Nonprofit growth doesn’t happen by chance. It takes thoughtful, intentional effort and careful planning to increase the size and impact of an organization.
Coming up with new fundraising strategies and ideas to attract new donors and increase awareness is key to thriving as a nonprofit.
Keep reading to discover four effective growth strategies which will help take your organization from good to great.
1. Invest in Building a Better Website
In addition to providing an opportunity to raise money, a well-designed and well-maintained website can also offer other nonprofit growth-oriented benefits such as:
- increase your organization’s online visibility
- help you attract more volunteers
- lead to partnership opportunities
- help you gain corporate sponsors
Here are a few best practices to keep in mind for building a top-performing website:
- Website design
A good website is designed for all devices to interact with it the same way across desktop computers, mobile devices, and tablets.
- Content
Dedicate lots of space on your site to showing what your nonprofit does and the impact you’re making. Don’t tell; show.
- Updates section
This is a great way to keep donors up to date with news, fundraising updates, events, and other tidbits which will help them stick around.
- Include an easy-to-use search function if you have a large amount of content.
This can also serve the purpose of guiding visitors who might not know where to start on your site.
- Be mindful of where you place your donation links/buttons.
Consider placing them somewhere prominent, where visitors can quickly locate them (preferably on the site’s top navigation menu).
2. Event Planning
Fundraising events provide an excellent opportunity to grow brand recognition, network, and establish new donor connections or deepen existing ones.
And, of course, a fundraiser can also be a very effective tool for bringing in much-needed money and resources.
There is no one-size-fits-all strategy for how an event should be used for your nonprofit.
However, if you’re looking for some guidance on how to get started, check out this article to discover 12 fundraising strategies and planning tips that will help you organize a successful event.
3. Run a Campaign to Generate Media Coverage
Although more commonly used by corporations and politicians, a press release can also be an excellent tool that nonprofits can leverage to generate social media engagement, reach more people and make their message more accessible.
If your press release gets picked up by a major news publication, more people will find out about your cause and the excellent work you are doing.
This naturally translates into your organization attracting more potential donors, volunteers, and advocates – while also helping you increase awareness about your cause. All of which will boost your nonprofit growth efforts.
Not sure what makes an excellent nonprofit press release?
Use the tips featured in this article to increase the chances of your press release gaining the attention of journalists and media outlets.
4. Offer Incentives to Reward Top Performing Organization Members
Your team members are undoubtedly working hard to sustain your nonprofit’s growth goals.
That said, creating some healthy competition can be a very powerful mechanism for further boosting performance.
And this is where incentives come into play. Consider applying the following tactics to motivate your team members:
- Whenever a current member of your organization recruits a new member or volunteer, they are automatically entered into a drawing where they can earn a prize.
- Offer an end-of-year award for people who recruited the most donors. Award the prizes as part of a special end-of-the-year gala.
- Team up with local businesses to provide gift cards whenever a new member is recruited.
Nonprofit Growth: Get More Tips and Fundraising Strategies
We hope that the strategies we shared in this article have helped bring new life to your growth strategies.
But if you’re looking for even more inspiration, be sure to check out some of the other articles featured on our blog now.
