Donation appeals are the backbone of nonprofit fundraising strategies. Research shows nonprofits send an average of three email newsletters and two donation appeals each month.

Your nonprofit may send similar numbers of outreach messages to encourage supporters to donate. But are all of your messages truly engaging and compelling? When it comes to donation appeals, quality is essential. 

To ensure your nonprofit’s appeals are designed to support donation conversions, we’ve compiled these five tips that we’ll explore in this guide:  

1. Incorporate storytelling
2. Convey urgency
3. Personalize your requests
4. Include interactive content
5. Engage supporters in a challenge

Keep in mind that sending a donation appeal should be one of the final stages of the donor management process. Before sending your appeals, lay the groundwork with a variety of other donor communications, such as program updates, newsletters, event invites, information about volunteer opportunities, and feedback surveys. After building genuine relationships, your supporters will be more receptive to your donation requests. 

1. Incorporate storytelling

Nonprofits are increasingly leveraging the power of storytelling in fundraising campaigns. Stories capture supporters’ imaginations, create an emotional connection, and show potential donors the true impact of their gifts. 

By telling a story before requesting a donation, you can solidify a deeper personal connection with audience members. Follow these tips to make your stories stand out:

• Focus on one protagonist. Your stories will be more impactful when they focus on just one main character. This allows potential donors to get to know your protagonist on a deeper level and understand the issues they face. 
• Use compelling visuals and direct quotes. Incorporate direct quotes from your protagonist and images that show the scale of your mission or the faces of community members involved in your cause. 
• End with a call to action. Wrap up your story by giving supporters a clear way to take action and support the people impacted by the issue. For example, provide a link or QR code leading to your online donation page or an address where supporters can mail in their donations. 

Your stories don’t have to be exceptionally experimental—the basic storytelling principles are all you need. Ensure your story follows a clear linear timeline, with a beginning, middle, and end, and fill your narrative with rich details that bring the story to life. 

2. Convey urgency

If there is no sense of urgency in your donation appeals, donors might procrastinate and put off their gift for another day. On the other hand, by conveying the necessity to act right now, you can make your donation requests more relevant and meaningful for recipients. 

Donors want to know that their gifts will make an immediate impact. Emphasize urgency in your donation appeals by taking these steps: 

• Acknowledge current events. For example, let’s say your nonprofit focuses on addressing climate change. You might send an emergency donation request to help fight major wildfires in a specific part of the country. Acknowledging current events is especially important for disaster relief organizations, as crises can evolve quickly and community needs fluctuate. 
• Emphasize scarcity or exclusivity. Let donors know they only have a limited time to act to become a part of an exclusive group. For instance, you could send an email letting donors know that you only have 10 spots remaining in your VIP Trailblazer Circle, a special group where donors can access perks like exclusive events or merchandise.  
• Share a limited-time fundraising opportunity. Time-bound fundraising campaigns can be a great way to encourage donors to give right away. For example, you might host a 24-hour GivingTuesday campaign with a specific fundraising goal. Or, you might work with a major donor or corporate sponsor to launch a limited-time matching gift drive. 

Urgent donation requests are more compelling for donors because you show them that there’s an important reason you need their help now. 

3. Personalize your requests

Personalized marketing outreach is more essential than ever—71 percent of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions.

Donors want to be recognized for their individual contributions. That’s why it’s important to prioritize personalizing your donation appeals. 

The first step in the personalization process is research. Use your donor management system to find supporter information such as: 

• Past donation amounts
• Previous volunteer involvement
• Past event attendance

Then, incorporate this information into your donation requests. For example, let’s say you’re reaching out to a supporter named Leo who has previously donated and attended your annual silent auction event that benefits your animal shelter. You could say something along the lines of:

Dear Leo,

There are only 12 hours left to get your donation matched by a generous anonymous benefactor. We’re reaching out to you because you’re one of our top supporters. We can’t thank you enough for your recent $100 donation on March 25th and your attendance at last year’s silent auction. Would you be willing to donate $20 right now to help local animals in need? 

Send the message via supporters’ preferred communication platform, whether social media, email, or direct mail.

4. Include interactive content

Interactive content tends to be much more engaging than just a written appeal alone. This type of content can show donors a different perspective on the impact of their gifts. 

Incorporate interactive content into your email and social media appeals, such as: 

• A fundraising thermometer. Generate a fundraising thermometer using a graphic design platform like Canva or a free tool like Bloomerang’s fundraising thermometer generator. Update your fundraising thermometer each time you send a donation request to show donors the progress made throughout a specific campaign. 
• An impact calculator. Create an interactive calculator that allows donors to input a specific donation amount and view the impact of that donation. For instance, if a donor inputs $250 into the calculator, they might receive a message saying “A $250 donation can help provide a week’s worth of food to a family of four.” 
• A map that shows the scope of donors’ potential impact. If an aspect of your mission is geographically based, show donors how they can widen your reach and help more people in need. For example, perhaps your nonprofit offers resources and supplies to underfunded schools. You can show donors the potential impact they can have on broadening your scope to include additional school districts. 

Donors will be more inclined to give when they see the tangible impact of their gifts. Plus, they might be willing to give more once they know the impact of a specific gift amount.

5. Engage supporters in a challenge

Many supporters will be motivated to engage in fundraising when there’s friendly competition involved. Instead of inviting supporters to donate directly, mix up your donation requests from time to time with an invitation to join a fundraising challenge. Here are a couple of examples of types of fundraising challenges you can create: 

Peer-to-peer fundraising challenge

Invite supporters to compete against one another in a peer-to-peer fundraising competition, whether as individuals or as part of a fundraising team. Supporters could compete to raise the most or earn the most pledges in a specific time period, such as a week. 

For instance, let’s say your organization’s mission is to raise money and awareness for mental health issues. You could plan a special fundraising walk-a-thon and encourage teams to gather pledges that correspond to miles walked during the event. Be sure to reward your top individual contributors or winning teams with prizes. 

Social media challenge

Social media challenges, like the historic ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, can help spark grassroots support from a larger audience. Invent your own unique social media challenge that’s relevant to your mission. 

For example, perhaps your nonprofit is focused on raising money for children’s healthcare. You might create a lemonade stand challenge, where families host neighborhood lemonade stands to raise funds and awareness of your mission. Encourage participants to share photos of themselves participating and tag your nonprofit or use a campaign hashtag. 

By making your donation appeals more inviting, engaging, and compelling, you’ll not only earn more donations for your current campaign. You can also lay the foundation for long-term donor relationships and foster greater recurring giving. 

Track engagement metrics for your appeals, such as email open and click-through rates, social media engagement rates, and direct mail response rates, to understand which messages are most effective for driving donations. Make adjustments as needed to continue offering compelling content to your supporters.