How to Make High-Tech Fundraising Feel More High Touch for Your Donors

As a nonprofit digital strategist and technology coach, I think I have the best job in the world. I get to partner with nonprofit teams that are full of dedicated, smart, and hard-working people. I’ve noticed, though, when it comes to effectively growing their communication and giving programs, many of these seasoned development pros are feeling a little stuck. Maybe this shouldn’t come as a surprise: Our post-pandemic world is full of social, governmental, and economic concerns that have an impact on our outreach and fundraising work. 

Take Sarah, a fundraiser friend of mine who works for a nonprofit that provides critical services to adults with developmental disabilities. She was feeling increasingly frustrated with the high rate of donor churn at her organization. When we caught up over a virtual cup of coffee, she shared a few troubling trends. 

• Decreased retention rates: Supporters lapsing more quickly than in years past 
• Lower average gift size: Slipping from a healthy $200 to a modest $95 
• Decline in volunteerism: Affecting day-to-day operations and her ability to run community engagement events 

While I knew Sarah’s organization had challenges, they also had some important things going for them, including a solid tech stack, a decent contact list, and a stellar reputation in their community. I asked Sarah to give me a summary of her giving programs, audiences, and campaign strategy. It didn’t take long for me to understand what the problem was.  

The Digital Drive-By 

Sarah’s online and face-to-face engagement plans were so different that they almost seemed to be coming from two separate organizations. Her major donor, sponsor, and planned giving programs were using best practices throughout the entire moves management cycle, with lots of prospecting, relationship-building activities, and special high-touch interactions. 

The story was less amazing for everyone else.  

More than 75% of their supporters (everyone else) received a general-purpose monthly newsletter. That’s not much more than a digital drive-by. In fairness, they also got three appeals per year. Appeals whose timing and messaging hadn’t changed much over the years. No volunteer interest outreach. No one-time to monthly donor upsell campaigns or expansion into text messaging. No marketing automation, segmentation, or personalization.

Whomp whomp.  

No wonder her fundraising and volunteer performance was trending downward. She was basically ignoring anyone who wasn’t part of her major giving program. This wasn’t her intention, but the realities of running a small development team meant that she only had time for the folks at the top of the list.  

Software + Soft Skills = Genius Move 

Like Sarah, I’ll bet you’re doing all the right things (some of the time). But whether you’re focused on major donors or one-time supporters, using technology and data effectively often can feel like a struggle. Transitioning our major donor paper-based practices into a shared database with pre-set tasks and timelines is just as challenging as it is to set up an automated new donor welcome series.  

Your CRM and online fundraising tools should help you with much more than transaction management. When used strategically, digital engagement software can create the same sense of connection as a phone call. It’s time to figure out how to take the best parts of our high-touch programs and insert them in our digital work to create experiences that are personal and meaningful.  

For example, let’s look at what we typically do with our major donors: 

• Understand their giving patterns and interests 
• Deliver customized engagement opportunities that make them feel special 
• Acknowledge their contributions in meaningful ways  
• Plan asks and appeals using the right timing, an appropriate ask amount, and a compelling case for support 

Real talk time. Are you doing any of these things with the rest of your file? How well do you understand the giving patterns of midlevel and annual donors? Have you made them feel special lately? Do you send short, focused newsletters about a program they’ve supported in the past?  

I’m not here to make anyone feel crummy about this. But it’s not 2018 anymore. Your data should make it easy for you to collect and use information about your supporters to give them individualized, meaningful experiences. Your technology should make it easy for you to create an emotional connection with your individual donors. If one (or both) of these things is getting in your way, straightening them out should be a top priority this year. 

It’s Okay to Start Small with Personalization 

If you’ve tried to increase the level of personal touch in your online outreach, one of the most common blockers is a sense of overwhelm. Things can feel big and complicated right out of the gate, so we hit the pause button and hope it’ll be easier next year. (Narrator voice: It wasn’t easier the next year.) 

Let’s agree to keep it small, manageable, focused on relationship-building, and we’ll help your team build some tech and data skills. 

Make Authentic Connections with Supporters 

• Record and use personal details: Use your CRM to track personal details like birthdays, donation anniversaries, and interests. Create emails that include personalized messaging from this data. 
• Segment your audience: Not all donors are the same. Use data to segment your audience into smaller groups (like tribute donors, event attendees, and volunteers) and target your communication to like-minded members of your community. 
• Recognize and celebrate supporters: Look at your autoresponders. Are they transactional and boring? You’re missing a big opportunity to demonstrate effusive thanks and recognition. Make sure you’re showing supporters appreciation when they give and continue to share your gratitude in future messages. 

Help Your Team Use All the Tools

• Invest in the right technology: If your organization is running on spreadsheets and workarounds, it might be time to look for an entry-level database and integrated digital tools. If you’re already in a robust system, meet with your software vendor and ask how you could be using the system more effectively. 
• Provide training and support: Even Gen Z needs help learning the best practices in data collection. Your investment in training new and current users will pay for itself many times over. It’s also important to be sure they have somewhere to get help with system glitches. 
• Let them try things: Although change is hard, rigidly sticking to your 2018 strategy and tactics is probably not serving you well. Challenge yourself and your team to try three new things this year (text messaging?) and see if they improve overall performance and retention. 

Embrace Technology with Heart This Year

Combining technology with a human-centered strategy is how nonprofit fundraising leaders like you and Sarah can harness the best of both worlds. You’ll benefit from the efficiency and scale of digital tools combined with the trust, empathy, and connection that drive donor loyalty and giving. If you’re feeling like it’s time for a technology tune-up to help your organization build more genuine relationships with supporters, check out some of these resources: 

• Human Side of Fundraising Webinar Series
• Nonprofit Change Management Toolkit
• Customer Spotlight: Martlets

As we get better at bringing the personal touch into our technology-powered campaigns, it’ll be easier to reach more donors and grow our fundraising programs, because we’re touching people’s hearts in ways that generate real emotion. Let’s spark a new wave of generosity and build a thriving community where every supporter feels truly valued and connected.