Now that 2022 is fully underway, it’s time to look ahead to exciting new changes. The pandemic has transformed a lot of work processes, habits, and schedules, and the nonprofit sector is no exception.
Predictably, following social distancing and lockdown measures, many organizations had to go fully digital or at least experiment with hybrid approaches in order to get things done. Evolving ideas about diversity and inclusion are shaking things up, as well.
We’re here to share the top trends for 2022 so that your nonprofit is empowered to navigate the changing landscape with grace. Buckle up for a rewarding year!
#1: Automated donations
In a lot of ways, the future is already here. Constant technological change affects the 21st century workforce in all industries. Across the globe, the average person spends nearly 7 hours a day looking at screens, with most of that time spent on mobile devices. Organizations that can’t stay relevant in a digital world are going to lose their supporters fast.
If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to move your donation and payment processes online. Now that digital wallets, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and payment applications like Venmo and Zelle are here to stay, it’s essential to give your constituency the flexibility to use their favorite apps and devices to contribute to your cause. The best part is that the easier you make it for your donors to give, the more money you’ll see in the bank.
- Add a donation button to your website. If someone is browsing your site, it means they’re already interested in your cause. Adding a prominent, clickable donate button makes giving quick and easy.
- Make a donation page on a fundraising site. To collect cash while taking advantage of easy-to-use features and tools, like donor management, advertising, and outcome tracking, it’s smart to set up a bespoke donation page. Platforms like RallyUp and GoFundMe help you create gorgeous and intuitive donation pages for free. Share the page across all your channels and watch the cash roll in.
- Maximize donations with QR codes. You’ve probably seen QR (quick response) codes in restaurants. They’ve become especially popular since Covid hit. Not only do they reduce paper waste, but they make donating to your nonprofit a snap. Supporters scan the code and end up on your donation page.
Add QR codes to your event programs, your website, your partners’ websites, social media channels, and donation pages. Next time you set up a bake sale, hot cocoa stand, or donation box, stick a QR code nearby so that supporters can point, scan, and donate without getting out their wallet or asking to borrow a pen. How easy is that?
#2: Virtual and Hybrid Fundraisers
Virtual Fundraising
While virtual events aren’t new, they became a cornerstone of fundraising methods in the past couple of years.
It isn’t just the pandemic that tempted people to stay online, though. The increasing sophistication of fundraising software is a key driver of the digital trend, letting communities connect all across the globe and share a philanthropic vision of the future.
Virtual fundraising became all the rage when the pandemic confirmed just how fun, creative, and effective they can be. Below are a few of our faves.
- Crowdfunding. If you really want to blow past traditional obstacles to raising money—not enough volunteers, hard to get the word out, unmotivated donors, the list goes on—then crowdfunding hits the jackpot. Not only do you benefit from instant access to a global audience of potential contributors, but you can curate your own story to motivate giving. Want to lead with cold, hard facts to ramp up legislative advocacy? Prefer to showcase tear-jerker pics to encourage individual generosity? Crowdfunding lifts up YOUR voice to share YOUR unique mission. Crowdfunding platforms help you create catchy crowdfunding campaigns that get the message out while making donating as easy as clicking a button.
- Online auctions and raffles. Fundraising auctions and raffles are exciting for a reason: they leverage friendly competition and suspense to increase philanthropy. The hardest part about pulling them off, though, is finding a venue and filling it with enough people to make the whole thing worthwhile. Virtual raffles and auctions remove all the legwork while keeping the thrill of bidding on exciting items. There’s plenty of fundraising software out there to help you create a customized and streamlined auction or raffle to engage your donors no matter where they are in the world.
- Sales. The great thing about going digital is that you can still offer all the OG fundraising sales you’ve always relied on, from selling cookies to handmade Christmas wreaths, without being limited by date, time, location, or weather. A bake sale that lasts all month long? DIY Valentine’s Day cards that you can pre-order in January? Raffle tickets that can be sold without getting up from your couch? Yes, yes, and yes. Sell items, tasty treats, tickets, or gifts on a fundraising site while keeping track of your fundraising goal and sharing the good news with your supporters.
Hybrid Fundraising
While virtual fundraisers are phenomenal, in-person events still have their place. This is especially true for networking, holiday celebrations, or tight-knit groups like schools, faith-based organizations, and other like-minded communities.
Why not have the best of both worlds and elevate your in-person event with a digital upgrade?
- Live Streaming, recording, and Zooming in. If you organize a golf tournament or a talent show and 50 people show up, that’s 50 donations, at best. If you record the fun times and share the recording across all your channels, that massively increases the donation opportunities. If you livestream the whole thing, your supporters at home can contribute while they watch.
- Mobile advantage. Now that everyone has a device buzzing in their pocket, use that resource. Next time you hold an in-person fundraiser, update your audience with mobile notifications, encourage mobile donations, and allow mobile sales. During auctions, ditch the pen and paper and offer mobile bidding.
- Online advertising. Even if your event is in-person, you’re guaranteed a bigger turnout and heftier donations if you advertise online. With clever hashtags on Twitter and Instagram, event pages on Facebook, and strategic email campaigns, nobody will miss your spectacular fundraiser. Include a link to your donation page and website on all your updates and posts. That way, if someone can’t make the football game where you’re selling cupcakes, they can still support your cause.
#3: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
While it’s weird to think of increasing diversity and inclusivity as a trend, it’s becoming a movement that’s recently taken major strides thanks in part to the Black Lives Matter movement.
As the workforce steadily becomes more diverse across all sectors, everything from leadership practices to onboarding is getting a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) upgrade.
- Equitable hiring practices. Reducing bias starts with recruiting diverse staff and volunteers. When you’re posting to job boards, interviewing candidates, or onboarding new hires, the assumptions you make and the language you use really matter. For example, let’s say you want to expand your talent pool to reflect the wider demographics. In that case, it helps to emphasize the importance of working with diverse populations in your mission statement, make use of job boards that serve underrepresented folks, and be open to valuing experience on par with education.
- Greater transparency. Some companies have begun openly sharing their employee demographic data to demonstrate their dedication to diversity and inclusivity. Others share starting salaries when they post job openings or ask their managers to undertake performance reviews. If you make your organization more accountable and transparent, you’re more likely to be mindful about internal processes and decisions.
- Inclusive fundraisers. Many fundraisers are geared toward fostering an aura of exclusivity to make supporters feel special and appreciated. Think fancy dinners and high-end items being auctioned off in swish ballrooms with a big round of applause for the most generous donors. While this approach works to raise major funds and shows much-needed gratitude to donors, it can hurt your efforts at inclusivity. Some people cannot afford to buy handmade pumpkin pie at the annual autumn bake sale, while others feel guilty because they don’t have the free time to volunteer. From learning how to run an inclusive school fundraiser to making sure that your advertising efforts resonate with all demographics, putting DEI at the forefront of your fundraising strategy is the way of the future.
#4: Agile, Data-Driven Workforce
The closure of workplaces in 2020 forced a segment of the workforce to tackle their job responsibilities from home, revolutionizing the way we work. Some loved the freedom to host Zoom meetings in their pajamas while others missed their office routine.
One of the top fundraising trends for nonprofits includes getting more techy and agile while making smart use of data. Love it or hate it, surveys show that more than half of the post-pandemic workforce wants to continue working remotely.
Here’s how to ride the new wave.
- Flexible work models. It’s great if your organization is ready to get back to its pre-pandemic routine, but it doesn’t mean everyone else is! Maybe your staff and volunteers have young kids or elderly dependents, but schools, daycare centers, and medical centers are closed half the month, disrupting day-to-day scheduling. Maybe they can’t commute because their usual carpool or train line has been canceled.
Rather than settling into “business as usual,” take the opportunity to reevaluate and reimagine your routines. If some of your staff has been successfully telecommuting since 2020, why not make that option permanent? Or offer a hybrid schedule, inviting your people to come into the office just a couple of times a week. Just think of how much you’ll save on electricity and heating, not to mention everyday essentials like coffee and paper. Your nonprofit can opt for offering condensed schedules, too, where employees work longer hours for fewer days. There’s also flextime, which lets folks check off tasks on their own time. Stay open minded and experiment with what works for your team.
- Prioritize digital transformation. Now that everything is happening online, it’s not enough for your staff to just squeak by with some basic tech skills. You need to enhance digital mastery to take full advantage of the latest tech, including virtual calendars, communication and collaboration tools like Slack, Trello, and Zoom, training simulators, and other solutions that connect your people and streamline your workflow.
- Modern workspaces. For those days that your team meets in-person, it’s important to have a space that anticipates contemporary worker needs. Gone are the endless rows of identical cubicles and gloomy board rooms with fluorescent lighting. This is especially important to younger workers, who prioritize mobility and adaptability. If a worker is out of the office for most of the week, she prefers the equivalent of a launching pad to an assigned seat.
The modern workspace has an open and naturally-lit design that encourages dialogue and collaboration. It has fast Wi-Fi and tech access in every room, desks that can be easily rearranged, ergonomic chairs, and plenty of free snacks. Crucially, your team should be able to hold a live video chat with anyone in the world at any time from any space.
- Data-driven insights. The digital transformation has completely upended the way nonprofits manage their supporter databases. Your nonprofit has likely collected a ton of data, which includes everything from email addresses to donation history to sales records. Data-driven tools, like Google Analytics, let you plug that info to monitor, measure, and evaluate your fundraising impact and your relationships with donors to determine what works and why.
An invaluable component of data science is predictive analytics, which can help your nonprofit learn more about your constituency’s preferences and donation behaviors. That way, you can create messages and fundraising efforts that speak to your donors’ needs and commitments both now and in the future.
Looking Forward to Your Next Fundraising Adventure? So are we
While change can be scary, it’s also the only way to grow. With nonprofit gurus like RallyUp at your side, you can navigate the exciting new future of nonprofits with know-how and ease.
We team up with nonprofits like yours to help you plan, advertise, and pull off unforgettable fundraising experiences. Our cutting-edge, easy-to-use, and FREE tools help you connect with your supporters in meaningful and creative ways so that you can hit your target and stay on mission, every single time.
