Ready to create unforgettable experiences and build long-lasting relationships with your donors? Sometimes that’s easier said than done! In this article, we’ll share some creative fundraising ideas that focus on your donors’ experience. We’ll also show some real-life examples to inspire you.
There’s a reason Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2023 was “authentic.” People everywhere are craving genuine, personalized experiences to make them feel more connected with the others around them – and donors are no different.
Pair this with the rise of the experience economy, where consumers everywhere are looking for unique ways to connect with their favorite brands, and we see a new trend arise for nonprofits: experiential or experience-based fundraising.
Read on to learn how you can take advantage of this trend to build donor participation and raise more.
Experiential fundraising involves connecting with donors through unique experiences. This engages them and encourages them to give more, while at the same time building stronger, lasting relationships. The right experience can also better showcase your organization’s mission!
Donors – especially Millennial and Gen Z donors – want connection and personalization. Experience-based fundraising offers both while also providing donors with something they want to participate in.
Creating exceptional experiences can also make the transaction of donating more valuable in the minds of your donors. In other words, they’re getting something out of their participation with your organization that goes beyond the good feelings and acknowledgment of a traditional donation experience.
This type of fundraising is increasingly important during slumps in the economy. A donor may not be willing to part with a donation just for the sake of giving, but if they get something in return they may see their gift as a reasonable cost for a great experience.
So what does an experiential fundraising campaign look like? Here are seven ways to try out this exciting fundraising technique, with helpful examples of engaging donor experiences along the way!
Events are all about creating a fun, engaging experience – while raising money for your cause.
The more creative you get about connecting donors with your mission the better. A unique event will both increase attendance and compel donors to give more.
Refugee Hope Partners created an unforgettable experience for their donors during their Taste & See: A Night of Community, Culture, and Cuisine event. This event featured delicious food and cultural performances while perfectly highlighting Refugee Hope Partners’ mission to engage and uplift refugee families in their area.
They used Donorbox Events to sell tickets, allowing them to set different ticket tiers with sale deadlines and limits for each tier. Plus, they asked for additional donations on top of ticket sales, immediately boosting the effectiveness of their event.
Everyone loves a little friendly competition! Fundraising competitions are a great way to get your donors more involved while providing them with an exciting experience.
Peer-to-peer fundraising is the perfect tool to build your fundraising competition! With Donorbox Peer-to-Peer, you can invite your top supporters to fundraise on your behalf. Or, add a sign-up button to your donation page so anyone interested in championing your cause can get involved. From there, they’ll receive an email with instructions to create their own fundraising page, which they can personalize with compelling text and images to share why they’re supporting you.
To turn peer-to-peer fundraising into a competition, give prizes for the following achievements:
And more! Get creative.
Man Down Cornwall did an excellent job with their peer-to-peer fundraising campaign supporting their mission to provide mental health support groups for men in Cornwall.
They used Donorbox to make it easy for supporters to sign up. Plus, they showcased all of their fundraisers right on their donation page, creating a spirit of friendly competition.
Launch Your Peer-to-Peer Campaign
One great way to bring in sustaining income for your organization while also creating a valuable return for your donors is through membership programs.
Most membership programs offer different tiers of membership for supporters who want to be more involved in your organization while also receiving exciting benefits!
Common membership benefits include:
And more. This experiential fundraising technique speaks to donors’ interest in receiving something in return for their generosity, thereby justifying the cost.
Take Asclepius Snakebite Foundation’s membership program. We love how they named each membership tier after a snake, which fits their mission of treating snakebite patients. Their benefits include a discount on conference attendance, access to quarterly newsletters, and more!
They use Donorbox Memberships to easily automate membership dues on a monthly or annual basis. Their members can log in to their Donor Portal to make changes to their membership plan whenever.
Check out this blog on 10 ways to improve your members’ experience for more ideas!
While social media is an important tool for nearly all fundraising campaigns these days, some campaigns especially thrive on these platforms. Challenges are a great way to generate buzz about your cause while inviting donors to partake in an exciting activity.
Most famously, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge went viral in 2014. Supporters were challenged to dump a bucket of icy water on themselves on camera and then challenge a friend, who had 24 hours to either donate or film themselves doing the same (or both!). Over 17 million people participated in this innovative campaign, raising $115 million for the ALS Association.
Think about any relevant activities you could use to challenge your supporters. For example, if your organization supports women who have to walk many miles a day to access fresh water, consider challenging your supporters to match their mileage every day for a week. Participants can post about their walk every day, raise funds through a peer-to-peer fundraising page, and invite their friends and family to join in!
Sponsorships are a great way to secure funding for upcoming events, but they can also be a creative method to tie donations more directly with your organization’s impact.
Consider an organization that rescues animals. Which approach creates a better experience for donors?
To take this a step further, the organization can include a picture of Fido and offer to send regular updates to whoever sponsors him. This turns a less compelling donation opportunity into an ongoing, powerful experience for your donors. They get to see firsthand how they’re making a difference – which is a more inspiring reason to give.
We love how PittieLove Rescue lets sponsors choose which dog they’d like to support. They use Donorbox to make it easy for donors to select their preferred dog with a dropdown on their donation form using donation designations.
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There are a ton of holidays to celebrate every year – meaning there are many opportunities for a unique, holiday-themed fundraiser! These types of experiential fundraising campaigns capitalize on donors’ interest in getting into each holiday season. They are especially effective for holidays that most nonprofits don’t typically celebrate.
These lesser-celebrated holidays like Halloween and Valentine’s Day – or even various awareness days throughout the year – are the perfect opportunity to create a fun experience for your donors. For example, check out the San Antonio Zoo’s viral Cry Me A Cockroach Fundraiser for Valentine’s Day. Every year, supporters donate to their Donorbox donation form to name a cockroach after their ex. The zoo then promises to feed this cockroach to their animals!
This cheeky fundraiser took off big time and has since expanded to include mice and veggies. People all over the country have donated to enjoy a little cathartic fun for a great cause!
Your community partnerships are great to turn to when it comes time to build a donor experience.
Think about how you can get your community together for a fantastic experience that raises money for your mission. For example, partner with a local restaurant to donate part of the sales from one evening to go toward your organization. Then invite all of your supporters to enjoy a delicious meal for a great cause!
You can also consider partaking in community events to increase your exposure and raise more. If your community has a regular farmers market, set up a booth and sell merchandise or collect donations.
Pro tip: Ensure you have the necessary tools to collect in-person, cashless donations! Text-to-give makes it easy for anyone with a smartphone to access your donation form by sending a text. A donation kiosk powered by the Donorbox Live™ Kiosk app is a great way to accept donations with cards, smartphones, or smartwatches.
Need some guidance crafting the perfect, relevant donor experience?
Download our free Donor Experience Brainstorming Worksheet to get started!
Bonus: Free Webinar where we talk about Experiential Fundraising, showcase examples of successful fundraising campaigns using this method, and more!
As donors become pickier with where they spend their hard-earned money, fundraising with their experience in mind is a fantastic way to bring in more contributed income for your organization.
Experiential fundraising reminds you to focus on your donors while creating memorable experiences that will connect them with your cause for years to come.
Whether you’re hosting unique events, collecting sponsorships online, or launching a new membership program, Donorbox is here to help! Over 80,000 organizations have used Donorbox to raise more than $2 billion. Learn more about our features and sign up today!
For more fundraising tips, check out the rest of our Nonprofit Blog. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive hand-picked blogs right to your inbox.
Lindsey spent years wearing many hats in the nonprofit world. Whether she was helping arts nonprofits with their messaging and content, planning a fundraising gala, writing an NEA grant proposal, or running a membership program with over 400 members, she learned how to navigate – and appreciate! – the fast-paced world of fundraising. Now, she loves sharing those hard-earned lessons with the Donorbox community.
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Lindsey Baker Bower