5 Ways to Engage Donors on National Nonprofit Day

On August 17th, the United States celebrates National Nonprofit Day to recognize the nonprofit sector’s impact and highlight the importance of charitable organizations nationwide.

This national holiday offers nonprofit organizations the opportunity to:

• Spread awareness of their impact to new audiences
• Thank existing donors for their loyal support
• Attract and strengthen corporate partnerships
• Kick off a powerful fundraising campaign

Here are five ways to empower new and existing donors to show support with a one-time gift or a recurring donation on National Nonprofit Day 2023.

How to Nail Your Fundraising On National Nonprofit Day

1. Launch a crowdfunding campaign with compelling impact blocks

Crowdfunding campaigns offer nonprofits a powerful way to share their success stories, rally supporters and local communities, and fund their programmatic initiatives. Rather than simply informing supporters that your campaign is important, create a felt experience. You can do this through sensory language, compelling visuals, and creative impact blocks.

To take your National Nonprofit Day campaign to the next level, make sure to:

• Maintain a style and voice that is consistent with your brand
• State the core issue you want to address in your campaign
• Explain how you will address the problem with donor support
• Showcase the tangible benefits of each donation with customized impact blocks
• Include relevant visuals or high-quality graphics
• Optimize your donation form for conversion

Impact blocks ensure a supporter understands where their donation goes, who it benefits, and what it accomplishes.

Consider sharing brief stories about your beneficiaries or describing what each dollar amount can accomplish.

Make sure the donation amounts you suggest on your campaign page align with the typical donation amounts your organization sees, including stretch goals. Keep the number of impact blocks to four or fewer so donors can access your campaign on a mobile device.

5 Must-See Examples of Successful Crowdfunding Campaigns

2. Drive traffic to your social posts with #NationalNonprofitDay

It can be challenging to stand out on social media. Generate hashtag momentum to boost your cause’s awareness and drive traffic to your campaign page.

When it comes to hashtags, think engagement. Within the first 24 hours of posting, it’s crucial to draw in as much activity as possible to expand your reach to new followers. High engagement signals to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn that your post is quality, which means your content is pushed higher on supporters’ newsfeeds.

To stop supporters from scrolling past your post, leverage compelling imagery or engaging video to tell your story. This could be in the form of a podcast clip or quote from a recent webinar.

Craft a powerful caption with descriptive language, and consider asking donors to leave a comment or testimonial with a few reasons why they support your organization. Include a link to your campaign page and #nationalnonprofitday and any broader hashtags like #donate or #charity to expand your reach and join the more extensive conversation.

If you’re still wondering whether TikTok is right for you, check out our blog with everything you need to know about TikTok for nonprofits.

3. Thank donors with a personalized message

National Nonprofit Day is the perfect opportunity to let donors know how much they’re valued and appreciated. Personalized communication creates a touchpoint that humanizes your organization and develops stronger donor relationships.

To help show donors your appreciation, consider a handwritten thank-you note for their donations or a special gift. Let them know you took time out of your day to write an intentional message. You might even pick up the phone and personally thank each supporter for their positive impact on your organization.

Here are a few other creative ways to say thank you:

• Newsletter shoutouts
• Gratitude videos
• Social media posts
• Show appreciation on your website

4. Promote in-person and virtual volunteer opportunities

Working directly with your organization may motivate volunteers to make a one-time donation or subscribe to recurring giving.

Think of creative experiences to get your donors involved this National Nonprofit Day. You can explore ideas like serving hot meals, handing out water at a charity run, or assisting at a fundraising event. Promote these opportunities on your website, social media channels, and newsletter leading up to the special day.

Consider adding an online component to your in-person volunteer opportunities to expand your reach and connect with new audiences. If you’re hosting an event for National Nonprofit Day, invite virtual volunteers to spread the word on social media or judge a live contest.

Regardless of your idea, make sure each volunteer feels valued and appreciated. Establishing that relationship could be enough to keep them returning or motivate them to support in monetary ways. These volunteer appreciation ideas can help.

5. Encourage donors to amplify their impact with a recurring gift

A well-developed recurring giving program can protect the long-term health of your organization and help you scale. Leading up to National Nonprofit Day, spend some time studying your donor base to identify a list of candidates for subscription giving, how to appeal to them, and how much to ask for.

Send a compelling appeal to your target audience with the following points:

• Why your organization needs recurring support
• How recurring support allows you to create more impact
• The simplicity and ease of online recurring donations
• The special updates or access granted to recurring supporters

To meet each donor where they’re at, offer multiple recurring gift frequencies. Allow your donors to give a weekly, quarterly, or annual contribution to make budgeting more manageable and reduce their likelihood of churn. Why? Classy’s Recurring Donor Sentiment Report found over half of recurring donors prefer to give outside of monthly increments when given a choice.

With Classy’s recurring donation platform, nonprofits can present donors with eight choices to give on a cadence they prefer.

Tie your ask back to National Nonprofit Day by telling your organization’s story and providing tangible examples of ways your nonprofit impacts the lives of your beneficiaries. Emphasize how a strong recurring giving program can continue to make this possible and how each donor’s contribution will make power good work.

A Day to Celebrate

With these five tips in mind, start planning to optimize your donation potential. Remember, telling a compelling story can bring your work to life and help donors make the emotional connection that often drives giving.

Above all else, take a minute to appreciate your organization’s work and the impact your efforts have made. National Nonprofit Day is a celebration of you, so share the love with your team and know that our world is grateful for hearts like yours.