How to engage online donors: Digital marketing 101

Published on 10 Aug 2021 by Auctria

How to engage online donors: Digital marketing 101

Digital marketing is a powerful tool for non-profits to engage with and retain their donors, while keeping their larger community close, especially in our pandemic-stricken, socially distanced world. Virtual fundraising events such as online auctions have the power to boost engagement and revenue, while leveraging new opportunities and avenues to succeed in. But with most non-profits realizing the value of online marketing and the digital space, how do you stand out? Read on to find out more from Auctria, experts in fundraising management solutions for small and medium non-profit organizations.

Reach out across multiple channels

In order to effectively engage with donors online, non-profits must take a multi-channel approach by creating multiple touch points across various communication channels. Some of these include:

Website

As a non-profit, your website must be a one-stop shop that engages its donors by providing information, updates and most importantly, creating a portal to accept donations.

Email

Form a line of direct communication with your donors through emails including newsletters, invitations, and the like. Personalize each donor email with references to events they may be interested in based on their past participation. For example, a donor who has attended a walkathon in the previous year may be interested in the next one too. Reports suggest that email communication has the highest ROI among all channels and platforms.

Social media

Social media is relatively inexpensive with a huge reach. However, it is important to invest time and effort, while customizing the right content for the right platform.

SMS

With the growth of mobile technology, non-profits can take advantage of new and innovating fundraising opportunities such as text-to-give options. According to the Pew Research Center, 81% of Americans use a smartphone, making this a lucrative marketing channel in the long run.

Personalize communication

Digital marketing gives nonprofits the capability to reach huge audiences in an instant. However, it is essential to engage with donors and supporters personally. It is important that every donor and supporter is made to feel special and their contributions appreciated and valued.
Use the information from your donor databases to personalize your emails/content to each of the donors, based on interests, location, gender etc. As mentioned previously, keep a track of the attendance of your donors to your events as this can be used as a reference for future events they may be interested in.
This is especially powerful in creating strong relationships and loyalty, which encourage greater engagement and donations in the long run.

Regularly post new content

Staying active and posting new content on a regular basis keeps a non-profit dynamic, encouraging donors and supporters to engage too. This is also a great way in which search engines display results pertinent to your work so people searching specific keywords are driven to your content. So, what are some of the content strategies a non-profit can use?

News page

Adding a new page on your website can be an easy way to stay active and post new content based on events and updates. To make things easier, embed your social media accounts into the newsfeed of your newly created news page.

Blog entries

Unique and valuable content through blog posts is an excellent way to be noticed by search engines. Use your expertise and knowledge to create informative pieces, enhancing your reputation and credibility in the eyes of donors and supporters.

Let supporters control their engagement

Provide your donors and supporters with the option to engage with your non-profit through the communication channels they prefer. For example, you can use membership software tools that let your supporters choose their preferred communication channels. This makes them feel in control and that you respect them and their choices.
Thus, engaging with donors online can be made easier if they feel appreciated, respected, and see the value added by your non-profit. For more information on how to engage effectively, [contact Auctria today]([[https://www.auctria.com/contact/]