Step into your donors’ shoes for a moment and consider your nonprofit’s current approach to outreach.

As a donor, where are you seeing the organization’s messages the most? On social media? Via email? What about the nonprofit’s messages stand out to you? Maybe details on impact or a compelling story from a beneficiary come to mind. Most importantly, do the organization’s outreach efforts make you want to engage more or donate again?

If you get overwhelmed just thinking about your donor communications strategy in this way, you’re not alone. Mastering the art of donor outreach is a common challenge many fundraisers face.

To elevate your current efforts, you need a solid donor outreach plan, and creating one starts with having the right elements. In this quick guide, we’ll explore those crucial elements and set you up for successful donor outreach, whether you’re hoping to raise funds for a capital campaign, boost your online fundraising efforts, or just remind your donors that you appreciate all their support. Let’s begin.

1. Clear Understanding of Your Audience 

Imagine you receive a birthday card from a close friend. Would you rather open it and read:

1. Dear Friend, Happy birthday. Hope you have a nice day. Sincerely, Marta.

Or:

2. Dear Camille, Happy birthday! What a special year—we’ve made a lot of memories. I especially loved our whale-watching trip and weekly movie nights. I hope you have a special day and get that red velvet cake you love! Looking forward to another great year. Your friend, Marta

You’d probably opt for the second message, right? That’s because it’s much more personal. You can tell that your friend put a lot of thought into the card, evidenced by the personal details they included.

This is what your donors need in order to connect with you through your outreach efforts—not a birthday card, necessarily, but a sign that you know who they are, what they’re interested in, and what motivates them to stay involved with your organization!

So, when refining your donor outreach plan, start by revisiting exactly who your audience is. Here are some tips for doing so:

• Turn to your database. This is where you store all of the information you have on your donors. Look through details like demographics, communication preferences, personal values and interests, corporate giving eligibility, and giving history to get a better idea of who you’re talking to each time you reach out to a donor.

• Review any feedback you’ve received. Pay specific attention to any feedback received on your marketing and outreach efforts. For instance, your donors may have told you what they want to hear about when you get in touch with them, like your latest events or a certain program. Or, they may have let you know that they mostly interact with your organization on social media.  

• Create an audience persona. A persona is essentially a conglomerate of your audience’s shared characteristics, something you can think of as your “typical donor’ when creating communications. Note that this strategy works best for large donor groups, like those who give small and/or monthly donations. Major donors require a much more individualized approach.

Reviewing the information available about your donors will allow you to personalize your messages, which will help them see that your nonprofit values them as individuals. And when donors feel like members of your team rather than walking ATMs, they’ll be much more inclined to lend their support again and again.

2. Multiple Communications Channels 

With every outreach campaign, your goal should be to connect with as many of your donors as possible. You can’t do that if you put all of your “outreach eggs” in one basket.

Instead, you need to leverage multiple communication channels to increase your chances of reaching all of your donors. Of course, you’ll want to keep in mind any preferences you know your donors have. For instance, if your donors are mostly members of Generation X (currently aged 44-59), putting a lot of effort into outreach on TikTok likely won’t yield the best results. Instead, you may want to focus on channels like email, Facebook, and direct mail.

To help you reflect on the channels you want to use, here are a few popular ones:

• Email: Did you know that the average ROI for email marketing is $36 for every $1 you spend? This means that email is a worthwhile channel for your donor outreach efforts and can help you reach your funding goals. In your emails, be sure to provide valuable content, include engaging visuals, and always issue an attention-grabbing call to action.

• Social media: The beauty of social media is that there are plenty of different platforms to choose from that all allow you to post unique types of content. For example, Instagram is primarily used for posting pictures and videos. X (formerly known as Twitter) is best for short-form written content, like updates on fundraising campaigns or reminders about upcoming events. And Meta (Facebook) is a great place for almost any type of content. If you use social media, be sure to pay attention to the comments and direct messages you receive. Go the extra mile by responding promptly!

• Your organization’s website: As the hub of your online presence, your organization’s website is an excellent tool for providing mission updates and hosting resources to help donors take action. Cornershop Creative recommends that your website has a fresh, modern look, a great user experience, a straightforward donation page, relevant landing pages, a clear presentation of your organization’s mission, and easy ways to navigate giving options.

• Direct mail: Snail mail is still a useful strategy for getting in touch with your donors. After all, most mail is bills and ads these days. This means a colorful mailer or postcard from your organization will stand out in the pile, offering your organization a unique chance to share more long-form content, like your annual report or a sincere thank-you note. Use links to your web site and consider using a QR code to drive to a specific landing page.

• Text messaging: Over 80% of people check their text message notifications within just five minutes of receiving a text, according to SimpleTexting.For your organization, this means that if you need to get in touch with your donors quickly, texting is the way to go. Use texts to send out announcements, updates, and last-minute donation appeals. 

Wondering how you’re going to create content for all of your chosen outreach channels? Don’t stress—when you plan out your messaging, think about how you can convey one message in multiple ways. For instance, you might start by planning out a new blog post for your website which can then be adapted into a Facebook post and an email without much more work from your team. Don’t be afraid to reuse high-quality graphics and other visuals, either.

3. Compelling Messages  

What matters most in your donor outreach plan is what you say to your donors. Whatever form they take, the messages you share should grab your donors’ attention, engage them, reinforce their importance to your work, and inspire them to continue supporting your cause.

Here are a few tips for creating more memorable and meaningful messages:

• Position the donor as a partner in your work. When writing about your work and needs, include your donors in the narrative. For example, instead of saying, “Our nonprofit built three new dog parks in the state this year,” adjust it to, “Thanks to your generous support, we’ve been able to build three new dog parks in the state this year.” Little changes like this tell your donors they are integral to your work.  

• Lean into storytelling. Humans respond well to stories. There’s something about rooting for a main character, watching them overcome challenges, and seeing good prevail that resonates with us all. Use storytelling where you can, whether you’re sharing how one of your beneficiaries has seen their life improve thanks to your services or how a volunteer has overcome hardships to make time to serve the community.

• Highlight the impact donors have made. Donors need proof that their contributions are making a difference. Give them concrete examples of what their generosity has made possible. For instance, you might share an example of an advocacy campaign that succeeded because of donors’ phone calls to representatives. Or you could share a more formal impact report that quantifies the positive outcomes your beneficiaries have experienced as a result of generous giving.

• Use high-quality visuals. Visuals can make your messages pop off the page or screen and break up big blocks of text. Try including high-quality images of your team at work, photos of beneficiaries, or on-brand graphics. You can take your visual storytelling efforts further by creating short videos, like testimonials from your beneficiaries or volunteers.

• Encourage further involvement. Whether you’re sending out an email newsletter with general updates, mailing a donation appeal letter, or posting about an event on social media, always encourage your donors to act. In addition to donating again, highlight other opportunities for engagement. These might include volunteering, giving in-kind donations, attending an event, signing up for a newsletter, or following your organization on social media.

With the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the last few years, many organizations now leverage them for content creation. If you want to use generative AI for writing your donor outreach messages, make sure to view it as a writing assistant rather than a replacement for doing the work yourself. Use it to outline, edit, and improve your messages so that you still have the opportunity to infuse them with the human touch your donors need.

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As you incorporate these elements into your own donor outreach plan, remember to keep an eye on the results of your next outreach campaign. Pay attention to how your donors respond to your new strategies and what you could improve upon in the future.

Effective outreach will require your organization to continue evolving and iterating on its strategies so that your messaging is always fresh and compelling. Your hard work will pay off as you strengthen your connections with your donors and secure their support for years to come.