9 Common Fundraising Mistakes: How Many Are You Making?

Every fundraiser messes up at work. While some fundraising mistakes are unavoidable, there are a few common fails that we see organizations make repeatedly. Handled professionally, these setbacks and errors can be just bumps in the road. Avoiding them altogether, though, allows you to focus on advancing your mission instead of fixing your mistakes.

Mistake #1: Inconsistent Donor Outreach

Fail: You send one communication a month. Usually.  

Fix: Automate your touchpoints to regularly get in front of your donors. 

• New donors: As soon as a new donor gives to your organization, enroll them in a welcome cadence. This cadence can include a series of emails thanking them for their donation, welcoming them to the organization, and sharing additional resources to learn more about the organization.
• Midlevel donors: Send personal touchpoints, such as a birthday message or a thank-you note to celebrate the donor’s anniversary with the organization. 
• Major donors: Check in with major donors as often as possible. By using a donor engagement platform, you can automatically create donor plans that outline regular touchpoints for this donor group. 

Mistake #2: A One-Size-Fits-All Communication Plan 

Fail: You think generic emails save time and money.

Fix: Segment your donors and prospects to create personalized communications. 

• Donor characteristics: Group your donors by similarities such as donor giving tiers (annual, midlevel, major gifts), program interests, and location. This will help you tailor your messaging to these different groups instead of sending one-size-fits-all communications. 
• Channel: Always ask and record how and when donors prefer to be contacted. Use this information to guide your interactions, whether it’s through email, phone calls, or in-person meetings. Respect for their likes and dislikes shows you value their time and preferences.
• At the individual level: By analyzing donor data, AI tools for nonprofits can help tailor each message specifically to the donor’s interests and preferences. 

Mistake #3: Focusing Too Much Time on Annual Donors

Fail: You’re ignoring the donors who offer the most upside and opportunity. 

Fix: Devote more attention to major donors. The top 20% of donor households account for about 80% of all fundraising revenue, also known as the Pareto principle. 

• Create a cadence of touchpoints: Regularly checking in with major donors helps you build a strong relationship and keeps your organization top of mind.
• Get them involved: Bring major donors into the fold by showing them their impact in action. Invite them to sit in on programs, volunteer, and attend fundraising events.
• Meet in person: Nothing beats face-to-faced communication for relationship building. Meet your major donors for coffee or lunch two to three times per year (depending on their location). 

Mistake #4: Recurring Giving Rarely Occurs to You

Fail: You are single-minded about securing one-time donations.

Fix: Refocus your energy on building a monthly giving program. Recurring giving offers predictable revenue that can help your organization thrive.

• Reach out to one-time donors: On your list of one-time donors, who consistently gives annually? Who gives every time there’s an ask? These donors are already regularly donating to your organization, so reach out to see if they’re willing to donate on a monthly cadence. 
• Explain the impact: Show the real-world impact of a recurring gift, such as providing predictable revenue that opens up new opportunities for the mission. 
• Include sustaining donors in other appeals: Just because they donate monthly doesn’t mean recurring donors will say no to a one-off appeal. In fact, 50% of recurring donors make additional gifts, so don’t be afraid to make the ask!

Mistake #5: Your Systems Are Disconnected

Fail: Your teams work in silos with disconnected systems, making reporting challenging and causing duplicative work.
Fix: Take a step back to review your workflows and choose tools that seamlessly integrate with your CRM. Keep these key considerations in mind:

• Data synchronization: To avoid copying and pasting information from one system to another, look for tools that seamlessly sync data to your CRM in real time. This helps keep your data up to date, improves reporting, and saves everyone more time.
• Integrations: Before adopting a tool, check its integration capabilities with your current workflow. You want to make sure the tool streamlines your workload. Blackbaud’s Partner Marketplace provides a list of integrations that work seamlessly with its ecosystem. 
• Automate workflows: Are there tasks you do over and over again, such as updating contact reports or building out and updating donor stewardship plans? Look for tools (perhaps AI-powered ones) that can automate those repetitive tasks. 

Mistake #6: You Disregard Data and Metrics

Fail: You’re basing decisions on anecdotes instead of data-backed evidence.
Fix: Build a culture of data-informed decision-making. 

• Track the most critical metrics: Review donation retention rates, average gift size, cost per dollar raised, and lifetime donor value. When fundraisers understand your nonprofit’s key metrics, they’ll recognize the organization’s priorities and where they can make the most impact.
• Campaign analytics: Set clear goals for each fundraising campaign and measure results against benchmarks. This helps you and your team understand when a campaign is a hit or a flop.
• Learning cycle: Analyze what’s working and what’s not, then apply those insights to future campaigns.

Mistake #7: Your Donation Forms Are Doing You No Favors 

Fail: Your donation form is hard to find on your site, it isn’t optimized for mobile, and it doesn’t offer multiple payment options. 

Fix: Make it as easy as possible for your donors to give online. 

• Recurring giving: Build your recurring giving program and sustainable income by offering recurring giving as an option on your donation forms.
• Multiple payment options: Whether it’s via credit card, Apple Pay, or Venmo, give your donors the ability to give via a variety of payment methods. If giving is easy and convenient, website visitors will be more likely to donate. 
• Mobile-friendly design: Make sure your form looks just as good on mobile as it does on desktop. Mobile drives more internet traffic than desktop, so it’s critical that you optimize your donation pages and forms to be mobile-friendly.

Explore Blackbaud’s Donation Forms, designed to help you raise more for your cause. 

Mistake #8: Prioritizing Acquisition Instead of Retention

Fail: You’re hoping for a response instead of building a movement. Plus, it costs $1.25 to raise $1 from a new donor. 

Fix: Flip your goals from gaining to keeping supporters by creating experiences and a compelling narrative so donors stay committed to your cause. 

• P2P donors: Roll out the red carpet for past participants. Returning participants to your P2P events know how to fundraise and love your cause.
• One-time donors: Kick off new relationships with a donor welcome email series and keep them engaged on social media (Blackbaud Institute found 60% of surveyed spontaneous donors say they’re “very likely” to give again).
• Major donors: Don’t treat major donors like piggy banks; cultivate real relationships with them, by showing them the impact of their support and advancing the donor’s hero story.

Mistake #9: Underestimating the Power of Gratitude

Fail: Not thanking donors promptly and sincerely.

Fix: Thank your donors as soon as possible after receiving a donation. 

• Immediate email: As soon as a donor gives to your organization, an automated email should be sent to their inbox thanking them. 
• Personal communications: A handwritten note, a personal phone call, or a tailored email can go a long way. 
• Public recognition: Additionally, recognizing their contributions publicly, with their consent, can reinforce their importance to your organization.

Avoid Fundraising Mistakes by Building a Holistic Strategy

If you’re making any of these mistakes, it’s okay! There’s always time to adjust your approach. Instead of trying to fix everything at once, you can address any of these issues in stages.

• Stage 1: Review your tools and CRM systems. Do they work seamlessly together? Are they capturing the metrics that matter most for your organization? Creating an ecosystem of tools that streamline your day-to-day workload will set up the rest of your fundraising initiatives for success. 
• Stage 2: Implement a donor segmentation strategy and create personalized communication plans for each segment, with special attention focused on major donors. Leveraging AI-powered tools can help you identify donor segments and tailor your communications. 
• Stage 3: Optimize your website’s donation forms and launch (or revamp) your recurring giving program. Donors are more likely to give if it’s easy. Providing donors with multiple donation options and frequency choices gives them more opportunities to support your organization. 

Fundraising is about connecting with donors and building lasting support, not achieving perfection. Tackling these challenges helps create a stronger, long-term program for your cause.