They’re out there by the hundreds, maybe by the thousands. Your potential donors. These are people who are sure to be moved by your mission. They are certain to be compelled by your cause. 

 

But they might not even know you exist.

 

Even if they do, without a clear plan to bring them from the “awareness” stage to the point where they are ready to give, these potential donors will stay in the periphery, never moving forward and taking action. 

 

The path to individual philanthropy is, of course, individual. But in most cases, it is a long journey with many touch points. Not many donors will open their pocketbooks the first time they hear about your organization — especially not for a large donation.

 

Marketing automation software lets us nurture our audience members, sending them specific messages and prompting specific actions, depending on whatever criteria we determine. 

 

Below, we’ll walk through the strategy behind marketing automation so you can see how the right software platform can help you turn a potential donor into a true ambassador for your organization.

 

Your fundraising engagement strategy

The for-profit world has long used the image of a funnel to describe a customer’s journey. The top of the funnel, where it is widest, represents the full audience — everyone who has been reached by the brand’s marketing efforts. Of those, some will move down the funnel to become contacts. Some contacts will become leads. Some leads will move down to become customers.

 

Nonprofits can use a similar funnel analogy to plan their marketing and track their engagement.

 

Imagine it like this:

​​Each section of the funnel represents a different stage in a patron’s progress. At each stage, some opt out and some move forward.

 

And just like repeat customers in the for-profit world, your relationship with each donor doesn’t end with a single donation. Some donors become true ambassadors who donate regularly, volunteer their time, and rally others to the cause.

 

Remember that it’s called a funnel for a reason. Not everyone passes from one stage to the next. There are fewer prospects than there are visitors, for example. Fewer leads than there are prospects. And, although we’ve made the “advocates” and “ambassadors” stages bigger in the diagram, that’s because of their outsized influence, not their actual numbers. Of all the stages listed, you will have the fewest ambassadors — but they are of enormous importance.

Marketing automation will let you find new donors, volunteers, and clients – and more quickly and successfully move them to action. iMission’s Ultimate Guide to Marketing Automation for Nonprofits shows you, step-by-step, how your organization can take your fundraising to a whole new level.

But for now, let’s turn our attention to the very top of the funnel and examine how each group moves into the next.

 

Visitors

First off are called visitors, but don’t just think of them as visitors to your website. These can be people who come across your content anywhere. They might like your social media posts or watch your YouTube videos, or they might come to your actual website.

 

The idea behind your marketing should be to attract as large a number of visitors as possible — at least within reason — and invite them to take a low-stakes action (think: signing up for your newsletter) in exchange for their contact information. This way, you get them to engage with your organization in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming.

 

(However, be sure that you’re providing value and building trust from the earliest stages. Spamming an inbox or rushing them forward are certain to do more harm than good.)

 

Once you have a visitor’s contact information, you can track their behavior on your site, put them into email nurture campaigns, and keep them engaged with your organization. Once they’ve crossed this threshold, they become prospects.

 

Prospects

Some visitors will become prospects, and it’s up to your organization to determine what criteria differentiates one from the other.

 

In some cases, a visitor might opt in to becoming a prospect. Maybe they check a box saying they want to be contacted about a certain program. Maybe they download a specific resource.

 

In other cases, you can use lead scoring functions to evaluate when someone crosses over. Lead scoring works by assigning value to certain website-related actions. Once a visitor reaches a certain score, they pass from a visitor to a prospect in your contact list. For example, it might be because they visit a certain number of pages or return to your site a certain number of times.

 

Your prospects have shown that they may want to contribute to your cause, and you should communicate with them in a way that builds interest, confidence, and trust.

 

For example, if you’re a local land trust, you might send out information about a new property, or a recent trail clean-up effort. The right communication will build a strong relationship that allows the prospect to see your organization as trustworthy and vital. At this point, you’re “earning the right to ask” for them to take meaningful action in the future.

 

Leads

An engaged prospect can become a lead. A lead is someone you can compel to take a meaningful action — like making a first financial donation.

 

This is an important touchpoint, and you don’t want to get it wrong. Asking for a donation too early can destroy trust, asking too late can mean you miss your window. The key is making it easy for leads to donate on their own terms, whether they want anonymity or recognition, whether they prefer Venmo or dropping a check in the mail.

 

Engaged contacts

A single action is nice, but that’s a one-time thing. A second action means so much more.

 

Once someone donates a second time, they’ve crossed into different territory. We call these engaged contacts because they are engaged with the mission of your organization. Likely, they see your values aligning with their own, and, if you nurture the relationship, they could give repeatedly over the course of their lifetime.

 

Engaged contacts deserve an elevated level of attention.

 

With the right strategy, you can turn someone at this stage into a true advocate for your organization who spreads word-of-mouth endorsements to family and friends.

 

Advocates

Engaged contacts transform to advocates when they eagerly search for new ways to support your organization. Think of a donor becoming a volunteer, or a volunteer becoming an organizer.

 

Savvy organizations help advocates find ways to be a part of the effort.

 

Ambassadors

At this point, the relationship has reached its zenith. True ambassadors are deeply committed to your organization — spreading goodwill and rallying their networks to your mission. In many cases, they see your cause as a movement that’s deeply personal to them. 

 

Your ambassadors are your superstars. They will proudly represent you and your organization, and they are vital to your long-term growth. Remember, no marketing in the world is as powerful as word-of-mouth, and a single engaged ambassador can bring in more prospects than dozens, even hundreds of ads. 

 

With these details spelled out, let’s take another look at that funnel diagram, this time with explainer text included. 

It’s easy to think of marketing as a broad-based approach designed to spread the word about your organization. And it is, but if you only focus on top-of-the-funnel content, you’ll spread awareness while ignoring the needs of other stages of the giver’s journey. 

 

As you’re planning your marketing, use this diagram to develop nurture campaigns, social media content, reengagement efforts, and other approaches to grow your nonprofit.

 

With all that said, there are real opportunities that exist beyond and outside this funnel, as we’ve conceived it. 

 

It’s important to think creatively about how to reach that broad audience of potential donors. 

 

The promise of potential donors 

Think of those potential donors out there who have never heard of you or what you do. They are unaware of you — but you are equally unaware of them. At this point, there is no relationship. 

 

In almost all cases, the donors will learn that you exist long before you learn that they exist. This is an important, but often frustrating, point. It means despite all the data offered by digital platforms, you’ll still struggle to accurately track your reach. 

 

For this reason, it is imperative that you invest in outreach and marketing to continually put yourself in front of would-be givers.  

 

An emphasis on multi-channel marketing

To reach a diverse, multi-generational audience, you’ll need to invest in multi-channel marketing that puts your message in front of the right people in the places where they spend time. 

 

Sure, there are paid media type spots like social media and search ads, but that’s just scratching the surface. Modern nonprofit marketing is more akin to PR — organic social content, appearances on podcasts and other programs, press and media coverage, user-generated content, and more. 

 

Diverse marketing has a wide reach — and authentic marketing builds trust and fills the funnel. As you plan your strategy, think creatively about the ways a person can learn about your cause.

 

The importance of discovery platforms (i.e. social media)

When you type a question into Google, you have some idea of what you are looking for, even if it’s vague. You have some need that’s brought you there.

 

When you are on social media, you’re in a different headspace. Social media, broadly defined, is about discovery, not about searching. 

 

You’re there to scroll through and see what you find, based on your likes, your demographics, and the accounts you’ve connected with. That means you get served up a feed that includes organic content, recommended content, and ads.

 

It could be a video of your sister’s vacation, a political donation request, and pictures of a humanitarian crisis, all back to back. But that’s what you expect because you’re in a mindset to discover.

 

Marketers call social media sites discovery platforms.

 

Content that lives on discovery platforms can reach people who are in a different mindset from the search engine user. 

 

They’re pre-awareness.

 

This makes social media a goldmine for connecting to those potential donors who have no idea your organization exists.

 

The right social content can fill the top of the funnel with those elusive potential donors who have the potential to become your next ambassadors — once they learn you exist.

 

The long journey of the future ambassador

Imagine a large park in the full splendor of summer. The air carries laughter and birdsong. Huge trees dot the grassy landscape, offering shade for picnics. Those grand old trees are precious, yet they’re vulnerable to storms and insect damage.

 

If you lose that massive spreading oak tree, the park will never be the same. It will take a hundred years to grow another just as big.

 

The wise park ranger knows this — and knows that you always need to be planting new trees so that the ones to replace the big ones are not so far behind. A healthy park is full of trees, some big, some small. As one park ranger once put it, only one-quarter of your park’s trees should be in the last quarter of their lives. The rest need to be younger so that when one dies, whether big or small, its loss is not so significant. The park remains. If a park is full of late-stage trees and nothing else, the park is in peril.

 

A nonprofit with an older base of ambassadors is equally perilous. 

 

Your donor base, like the park, requires constant effort.

 

At all times, you must be working to spread awareness to the masses, bringing them into the fold. At the same time, you need to build trust with the top-of-the-funnel audience, inspire action among your prospects and leads, and guide your advocates and ambassadors to make meaningful contributions. 

 

That ambassador whose patronage is so critical to your success was once a person who had never heard of you. 

 

The right marketing plan shepherds future ambassadors through all stages of the giver’s journey, just as the park ranger plants trees today that will not offer shade for decades. 

 

Want to learn more about how marketing automation can help your nonprofit? Contact us! Or visit the link here.

About the Sponsor

iMission is a social sector marketing agency and a nonprofit technology consulting firm. We offer marketing and technology strategy consulting as well as campaign and technology implementation services. Our clients include nonprofit organizations, health and human service providers, schools, municipalities, and social enterprises.

Nonprofits are always looking for new ways to expand their reach, build donor relationships, and boost fundraising—all while navigating tight budgets and resources. One cost-effective way to keep your community engaged is by hosting a hybrid event, which blends elements of in-person and virtual events to appeal to a wider audience.

 

Hybrid events open up many possibilities for your nonprofit, allowing you to plan fundraising galas, conferences, workshops, and more while engaging supporters far and wide.

 

In this guide, we’ll explore the benefits of hybrid nonprofit events, plus some bonus tips for successful planning.

1. Increased Reach and Accessibility

Hybrid events are a proven and practical way to expand your nonprofit’s audience. They appeal both to those who enjoy the networking and social aspects of an in-person event and those who prefer the conveniences of a virtual event. 

 

Planning a hybrid event removes geographical barriers, allowing people to participate no matter where they’re located. Even if potential attendees live far away or lead busy lives that make traveling to your event challenging, they can still get involved through their laptop, tablet, or phone.

2. Cost-Effectiveness

Hybrid events are cost-effective for both your nonprofit and its guests. Participants have the option to “attend” without worrying about travel or childcare costs. At the same time, your nonprofit can accommodate more attendees without having to pay for a larger venue, refreshments, and expensive decorations.

 

Any costs associated with streaming a hybrid event will be well worth the investment since you’re saving on actual event expenses and engaging more participants throughout the event.

3. Sponsorship and Partnership Opportunities

Hybrid events open up new sponsorship and partnership opportunities that provide extra funding and awareness for your nonprofit, such as:

 

• Media partnerships for promoting your event
• Technology partnerships that provide discounted event solutions
• Branded merchandise opportunities
• Content partnerships with social media influencers

 

While traditional in-person events offer limited signage and sponsorship opportunities, digital sponsorships unlock a whole new realm of possibilities that can significantly increase your return on investment (ROI). Your nonprofit can leverage virtual donation pages, social media, and other online marketing tools to boost interest and event engagement.

4. Improved Data Collection and Analytics

Hybrid events can provide a wealth of valuable data to your nonprofit. For instance, you can easily track:

 

• In-person and virtual attendance
• Engagement (with polls, social media posts, and more)
• Attendee demographics
• Attendee satisfaction

 

With more data at your disposal, you can gain a better understanding of audience preferences and interests you can appeal to during future events.

5. Enhanced Networking and Collaboration

Hybrid events allow your nonprofit’s team and speakers to connect with both an in-person and virtual audience through breakout sessions and networking rooms. Since people can attend from anywhere in the world, you can encourage a wider group of attendees to participate, interact, and build lasting relationships.

 

Make it easy for participants to connect by:

 

• Allowing attendees to create personalized profiles and bios.
• Planning icebreaker and roundtable sessions.
• Creating interactive polls and live chat rooms.

 

After your event, you can allow attendees to strengthen their connections by joining a dedicated social media group or message board.

6. Expanded Fundraising Opportunities

Along with an expanded audience and reach, hybrid events facilitate more and varied ways to raise funds. These can include:

 

• Online and in-person auctions
• Fundraising challenges
• Raffles
• Peer-to-peer campaigns
• Merchandise sales

 

Offering in-person and virtual opportunities encourages more people to donate at whatever level they’re most comfortable with. You can provide more payment options and tap into a little friendly competition by setting up fundraising challenges between in-person and virtual attendees.

7. Greater Flexibility and Resilience

Your nonprofit can enjoy a lot more flexibility when planning a hybrid event. While traditional in-person events may have to rely on the weather or travel availability for success, hybrid events can move forward despite any unexpected setbacks.

 

Whether there’s a last-minute venue cancellation, technical issues, or a sudden change in weather, your nonprofit can still host an engaging event experience for its attendees either online or in person.

8. Improved Attendee Experience

Hybrid events provide a more personalized and customizable experience for attendees. For example, they can:

 

• Attend either in person or online based on their schedule and preferences.
• Engage in a variety of ways, from chat rooms to Q&A sessions.
• Appreciate multimedia content, from videos to live presentations.

 

Ultimately, the flexibility of hybrid events allows participants to have greater control over their individual event experience with your nonprofit. Attendees who have concerns over venue accommodations and dietary restrictions can either share them with your nonprofit’s team or simply attend virtually.

9. Increased Sustainability and Eco-Friendliness

According to a survey across 50 countries, 64% of people consider climate change to be a global emergency. As sustainability becomes more of a priority among nonprofits, companies, and individuals alike, hybrid events stand out as a more environmentally-friendly option.

 

Hybrid events promote sustainability by:

 

• Limiting the need for travel, reducing carbon emissions.
• Conserving the energy and resources typically required for in-person events.
• Reducing waste generated by single-use materials and other disposable event decorations.

 

By focusing on hosting an eco-friendly event, your nonprofit can improve branding and encourage greater participation. Plus, you might even open up additional sponsorship opportunities with environmentally-conscious businesses.

10. Improved Branding and Marketing Opportunities

Since hybrid events are typically perceived as innovative, progressive, and eco-friendly, they provide additional marketing and branding opportunities for your nonprofit.

 

You can incorporate many interactive elements, such as polls and breakout sessions, to improve engagement and encourage feedback. Event content can even then be repurposed for future marketing efforts.

 

Because hybrid events extend the space and time available for an event and its activities, they also allow your nonprofit to better position itself as an impactful organization in the sector. It is a terrific way to build an image as a “go-to” resource for content related to your cause.

Bonus Tips: Keys to a Successful Hybrid Event

Once you’re ready to hit the ground running with your next hybrid event, follow these tips to set your planning up for success:

• Create excitement. Identify aspects of your hybrid event that make it unique and exciting. Make the effort to include some “can’t miss” elements or even exclusive content. Create a buzz and build anticipation for your event by highlighting these elements.

• Promote on multiple platforms. Be sure to fully explain your hybrid event and what activities it will involve. Describe the differences between attending in person and virtually. Use every platform available to promote your event, including your website, email, social media, flyers, and more.

• Create a balanced agenda. Make sure your hybrid event agenda has a nice balance of content that includes live and pre-recorded videos, live cams, exclusive content, and interactive events. Keep virtual and live audiences connected.

• Keep sessions energetic and brief. The most engaging hybrid event sessions are frequently energy-filled and no longer than 20 or 30 minutes. Speakers should be coached accordingly. Sessions can also benefit from transitions that are smooth and seamless.

• Choose a platform carefully. Choose a reliable platform to stage your hybrid event and pay attention to production values and appearance. You want your online event to have a quality feel and appearance like your in-person event. Remember that your virtual event represents your nonprofit and its brand. While there are many advanced tools out there, audience expectations are higher than ever. Audio, video, and lighting should be impeccable for virtual and in-person attendees.

After your hybrid event, be sure to survey attendees to assess their satisfaction levels and get their feedback. This can be invaluable in planning future events. Of course, you should also gauge the success of your event by tracking traditional metrics like attendance, fundraising success, engagement, participation, and more.

 

 

When you recognize even just the major benefits of a hybrid event, you can realize why they have become so valuable and popular. What was once an alternative is now a desired featured event for many organizations and nonprofits.

 

If your nonprofit is looking to expand its reach and supporter base, explore just how far a hybrid event can take you. It can be an exciting, enlightening, and valuable way to take your event and organization to the next level.

It’s practically impossible for any business or organization in any industry to thrive without the use of technology. As technology becomes more advanced and the world becomes more reliant on these systems to stay connected, integrating tech features into your nonprofit is almost a requirement for success. 

Nonprofit organizations can use technology to improve their efficiency, expand their reach, and make their existing financial processes more effective. You don’t need to have a dedicated IT department or a tech guru on staff to benefit. Finding new ways to use technology is something that any organization can do across areas like communication and engagement, as well as fundraising and financial management. 

If you think your nonprofit needs a hefty budget to work with various tech products, think again. While highly sophisticated tech programs may be out of reach for many organizations, there are options across the cost spectrum, so any nonprofit can find something that fits its needs. Plus, implementing tech improvements in targeted areas can lead to lower operational costs and higher donations, so the initial cost is an investment that essentially pays for itself. 

Where to Use Technology in Your Nonprofit

Do you need more social engagement with potential donors and volunteers? Is there a disconnect between remote team members? Are nonprofit finances monopolizing your time? How you choose to integrate technology will depend on what specific areas your organization needs it the most. With that being said, many nonprofits find that managing their finances is an especially challenging task. 

Between managing employees, rallying volunteers, creating programs, and connecting with people who need their services, nonprofits rarely have time to give their financial management the attention it needs. Whether you know close to nothing about nonprofit finances or have a wealth of knowledge on the topic, financial management technology is beneficial. It allows you to focus on what’s most important – expanding your organization’s reach and helping those in need. 

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Many technologies that can provide solutions to the above questions can be solved with software-as-a-service or SaaS products. Companies create these software products that are targeted to resolve a specific issue that your nonprofit might be having. These products are built on a subscription model, so you can experiment with which solution your nonprofit prefers with a low cost up front investment. Examples of well known SaaS products are: Slack, Zoom, Donorbox, Salesforce, and more.

Financial Management

Technology for nonprofits can improve your data collection and allow you to make more informed analyses and reports. Certain softwares can help you better manage cash flow and allocate resources. Strategic planning, regulatory compliance, and fundraising can also benefit from targeted integration of technology. 

Access to grant funds is becoming increasingly competitive, so proving your organization’s effectiveness and presenting your service outcomes in a clear, convincing way is crucial. Tech tools can make applying for grants simpler and improve your chances of receiving grants. Further, donors want to know that their money is making a difference. Data-collection tech is an easy way to show the impact of an organization’s programs and show your donors exactly how their money is helping.

Even something as small as using accounting software tailored to nonprofits can make a significant difference in how your organization operates and the effectiveness of its systems. These programs help streamline nonprofit finances, and some programs even offer assistance with filing Form 990s at tax time. 

Artificial Intelligence

The rise of AI in the past year can benefit the world of nonprofits as well. Nonprofit treasurers can ask an AI chatbot for help with annual budget creation, with explaining complicated financial concepts or with just about anything! These chatbots are available mostly free of cost and can assist any member of a nonprofit board with their daily tasks.

Nonprofit Bank Accounts

Another area in which nonprofits can benefit from services targeted at their unique needs is banking. Business bank accounts and basic checking accounts are unlikely to fit the bill. Managing your various costs – operational, administrative, and program expenses – is cumbersome without the proper tools and systems. Choosing the right nonprofit bank account can also help you in other areas of operation, such as fundraising. 

How can a tailored, technology-driven nonprofit bank account help your nonprofit thrive? You’re likely to find it easier to manage and monitor your donations and expenses, process additional forms of payment, pay employees, and file your tax returns. As a nonprofit organization, your banking needs differ from those of an individual or a for-profit business. Banking with an institution that is familiar with your specific concerns is important for the success of your mission. 

Crowded Bank Accounts

Crowded offers bank accounts tailored specifically for nonprofits, which means its accounts and services were created with organizations like yours in mind. Crowded has no monthly fee, or minimum balance requirements, and includes unlimited free transactions. Plus, you can set up and manage your account completely digitally. 

Crowded understands how nonprofits function and what financial services they need to run smoothly. Collecting payments, controlling member spending, and establishing passive fundraising programs are all simpler with Crowded. 

Innovative Ways to Fundraise

Having a personalized place to put your donations and funds is helpful, but how can you raise money for your nonprofit and use technology to increase charitable giving?

Finding new and more effective ways to raise money for your nonprofit is the only way to continue operating and making an impact. Technology offers a tremendous opportunity to diversify your fundraising efforts, from fundraising software to donor communication systems. 

Fundraising software

Using a software geared towards fundraising can help your nonprofit reach your fundraising goals. These softwares can help you track donations and donors, create targeted messaging and marketing efforts and more. All of these technological advances are sure to bring in more donations to your nonprofit organization.

Shop-to-Give Programs

Your organization can receive free donations from shop-to-give programs, which allow shoppers to allocate a portion of their purchase each time they buy something at participating stores. You can make receiving funds from this method even simpler if you bank with Crowded because of their Crowded Rewards. 

Crowded’s shop-to-give program is a cashback fundraising tool that generates money for your nonprofit at no additional cost to your donors or to you. It takes minutes to set up, is endlessly scalable, and offers cashback on purchases at over 70K+ retailers. Your organization will receive 50% of the cashback earned by donors, and since supporters will still receive a portion of their cashback, this further incentivizes them to participate. 

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

You can utilize peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising to increase your donations through existing donor networks. Your current donors can create fundraising pages that broadcast your nonprofit’s mission and message to people in their social circles. This is an effective virtual strategy, and it presents a nearly passive method for connecting with new donors and increasing charitable giving.

Peer-to-peer fundraising operates on a large scale to raise awareness of your mission and expand access to donation sources. It also offers the added benefit of increasing volunteer and supporter engagement. 

Virtual Events

Fundraising events have long been a popular way to raise money for good causes, and with the help of technology, these events can be held virtually. Hosting virtual events means donors from any part of the world can attend, supporters with mobility or transportation challenges can participate, and your events won’t be limited by the physical space you have available. Your organization can get creative when planning virtual events and broadcasting live to supporters. Consider streaming a play, concert, ballet, or other live performance. You could organize an online auction, virtual black-tie gala, or trivia night. 

Website Giving

Giving through a nonprofit’s website is a popular cash flow source for nonprofits. If your website does not provide this option already, this is something you will want to implement as soon as you can. When visitors to your website browse your mission and programs pages, they will feel inspired to help. Don’t make it more difficult by leaving out an online giving page. Facilitate charitable giving by creating an online form where your donors can securely make donations right from your website. 

Technology and Your Nonprofit

How you use technology to improve your nonprofit overall, and its finances is dependent on your needs, goals, budget, and capabilities, but don’t feel limited by these parameters. There is technology that can make a difference in day-to-day operations, strategic planning, program implementation, or financial management for every organization. 

Implementation

Create a wishlist of technologies that you want to implement in your nonprofit organization. Figure out what would you need and what’s in your way before adopting that new technology. Recruit the right people from within your organization who can help you achieve those goals! Remember, ultimately technology is meant to make your job easier!