How to Raise More Money with Fewer Donors

There’s a trend keeping a lot of fundraisers up at night - the number of donors giving to charity is shrinking.

Yet can we control that?

I would argue no. 

Yes, charities need to improve their stewardship, but we’re in a cost-of-living crisis that we can’t ignore. Not much fundraising progress will be made ruminating on this issue.

To be successful in fundraising, you have to focus on what’s in your control. 

The questions is - what can you, personally, do about the shrinking donor pool?

Make the most of your existing donors!

Ultimately, we’re losing our donors who give the smallest cash-based gifts.

Yet there are still a lot of people who are doing fine - but their wealth is largely held in assets. (And they work with financial advisors who encourage them to set up DAFs.)

So if you focus on fundraising from gifts of assets as much as you do cash, you’ll encourage greater generosity from your existing contacts.

This past end-of-year fundraising season I worked with a charity on their campaign. We incorporated DAFs and Securities into our strategy.

The result:

❌ 4 fewer donors gave compared to December last year.

✅ But they raised 34% more than last December.

The crunch on the low-to-average middle class is real. They're feeling the pinch of soaring grocery prices and housing costs - and it means we might lose some of our donors.

These macro-economic factors suck, and we should do as much advocacy as we can for policy shifts that reduce poverty and grow a more robust middle class.

👉 But in the meantime, your nonprofit needs funding to survive, so it's time to update your fundraising strategies! Check out our blog for articles on DAF fundraising and more to help you along this journey.

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