As nonprofit fundraisers, it’s easy for us to see the advantages of being big. There are some things large, established organizations simply have an easier time doing, like launching a national awareness campaign, or attracting major gifts and grants.
Still, there are some fundraising techniques that are ideal when you’re a small nonprofit. Going online, making personal connections with your donors, and joining larger nonprofit movements can make a big difference for small nonprofits.
Let’s take a deeper look at what opportunities small nonprofits can tap into!
Small Nonprofit, Big Opportunity
When you concentrate on fundraising, it’s natural to focus on need. After all, we spend a lot of time explaining the needs our causes address, and the way we solve them. We also devote a lot of attention to our organizational needs—what we need to get the work done.
These needs are probably familiar to you; we all need more time, more volunteer support, and, of course, more money for our causes.
Here at CauseVox, we believe (and have seen it proven by hundreds of organizations that have raised millions on our platform) small nonprofits have a lot going for them. Here are just a few:
- Nimble
Change is easier when you’re small. If you see a fundraising opportunity, you can respond to it without encountering much red tape. You don’t have to wait to move on a good idea.
- Personal
You aren’t hidden behind a big brand, or tiers and tiers of staff. Your supporters can really get to know you, and make a personal connection to your organization. Likewise, you can build a deep knowledge of your supporters.
- Creative
If you’re the CEO/ Development Director/Head of Marketing for your organization, you can try out new fundraising ideas, get a little wacky, or make your fundraising very specific to your target audience (that you know because you’re able to be so personal), because really, who will stop you?
- In good company
The little guys can be a force to be reckoned with. Small-but-mighty role models include: Yoda. Madeline. The Rescuers. Tiny chameleons with tongues that reach way beyond their body size.
The Benefits Of A Peer-To-Peer Fundraising Strategy For Small Nonprofits
Each of these small nonprofit fundraising ideas relies on making personal connections within your network of supporters—what we call people-to-people fundraising.
“Each of these small nonprofit fundraising ideas relies on making personal connections within your network…” tweet this
For small organizations, peer-to-peer fundraising is absolutely essential—you may not have the resources for a direct mail campaign, and you may not qualify for a $100,000 grant, but you have people who support you. At CauseVox, we know this and have made launching a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign easy and you can get started for free (handy, when you’re on a tight budget).
Peer-to-peer fundraising has many benefits for small nonprofits, including:
- Expanding your reach
Your fundraising network includes anyone who supports your cause, not just people you think will probably give money. In addition to donating, your network can boost your signal and tell your story to their own networks—people who might never hear of you otherwise.
- Empowering your supporters
People feel connected to organizations they’ve worked with. Giving your supporters the opportunity to get in the trenches with you can deepen their attachment to your organization. Raising funds is important work, and a great way for them to support your cause. By providing an online platform with consistent branding and a clear message, you make it easy for your supporters to help without extensive training or time investment.
- Lightening the load
Raising $50,000 alone may be possible, but it certainly isn’t easy, and it’s probably not the only thing you need to do. Somehow, the smaller you are, the more hats each person involved ends up wearing. Your network can help raise funds, but they can’t meet with all your donors, run all your programs, provide you with a strategic plan, or host your board retreat. By involving other supporters to fundraise on your behalf, you can make more time for the tasks that only you can do.
3 Fundraising Ideas For Small Nonprofits
1. Go Online
The simplest way to have the broadest possible reach is to use the Internet. Online fundraising removes the barriers of geography, opening up your campaign to any interested person anywhere. It gives people who may be unable to participate in an event a tangible way to offer their support.
Online fundraising is supremely sharable–which is just what you want when you approach fundraising with a peer-to-peer strategy. Supporters can spread the word to their networks on social media channels, or by emailing a link to interested friends. Sharing is what expands your network.
“Online fundraising is supremely sharable–which is just what you want…” tweet this
Small organizations can have a big impact online. She’s the First, a nonprofit that raises funds to send girls in low-income countries to secondary school, began their first campaign with a grand total of three full-time staff members. By engaging their network of supporters, they exponentially increased their reach—106 individuals created personal fundraising pages for the campaign, which brought in $42,106.
Similarly, The Adventure Project, a nonprofit that has raised thousands on CauseVox, used a strategy that could only work online—they enlisted bloggers to spread the word about their campaign to raise funds for a water well mechanics program in India. Their TypeTap campaign raised more than $10,000 online within 24 hours on World Water Day in 2011.
2. Get Personal
An online peer-to-peer campaign relies on the personal relationships between your supporters and their networks, but you need to invest in your personal relationships with your donors, old and new. Support your online campaign by looking for ways to connect with your donors personally offline, like:
- Sending a handwritten thank you note
- Making a thank you phone call
- Sending a birthday card
Supplementing your online fundraising with offline action adds another layer to your donors’ impression of you, deepens your connection, and sets you apart from the crowd.
3. Jump Onto Something Bigger
You don’t have to invent everything. If something big is happening in the nonprofit community—jump on it! For example #GivingTuesday is already established as a Global Day of Giving. There are toolkits, advice, and trainings already waiting for you to use.
A global conversation in favor of charitable giving benefits nonprofits, regardless of their size. Nonprofits large and small are hopping on board and with each participating organization, the conversation gets louder. #GivingTuesday can be a megaphone for small nonprofitss.
“#GivingTuesday can be a megaphone for small nonprofits…” tweet this
Be Bold
There are people who want to support your work, and by activating your network through online fundraising (easily done through CauseVox), personal connection, and tapping into the larger nonprofit conversation, you’ll start to find them.
We know small organizations can get big results–we help our clients do it all the time. Using CauseVox resources and your own small-but-mighty moxie, you can start to fundraise in a big way.
