Top 10 Digital Marketing and Fundraising Trends for Non-Profits in 2022

In this article, we collected the top 10 trends in fundraising for 2022, that each non-profit could use for their own benefit and for the benefit of their cause.

#1 Plain talk

It might seem easy to write in a simple way. But not many organizations do so. The conversational writing style is very important when you are talking to people.

• Plain-speaking style helps your audience to understand you better and faster.
• Short text is easily and quickly read on smartphones, tablets, e-books, etc.

It’s not only about trying to make it short – it is also about organizing your writing.

• Use headings and don’t forget about proper spacing
• Remember about different lists
• Use infographics and easy-to-read tables

By following these tips, your copy will be not only easier to read but they will stand out among other organizations.

Standing out is very important for achieving your fundraising goals!

#2. Report. Don’t stop

Each donor wants to be sure that their donation makes an impact. This is why it is very important for them to see the results of your work that you are trying to raise funds for.

No matter how big or small your project is you should include a regular reporting plan in your operational plan.

• Create templates of reports for different channels and platforms where your organization is presented
• Use different ways of reporting in different channels, but keep the similar style and the style should represent your brand
• Report annually, quarterly, weekly and even daily if possible
• Combine daily and weekly reports, leaving the most important details for quarter and annual ones
• Follow the words-graphs-figures principle
  • If you’re giving a short daily report, include longer descriptions and emotions that your activities included/caused while for the serious annual reports
  • For example, all the results of your work should be presented with numbers, graphs, diagrams, and other ways of summarizing information for a better and more clear understanding

#3 Email marketing

Emailing remains one of the most efficient channels of communicating and stimulating fundraising in online marketing for non-profits toolkit.

• Regularly collect, sort, and update your mailing list
• Create and follow an emailing plan
• Work on the templates for your emails
  • We know it’s hard to hear this, but plain emails can help get your communication out of spam and promotion filters
• Follow and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) such as the open rate and click rate of your emails
• Grow your email list by giving people a subscription option to your blog or newsletter
• Delete recipients who are not reading your emails from your email list

#4 Classic crowdfunding

This traditional way of marketing and fundraising is a top trend that you should use, as it is constantly proving its efficiency.

45% of all donations made through crowdfunding resources were for non-profits and charities.

• Test and use different crowdfunding platforms in order to attract different donors and understand which ones are the most efficient for you
• In case you have different projects spread them evenly throughout platforms
  • Place those who need $100k donations together with those that need $5k
• Always include a deadline for each campaign
  • Make sure you promote your campaign in your other channels as well (on your social media, website, etc.)
• Update your campaign and tell people about how the project is going on in order to keep them engaged and updated

#5 Power of social media

Your donors are there – TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

You should be there too (we hope you already are).

Use the power of social media, as people spend more and more time on it with each passing day. Social media grows up to 20% monthly. And imagine that Fundraisers revenue on Facebook is 97%!

• Link your social media profiles, like Facebook and Instagram in order to have access to the Instagram Charitable Giving Tools
• Place links to your social media everywhere possible, including your website, websites of your partners, your emails, offline materials, and so on
• Follow and stay in touch with other non-profits on social media
• Collaborate with other non-profits
• Regularly publish content
• Make sure you thank your donors and sponsors for their donations

#6 Stay safe

Cybersecurity is TOP priority for all Internet users nowadays. Not only you are responsible for how safe your visitors are when reading your website, for example, you are also responsible for protecting their donations, as well as for your reputation. People should know that they can trust you and their donations will reach their destination instead of being stolen or lost on their way.

• Protect your platforms from cyberattacks – regularly consult technical experts and have them support your website on a regular basis
• Watch your passwords, use two-factor authentication (2FA), and secure access to the applications you use for your non-profit
• Be careful when publishing information about your projects or organization or giving it to somebody
• Choose services of premium hosting companies (like Wow Digital) to have better security and speed, as well as to automate the backups of your website
• Consider a 3rd party DNS provider, such as Cloudflare
• Always require double opt-in and include a CAPTCHA when setting the “subscribe” option for your emails

#7 Video Content

If you double the quantity of videos you create, and publish online, you will double the efficiency of your promotion campaigns.

Right now, video content is particularly popular. It will continue being that way. Users spend, on average, 18-hours per week watching videos on different platforms, including Youtube shorts, TikTok videos, etc.

• Create a video content plan for each social media channel, do not publish the same video everywhere
• Use different formats and presenting styles but brand each video to make sure people understand your style
• Make sure you translate your message in different ways in your videos (showing, saying, writing, entertaining, explaining, etc.)

#8 Influencer marketing

Collaborate with influencers to attract their audience, your audience, and audiences new for both parties.

Each person is your potential donor.

Strategically working with influencers whose whole audience is similar to yours is not only one of non-profit fundraising trends, but a key tool for digital marketing for non-profits use in 2022. This way you will attract both new donors and remind existing ones about your campaigns and projects.

• Make a list of influencers you could ask to promote your project or initiative
• Always check the influencer before discussing a collaboration
  • How active is their audience?
  • What are the typical comments people leave on their posts?
  • What is the influencer’s rating on other platforms?
  • and so on
• Collaborate with at least 1 influencer per month to check how efficient this method is for your organization
• Concentrate on the small influencers in case you don’t have funds to pay for the promotion – big ones rarely promote somebody for free
• Ask your supporters for collaborations – they can become the best influencers for you as they are the most engaged in what you are doing and are as interested in the result as you are personally.

#9 Virus tracks

Create and use virus tracks on social media with video – for example on TikTok.

It’s important to find the right track for your video that will style your content and send the right message.

A track doesn’t need much time to become a trendy one, so experiment – the more the better.

• Regularly check for trendy tracks
• Create and publish a few videos with the same track to increase their chances to be noticed
• Do not publish videos chaotically
  • Regular publishing is a must when attracting donors on TikTok, for example

#10 Pop culture

Trends in non-profit fundraising and online marketing for non-profits work the best when combined with pop culture. For example, use a premier TV series to get inspired for your new project and style for campaigns.

Online marketing for non-profits is actually social marketing that has particular goals:

• Attract donors and sponsors
• Attract new employees and volunteers
• Increase awareness of a non-profit
• Attract experts, scientists, artists, and public people to a non-profit and its activities

Each of these goals is easier to reach when you consider or follow fundraising trends when planning and running your promotional activities.

The best results you will get, of course, when including trends into your complex marketing strategy that will include proper marketing on social media, mass media, website, content (especially video content) marketing, emailing, and other methods of digital advertising.