One of the most challenging parts of fundraising is the coveted ask. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you’re thinking about how you’d like to ask your supporters for a donation. How can you show supporters that you need their help without overasking? What’s the best way to build a passionate donor base? And which donors should you even ask?

Depending on the size of your organization and the types of resources at your disposal, you might not know where to begin. Maybe you’ve hosted a couple of events already or have launched a fundraising campaign, but have found that your messaging hasn’t resulted in many donations. This might be because of how you’ve framed your ask.

Your fundraising ask is equivalent to a sales pitch. It’s your moment to convey to your supporters why your cause matters and why they should support it.

There are lots of ideas out there about designing the perfect fundraising event or fantastic marketing materials, but a great event or campaign message must also include a compelling ask. So, we’ve put together our top 5 tips for improving your fundraising asks:

1. Figure out your strategy.
2. Use a multi-channel fundraising approach.
3. Get creative.
4. Make it easy to donate.
5. Track your donations.

In the long-term, nailing your fundraising ask can also help you build up lasting relationships and encourage further engagement. Your ask is a great way to show donors that you value their individual contributions and their continued passion for your cause.

1. Figure out your strategy.

Strategizing your ask, taking the time to plan ahead, and streamlining your message can all go a long way to boost your donations. A coordinated strategy can not only ensure continuity across the way that your organization asks for donations, but it can also provide a framework for you to plan future donation campaigns.

Determining your strategy is not as difficult as it may appear. It’s best if you look at the goals you’ve set for your nonprofit and structure your ask strategy around them. To get yourself started, try answering the following questions:

• Who is my audience? Identifying which audience you are planning to reach with your fundraising ask will be very helpful as you’re designing your messaging.
• Which previous strategies were successful? Look back to the fundraising strategies that you’ve used in the past, specifically those that you’ve used with the audience that you’re targeting, and see which approaches worked.
• Which previous strategies weren’t successful? Simultaneously, identify which strategies did not work out as you intended. This way, you can avoid repeating the same mistakes.
• How do my donors prefer to interact with my nonprofit? Another way of thinking about this question is, “How should I ask my donors?” If you’re communicating with a younger audience, texting might be better, or if you’re contacting big givers, a fancy event might be more effective.

However, while organizing your strategy is important, it’s also equally important to be somewhat flexible. As you launch your campaign, you’re going to learn things along the way. Rather than rigidly sticking to your original strategy, you should re-adjust to fit with what you’ve learned. The fundraising landscape is constantly changing — so you should adapt with it.

2. Use a multi-channel fundraising approach.

Multi-channel fundraising — or using multiple forms of outreach to connect with your donors — is a very effective way to reach your base. Broadcasting your marketing materials on several different platforms can ensure that your donors will see your message through at least one of the methods.

When you’re asking for donations, a multi-channel approach can help you to connect with as many people as possible on their preferred platforms, which can increase their likelihood of donating. Here are some different fundraising channels that you could try:

• Direct mail: As one of the most time-tested methods of outreach, direct mail is a great way to communicate your most important information, including the date of an upcoming event, your text-to-give number, or fundraising updates. Segmenting your audience is also especially effective with direct mail and would allow you to tailor your fundraising asks to fit more specific audiences.
• Email: Another excellent fundraising channel is email, which is an easy way for you to connect with donors and direct them to your website. Because you’re already online, you can use emails to encourage online donations.
• Social media: Don’t forget about this effective outreach method! Social media is an excellent tool for nonprofits to spread the word about their work, but make sure that you don’t fall into common traps of creating social media content.

Using a multi-channel fundraising approach can ensure that you’re reaching your donor base on at least one type of platform. This way, you can also create more mileage for your fundraising asks so that they reach as many people as possible.

3. Get creative.

Keeping supporters engaged these days can be challenging, so that's why a creative ask or fundraising campaign can take you far. You want to encourage your donors to stay involved so that they can get invested in the fundraising process. This way, they will grow closer to your organization and might become more involved in the future.

Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box — the more creative you can be, the better. Here are a couple of ideas that you can incorporate into your fundraising ask:

• Engaging images: Interactive elements or interesting graphics is a creative and simple way to encourage donors to return to your platforms. Including a donation tracker, such as a fundraising thermometer, can help keep your donors engaged while also tracking your progress.
• Workplace giving: Did you know that 91% of companies with giving programs will match donations at a 1:1 ratio? Workplace giving is a great option to not only grow your revenue, but is also a creative addition to your campaign. Within your fundraising ask, you could prompt supporters to ask if their workplace has a matching gift program.
• Peer-to-peer fundraising: Do you have a group of passionate supporters? Encourage them to continue their involvement by launching their own fundraiser! Peer-to-peer fundraising allows your supporters to reach out to their own networks to spread awareness about your cause and inspire their families and friends to donate.

These are just a few ways that you can make your fundraising ask more creative, but don’t limit yourself to these 3 approaches. You might have a better idea that’s more tailored to your nonprofit. This is exactly what your donors want to see — they care about what your organization is doing. So, customizing your ask to fit your work can engage supporters who already care about your mission.

4. Make it easy to donate.

Giving your donors a quick and simple way to engage with your organization is essential, and you want to be sure to convey this ease in your fundraising ask. The last thing that you want is for a supporter to want to donate to your organization and then be unable to find the place to send in their funds.

With so many activities and engagement opportunities available at the push of the button, you don’t want your donation process to get ignored because it’s too difficult. These are a couple of ways that you can make it easy for your supporters to donate:

• Online donations: It is crucial that your website can accept donations, especially from mobile devices. In 2018, mobile giving donations increased by 205%. By allowing your website to accept donations, you can use your fundraising ask to drive people to your site so that they can donate quickly and easily.
• Text-to-give: Like direct mail, text-to-give allows you to communicate with each individual donor. It’s also a convenient way for supporters to easily donate from their phones. This Snowball guide about text-to-give can tell you everything you need to know.
• Simple registration: If you require supporters to register prior to donating, make sure this process is short and easy to complete. Only ask for absolutely essential information.
• Clear messaging: Highlight exactly where and how your supporter can donate. That way, they don’t have to spend time figuring out the details of donating.

Lastly, it’s also important that your donation process is transparent. In your fundraising ask, it can be reassuring to donors if you explain where their money will go, mention the security of your giving process, and keep the ask straightforward.

5. Connect with your donors.

When asking for donations, be sure that you aren’t making your donors feel like a number in a database. They clearly care about your organization, but they also want to know that you value and appreciate their support. Taking a more personalized approach in your fundraising ask can help you to better connect with your donors.

What are some ways that you can implement this personal touch? Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Send thank-you notes
• Do shoutouts on social media
• Use your donor’s name in messaging
• Segment your audience so you can tailor your outreach to different audiences

Building these relationships with your donors early in the fundraising process is a great way to encourage them to stay involved. If your donors feel like you value them, then you might even persuade some to set up recurring donations, which is ideal for long-term growth and development.

Crafting a strong and compelling fundraising ask is important for any nonprofit. You want to avoid spending a lot of time developing a relationship only for it to fall through the cracks with a poor ask. With a strong fundraising ask, you can not only secure a connection with a donor, but you can also use the funding to improve your nonprofit and continue contributing to the social good.

The bottom line: Your fundraising ask is a pivotal part of your relationship with a donor. Make sure you have a plan, make it easy for them to donate, and personalize your message.

About the Author

John Killoran

John Killoran is an inventor, entrepreneur, and the Chairman of Clover Leaf Solutions, a national lab services company. He currently leads Clover Leaf’s investment in Snowball Fundraising, an online fundraising platform for nonprofit organizations.

Snowball was one of John’s first public innovations; it’s a fundraising platform that offers text-to-give, online giving, events, and peer-to-peer fundraising tools for nonprofits. By making giving simple, Snowball increases the donations that these organizations can raise online. The Snowball effect is real! John founded Snowball in 2011. Now, it serves over 7,000 nonprofits and is the #1 nonprofit fundraising platform.