Fundraisers have been raising money, developing and executing campaigns and appeals, and nurturing relationships with donors for decades. Yes, that means before computers, before social media, before fundraising platforms and online giving. However, just because fundraising has been done without technology in the past doesn’t mean that it should be done without technology today. In fact, technology is essential to fundraising success.
Why can’t fundraisers forego technology and keep doing their jobs the way it was done in the past? We have a few reasons that we think will convince you (if you haven’t been convinced already) to embrace fundraising technology:
- Millennials are taking over: Fifty percent of the U.S. workforce is expected to be made up of Millennials this year, and 75 percent by 2030. This means that the nonprofit industry is seeing and will continue to see a transition in their employee base. It’s no secret that Millennials are tech-savvy, and that joining an organization that embraces modern fundraising is going to be a priority. Additionally, Millennials are making up a large donor base, and the best way to reach this donor base is digitally. Having tech-savvy Millennials at your nonprofit to reach tech-savvy Millennial donors will lead to greater fundraising success as this generation continues to become a force in the nonprofit industry.
- Better visibility into fundraising progress: When donation information is stored on paper or on spreadsheets, it is more difficult to track the progress of campaigns, appeals and fundraisers. Fundraising technology provides a streamlined, accurate way to manage donations, no matter how they come into your organization. This allows you to track each step of your fundraiser and make changes as needed. Visibility is essential to make sure you’re on-track to meet fundraising goals, and the right fundraising technology will allow you to pull reports, see graphs and charts, and run queries when you need them.
- Better and more personalized communication with donors: Fundraising technology allows you to segment your donors based on the information that’s important to YOU. Your donors are all different, and that means that they deserve different types of communication. Rather than sending out the same type of communication to your entire donor base, technology like a Nonprofit CRM lets you choose which donors fit within certain categories so you can reach out to individuals who are more likely to give, participate in events or volunteer to increase your chances of fundraising success.
If your nonprofit hasn’t fully embraced technology yet, we encourage you to learn more about how it could benefit your organization and your fundraising. A Nonprofit CRM is a great place to start! Reach out to us at success@resultsplussoftware.com to talk with our experts about how donor management has helped nonprofits just like yours.