Funding sources and donor habits are constantly evolving, but that doesn’t mean you have to completely overhaul your fundraising strategies to inspire support. While tapping into current trends helps your nonprofit stay relevant, some strategies remain as reliable as ever.

Think along the lines of planned gifts and grant opportunities. These strategies have been around for a while and are as effective as ever. They can provide reliable revenue streams, so when faced with hard times, you don’t have to go into full-fledged panic mode to continue advancing your mission.

While these strategies are tried-and-true, they also rely on updated best practices, such as using tailored technology to streamline processes

Let’s take a look at four strategies that will keep your fundraising modern and updated.

Pursue grant opportunities.

While individual donations can fluctuate, grants often provide the financial stability needed to plan long-term and fund specific programs or projects. When you win a grant, your nonprofit can focus on delivering its mission without worrying about cash flow.

Pursuing grant opportunities also future-proofs your fundraising efforts by establishing strong relationships with funders and opening doors to long-term support. These partnerships can boost credibility, attracting new donors and partners to your mission.

Keep in mind that during economic downturns or federal funding cuts like the U.S. is currently seeing, some funders may pause or reduce their grant programs, so it’s wise to diversify your funding sources alongside pursuing grants.

You can find nonprofit grants in several places:

Alt text: A summary of different places to find grant opportunities, listed below

• General grant databases: Searchable platforms like Foundation Directory and GrantStation aggregate various grant opportunities from different sources.
• Federal grant databases: Databases like Grants.gov list federally funded grants, letting you search for grants, apply, and track the status of your applications.
• State and local government websites: Browse these sites to find regional funding opportunities for initiatives related to community development, education, health, and the arts.
• Private foundation websites: Private foundations, like The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, often list their grant programs and application guidelines on their websites.
• Corporate giving programs: As part of broader corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts, companies frequently fund nonprofit initiatives through grant programs and use their giving websites to outline criteria and application processes.

Know that grant seeking is a full-time job, especially when managing multiple grants. It requires you to draft grant applications, effectively budget awarded funds, and report on outcomes. However, the financial stability they provide is worth the effort.

To streamline applications and management, use grant writing tools and grant management software. These purpose-built solutions are designed to enhance your applications, track deadlines, meet funding requirements, and manage multiple grants efficiently. For instance, Charityproud empowers grant seekers to organize their applications and ensure they’re submitted on time.

Create a planned giving program.

Planned gifts enable donors to commit to future gifts, allowing your nonprofit to secure long-term support. These donors also tend to give throughout their lifetime, likely because they feel loyal to and passionate about your cause.

Common types of planned gifts include (but are not limited to):

• Bequests: This is the easiest type of planned gift to accept, where a donor allocates a portion of their estate to a nonprofit in their will. Bequests draw from the donor’s total estate rather than liquid assets, making it more likely for the gift to be large.
• Retirement account and life insurance beneficiary designations: Donors name a nonprofit as the beneficiary of their life insurance policies, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), 401(k)s, 403(b)s, or pensions. When the donor passes away, the remaining balance goes to the designated beneficiaries.
• Charitable remainder trusts: Donors contribute cash or assets to a trust. Then, they receive a fixed income for a set time period or for life. After the term ends, the remaining assets in the trust are donated to the designated nonprofit.

   

Alt text: A chart showing how charitable remainder trusts work

Setting up planned gifts can be complex, but modern tools make it easier for both your nonprofit and its donors. Donors can easily create their wills online or designate your nonprofit as a beneficiary for different accounts. Meanwhile, your planned giving tools will help you track these gifts and steward donors during their lifetime.

With your tools in place, start educating donors about planned giving. Create brochures, dedicate a page on your website to planned gifts, and post the opportunity on different channels to start the conversation. While it can be awkward talking about planned giving, framing the conversation around legacy and impact can make it more comfortable for both you and the donor. Focus on how their future gift will help sustain the mission they care about for generations to come.

Encourage recurring gifts.

Recurring donations create a predictable revenue stream. It’s one of the best ways to keep your funding flexible rather than relying on inconsistent individual gifts. While some turnover is natural, many monthly donors will stick around.

Launching a recurring giving program is a great way to connect with Millennials. Around 40% of Millennial donors are enrolled in monthly giving, and 52% of Millennials are more likely to give monthly than make one large donation. In other words, these donations make giving regularly more sustainable for donors.

The key is to make the process effortless. Invest in fundraising technology like Charityproud that enables recurring gifts. You should be able to automate charges to donors at different frequencies, whether monthly, quarterly, yearly, or on another custom schedule.

To raise awareness for your program, you can:

• Include an opt-in checkbox on your donation form.
• Feature monthly gifts on your Ways to Give page.
• Offer incentives, such as a monthly donor newsletter with exclusive updates.
• Highlight recurring gifts in your newsletter.
• Look at donor history in your donor database to find individuals who give frequently but haven’t signed up for your program.

Alt text: A mockup of a donor’s profile and history within Charityproud

By making giving effortless, you’ll create a loyal community invested in your cause for the long haul.

Remember to always thank your recurring donors. This accomplishes two things: it confirms that you received their donation and value their ongoing support.

Ask for stock donations.

Accepting stock donations allows your nonprofit to tap into assets that often appreciate over time, potentially providing larger gifts than cash donations. These types of donations also offer two primary significant tax benefits for donors: they avoid capital gains tax on the appreciated value of their donations, and they can also claim a tax deduction on the value of the shares they donated.

Here’s what that process might look like for your donors:

1. Donors decide which shares of stock to donate. They’ll need the stock's name, ticker symbol (if publicly traded), the number of shares to donate, and the intended transfer date.
2. They obtain your nonprofit’s account information. You’ll provide your transfer information and brokerage numbers. The donor will also need information like your organization’s EIN, the name of your brokerage firm, and your account number.
3. The donor fills out the appropriate stock donation forms. They can likely log into their brokerage firm’s account portal to find the appropriate form. 
4. The donor’s stock brokerage firm will transfer shares to your nonprofit. The donation should be recorded on the day your nonprofit receives the donation, not the day the donor submitted the transfer request.

To make this process easier for donors, provide clear instructions on how to donate stock, including step-by-step guides and your nonprofit’s account information. You might also assign a dedicated staff member to answer questions and use a digital platform that facilitates stock transfers to reduce any confusion.

Start future-proofing your fundraising efforts.

Open the door to sustained success by diversifying your revenue streams and embracing strategies rooted in historical best practices.

To stay on top of your fundraising performance, track and analyze fundraising performance metrics to understand what’s working and where improvements can be made. Charityproud's built-in analytics give you the insights needed to measure success, track donation trends, and adjust strategies for better results.

Now, update your fundraising plan to prioritize these forward-thinking strategies and position your nonprofit for a strong future

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