The Fundraising Effectiveness Project’s most recent data for Q1 2025 shows that the number of micro donors (those who contribute $1-$100) has dropped by 11.1% year over year. This data aligns with the general trend in the nonprofit industry: donor bases are shrinking, and larger, less frequent donations are becoming more common.
While major donors significantly contribute to your cause, the more donors, the better. Every donation counts, and nonprofits that want to expand their donor bases will need to put serious thought into their acquisition strategies.
Convincing prospective supporters with limited time and resources to give to your organization is no easy feat. To help you expand your donor base and raise more, we’ll explore strategies for grabbing and retaining new donors’ attention.
1. Lead with a hook.
Upon reading your communications, prospects should immediately know why they should care about your cause. What sets your organization apart, and what type of impact can donors make if they contribute?
Consider starting with a statistic relevant to your mission. For example, an animal shelter may start a fundraising email like this:
Did you know that about 607,000 animals were euthanized in shelters in 2024? We’re working hard to lower that number each and every day, but we need your help.
Another way to grab donors’ attention is to highlight urgency right away. Why is it important that donors contribute now?
A disaster relief organization may open an appeal with the following:
Last week’s hurricane destroyed countless homes throughout our area, leaving thousands of families devastated and unhoused. These families need our help, and they need it now. Will you donate today to help them rebuild their homes and their lives?
While urgency can be a powerful tactic, use it sparingly. Creating a false sense of urgency may break donors’ trust and undermine true emergencies when your beneficiaries need immediate support.
2. Summarize your mission.
When you’re trying to win donors over for the first time, you don’t want to overwhelm them with excessive information. That’s why Bloomerang’s email marketing guide recommends keeping nonprofit emails concise, with urgent campaign emails at less than 50 words and supporter welcome emails at 75 to100 words.
However, donors should know what their gift supports and why it’s important. Provide new donors with an elevator pitch about your organization’s background and cause. Take the opportunity to practice communicating your mission succinctly, as refining your mission statement can also help you secure grants, sponsorships, and other funding opportunities.
For example, the disaster relief organization mentioned above may explain its mission with a statement like this:
Building Happy Homes was established in 2005, shortly after Hurricane Katrina. We help families rebuild their homes after hurricanes and other natural disasters to get their lives back on track. Since our founding, we’ve helped over 550,000 families recover from natural disasters.
3. Use donor-centric language.
Donors want to know not only what your nonprofit does, but also how they fit into it. While you should explain your nonprofit’s work, center donor impact as much as possible. Use stories and language that highlights donors’ contributions and their role in upholding your mission.
For instance, instead of saying, “Our shelter supports animals in need,” you may put a donor-centric spin on it by saying, “Donors like you provide the necessary funds to support shelter animals and provide them with loving forever homes.”
Additionally, personalize your communications by leveraging your nonprofit CRM to include donors’ names. Addressing your emails to donors and using their names in the body of the email shows you’re committed to forming relationships with each individual supporter.
4. Emphasize impact.
Along with using donor-centric language, including details about your nonprofit’s past results can help future donors visualize their future impact. Infuse your new donor communications and donation page with purpose by:
- Pulling metrics from your impact report. A compelling statistic about how you’ve furthered your cause over the past year can win donors over. Consider incorporating metrics related to how many beneficiaries you’ve helped and the benefits they’ve received.
- Incorporating stories. Concrete metrics appeal to prospects’ logic, but stories appeal to their emotions. Interview beneficiaries about how your nonprofit has changed their lives for the better, and include their testimonials in your appeals.
- Altering your “Donate” button. When prospects land on your donation page, seal the deal with effective calls to action. For example, instead of simply saying “Donate,” your donation button may say something cause-specific like “Transform An Animal’s Life” or “Help Hurricane Victims Rebuild.”
Telling donors upfront exactly how you’ll use their funds also helps build trust, making them more willing to contribute now and in the future.
5. Prove your credibility.
Bridging the gap between donors opening your email and actually making a donation requires these prospects to view your nonprofit as a credible organization worthy of their support. Donors will not input their payment details and contribute their hard-earned funds if they’re skeptical about your organization’s integrity.
Build trust with prospects and prove your credibility by:
- Using consistent branding. When you send donors to your donation page, they should immediately recognize the page as belonging to your organization. Using the same logo, colors, and fonts across your content confirms to donors that they’re in the right place.
- Explaining your data privacy practices. Reassure donors that you’ll handle their sensitive data with care. On your donation page, mention that you use a PCI-compliant donation platform to process payments. Display any other security badges or certifications like SOC 2 Type 2 compliance, and make your privacy policy easily accessible.
- Incorporating social proof. Hearing about other donors’ positive experiences with your organization can entice new donors to contribute. Ask dedicated donors to share testimonials, and obtain their consent to publish their quotes publicly on your website.
If you run a small, new, or lesser-known organization, showcasing your partnerships with other organizations or companies can also build credibility. For example, perhaps you ran a corporate volunteer day with Netflix or partnered with the World Health Organization to distribute vaccines to a vulnerable population.
6. Make giving convenient.
Once donors land on your donation page, you’ll need them to stick around and actually follow through with their contributions. Respect donors’ time by making the giving process convenient through:
- Streamlining your donation page. Your donation page should be easy to follow and complete. Only add necessary fields like name, contact information, and payment details, and incorporate suggested giving amounts, so donors have a better idea of how much they should contribute.
- Ensuring mobile-friendliness. Empower donors to give from their mobile devices by having your donation page automatically resize. All touch targets and text should be easy to tap and read, no matter donors’ screen sizes.
- Including various giving options. Enable donors to set up recurring donations to support your organization on a regular basis. Add a matching gift widget, so donors can check their matching gift eligibility. Accept multiple forms of payment, including credit, debit, ACH, and digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay. Nowadays, also consider adding a DAF widget if available. Check your donation platform to see what is possible.
Additionally, make your donation page accessible to everyone by following Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Some notable best practices include adding alternative text to images, including closed captions for videos, and ensuring sufficient color contrast between the background and foreground.
After you’ve secured new donors’ support, survey them about their first giving experience and consider a welcome email series so they can start seeing the impact of their gift right away. Reflect on their feedback and incorporate any useful insights into your donor acquisition strategy to attract more new donors to your organization more successfully in the future.