One of the most important factors in the survival of a non-profit organization (or ANY organization, for that matter) is funding! Since non-profit organizations are fueled largely by their donations, it is vitally important to utilize every possible tool to canvas every possible field that could yield more life-giving funds! Although large-scale, high profile events (such as galas) hold a marvelous position in the field of fundraising, the Internet is rich with opportunities that can reach worldwide and appeal to every income-level. Here are three valuable points of consideration:

Put a face to donations

The World Vision online donation website is an excellent example! We are all aware of events that occur or situations that need our attention and our financial contribution, but there is more satisfaction in feeling that our donation is making an actual difference in the lives of individuals!

Not all supporters are able to donate their time or to hand out supplies directly; use your website to provide convenience without sacrificing intimacy. It’s good to know that your $16 bought basketballs for underprivileged American children or to know that your $32 donation financed one year of a child’s education in Rwanda.

Giving a face to a circumstance makes it more difficult to postpone our contribution (if you know those kids are waiting for drinking water, are you really going to wait until NEXT month to give $10?), and makes us more likely to donate more generously. I don’t want to say that guilt will play a role when we see pictures of starving children, but sometimes it’s good to be reminded that other people desperately need things that we forget to value or to discover that we could buy safe drinking water for an entire village with the amount that we overpay for coffee . . .

Accept multiple payment options

Convenience for your donors will increase your donations. We’ve moved beyond the days of waiting for the telethon and mailing a check or “phoning in now with your credit card handy.” The Internet is a miraculous way of reaching your target patrons and giving them every possible opportunity to contribute! Accepting multiple payment options is mutually beneficial. Credit cards, debit cards, personal checks (for those so inclined), PayPal, and direct debit are all options that might suit your supporters.

Direct debit, in particular, would be tremendously convenient for contributors and highly beneficial for your organization; your supporters would have the option to schedule regular contributions of any amount they choose, and to have that donation automatically withdrawn from their account on whatever schedule they prefer. Nothing could be better or easier!

Allow multiple types of donations

As much as people want to give, the easier we make it, the better! In all honesty, I’ve personally seen plenty of examples (my Alma Mater comes to mind) where I was asked to donate at a MINIMUM that was, shamefully, beyond my means! It’s not the best feeling when someone suggests that you could “at least” donate $300 to the poor, starving, university students, when you yourself are a poor, starving university graduate. (I don’t want to say that you shouldn’t—I just want to say that I most certainly could not at that time . . .) Situations like this one are completely unnecessary with online donation sites that accept multiple payment options.

Donors have the opportunity to contribute at whatever level feels appropriate for them; it can be offensive to have someone suggest a price-range for you. There’s a danger in over-gauging your donor’s enthusiasm or giving the impression that you don’t want their grossly inadequate $10! (I can imagine this going both ways—if I’d previously donated a new dormitory, I’d probably resent being asked to give a $20!)

Not to mention, maybe I COULD swing $25 a month and it would add up to that $300 anyway. The bottom line—allowing multiple types of donations (one time, monthly, quarterly, recurring, custom) is HIGHLY convenient for donors; this translates into more donations for your organization. Be sure to also allow visitors to enter in a custom donation amount.

Please check out our non profit marketing eBook for more great tips.