If you're the only person handling marketing, comms, and half your org's donor relationships, "social media strategy" probably sounds like something other, better-staffed nonprofits get to have. Here's the thing though: you don't need a content team or a fancy dashboard to make social media actually work for you. You just need a rhythm you…
Processing a donation? That's honestly the easy part. What happens after that gift lands is where things get tricky, and it's where a lot of nonprofits quietly lose ground. So if you're shopping around for donation software, don't just ask "can it accept payments?" The better question is: can it help you actually build a…
If your event marketing plan currently lives in a mix of sticky notes, group texts, and hope, well, you're definitely not alone. Small nonprofit teams get asked to run events like there's a whole marketing department behind them, when really it's one or two people wearing five different hats (and maybe wondering where hat number…
Bloomerang is a strong donor database. If you are the one running campaigns, here are the alternatives that let you market without exporting a CSV every week.
If you're the only person handling marketing, comms, and half your org's donor relationships, "social media strategy" probably sounds like something other, better-staffed nonprofits get to have. Here's the thing though: you don't need a content team or a fancy dashboard to make social media actually work for you. You just need a rhythm you…
Processing a donation? That's honestly the easy part. What happens after that gift lands is where things get tricky, and it's where a lot of nonprofits quietly lose ground. So if you're shopping around for donation software, don't just ask "can it accept payments?" The better question is: can it help you actually build a…
If your event marketing plan currently lives in a mix of sticky notes, group texts, and hope, well, you're definitely not alone. Small nonprofit teams get asked to run events like there's a whole marketing department behind them, when really it's one or two people wearing five different hats (and maybe wondering where hat number…
If you've ever struggled to explain how your nonprofit changes lives in a board meeting or grant proposal, you're not alone. Sure, numbers are easy. Served 500 families, raised $200K. But what about the mom who finally felt heard? The teen who discovered their voice? Those transformative moments are your real mission impact, and they…
Looking to make sense of your donor data without drowning in spreadsheets? Here's the thing: most nonprofit leaders get buried in numbers that don't actually tell them much. But when you track the right metrics, you'll finally understand what's working, which donors are sticking around, and where your next big opportunity lives. In this guide,…
If you're running a nonprofit with a small team, you've probably felt that familiar tension between wanting to do more good and drowning in spreadsheets. Here's the thing: data doesn't have to be overwhelming or reserved for organizations with fancy analytics departments . In our experience, the right approach to data actually reduces burnout while…
A donor lands on your donation form, ready to give. Then they hit a clunky field, a confusing label, or a payment step that just feels slow, and poof, they close the tab. It happens more than any of us would like to admit. The truth is, the difference between a form that converts and…
Asking for donated goods and services can feel a little awkward, right? Like, you're running a mission-driven organization, not a yard sale. But here's the thing: in-kind donations are genuinely one of the most underrated tools in a nonprofit's fundraising toolkit , and when you promote them the right way, they attract enthusiastic partners instead…
What Wealth Screening Actually Tells You You ran a wealth screening. Now what? If you're staring at a spreadsheet full of capacity scores and wondering how to actually do something useful with them, you're not alone. The data is only as good as what you do with it , and translating those numbers into outreach…
Look, we get it. You're trying to figure out why some donors give once and disappear while others stick around month after month. It's not just about the money (though that's obviously important). It's about understanding what's actually going through people's heads when they decide to support your cause. We've spent over a decade working…
Writing thank-you letters well can make or break your donor relationships. Here's the thing: when you're working with a small team and wearing seventeen different hats, it's easy to let gratitude slip down your to-do list. But in our experience, these letters aren't just nice to have. They're one of the most powerful retention tools…
Looking to keep your donors around for the long haul? You're in the right place. Donor retention is honestly the secret sauce of sustainable fundraising , but here's the thing: most nonprofits are way better at finding new supporters than keeping the ones they've got. In our experience working with small nonprofit teams, smart retention…
If you're the sole person wrangling email newsletters, social calendars, and text campaigns for your nonprofit, here's a truth you probably already know deep down: the problem isn't that you don't have enough tools. It's that you've got too many, and none of them are talking to each other. So what's the fix? Not a…
Finding the right email frequency for your nonprofit can feel like you're constantly second-guessing yourself. Send too many, and you risk annoying your supporters. Send too few, and they might forget you're out there doing amazing work. Here's the thing: there's no one-size-fits-all answer. Expert recommendations range from 1-2 emails per month to 3-5 per…
Look, if you've ever fired off a fundraising email at 2 PM on a Tuesday and hoped for the best, you're in good company. For years, we've all relied on gut instinct, basic demographics, and sheer determination to figure out who to email and when. But here's the thing: what if your CRM could actually…
Summer fundraising is one of those things that sounds fun in theory but can feel genuinely tough when you're actually living it. Donors are in vacation mode, inboxes are quieter than usual, and that big year-end energy is still months away. It's a season that sneaks up on a lot of nonprofit teams, and we…
Look, here's the thing that probably keeps you up at night: you're working so hard to bring in new donors, and then… they just disappear. Never give again. Never respond to emails. It's like throwing a party where everyone shows up once and ghosts you forever. But what if the problem isn't that you need…
Most nonprofits run their fundraising and marketing teams like they're in completely different buildings. Separate budgets, separate goals, separate conversations. And honestly? That gap is costing organizations more than they realize. But here's the good news: when you start looking at fundraising through a marketing lens, something genuinely clicks. Your brand stops being a logo…
Small nonprofit teams are basically superheroes without capes, right? You're juggling fundraising, strategy, communications, and about seventeen other roles while trying to change the world. Here's the thing: you don't need a bigger team or budget to multiply your impact. You just need smarter systems that work as hard as you do. In this guide,…
Volunteer management can be the secret sauce that amplifies your nonprofit's impact, or it can become one more exhausting thing on your already overflowing plate. We've worked with enough nonprofits at Funraise to spot the patterns that lead to high turnover, frustrated volunteers, and staff burnout on both sides of the equation. So let's walk…
Working in nonprofits means you're carrying others' pain alongside your own already-full workload. Look, it's a beautiful calling, but here's the thing: there's a real cost. Compassion fatigue is what happens when prolonged exposure to others' suffering drains you emotionally, physically, and spiritually. It hits nonprofit workers particularly hard through what's called secondary trauma. In…
If you're the only person handling marketing, comms, and half your org's donor relationships, "social media strategy" probably sounds like something other, better-staffed nonprofits get to have. Here's the thing though: you don't need a content team or a fancy dashboard to make social media actually work for you. You just need a rhythm you…
If your event marketing plan currently lives in a mix of sticky notes, group texts, and hope, well, you're definitely not alone. Small nonprofit teams get asked to run events like there's a whole marketing department behind them, when really it's one or two people wearing five different hats (and maybe wondering where hat number…
We ranked nonprofit event ticketing platforms on the thing marketers care about: how much each one helps you actually sell the tickets, not just process them.
Processing a donation? That's honestly the easy part. What happens after that gift lands is where things get tricky, and it's where a lot of nonprofits quietly lose ground. So if you're shopping around for donation software, don't just ask "can it accept payments?" The better question is: can it help you actually build a…
If you're the only person running communications at your nonprofit, you know the drill. Too many audiences, not enough hours, and that ever-growing list of "we should probably post about that" moments haunting your to-do list. A traditional communications plan with dozens of pages isn't going to save you here. What actually helps is a…
A nonprofit website isn't just a digital brochure. It's the difference between someone landing on your homepage and immediately getting it (or not), and between a first-time donor sticking around or clicking away for good. We've poked around a bunch of nonprofit sites, and honestly, the good ones share a few sneaky-simple copy moves that…
Bloomerang is a strong donor database. If you are the one running campaigns, here are the alternatives that let you market without exporting a CSV every week.
What's Already Happening: AI in Nonprofit Outreach Today AI isn't some far-off concept for nonprofits. It's already driving real results. Organizations using AI-powered CRMs are getting a clearer, more complete view of donor behavior across channels, and that visibility is improving retention through predictive scoring. Tools like Funraise AI are already generating peer-to-peer appeals, personalized…
Okay, real talk: AI has officially jumped the shark in terms of buzzword saturation. It's everywhere, promising everything, and if you're leading a nonprofit, you've probably felt the pressure to "do something with AI" without a clear sense of what that actually means for your donor relationships. Sound familiar? Here's what we've found after working…