Make Every Member a Donor: How to Maximize Marketing

Maximize marketing by following three steps to attract, convert and retain donors.

As nonprofit organizations, YMCAs and JCCs depend greatly on the generosity of donors to drive forward their missions and meaningful programs. Despite the pivotal role YMCAs and JCCs play in serving their communities, only 6% of members donate in a given year, and only 3% of those donors donate a second time.  

After an uncertain and obstacle-ridden 2020, fundraising will play a more crucial role than ever in ensuring a strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. As you prepare your fundraising campaigns for the new year, it’s important to expand upon the group you traditionally consider donors and recognize that with the right messaging – everyone in your community has the potential to donate. 

With the mindset “everyone is a donor,” plus a well-thought-out fundraising strategy, you can exponentially grow your donor pool and raise more funds than ever before to power your organization’s life-changing missions.

Follow these steps to attract, convert and retain donors:  

1. Nail Your Messaging

The first step to nailing your messaging is to identify target audiences. Distinct audience groups can include new members, past donors, board members, volunteers, corporate partners, community members and more. Once you’ve created groups, tailor specific messaging to speak to the distinct outcomes that motivate each demographic.

For example, when communicating with potential donors on a family membership, emphasize the work your organization has done to serve families and children through the pandemic. Then, give them insight into how their donation could change a child’s life through a summer camp scholarship.

2. Determine Your Channels 

Once you’ve determined what you want to say, the next step is to figure out how and where you want to say it. For this task, you’ll need to identify which stage of the donor journey your audience is in — awareness, consideration or decision.

• For those in the awareness stage (new members and community members), pay-per-click ads and social media posts may be sufficient.
• In the consideration stage, a targeted, educational email with a compelling story helps push potential donors closer down the path.
• At the decision stage (past donors or board members), a personalized email from a staff member may be a better approach.   

3. Scale Your Efforts 

The final step for maximizing fundraising is to scale your strategy for increased effectiveness. Start by cleaning up your data to improve delivery rates. Then, analyze donation data from previous years to identify strategic targets. Finally, consider enlisting help from outside partners or experts to take your efforts—and results—to the next level. Whether through a digital marketing agency or an engagement assistant powered by AI, thinking outside the box will pay off in your quest to maximize marketing, and ultimately, make every member a donor.