Design an Individual Giving Campaign That Works

I’ve had a lot of conversations with nonprofit leaders recently who are really feeling the squeeze. You know the feeling – the moment when you know things are shifting fast, but you’re not quite sure where to land, especially when it comes to funding a mission that is critical to our communities. 

If you’re feeling this pinch, you’re not alone. 

When it comes to funding, a lot is changing – and fast. Pandemic-era relief funding is winding down, federal funding policy is abruptly changing, the Big Bill is likely to have significant impact, economic uncertainty is impacting giving patters – and more. For most organizations, foundation and corporate giving cycles feel more competitive than ever.

If your organization is exploring how you might ramp up individual giving to help diversify your revenue, you’re in good company. 

And while funding uncertainty can feel overwhelming, I think this refocus on individual giving brings a ton of opportunity for organizations to build momentum and engagement. Because when someone chooses to support your mission with their own dollars, what they are saying is, “I believe in this mission so much, I want to be a part of it.” They’re joining your story and investing in your success – while providing support that can help weather funding changes. 

But how do you attract these donors? How do you reach people and motivate them to give when the competition seems fiercer than ever? This is where marketing becomes essential to a strong development plan. 

Here are several tips on how to strengthen your marketing to reach more individual donors.

Find your people.
I once worked with an arts nonprofit who was working to attract more people to their performances. When I asked who they were trying to reach, they responded with, “Everyone in (insert city name here)!” It’s an answer I hear regularly. Organizations often rightfully believe that their mission is essential and that everyone should want to support it. And while that might be true – it’s not realistic. 

In the case of the arts organization, they had to dig deeper to identify a narrower audience who was already receptive to their work. Ultimately, they zeroed in on a plan that would target families looking for a family-friendly experience that both kids and grandparents would enjoy. In most cases, the narrower the audience – the more effective the marketing. 

Tip: One of the quickest ways to get to a target persona is to ask the question, “Where do the people who care about this issue spend their time?” Once you can answer that, you have a roadmap for where to show up and how to connect. 

Focus on their ‘why.’
Here’s another place nonprofit marketing gets it backwards. We spend a lot of time explaining what we do and how we do it, that we forget to focus on why it matters to our audience. 

Your donors don’t give because your programs are evidence based (though that’s important!). They don’t give because you have a great track record (though it helps). They give because they care deeply about an issue and something about your mission helps them do something about it. 

People have an innate desire to see themselves in the greater story, and many of the issues nonprofits respond to are multi-layered and complex. This can make it hard for people to understand where they fit into a solution, even if they care deeply about the problem. Successful campaigns will focus on the ‘why’ people want to help and focus their call-to-action on that motivator. 

Tip: Start asking your current supporters why they care. Not why they think the issue is important – why it matters to them personally. Those stories will give you the emotional core that makes people want to join your mission.

Get actionable.
One of the biggest mistakes I see in individual giving campaigns is the all-or-nothing approach. You ask for a $50 monthly commitment, and if someone isn’t ready for that, there’s nowhere for them to go except… away.

But relationship building doesn’t work that way. Some people are ready to go all-in immediately, but most need time to get to know you first. Donor relationships work the same way. Some people will be ready to make that major gift after hearing your story once. But most need to warm up to you gradually.

So create multiple entry points. Maybe your goal is a $100 monthly commitment – and you should definitely ask for that. But also think about what you’d want someone to do if they’re not ready for that level yet.

Could they sign up for your newsletter? Attend a volunteer orientation? Make a $25 one-time gift? Share your story with their network? Each of these actions moves them closer to becoming a committed supporter while giving them a chance to experience your organization firsthand.

Tip: When you design your campaign, keep your asks simple – but make sure you have multiple points of entry. I like to call it ‘the big ask’ and the ‘transitional action.’ The goal is to create something that makes it easy to say yes. 

As I’ve said before – I firmly believe that helping people ‘do something’ is the nonprofit superpower for times when things feel uncertain.  

Ready to start building those deeper connections with individual donors? The funding landscape might be changing, but your opportunity to create lasting impact through authentic relationship-building has never been stronger.

Let’s figure out how to help you design a giving campaign that doesn’t just raise money – but builds the kind of community support that will carry your mission forward, no matter what comes next.