Raise More in 2024: Nonprofit Fundraising Trends, Tips, and Tools

As we embark on another year of impactful endeavors, let’s delve into the top ways you can increase your fundraising efforts in 2024. Fundraising is a pivotal part of your nonprofit’s ability to help change the world. Looking at the current state of fundraising, there are a few top trends and strategies to elevate your fundraising efforts that stand out among the crowd. Employing these latest trends and best practices can help you amplify your organization’s fundraising success! 

The current landscape of fundraising 

Let’s take a look at the current lay of the land in the fundraising world. The fundraising landscape is constantly evolving, and that isn’t by chance. With technology and societal changes, organizations like yours must stay on top of the trends to meet donors’ expectations. In 2024, there are new, unique challenges and opportunities in the fundraising landscape that require nonprofits like yours to take a strategic and dynamic approach to maximize your fundraising efforts. 

Use these 10 tips to boost your fundraising in 2024: 

1. Take advantage of artificial intelligence (AI)
2. Find the right nonprofit
3. Prepare for the rise of donor-advised funds
4. Form nonprofit partnerships with corporations
5. Recruit the next wave of donors
6. Offer multiple giving options
7. Prioritize peer-to-peer fundraising year round
8. Personalize your donor communications with segmentation
9. Master the art of nonprofit storytelling
10. Plan your nonprofit’s marketing strategy

1. Take advantage of artificial intelligence (AI)  

In the world of fundraising, artificial intelligence, or AI, is a game changer. With the right AI tools, you can analyze donor data, predict giving patterns, and provide personalized resources without breaking a sweat. There are a few different AI programs your organization can take advantage of including ChatGPT, Jasper AI, and Google Bard.  

While ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is the most well-known, each AI program has its benefits and can help your organization in different ways. For example, ChatGPT is easy to learn and use. Through specific prompts, nonprofits are using ChatGPT for content creation in a variety of ways, including writing fundraising appeals, donor thank-yous and thank-you receipts, and creating resources for volunteers and P2P participants. It can also help fundraisers strategize and come up with new fundraising ideas!  

Jasper AI is great for analyzing decisions and making personalized recommendations and is used primarily for marketing copy such as blog articles. Google Bard, an AI experiment by Google, empowers users to explore and express creative ideas effortlessly. This versatile tool can generate text, translate languages, create diverse forms of creative content, and more. 

AI technology can revolutionize your donor interactions by helping you create personalized donor communication quickly. As pioneers in the nonprofit tech space, Qgiv also offers AI solutions with Fundraising IQ to generate emails, recommend auction items, suggest campaign improvements, and more! 

2. Find the right nonprofit technology  

One size does not fit all with technology, especially in the nonprofit sector. To maximize your fundraising potential, investing in technology that aligns with your organization is crucial. Different fundraising platforms provide solutions for online giving, events, text fundraising, fundraising automation, and more.  

Knowing what tools you need can feel overwhelming, but Qgiv’s fundraising software offers a customizable solution to ensure your nonprofit can access the right tools for your fundraising efforts. Whether you’re a small community organization or a large international NGO, selecting the right technology is key for achieving fundraising success in 2024. 

3. Prepare for the rise of donor-advised funds 

Over the last few years, donor-advised funds (DAFs) have gained prominence as a strategic fundraising avenue. With DAFs, your donors can contribute to your cause in a way that encourages long-term support while benefiting from tax deductions. DAFs provide a way for your donors to leave a legacy with your organization by contributing to a DAF account throughout their life or through a bequest in their will.  

With the rise in popularity of DAFs, your nonprofit should consider educating your donors about this giving method and integrating DAFs into your fundraising strategy for 2024. A well-informed donor is a committed donor! 

4. Form nonprofit partnerships with corporations 

Forming alliances with corporations is another fundraising strategy to take advantage of in 2024. Nonprofit collaborations are great for helping your organization broaden your donor reach.  

These partnerships with businesses corporations can help both you and your for-profit partners widen your audiences while providing extra financial support for your mission. Whether your collaboration works as a sponsorship or a cause marketing campaign, find a business that aligns with your nonprofit to boost awareness with strategic collaboration. Together, you and your partner can amplify your impact and create a win-win scenario for everyone. 

5. Recruit the next wave of donors 

The torch is being passed to a new generation of donors! Over half of Generation Z has reached adulthood and more are on their way to entering the next stage of their life. Tapping into this demographic is going to be crucial for fundraising, and your organization will need innovative and tech-savvy approaches. Gen Z is known for their social media presence and constantly changing trends, so incorporating social media campaigns, interactive content, and immersive experiences can help you reach this younger audience. 

Keeping up with the newest online trends and current events is a key aspect of Gen Z’s lifestyle. This generation has lived through and watched wave after wave of social conflicts, both online and in-person. This has created a socially conscious generation of donors who want to support the causes they care about, even if they can’t provide direct financial support. In 2024, your nonprofit can recruit these donors by diversifying your strategies and focusing on transparency, authenticity, and visible impact. 

6. Offer multiple giving options 

Giving, like technology, doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all solution. In 2024, your donors will be expecting flexibility when it comes to giving options. Diversifying your fundraising channels can help you reach more donors by making giving convenient for them. Some giving options your nonprofit can consider are: 

• Recurring giving 
• Digital wallets 
• Mobile donations 
• Matching gifts 
• Giving apps 
• Crowdfunding platforms 
• And more! 

Empower your supporters to choose their giving preferences and foster a sense of ownership and commitment to support your cause! 

7. Prioritize peer-to-peer fundraising year-round 

Don’t limit your peer-to-peer fundraising to a seasonal trend–make it a year-round strategy! Peer-to-peer fundraising is one of the most effective ways to recruit new donors. According to data pulled from Qgiv’s platform, peer-to-peer campaigns recruit an average of 300 new donors for nonprofits like yours.  

This fundraising method empowers your community of supporters to champion your cause and raise money on your behalf by reaching out to their personal networks. Peer-to-peer fundraisers are great at providing new supporters with an emotional connection to your cause and a sense of urgency around donating, making their friends and family more likely to give. 

There are many types of peer-to-peer fundraisers, including: 

• Fitness challenges 
• Social media challenges 
• Network fundraisers 
• DIY fundraisers 
• Team-based games 
• And more! 

With the right tools and engagement strategies, peer-to-peer fundraising can become a cornerstone of your year-round fundraising efforts. 

8. Personalize your donor communications with segmentation 

Mass communication messages can often feel cold and detached to your donors. No one is impressed with generic thank-yous. While individually personalizing each message may seem out of reach, you can customize your communication efforts using donor segmentation.  

Divide your donor base into groups based on demographics, giving history, engagement levels, or other categories relevant to your organization. This allows you to tailor your communications to each donor segment, delivering messages that resonate with their motivations and giving history and making your donors feel appreciated for their contributions.  

This level of personalization not only enhances donor satisfaction but also boosts retention rates by encouraging your donors to stay engaged with your cause! 

9. Master the art of nonprofit storytelling 

Storytelling is an essential tool for nonprofits, and its importance continues to grow year after year. With the growth of online spaces, storytelling is pivotal for cutting through the digital noise and captivating new donors’ attention.  

Incorporating multimedia storytelling techniques by combining visuals, videos, and real impact stories can help you create a lasting impression that motivates your supporters to give. By showing the real-world impact their donation can make, you can forge emotional connections with potential donors that drive recurring support. Some tips for effective storytelling include: 

• Use person-first language 
• Appeal to emotions 
• Include a call to action 
• Show who you’re helping 
• Incorporate volunteers’ experiences 

10. Plan your nonprofit’s marketing strategy 

With the changing terrain of nonprofit marketing in 2024, amplifying your digital presence is a must. However, before you can start your marketing, you need to create a robust content plan. When planning your 2024 marketing strategy, start by defining your marketing campaign goals and researching the latest trends across all your nonprofit’s marketing channels. Here are some tips to help your plan your marketing strategy: 

• Optimize your website and donation forms. Keep up with current SEO best practices, ensure that your website and donation forms are optimized for mobile and are user-friendly. 
• Embrace ever-evolving social media trends. For example, short-form video content is king right now and will likely continue to remain so for the foreseeable future. Experiment with Instagram Reels and TikToks if you haven’t already, in addition to creating short-form video content for your more-established channels like Facebook.  
• Be authentic. When looking at the type of content you should post on social media, remember that authenticity remains paramount! Your supporters want to see the human side of your organization, celebrate your victories with you, and understand the real impact of their contributions. Using nonprofit storytelling techniques will ensure your messaging hits home. 
• Make data-driven decisions. Use the analytics provided from your marketing channels to make data-informed decisions about your campaigns and take advantage of your donor segments to personalize your audience’s engagement experience.  

Let 2024 be the year your nonprofit shines in the marketing landscape, forging meaningful connections and making a lasting impact! 

Final thoughts 

In 2024, a strategic approach that takes advantage of the top trends will be key to fundraising success. Empower your nonprofit with cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions to make 2024 a year of remarkable impact for your cause. Effective fundraising is the first step to changing the world.  

Cheers to a year of amplifying good, and happy fundraising!