your mission forward. Let’s get started.

  1. Assess your current fundraising strategy.

The best place to start when building a new fundraising strategy is evaluating the plan you currently have in place.

Is your current strategy sustainable and effective? Is it enabling you to reach your fundraising goals? Is it rigid and formulaic, or does it allow for adjustments as needs arise?

Dive into the data your nonprofit has collected from recent campaigns. If you already have a solid data management system in place, it should be simple to pull a report and evaluate the overall trends. Even if you have to take a little more time to compile a report manually, a deeper understanding of your current strategy will be well worth the effort.

This assessment will clarify which tactics are working well and which are underperforming or need improvements. Then, you can refocus your efforts on the most critical activities and make adjustments as needed.

While a full feasibility study isn’t practical unless you’re planning for a capital campaign, your data can still reveal a variety of actionable insights. For example, consider the following questions:

  • What is your donor retention rate year-over-year? What about campaign-to-campaign?
  • Have your recent fundraising goals been set at an attainable level?
  • What percentage of your supporters participated in your last campaign? How does this differ across different types of campaigns?
  • On what platform are your supporters most likely to engage with you? Do you have more success with email, direct mail or social media?
  • Do you have a defined donor recognition policy? How do you convey appreciation to different categories of donors? 

These are just a few of the questions to get you thinking about the state of your fundraising strategy. As you answer them with respect to 2020, take into account any challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. If you experienced setbacks, what would have made the adjustment process run more smoothly?

Then, use this information to set your goal. Even a flexible fundraising plan needs a target! With an ambitious but achievable fundraising goal, your team will be energized and motivated to make it happen. 

  1. Lead with a strong case for support.

Whether you’re preparing for a massive capital campaign or simply refreshing the text on your online donation page, you need a strong case for support.

This statement is what convinces donors why your nonprofit deserves their attention and contributions. Specifically, it should communicate your unique value proposition and share what sets your work apart from other organizations dedicated to similar causes. It should also align with your overall mission statement and strategic plan.

As you prepare your case for support, be sure to articulate the following elements:

  • A clear vision. Do you have a well-defined plan to solve a demonstrated problem?
  • A sense of urgency. Why should the prospect give now? 
  • An investment proposition. What results will the prospect’s gift be able to generate?
  • A call to action. How can the prospect help you achieve your vision?

Overall, a strong case for support builds trust and faith in your organization. When your donors trust that you’ll use their gift wisely, they will continue to have confidence in your work even if you need to make a change.

Additionally, it will be easier to adjust your fundraising strategy if you have a strong foundation to build upon. Your case for support can act as your north star, guiding your efforts even in a turbulent environment.

3. Diversify your revenue streams.

One sign of an inflexible fundraising plan is total dependence on just one or two funding sources. 

If your plan includes just a handful of major donors or relies on a large fundraising event, that could lead to a disastrous halt in your work if something falls through. Putting all of your fundraising eggs in one basket leaves you vulnerable to crisis or even just a change of heart.

By diversifying your revenue streams, your nonprofit will be more resilient and sustainable.

If the evaluation of your current fundraising strategy revealed little variation in your revenue streams, do your homework to explore new sources of funding. 

For example, funding from foundations, government entities and other grant-giving institutions can make a huge difference in your bottom line. However, since they can be extremely competitive, it’s best to treat grant funding as unpredictable. In other words, don’t count your grant dollars before they’re in the door!

You could also consider exploring donor-advised funds (DAFs) as a potential source of revenue. A donor-advised fund is a giving vehicle that holds charitable assets for future contributions. These accounts are attractive to donors due to their financial benefits, as well as for being a hands-off approach. DAFs are managed by sponsoring organizations including community foundations and commercial sponsors. If your nonprofit forms a relationship with one of these sponsors, you may be connected to dozens or even hundreds of donors.

As you target one or more of these sources, be sure to tailor your ask appropriately. While you should tie each request for funding back to the same case for support, the language and appeals you use should be customized to the recipient. Then, after you’ve secured the funding, create a plan for intentionally stewarding this new relationship. 

If this feels overwhelming on top of your usual workload, consider consulting an expert to help you identify and pursue new funding opportunities. As you start the consultant search, the Aly Sterling Philanthropy guide to hiring a fundraising consultant offers some helpful tips to find the right partner for your organization’s specific needs.

4. Offer versatile giving options.

In addition to diversifying your revenue streams, you should also diversify the opportunities that individual donors have to give. 

As you approach each fundraising conversation, you should have a number in mind based on your previous prospect research, gift range chart, and overall goal. But if the answer to that request is a no, come armed with alternatives. 

Think of these options less like a back-up plan and more as a solution for donors who are passionate about your mission but currently unable to make a major gift. You might present the following alternative giving opportunities:

  • Recurring gift program. Consider amping up your recurring gift program to create a predictable revenue stream. Even small monthly gifts can make an impact when multiplied over the course of the year, and they’re often more accessible to a wider range of your supporters.
  • Matching gifts. Many companies will match employee gifts to eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, but sometimes these programs are underutilized. According to re:Charity’s guide to matching gifts, somewhere between $4 and $7 billion dollars in matching gift revenue goes unclaimed every year. To maximize this potentially valuable funding source, spread awareness of matching gifts among your supporters or use a dedicated database to identify gifts that could be submitted for a match.
  • Pledged gifts. Allow donors to commit to supporting your cause at a future date without needing to pull out their checkbooks just yet. By counting on pledges of a certain amount later in the year, you can better plan for future funding while giving the donor time to plan for the gift.  

Loyal supporters will appreciate this flexibility if they experience any financial setbacks. And when the economy recovers (as it always does), your relationships with these supporters will still be thriving.  


Bonus Tip: Consider bringing in a consultant to provide expertise and perspective as you develop your flexible fundraising strategy. Most importantly, the right consultant can help you prioritize relationships with supporters and facilitate even deeper connections. This list of nonprofit consultants includes firms in different areas of expertise, including stewardship. Even if your exact plans for gift solicitation need to change, you’ll still need to rely on relationships to pursue your mission. 

As we move into 2021, it’s time to refocus your efforts and create a fundraising strategy that can weather any storm. By leading with relationships and a flexible approach, you’ll be better able to reach your fundraising goals. Good luck!


About the Author: Aly Sterling

Long before Aly Sterling founded her eponymous consulting firm, she was solving the unique yet similar problems encountered by nonprofit organizations.

Her decision to start her own business in 2007 was driven by her belief in leadership as the single most important factor in organizational success, and her determination to work with multiple causes at one time to scale societal change.

Aly’s expertise includes fundraising, strategic planning, search consultation and board leadership development for the well-positioned nonprofit. She is regularly sought for comment by trade and mainstream media, including the Chronicle of Philanthropy and U.S. News & World Report. She has contributed to publications of BoardSource and The Governance Institute, as well as the Toledo Chamber of Commerce and The Giving Institute.

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