Fundraising Strategies For Social Enterprises

Donors don’t remember what you asked for. They remember how you made them feel. No donor remembers your budget line. They remember the moment they felt seen. Last year, I worked with a mid-sized charity struggling with donor retention. Their appeals were beautiful — but donors weren’t coming back. When we looked closer, it wasn’t the messaging that was broken. It was the feeling. Or more accurately, the lack of feeling. Every email spoke at their donors. None spoke to them. So we rewrote their follow-ups. We started with: “You made this possible.” We ended with: “How did this story make you feel?” Within six months, repeat giving rose by 38%. Fundraising isn’t persuasion!!! It’s connection!!! Donors don’t remember the amount you asked for — they remember the moment you helped them feel part of something bigger than themselves. Before you send your next appeal, pause and ask: → “Where’s the feeling in this message?” → “Would I be moved to respond?” If the answer is no, start again. This is the philosophy that drives all my work: Fundraising is meaning, not money. AI, data, and strategy matter — but they should amplify empathy, not replace it. If you’re rethinking your donor strategy for 2026, start with how you make people feel. That’s where loyalty — and legacy — begin

My nonprofits in the community - are you planning a donor survey in the next two months? Here are some examples of how you can ensure that the data does not sit silently in your work folders but actually lets it help you take meaningful actions. Example 1: Say your survey question is: "How likely are you to continue donating to our organization in the next year?" ● Data says: If 60% of donors say they are "very likely" to continue donating, but 30% are "somewhat likely" and 10% are "unlikely," this indicates a potential drop-off in donor retention. ● Turning that data into action: Focus retention efforts on the "somewhat likely" group. Create a targeted campaign that re-engages these donors by highlighting recent successes, impact stories, or new initiatives they might care about. Additionally, reach out to the "unlikely" group to understand their concerns and see if any issues can be addressed. Example 2: Say your survey question is: "Which of the following areas do you believe your donation has the most impact?" ● Data says: 50% of respondents say their donation has the most impact on "Education Programs," while only 10% say "Healthcare Initiatives." ● Turning that data into action: Understand the why and promote the success and need for your "Healthcare Initiatives" more prominently, aiming to increase donor awareness and support in this underfunded area. Example 3: Say your survey question is: "What is your primary reason for donating to our organization?" ● Data says: If the top reason to engage is "Alignment with my values" (40%) followed by "Transparency in how funds are used" (35%). ● Turning that data into action: Emphasize your organization's values and transparency in all communications. Regularly update donors on how their funds are being used with clear, detailed reports, and align your messaging with the core values that resonate with your donor base. Example 4: Say your survey question is: "How satisfied are you with the level of communication you receive from our organization?" ● Data says: If 70% of donors are "satisfied", 20% are "neutral," and 10% are "dissatisfied," there's room for improvement in communication. ● Turning that data into action: Understand the "neutral" and "dissatisfied" groups to pinpoint where communication may be lacking. This could involve increasing the frequency of updates, personalizing communications, or providing more opportunities for donor feedback and engagement. Sit with the data you collect. Read the numbers. Read the stories. Read the hopes, barriers, and interests of those humans in your data. The best possibility of a survey is to make the humans in that data feel included and belong by listening and acting on their perspectives. Co-create change with your community in those surveys. #nonprofits #nonprofitleadership #community #inclusion

Before it was about getting donors to write checks. Now it’s about involving them in your ecosystem. Here’s 5 steps to get started today: You’re not just fundraising anymore. You’re onboarding stakeholders. If you want repeatable, compounding revenue from donors, partners, and decision-makers, you need to stop treating them like check-writers… …and start treating them like collaborators in a living system. Here’s how. 1. Diagnose your “center of gravity” Most orgs center fundraising around the mission. But the real gravitational pull for donors is their identity. → Ask yourself: What is the identity we help our funders step into? Examples: Systems Disruptor. Local Hero. Climate Investor. Opportunity Builder. Build messaging, experiences, and invites around that identity, not just impact stats. 2. Turn every program into a flywheel for new capital Stop separating “program delivery” from “fundraising.” Your programs are your best sales engine → Examples: • Invite donors to shadow frontline staff for one hour • Allow funders to sponsor a real-time decision and see the outcome • Let supporters “unlock” bonus services for beneficiaries through engagement, not just cash People fund what they help shape. 3. Use feedback as a funding mechanism Most orgs treat surveys as box-checking. But used right, feedback is fundraising foreplay. → Ask donors and partners to co-define what “success” looks like before you report back. Then build dashboards, stories, and events around their metrics. You didn’t just show impact. You made them part of the operating model. 4. Make your “thank you” do heavy lifting Thanking donors isn’t the end of a transaction. It’s the first trust test for future collaboration. → Instead of a generic “thank you,” send: • A 1-minute voice memo with a specific insight you gained from their gift • A sneak peek at a challenge you’re tackling and ask for their perspective • A micro-invite: “Can I get your eyes on something next week?” You’re not closing a loop. You’re opening a door. 5. Build a “Donor OS” (Operating System) Every funder should have a journey, not just a transaction history. → Track things like: • What insight made them first say “I’m in”? • Who do they influence (and who influences them)? • What kind of risk are they comfortable taking? • What internal narrative did your mission fulfill for them? Then tailor comms, invitations, and roles accordingly. Not everyone needs another newsletter but someone does want a seat at the strategy table. With purpose and impact, Mario

If I'm in charge of revenue at a large nonprofit, I can't ignore these realities 👇 -Donors giving below $100 are down ~9% (and have been trending down) -Donors giving below $500 are down 4% (and have been trending down) -Slower income growth & less disposable income for most -Middle-class households under economic pressure -The rapid decline of religion (that has giving as a core tenet) -Decline in institutional trust -Not only is charitable giving largely stagnant as a % of the GDP, but we also haven't been able to grow share of wallet -Donors giving $5k-$50k are up 1% -Donors giving $50k+ are up ~3% And if I look around at what other nonprofits are doing, I might see 👇 -Marketing getting louder -Frequency cranked to 11 -Tired tactics with little differentiation And if strategy is about how an organization applies strength against the most promising opportunity or the most critical challenge, I need to address the problem head on. Three ideas... 1) Instead of getting louder, get closer to donors. -Jeffersonian dinners -"Jobs To Be Done" interviews -Measuring donor satisfaction -Rating the donor experience -Cross train across the org on how to listen to donors -More thoughtful prioritization and segmentation -Do things that don't scale; you will likely not "scale" anyways (but you'll very likely grow!) 2) Focus more energy on the people who *can* give more. That doesn't mean you should ignore the $100 donor. Two things can be true at the same time: most of your limited human hours are best spent on people who can give >$10,000, AND, you can treat the $100 donor like they're an important part of the team (because they are). -Create tiered caseloads (A, B, C, D donors) -Develop a donor engagement plan for each tier -Treat mid-major donors like true partners: frequent report backs, project proposals, town halls, feedback loops, in-the-moment updates -Focus your work in the 'mass' file to identify the best prospects for a mid-major treatment, and work to move as many OTGs to recurring (monthly) or re-occuring revenue (quarterly, yearly, etc.) 3) Promote giving from assets across the donor file—and make it easy to do so Russell James taught me this. When people give from their assets, the gift is likely to be larger. And they are more likely to give again. Giving from assets (like stocks and shares, tax-savings accounts, retirement accounts, DAFs, gifts of life insurance, etc.) is often the smartest way for donors to give—no matter the size of gift. But many donors simply don't know it's an option. -- We're partnering with growth-minded nonprofits to implement all of these ideas, and more. If you think it's time you create a solid midlevel giving strategy (not just a standard appeal with an open ask), give me a shout.

Most nonprofits thank donors once. Top-retention organizations thank them seven times in seven ways. Donors who feel “seen” renew at two to three times the rate of those who only get a receipt. A simple shift: Replace “thank you for your gift” with “Here’s what you made possible this month.” Personal impact reporting increases second-gift likelihood by up to 80%. A youth mentorship nonprofit I supported started sending “micro-updates” every 30 days—one photo, one sentence, one win. Their donor churn dropped by 21% in a single quarter. Stewardship isn’t fluff; it’s ROI. What’s one small stewardship habit that’s made a big difference for your donors?

I read 170+ pages of new nonprofit fundraising research that studied 15,054 orgs and $5.3B in giving -- so you don't have to. Here's what I learned from my 4 favorite papers: 1. Bank of America Study of Philanthropy 2025 (https://lnkd.in/e_YQXkc4) Your job isn't to ask for money. It's to make donors feel like experts. Affluent donors who consider themselves "experts" in giving donate $28,350 on average. "Novices" give $4,466. That's 6x more. Impact reporting isn't optional. It's what turns a donor into an expert—and an expert into a major gift. 2. M+R Benchmarks 2025 (https://mrbenchmarks.com/) 87% of people who land on your donation page leave without giving. Average completion rate is just 12%. One-time giving was flat in 2024. Monthly giving grew 5% and now makes up 31% of all online revenue. If your donation page defaults to one-time, change it today. And audit your form on mobile. Every extra field is costing you money. 3. Neon One Generosity Report 2025 (https://lnkd.in/et9h7UR7) A $25 donor can become your most valuable supporter. There's no correlation between first gift size and long-term loyalty. Also, donors who gave for 5 consecutive years contributed 1,519% more than single-year donors. They made up less than 12% of donors but accounted for 45% of total revenue. Don't optimize for one-time gifts. Long-term relationships are half of the game. 4. Fundraising Effectiveness Project 2025 (https://lnkd.in/ePvQKfwT) The second gift is everything. First-time donor retention? 11%. Donors who give 7+ times? Retention is 86.2%. Meanwhile, revenue is up 2.9% but donors are down 1.9%. Small donors under $100 dropped 10.5%. We're raising more money from fewer people. If you're not obsessing over converting first-time donors to repeat donors, you're running on a treadmill. -- The research is clear. Fundraising in 2026 isn't going to be about acquiring more donors. It's going to be about keeping the ones you have. -- Let me know if this is useful, I have 3 more studies/research papers that I cut for length. -- More evidence-backed fundraising advice from another post: https://lnkd.in/ex3UNeyY

One of the greatest lessons I've learned while running an NGO is this: documentation is not just paperwork; it is TRUST. When people donate to your cause, they are doing more than giving money. They are placing their confidence in your vision and believing that you'll use their resources responsibly. That trust deserves to be honoured. Over the years, I've intentionally developed a culture of documenting every project at Clare Cares Foundation . At the end of each project, every donor and supporter receives a comprehensive report that includes: 1. The project's objectives and outcomes 2. Challenges we encountered 3. A detailed breakdown of how funds were utilized 4. Photographs capturing the impact 5. A summary video of the event 6. A personalized thank-you card expressing our appreciation This process takes time and effort, but it is worth every minute. One of the most rewarding moments for me is reading the responses from our donors. Their feedback often goes beyond, Thank you. Instead, they ask: What's the next project? To me, that's the true measure of accountability. When people can clearly see the impact of their contributions, they don't just donate once, they become partners in your mission. Transparency builds credibility. Credibility builds trust. And trust builds lasting relationships. Whether you lead an NGO, a social enterprise, or any purpose-driven organization, never underestimate the power of good documentation. Your reports don't just record what happened; they tell the story of lives changed, resources stewarded well, and promises kept. People may remember your project, but they will always remember how you made them feel about being part of it. Documentation isn't just administration. It's one of the strongest forms of gratitude you can offer your supporters. #NonprofitLeadership #NGO #Transparency #Accountability #Impact #Leadership #SocialImpact #Fundraising #Trust #ClareCaresFoundation

Most donors don’t stop giving because they lose interest. They stop because they never feel 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯. A recent study found that 80% 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗮 “𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂” 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 if they’re going to give again. But here’s the problem: 65% 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁. That gap? It’s not about marketing. It’s about 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦. You might call it 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸-𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱— the moment where a donor decides if your organization is worth trusting again. Here’s the good news: A thank-you doesn’t have to be expensive. It has to be 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭. Here are a few creative ways to cross that threshold: – A handwritten note from a program staff member – A short video update texted directly to the donor – A voice memo thank-you from the ED – A child’s drawing mailed from the field – A surprise “thank you” postcard 3 months after giving – An invitation to a no-ask Zoom coffee – A social media shout-out (with permission) – An anniversary message one year later – A thank-you call from a board member – A behind-the-scenes photo from the project they funded – A “you made this happen” email with before/after impact Gratitude isn’t an obligation. It’s your greatest 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭. 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿, “𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲”?

A client just closed their fiscal year with 24% revenue growth while most nonprofits are struggling to maintain last year's numbers. The difference wasn't their cause or their community - it was their approach to donor relationships. I got the call last week with results that made me smile. "We just closed our fiscal year," the executive director said. "Revenue is up 24% from last year." This wasn't a fluke or a one-time major gift windfall. This was systematic growth built on fundamentals that most organizations ignore. While other nonprofits in their community were cutting programs and laying off staff, this organization was expanding services and hiring new team members. Here's what they did differently: They stopped chasing grants and started cultivating donors. They moved from transactional fundraising to relationship-based development. They invested in donor stewardship instead of just donor acquisition. Most importantly, they treated fundraising like a year-round discipline, not a seasonal emergency. While their peers were launching "crisis appeals" every quarter, this organization was having regular coffee meetings with supporters. While others were sending mass emails begging for help, they were making personal phone calls to say thank you. They understood something most nonprofits miss: Sustainable revenue growth comes from deepening existing relationships, not constantly finding new ones. Their donor retention rate went from 45% to 73% in eighteen months. Their average gift size increased by 40%. Their major gift pipeline grew from three prospects to fifteen qualified donors. The 24% growth wasn't magic. It was the compound effect of doing basic relationship building consistently well. Your organization's financial struggles aren't because of the economy, donor fatigue, or increased competition. They're because you're treating fundraising like marketing instead of relationship building. Stop looking for silver bullets. Start investing in the proven fundamentals that create sustainable growth. Because in fundraising, organizations that focus on relationships instead of transactions don't just survive difficult times - they thrive through them.

Most fundraising conversations focus on the ask. But the real work — the work that keeps donors giving — happens after the gift. That’s stewardship. And the organizations that do it well keep it simple and consistent. They focus on five things: 1. Impact: Show donors what changed because they gave. Not the budget line… the outcome. A need met. A person helped. A moment made possible. 2. Connection: People give because they want to belong. Donors don’t drift away because we communicate too much — they drift when they feel invisible. 3. Trust: Clean data, accurate receipts, quick follow-up, clear communication. Small details, big consequences. Trust builds in tiny moments. 4. Gratitude: Not an acknowledgment. A genuine thank you. Give donors credit for what they accomplished, not for what you did with their money. 5. Alignment: Donors stay when they see their values reflected in your mission. Make the link obvious. Don’t make them guess. In our speed-to-second-gift study, the strongest programs weren’t just faster… they were better at all five. They showed up quickly. They communicated clearly. And they made donors feel like partners, not transactions. Stewardship pays for itself. But more importantly, it’s the right thing to do.