With friendraising, the goal is about building real relationships, not just raising funds. In this article, we’ll help you develop genuine friendships that make a lasting impact on your cause.
What if your donors are already part of your life? Look around you – your network of friends, family, and coworkers could become some of your most passionate and active supporters!
Friendraising starts with creating a relationship, not asking for money. By building an authentic connection with people first, you lay the foundation for a meaningful, sustained donor relationship that goes beyond a one-time donation.
In this article, we’ll break down the key differences between friendraising and fundraising and share some practical strategies and practices to strengthen your donor relationships. Plus, we’ve included a few donor management tools that can help!
“Friendraising” is a unique approach to fundraising that focuses on long-term relationships. Think of it like gathering your close friends and inviting them to join your cause, similar to peer-to-peer fundraising with a personal touch.
Friendraising can look like casual meet-ups, personalized notes, or fundraising campaigns that encourage conversation more than contributions. And because friendraising is built on meaningful relationships, donors are more likely to invest their time and resources over the long run.
If you’re still wondering how the friendraising definition differs from traditional fundraising, check out this chart to see how they compare.
| Friendraising | Fundraising | |
|---|---|---|
| Objectif principal | Construire des relations authentiques | Obtenir un soutien pour atteindre des objectifs financiers |
| Timeline | Une approche à long terme pour un soutien durable | Souvent à court terme pour un soutien immédiat |
| Stratégies | Utilise l'engagement, la confiance et la narration pour susciter l'intérêt | Recours à des campagnes, des appels et des événements pour solliciter des dons |
| Ton | Sonorité conversationnelle et relationnelle | La cause est convaincante et peut être mise en œuvre |
| Message | Partage la mission et les histoires d'impact | Encourage l'engagement financier |
| Résultat | Une confiance profonde et un soutien à long terme | Soutien financier immédiat pour des besoins spécifiques |
Now it’s important to note that friendraising can easily take a wrong turn if you’re not careful. To keep it ethical and genuine, here are a few things friendraising should never be:
Friendraising should feel like an organic conversation, not a pushy sales pitch. At its heart, friendraising is about people over a personal agenda.
So what does a healthy and effective friendraising strategy actually look like for your nonprofit? We’re glad you asked! Here are six responsible ways to use friendraising to build lasting donor relationships.
What if you actually got to know potential donors before asking them to open their wallets? The best way to strengthen any relationship is through conversation. Ask about their interests, share your passions, and try to find common ground.
With friendraising, donors are like family! You take time to learn about their life, call or text often, and spend quality time together. It’s all about building real relationships with people who are excited to actively support and participate in your mission.
Did you know that the key to raising more funds for your mission might be with those already supporting your cause? Peer-to-peer fundraising is the perfect example of friendraising as it taps into your friend’s social circles by encouraging them to get involved in the fundraising process and expand your reach to their friends!
Empower your friends to run an ongoing fundraising campaign or create a sense of urgency with a deadline-driven campaign centered around a fundraising goal or event.
Whatever strategy you choose, it’s important to equip participants with quality peer-to-peer fundraising tools to help them succeed. Donorbox makes it easy for you to set up a campaign and invite supporters to create their own online donation pages to support your mission. From there, your friends can share their personalized page with their own friends, family, and co-workers.
Check out how the Chicago Reader leveraged peer-to-peer in their campaign:
Share your heart to build genuine connections with your board members, and then invite them to join the friendraising efforts!
Each board member has their own pool of friends who may be eager to support your cause. Friendraising may sound less intimidating than fundraising to board members since their main goal is to build relationships instead of awkwardly asking for money. It’s a natural and fun way for your board to grow your organization!
Nobody enjoys a long-distance relationship that’s all texting and no face time, right?
The same goes for engaging your potential donors! Invite them to special events, grab coffee, host dinner at your place, or give them a personal tour of your organization. Spending quality, face-to-face time means a lot more to people than an email. It shows donors how much you truly value them as a person.
Don’t just pitch your idea, make sure you truly listen to your donors, answer their questions, and ask for their feedback. Friendship is a two-way street, after all! And like any good relationship, you want donors to feel comfortable sharing their ideas and experiences.
Personal communication is a great way to make donors feel like what they have to share matters. For example, sending a personalized thank-you and addressing donors by name, shows how much you appreciate them.
Take personalized communication even further with donor segmentation. This friendraising tool organizes your contacts by key demographics such as age, location, and giving history, so you can easily share personal and relevant messages with each person.
Donor management platforms like Donorbox CRM can save you time with advanced donor filters and donor tracking tools, letting you focus more on people than data.
When it comes to friendraising, it’s all about the donor! Make your donors feel important at every step of their journey – from the first meeting, to their first donation, and beyond.
Get creative and craft unique experiences for your donors to further engage them in your mission. This might look like a day of volunteering or a special event – the possibilities are endless!
Need some help coming up with a great donor experience? Download our free Donor Experience Brainstorming Worksheet to get those ideas flowing.
A positive donor experience strengthens relationships, and that often leads to greater support!
To build a network of engaged donors, here are some key best practices for successful friendraising.
Clear communication is the foundation for strong donor relationships.
Be specific and transparent about your mission, goals, and how people can get involved. Share your annual report to fully demonstrate your impact and answer any questions about your programming quickly and honestly.
Skip the rehearsed speeches and fancy jargon – just speak from the heart, like you’re talking with a friend.
Friendraising isn’t about making big asks, but showing your supporters how much they mean to you. Celebrate your donors by writing thank-you notes, highlighting wins on social media, or even throwing an appreciation event in their honor.
Celebrating big and small milestones not only makes supporters feel valued but encourages them to stay involved.
Pro tip: Equip yourself with tools like Donorbox CRM’s Moments feature to help automate outreach for key donor milestones like the anniversary of a donation, birthdays, and more. This means you never miss the chance to celebrate your donors – without the stress of constant outreach!
One of the best ways to build trust with your supporters is by letting them in on the ins and outs of your organization.
Knowledge is empowering, so equip your donors with the tools, resources, and information they need to get involved. For example, if they’re about to launch a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign on your behalf, share a fundraising packet that includes social media templates, images, and stories they can share with their network.
To create enthusiastic advocates, focus on inspiring, not pressuring, and nurturing their passion for your mission.
Remember, friendraising isn’t about fast results but building lasting relationships.
Deep, meaningful connections require patience and eyes to see the bigger picture. By prioritizing long-term impact, you’ll grow a faithful donor community that truly cares about your mission and is committed to supporting it for years to come.
While it may take time to see your return on investment, consistent, constant communication with donors can increase your revenue by up to 41.5%.
Acquaintances come and go, but true friends last forever – that’s why friendraising is a powerful fundraising strategy for nonprofits.
By building strong, lasting donor relationships, you can grow a community of loyal friends who are highly motivated and passionate about your cause. It might take time but the results are worth it: more involved donors and greater support for your organization.
Give your donors everything they need to support your mission with Donorbox. With features like personalized communication, donor segmentation, and personalized fundraising pages, Donorbox strengthens donor relationships and increases donations. Sign up for free today and start turning supporters into lifelong friends!
With a background in professional writing, Lydia has over five years in nonprofit communications under her belt. Lydia’s passion for supporting nonprofits sparked during her college internships with global mission organizations, where she gained valuable insights into fundraising marketing strategies. These experiences have continued to fuel her dedication to empowering nonprofits through her writing.
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Lydia Wohlgemuth