How Nonprofits Can Prepare for Crisis Fundraising Surges 

Crisis and disaster events often trigger sudden waves of emotional, one-time donations. These moments of reactive giving can overwhelm unprepared nonprofits and disappear just as quickly as they arrive. 

Just over 1 in 5 micro donors ($1-$100) are retained year-over-year, the lowest retention rate across gift amounts* 

Only 14% of new donors from the first half of 2024 had been retained year over year*  

*Data from Fundraising Effectiveness Project 

Is your organization ready to capture these donors and convert them into lasting relationships? Read more for crisis fundraising campaign ideas and strategies, so you can amplify your organization’s impact.  

Build a Crisis Fundraising Campaign Foundation  

Create a “Crisis-Ready” Communications Toolkit 

Don’t wait until a reactive giving moment strikes to develop your messaging. Prepare now by: 

• Drafting templated e-mails that can be quickly customized for different scenarios 

• Creating pre-approved social media graphics and copy that reinforce your brand identity 

• Developing a one-page mission brief that clearly articulates your measurable impact and value, as well as “wish-list” programming and investments that might be possible with more revenue  

• Recording video content that showcases your work in action—ready to deploy when attention peaks 

• Including how you may support secondary needs! Things like pet food, lost/damaged medication, repairs, replacement “wants”, and other supplies perhaps are not immediate necessities, but they are needed. 

Be ready to communicate clearly and immediately. Creating collateral in advance that highlights how you support primary and primal necessities and/or secondary needs after a reactive giving moment ensures your organization is ready when donors are inspired to give. 

Audit Your Digital Tech Stack  

Test your donation process as if you’re a first-time donor experiencing an emotional moment: 

• Can someone donate in under 60 seconds on mobile? 

• Is your recurring giving option visible and easy to select? 

• Do you offer multiple payment methods (credit cards, digital wallets, Venmo, and/or PayPal)? 

• Does your donation page work under heavy traffic loads? 

A clunky checkout process during a surge means abandoned donations and frustrated donors. Stress-test your system before the moment arrives. 

Design Your Stewardship Strategy in Advance 

Segment and Plan Your Follow-Up Before You Need It 

Donor segmentation enhances your visibility into your support network, giving you insight into people’s motivations and behaviors. Create donor segmentation plans to prepare for reactive giving scenarios now: 

• Immediate response (within 24 hours): Automated thank-you e-mail with impact statement 

• Week 1: Personal story or update showing their gift at work 

• Month 1: Invitation to engage beyond giving (volunteer opportunity, advocacy action, survey, matching gift requests) 

• Months 2-4: Mission update with option to make their gift recurring 

• Months 6+: Ongoing stewardship tailored to engagement level, such as an invite to your upcoming gala or golf outing 

Make a structured plan and pre-build these communications now, so that you can personalize and deploy them quickly.  

Nonprofits retain less than half of donors annually; segmentation is essential for understanding supporters and reversing decline. This guide shows you how to use segmentation to deepen relationships, increase retention, and build sustainable revenue.

Read More

Map out specific, low-barrier ways reactive donors can stay connected: 

• E-mail newsletter sign-ups embedded in donation confirmations, so that supporters can stay up to date on programs and progress  

• Social media community groups or hashtags to join, so that they can microlearn about your cause  

• Volunteer opportunities (writing letters, making calls, peer-to-peer fundraising) that can further integrate these once one-time donors into your goals and mission 

• Advocacy alerts for pending policies and bills aligned with what prompted their initial gift 

If your organization creates multiple touchpoints, you’ll remain top-of-mind throughout the year and well after their initial reactive gift.  

Prepare Your Team and Systems 

Train Staff and High-Level Volunteers on Surge Response Protocols 

Develop clear roles and responsibilities for when donations spike: 

• Who monitors donation volume and triggers your communication and stewardship plans? 

• Who handles donor acknowledgment at different gift levels? 

• How quickly can you scale personalized outreach (phone calls, handwritten notes)? 

Don’t forget to lean on high-level volunteers, such as committees and boards, to help navigate an influx of donors you may experience. Hearing from non-staff can be even more meaningful to donors than hearing from staff. 

Implement Data Capture and Tagging Systems 

Set up your CRM to automatically tag reactive supporters by: 

• Source of acquisition (which campaign, event, or reactive, crisis moment) 

• Initial gift amount tier 

• Engagement preferences indicated during donation 

• Geographic location for localized follow-up 

This allows you to quickly segment and personalize outreach even when processing hundreds or thousands of new donors. 

The Reactive Giving Readiness Checklist 

Your nonprofit is prepared for reactive giving when you can answer “yes” to these questions: 

• Can we deploy mission-centered communications within 2 hours of a triggering event? 

• Can our donation page securely handle a tenfold increase in regular traffic without crashing? traffic without crashing? 

• Do we have pre-written e-mail sequences ready for immediate donor acknowledgement and stewardship? 

• Can we send personalized thank-yous within 24 hours of any gift? 

• Do we have at least three non-financial engagement opportunities ready to offer? 

• Is our CRM configured to automatically track and segment reactive donors? 

From Reactive to Proactive 

The most successful nonprofits prepare for reactive giving. By building the infrastructure, messaging, and processes now, your team can transform unpredictable surges from chaotic scrambles into strategic opportunities for sustainable growth. 

Start today: Pick one area from this playbook and make it surge-ready this month. Because when the next reactive giving moment arrives, the organizations that are prepared will be the ones to thrive. 

Join the American Cancer Society, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and Momentive Software to discover how to foster community among fundraising professionals, keep teams and donors connected during peak season, leverage technology to strengthen a sense of belonging, and amplify impact through strategic partnerships. Whether you're managing fundraising campaigns, supporting volunteers, or keeping donors engaged, this conversation provides actionable insights to help your community thrive.

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