Many nonprofit professionals are forgetting the foundation of success: how to ask for donations. With nonprofits focused on trends like voting competitions and text-to-donate, it’s easy to overlook how to connect your cause with donors in ways that prompt them to give. them to give.
Our definitive guide examines the different ways nonprofits solicit donations, from traditional methods to the latest digital and mobile fundraising methods, while highlighting real-life success examples and best practices to help organizations raise more money than ever before.
How to Ask for Donations for Your Nonprofit
To foster trust and a sense of partnership with your nonprofit, you must first clearly understand who your potential donors are, what drives them to give, and how to make their giving process easier, ultimately inspiring their confidence and appreciation.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at actionable steps you can take, starting with understanding your donors and tailoring your approach, to become a fundraising expert capable of asking for donations for any type of organization.
Donation Asks for Higher Education
With the rising cost of higher education, colleges and universities, along with their various departments, associations, and foundations that support them, count on charitable contributions to survive. Higher education institutions typically entrust the important task of soliciting donations from students, parents, alumni, and staff to highly seasoned professionals who are specially trained to understand what it takes to fund all college-related programs, from academic to artistic to athletic.
Now, with the right solutions, including a simple CRM and fund accounting tools, just about anyone can solicit donations for higher education and collect secure donations in person, by mail, and online through websites, emails, text, and social media for whatever they need.
Types of Donations for Higher Education
- Scholarships
- Awards
- Endowments
- Gifts-In-Kind
- Equipment
- Cash
- Real Estate
- Securities
- In Memoriam
- Legacy Gift
Who You Can Ask for Donations
- Students
- Parents
- Fans
- Teachers
- Alumni
- Foundations
- Corporations
- Local Businesses
Fundraising Ideas When Asking for Donations
- Car Wash Campus Brigade
- Greek Talent Show
- Alumni Cocktail Party
- Decorated Dorm Tours
- Campus Top Model
Donation Asks for Faith-Based Organizations
Faith-based organizations depend on the generosity of members to fulfill their missions, whether through regular offerings or special donations. Churches, temples, missions, and ministries may also seek donations for improvements, mission trips, or special projects. Using mobile-friendly online fundraising, they make giving easy from any device.
Online fundraising can also help organizations do more good by enabling recurring giving, which can increase contributions by as much as four times each year compared to one-time gifts from supporters.
Types of Donations for Faith-Based Organizations
- Cash
- In-kind Goods & Services
- Equipment
- Automobiles
- Mission Trip Travel Vouchers
- Land
- Securities
- Memorial Gifts
- Legacies
Who You Can Ask for Donations
- Congregations
- Members
- Supporters
- Staff
- Large Companies
- Area Businesses
- Foundations
- Chamber of Commerce
- Community Groups
Fundraising Ideas When Asking for Donations
- Bingo Bash Social
- After-Service Pancake Breakfast
- Food Pantry Bag Drive
- Rummage Sale
- Family Fun Run
Donation Asks for Healthcare Organizations
In addition to funding from private and government insurance programs, foundations, and individuals who pay for healthcare costs, hospitals, clinics, treatment centers, research associations, and other healthcare organizations are finding new and innovative ways to solicit donations to fund their work and programs. One way these organizations raise funds is by turning to patients who have been cured of a serious illness and are now happy to give back to those who made them well.
Add peer-to-peer fundraising as an option, and suddenly grateful patients and their family members become advocates empowered to channel their gratitude via personal peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns they can set up to raise money on the organization’s behalf. These volunteer fundraisers can then share their custom crowdfunding pages with their network of friends and families via email, text, and social media.
Types of Donations for Healthcare Organizations
- Cash
- Pro-bono Services
- Grants
- Endowments
- Land Holdings
- Appreciated Securities
- Planned Giving
- Legacy Gifts
Who You Can Ask for Donations
- Patients
- Families
- Friends
- Volunteers
- Medical Professionals
- Corporations
- Foundations
- Patrons
Fundraising Ideas When Asking for Donations
- Gift Wrapping Ward
- Sexiest Doctor Competition
- Community Health Fair
- Fit for Life Relay
- Benefit Gala
- Patient & Staff Art Auction
Donation Asks for Human Services
Organizations dedicated to helping people in need know how to ask for donations for human services through a variety of fundraising methods. They ask for donations in person at large gala events to benefit people experiencing homelessness and at local businesses, where they rely on foot traffic to fill their collection boxes and feed those affected by food insecurity. They set up mobile-responsive websites to solicit donations to educate underprivileged youth and to promote their campaigns and petitions for justice on social media.
Above all else, the human services organizations that are most effective at asking for donations are those that first build relationships and trust with supporters before asking for money. Instead, they invite supporters to attend a free event, sign up to get text updates, or volunteer to help the cause. The point is to connect prospects to the heart, soul, and purpose of your mission first, which will then compel them to give.
Types of Donations for Human Services
- Cash
- Payroll Deduction
- Gifts In Kind
- Grants
- Major Gift
- Tangible Personal Property
- Endowments
- Real Estate
- Stocks & Securities
- Planned Gifts
Who You Can Ask for Donations
- Individual Donors
- Volunteers
- Supporters
- Recipients
- Fans
- Professionals
- Staff
- Corporations
- Local Businesses
- Community Groups
Fundraising Ideas When Asking for Donations
- Gala Event
- 5K Run/Walk
- Golf Tournament
- Online Lemonade Stand
- Charity Auction
- Dinner Gala
- Couples Dance Competition
- Community Yard Sale
How to Ask Anyone for Donations
Successful fundraisers who know how to ask anyone for donations are the ones who, over time, have identified donor differences, enabling them to tailor messaging and strategy more effectively. Instead of applying a one-size-fits-all fundraising approach, they draw on available research data and the results of their past fundraising campaigns to refine their pitch, using just the right words and tone to elicit the best response from the people they are asking for donations. For example, how they approach a Millennial donor might look very different from how they would ask for donations from an older contributor from the Greatest Generation.
By appealing to individual preferences, you can more effectively influence donors’ decisions to give. Let’s take a closer look at how this diversity should inform how you ask for donations from different groups of people that may be interested in supporting your cause.
Asking Millennials and Generation Z for Donations
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Millennials, born between the early 1980s and mid-1990s, and Gen Z, born in the late 1990s to early 2000s, now make up the majority of the U.S. workforce.
To remain visible and top of mind with this new workforce, your organization must be able to solicit donations through their preferred technology and giving channels. Remember, if your Millennial and Gen Z donors are working, they’re earning a paycheck, and that means they have an increased ability to support the causes they care about, as long as you make it easy for them to give.
Interesting Donation Facts About the Younger Generations
- Millennials and Gen Zers respond best to text messages.
- They contribute to causes they care about or ones their friends support.
- Many are inspired to donate to charity after seeing a social media message.
- Both are active and stay up to date on social media feeds.
- They are likely to donate via mobile.
- Most will watch online videos before making a gift.
- Younger generations are open to fundraising for a cause.
Best Ways to Ask for Donations from Millennials and Gen Zers
- Use text messages to ask for donations, invite and remind donors of upcoming events, update them on campaign status, and thank them for their support.
- Connect and engage younger donors by sending links to videos, photos, posts, and sign-up forms they can share with their networks of friends and family.
- Empower them to fundraise on your behalf with mobile-friendly crowdfunding pages they can promote peer-to-peer across their social networks.
Asking Women for Donations
In general, past research has shown that women donate more to charitable causes and organizations than men do.
Numerous studies have examined each gender’s giving preferences and practices. Whether influenced by socio-economic or other factors, the research reveals distinct differences relevant to educational, faith-based, healthcare, and charitable nonprofit organizations seeking to know how to ask women for donations.
Just as your organization should tailor its strategies and tactics to engage different generational groups, you should also consider developing distinct approaches to target women vs. men to improve the success of your fundraising efforts.
The following information will help you adapt your messaging and fundraising methods to better reach and engage your very important female donors by teaching you how to ask for donations.
Interesting Facts About Women Donors
- Research reveals that women tend to be more empathetic and more charitable and are more actively involved in the charities they support than men.
- Regardless of their marital status, women are more likely that their male counterparts (and most men overall) to give and to give higher amounts, and, with the exception of Gen Xers, are more likely to give than men across every generational group.
- Women also have higher expectations of being shown the effectiveness of their contributions.
Donations Best Practices for Women
- Incorporate moving stories and images that genuinely convey your organization’s passionate purpose on your website, social media, and mobile-friendly donation pages to spark the emotional response that compels women to give to your cause when you ask for donations.
- Build donor confidence and encourage repeat giving by regularly sending text messages to your female supporters with photos, videos, and other updates that show exactly what is being accomplished with their donations.
- Set up mobile-friendly donation pages for all of your fundraising campaigns, and make it easy for women on the go to text to donate using corresponding keywords and shortlinks they can share with their circle of friends, family, and colleagues on social media, text, or email, right from their mobile phones.
Best Practices for Making a Live Donation Asks
During the early planning stages of your fundraising campaign, build your org’s story library and plan the content to be used throughout your event. These priceless videos, letters, quotes, etc., can be repurposed over mobile messaging, social media, and your website as well.
Optimize your planned live ask for donations by incorporating these simple tips:
- Give supporters a way to give instantly with mobile fundraising keywords or links. Smartphones are the world’s best impulse-giving capturing devices!
- Weave your organization’s story into your ask. Keep it short, but make sure supporters understand what your org does.
- Make supporters feel special by showing and/or telling them how their donation makes a difference – without it, your cause wouldn’t exist/make an impact.
- Use incentives or exclusive opportunities to motivate additional participation or encourage larger donations, but don’t rely on them alone. (Especially if real rockstars aren’t involved)
- Recognize and thank donors in real time with the live-event fundraising thermometer. Donors will feel special in the moment, and others might feel compelled to give like their peers.
- Mobile-friendly online forms encourage donations from those unable to attend – they can still make a difference from anywhere!
Raising Over $1 Million in Just One Month
Steve Harvey is best known as a comedian, television host, producer, radio personality, actor, and author. Now he can add fundraiser extraordinaire to his long list of credits. Check out this story to learn how Steve put everything he had into asking for donations to raise money to help our nation’s fatherless youth.
The Steve Harvey Charity Ride successfully raised awareness and funds for Mr. Harvey’s foundation. The unique campaign features the comedian live-streaming himself biking or walking for the entire four-hour duration of his nationally syndicated daily radio program while asking for donations for his cause.
Throughout the broadcast, he asks his listeners to contribute via an online fundraising form embedded on his website, sending a check by mail, or by texting the keyword STEVE to 91999 from their mobile phones.
Text to donate is the most effective way to successfully collect donations on the air because of how simple it is for the people listening to give from wherever they are, and how fast it is for them to complete their gift when they receive an instant reply with a link to a secure online giving donation page.
The reason the campaign was a success is the key best practices he followed. He’s been reading the names of donors as they appear in real time on a live fundraising thermometer set up on a tablet within his view while he’s exercising. He also passionately tells his audience what he will be doing with their contributions.
Key Best Practices:
- Giving easy-to-follow instructions for how people can give
- Recognizing donors by reading their names off as they appear in real-time on the live fundraising thermometer set up on a tablet within his view while he’s working out
- Passionately telling his audience exactly how their donations will be used
Text-to-donate helps causes like the Steve Harvey Charity Ride by making it easy for supporters to give right from their mobile phones: simply text a keyword to a shortcode to instantly receive a link they can click to give on a secure donation page.
Before asking for donations, build a strong relationship with your donors that can last a lifetime by sharing your passion at every turn, engaging them with text messages that do more than just ask them to give you money, and empowering them with peer-to-peer fundraising and wish list giving to play an important role in your organization’s success.
5 Keys to Asking for Donations by Building Strong Relationships
Nonprofit organizations are always trying to attract the right donors and keep them engaged as long-term supporters of their cause. Here are our 5 keys to building strong donor relationships.
#1 – Believe in yourself. Make sure anyone assigned to speak with donors, in person, or by phone, especially during fundraising drives, is passionate about your cause. Sure, any warm body can read off a bunch of statistics and facts about your purpose when asking for donations, but if your volunteers and staff aren’t feeling it, neither will the donor.
#2 – Don’t make it about money. Asking for money up front is no way to treat a potential supporter. Instead, first help your donors to feel like they mean more to your organization than just dollars. Ask them for their email and mobile number so you can keep in touch. If they were interested in your mission in the first place, they will love getting regular text updates from you telling them about what you’re doing, the challenges you face, and the important role they play in making things better. In no time, they’ll be engaged and a part of your world so that when you do start asking for donations, their emotional investment in your cause will compel them to give.
#3 – Align yourself with a strong support network to survive and replicate. Crowdfunding can help you multiply your efforts to reach more potential donors. This type of peer-to-peer fundraising embodies the survive and replicate concept when you set up mobile-friendly crowdfunding forms to capture your org’s story, impact image, logo, and fundraising goal (what you need to survive) and then empower family, friends, and social networks to raise funds on your organization’s behalf (your efforts replicated).
#4 – Put yourself in good company. In dating, people seem to be more attracted to those whom others find attractive. The same holds true for new donors: they are more likely to give to a cause for the first time if they know others who support it, whether those others are friends and family, celebrities, or personalities they admire. This is another reason why crowdfunding is so effective. Not only is the ask coming from someone familiar, but they can also check out who else has donated right from the mobile-friendly form. Another example of how well this concept works is how attendees at a fundraising event are motivated to give when they see the names of other donors displayed on-screen on the live fundraising thermometer.
#5 – Appeal to (donor) emotions. We’re right back to where we started: passion. Not only do your people need to feel it, but donors do as well, and passionate appeals must be incorporated into every aspect of your organization’s brand. Donors give because they feel an emotional connection, so make sure that you bring your passion to your website, Facebook embedded donation pages, and to your text message updates that keep supporters interested and engaged, and especially to every direct ask, so you can get your donors to respond with open hearts and open wallets.
Before asking for donations, build a strong relationship with your donors that can last a lifetime by sharing your passion at every turn, engaging them with text messages that do more than just ask for money, and empowering them through crowdfunding to play an important role in your organization’s success.
Knowing how to ask for donations is both an art and a science. Whether you’re fundraising for a university, a faith-based mission, or a human services cause, the principles remain the same: know your donors, lead with passion, and make giving easy.
The most successful fundraisers don’t just ask, they inspire. They tell compelling stories, meet donors where they are, and turn one-time givers into lifelong supporters.
