Embracing Digital Giving Strategies for Year-End Success
Recent data from Nonprofit Tech for Good shows that digital channels generated 12-13% of all philanthropic revenue in 2024 with smaller nonprofits seeing a higher percentage of giving through this means than larger organizations did. They also report that 33% of donors say email most inspires them to give, followed by 29% who cite social media and 17% who turn to an organization’s website. This means a good digital strategy could increase your revenue fairly significantly.
At this time of year, a good digital strategy becomes even more important. With nearly 40% of gifts made during the month of December, a robust digital strategy can maximize your revenue, especially important as we conclude this tumultuous year.
How can you best integrate digital tools this giving season and throughout the year?
First, simplify your digital experience. If donors have to work to give you a gift, they will stop. To prevent this, optimize your giving forms by minimizing required fields and ensuring mobile usability since about half of digital gifts come through mobile platforms. Platforms that incorporate digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal have seen conversion rates improve by up to 35%, especially on mobile devices.
Second, leverage year end giving trends. Up to 20% of all giving happens during the last five days of the year with the most dollars given on December 31. Leverage this by ensuring that your donors see your message frequently between Christmas and New Years Eve and especially on the last two days of the year. Even if your organization closes for the holidays, your messages should remain, at the very least by scheduling them in advance. Even better, make yourself available for a few hours a day during this week to answer donor questions and accept donations. You can negotiate a few days off in early January when giving stops.
Third, design your digital campaign to reflect urgency, spurring donors to give rather than procrastinate. Consider matching gifts, progress bars or update emails, and consistent and frequent calls to action. These messages should highlight how gifts made today will have an immediate and long-term impact on the people you serve. That emphasis complements your donors’ sense of giving and generosity at this time of year.
Fourth, communicate clearly and often. Digital giving demands compelling communication. The “one and done” approach will not adequately capture their attention. You need multiple, relevant, and current messages that speak directly to them. Since email and social media remain primary drivers for digital giving, prioritize messages that tell stories of the people you serve while speaking to your purpose, impact, and the ease of giving. Incorporate video, photos, and infographics to make your message even more powerful and easier to quickly understand. Social media teasers and retargeting can reinforce email messages or capture new supporters. Consider a microcampaign to ask for a relatively small gift (think less than $10) for a specific purpose to further increase donors.
Fifth, monitor data regularly and adapt quickly. We live in an information overloaded society and time. Your digital message and strategy need to stand out in this crowded marketplace to capture their attention and heart. Its beauty lies in your ability to adjust as the situation demands, but only if you pay attention. After you launch, stay attentive to your analytics such as open rates, conversion rates on mobile vs. desktop, and abandonment points on your form and adjust as needed. Likewise, monitor events in the broader environment and pivot accordingly.
Finally, integrate digital methods into your overall fund development strategy. Digital giving cannot stand alone; it must tie into your broader fundraising ecosystem to bolster long-term donor relationships, not simply chase one-time gifts. Integrate online platforms into annual planning, staffing, and infrastructure and carefully and consistently steward the donors who give this way. Ensure that your board and leadership commit to your digital agenda, that your staff has the knowledge and capacity to leverage them appropriately, and that your technology aligns with your digital goals.
Look at your digital giving strategy. If you do not have one, you leave potentially significant money on the table. That said, sending a single email or making one social media post will not immediately result in an avalanche of gifts. You need a carefully crafted, long-term strategy that continues to build on its successes to create momentum across several messages and years.
But you need to take the first step. What step will you take?
