How to Build Your Own Donor-Centric Fundraising Strategy

Bloomerang’s Mission Retainable Report found that when asked why they give more than once to the same organization, 63% of surveyed donors replied that the mission or nonprofit is important to them. Overwhelmingly, donors make contributions because they are passionate about your cause for their own personal reasons.

By building your fundraising approach around donors, you’ll speak directly to their needs and encourage them to deepen their involvement. This guide will explore tips for creating a donor-centric fundraising strategy that makes donors feel valued and in charge.

1. Audit your “you” vs. “we” ratio.

Most fundraising strategies are organization-centric, and that’s natural. You’re trying to get people to buy into your cause, so you have to explain what your organization does and how your mission has positively impacted your beneficiaries. However, you can still persuade supporters to give to your nonprofit while putting donors at the forefront—and perhaps even more so.

Your “you” vs. “we” ratio marks how often you talk about your organization and its needs as opposed to your donors and theirs. Look at your most recent donation appeals, newsletter, and About Us page. Count the mentions of “we/us/our” compared to “you/your.”

Ideally, you’ll have a 2:1 ratio of “you” to “we,” talking about donors and their impact twice as much as you mention your organization. If your ratio heavily favors the “we” side of things, reframe key points to focus on your donors.

For example, instead of saying, “We help children build essential life skills,” say something like “Donors like you provide the funds needed to help children build essential life skills.” While sometimes, focusing on your organization and its staff is necessary, there are likely more opportunities to spotlight donors than you realize.

2. Build personas based on behavior.

Demographics shouldn’t be the end-all, be-all of donor personas and identities. After all, both young and old donors can be loyal, two supporters in the same area may have differing levels of participation in your organization’s local events, and two major donors with similar job titles may have wildly different giving propensities.

Instead of grouping supporters based on demographics alone, segment them based on their relationships with your organization. In your nonprofit CRM, create segments like:

• Loyal donors. Any donor who’s given consistently over the past few years should be in this category.
• Highly engaged participants. Consider supporters who haven’t yet contributed but have participated in other ways, such as by subscribing to your newsletter, attending events, or volunteering.
• Lapsed supporters. Group previously engaged donors who haven’t yet given this year.

Then, develop strategies that get to the heart of these supporters’ motivations and preferences. For example, you may provide loyal donors with exclusive updates about your newest project, while sending highly engaged participants educational content and reminding lapsed supporters of their previous impact.

3. Map the first 90 days of the donor journey.

You don’t have a lot of time to retain new donors. The first 90 days can truly make or break their future with your organization. By laying the groundwork for their first few months as donors, you can show you’re invested in building deeper relationships with them rather than just soliciting additional contributions.

Instead of a typical welcome series that trickles off after a week or two, automate a robust communications workflow that looks something like this:

• Immediately upon donation receipt: automated tax receipt and thank-you email
• Two weeks in: educational email that dives deeper into different aspects of your mission
• One month in: impact story that highlights how donors’ contributions have helped real beneficiaries
• Two months in: invitation to an upcoming event that aligns with the donor’s interests
• Three months in: introduction to your recurring giving program that encourages donors to register

Adjust your strategy as needed based on donors’ responses. Bloomerang’s email marketing for nonprofits guide recommends measuring metrics like average email open rate, clickthrough rate, and email conversion rate to gauge effectiveness. For example, if new donors typically sign up for events featured in your welcome series but don’t register for your recurring giving program, you may wait longer to make your first ask or request another one-time donation instead.

4. Implement a feedback loop.

Establish a dialogue with supporters by asking them questions and soliciting their feedback. This strategy demonstrates that you value donors’ thoughts and opinions, not just their wallets.

Send surveys to donors after they give, volunteer, and participate in events. Ask them questions like:

• What inspired you to give today?
• What was the most fulfilling part of your volunteer experience?
• Would you attend a similar event in the future? Why or why not?

You may also send surveys at regular intervals that ask supporters about their general experience with your nonprofit. These questions might look like:

• What motivated you to start supporting our organization?
• Which of our programs are you most passionate about?
• Is there anything we could do to improve the supporter experience?

Record their answers to these questions in the appropriate profiles within your donor management system. Implement their feedback whenever possible, and notify them when you do to show you’re actively listening and considering their opinions. For instance, if a donor indicates that they’re particularly interested in a certain program, you might start sending them targeted updates about that program to keep them in the loop.

5. Remove friction from the giving experience.

Asking for excessive information on your donation form prioritizes your data needs over donors’ giving experience. While you need donors’ names, payment information, and contact details to process their donations, too many additional fields or questions can lengthen the process and discourage donors from contributing.

To avoid giving friction, audit your donation process. Take the time to assess your own donation page, making sure that:

• Filling out the form is quick and easy. Donors shouldn’t have to spend more than two minutes or so completing your donation form. Otherwise, they may bounce from the page.
• Your donation form is accessible to everyone. Follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) by ensuring sufficient color contrast between background and foreground text, avoiding flashing or strobing elements, including alternative text for images and captions for videos, and labeling form fields using descriptive text that screen readers can interpret.
• You offer new payment methods like digital wallets. Considering that 24% of donors prefer giving using digital wallets, supporting convenient payment platforms like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Venmo is essential.
• There are clear security callouts. Build donor trust by using a secure, PCI-compliant payment processor, and clearly explain this on your donation form.

When in doubt, simplify your donation form as much as possible. If you need additional information from your donors, consider collecting it through a separate method, such as a survey.

To make your fundraising strategy truly donor-centric, involve donors every step of the way. Consider A/B testing different messages to understand what resonates with donors, collect engagement data, and ask donors directly about your fundraising approach. By switching your mindset and always asking, “What would our donors think of this?” you’ll build a more genuine, thoughtful fundraising strategy that centers the people who truly make your mission possible.

Guest Author Diana Otero

As Senior Product Marketing Manager at Bloomerang, Diana leverages her expertise in nonprofit CRM to help organizations strengthen donor relationships. She is passionate about showcasing solutions that empower For Purpose organizations to move beyond data tracking and foster genuine connections. With over a decade at Bloomerang, Diana excels at translating product capabilities into strategies that save time, fuel growth, and allow nonprofits to focus on what matters most: their mission. Her work is informed by her experience as a former nonprofit board member and ongoing volunteer work with various organizations, giving her unique insight into the challenges nonprofits face. Connect with her on LinkedIn.