As the old adage goes, putting all your eggs in one basket is a risky proposition. This is especially true in the not for profit world where there is no guarantee that grants, endowments or large individual contributions will be renewed from one year to the next. Without funding, your organisation will be unable to continue its good work in your service community, so fundraising plays a critical role in the survival and growth of nearly all NFPs.

The following are three suggestions to help your nonprofit avoid some common pitfalls that can derail a successful fundraising campaign.

Avoid Information Overload in Videos

A growing number of nonprofits are turning to videos to tell their stories and encourage greater giving during their fundraising campaigns. While videos can be a great way to get the word out about the impact made by your organisation, and establish an emotional connection with potential donors, this format can backfire if the video is overly long and complicated.

The temptation with videos is that most NFPs try to pack in too much detail and information about all aspects and projects that the organisation happens to be involved with. This makes the video hard to follow and absorb, turning off potential donors and leaving them feeling overwhelmed. When this happens, most viewers will click away from the site, never to return.

Aim to film shorter videos of two minutes or less in length that focus on one central aspect of your organisation and that illustrate this aspect by telling one specific human-interest story.

Are You Making it Easy for Supporters to Assist in Fundraising?

Are you leaving money on the table? If you want to increase the amount and size of contributions that you receive, then you must raise awareness about your cause, and increase the visibility of your fundraising campaigns.

Ideally, you want your nonprofit’s fundraising campaign to draw as much attention as possible to your mission and the impact made by contributions to your organisation. One way to do this is to fully leverage the influence of your existing advocates.  Celebrities, media personalities and other key influencers are often quite willing to help you shine a bright spotlight on the work accomplished by your nonprofit, when you make it easy for them to do so.

Use tools to make it easy for supporters to fundraise for your NFP. Create a fundraising template that works well with several of the major social media channels. Make sure that the template includes your organisation’s logo and messaging, and includes a clear call to action.

Allow supporters to customise the content of the template so that they are essentially creating their own personal fundraising campaign. Make it easy for them to then share it on their social media profiles.

Offer Rewards

Everyone likes to feel appreciated. In addition to offering a heartfelt thank you to every contributor for their donation, you can encourage greater giving by offering donors perks and incentives.

Some popular ideas for rewards include offering special merchandise such as branded totes, water bottles and more for donors that make a recurring donation. For the greatest impact, these items should be branded with your nonprofit’s logo, and available only to donors who have contributed the target amount.

Another way to show your appreciation and generate interest in your fundraiser is to offer donors public recognition for their gifts. Good ways to do this include listing donors by name on your website, or offering shout-outs to donors on traditional broadcast news and social media.

For contributors that make bequests or large one-time gifts, you might reward them with a meet and greets with VIPs associated with your organisation or offer to send free tickets to your organisation’s special events such as its galas and awards ceremonies.