Many groups and organizations had to think creatively last year. In other words, because of the events of 2020, disruption came to the nonprofit sector. As a result, that meant countless nonprofit fundraising ideas getting overhauled. (Check out these 100+ Unique and Easy Ideas). And while groups had to get creative, one of the most exciting things remains technology. You see, with technology, you could raise money much more effectively than in the past. It includes nonprofit software tools for fundraising.
Wait, I hear a sound. It’s some nonprofit leaders suggesting that they can’t possibly get fundraising technology. Okay, you could continue doing business as usual. But, rest assured that the new group down the street will get traction quickly. They’ll also have more chances to recruit volunteers more easily. Moreover, that organization has a team of professionals who lean into technology and aren’t afraid of it. Because of it, donors will support them over the old organizations doing things the same way as always.
The reality is that technology doesn’t have to be expensive. As many nonprofit leaders know, lots of companies have moved to low monthly subscription-based services. So what that means is that your group could integrate much more power for a lower monthly price point. Also, as chatboxes, artificial intelligence, and technology get better, your team will want to work with the latest tech. Make the right decisions for your organization, and consider getting the latest tech for your nonprofit software for fundraising.
Artificial Intelligence Powering Nonprofit Software Fundraising
Before we take a look at 5 platforms to help you improve your nonprofit fundraising, let’s discuss why leaning in technology makes sense. Artificial intelligence (AI) could do many positive things for your organization, including your fundraising.
- Artificial intelligence could predict how your donors will behave. Yes, as in the future. In other words, instead of guessing what messages and when your donors may open their wallets, AI could predict (based on history, patterns, and trends) when donors are likeliest to give to you.
- Technology could help your nonprofit fundraising team craft emails and custom messages to every donor. In the past, fundraisers would segment donors and try to personalize as much as possible. That meant variable paragraphs, for example. However, now AI could write entirely custom letters for each donor.
- Integrating technology into your nonprofit fundraising efforts could ensure good stewardship. As we know, thanking and acknowledging donors is essential for future donations. That said, a lot of times, teams drop the ball. Not anymore. AI could alert you when gifts come in, need acknowledgment, and could even write custom letters.
5 Tools that Could Power Your Fundraising Efforts
Now let’s take a look at nonprofit software fundraising tools that could help you get your budget back on track. Any one of these tools could exponentially grow your fundraising efforts.
1. boodleAI and Your Fundraising
In recent years, when a nonprofit fundraiser asks me to name a good platform for fundraising, aside from our shoe drive fundraisers, boodleAI is at the top of the list. As I mentioned earlier in this article, one of AI’s essential abilities is to predict behavior. With boodleAI, you could use your data to figure out who to target, when, and why. Moreover, boodleAI is not expensive enough to be beyond the reach of most nonprofits.
2. OneCause
Another great platform for nonprofit fundraising is from OneCause. The company has over 5,000 nonprofits as happy customers. As we know, many nonprofits do events, and this is one of the best event fundraising tools on the market. With it, you could take the headache out of ticketing, registration, and reporting. Of course, they also have resources for virtual fundraising and online giving.
3. GivingTools
We know that many nonprofit groups operate with small margins. So, sometimes free is essential, particularly when starting. GivingTools has an excellent starter price—$0.00, and some of the lowest gift processing fees in the market. With Giving Tools, you could easily do nonprofit fundraising online. The platform is also flexible enough to support pledges for capital campaigns, merchandise, and free text to give.
4. Handbid
As mentioned earlier, lots of nonprofits had to get creative with their fundraising efforts last year. And one of the ways was with online auctions. Assuming you have cool merchandise for your donors to bid on, you could have a very successful nonprofit fundraising campaign. That’s where Handbod comes in. It’s one of the best fundraising tools for mobile giving, live streaming, and auctions. With auctions, you could increase your revenue by 60% with the platform.
5. Salesforce
As many nonprofit leaders know, Salesforce is the #1 CRM on the planet. It’s got a large footprint in the nonprofit sector, and it’s a trusted brand and platform. Also, Salesforce is known for its philanthropic outlook as a company. Salesforce is an excellent tool, which is flexible. It could undoubtedly power your nonprofit fundraising, but it could also handle your grants, marketing, and accounting.
© 2021 Wayne Elsey. All Rights Reserved.
