Combatting the Coronavirus Fundraising Fatigue

So your nonprofit has been fundraising during this challenging time and donations feel like they’re falling flat. You’re concerned about really facing and combating coronavirus fundraising fatigue. So let’s talk for a second about how to deal with this and what to do. This is a question we have personally been getting a lot from our nonprofit partners. How do we combat this? Everyone’s asking.

Focus on Hope

Everyone needs help and a lot of people are struggling. We need to acknowledge that. However, people do want to help and they do want hope. As nonprofit marketers, we have to be creative. We have to stand out. We have to focus our appeals on that and they need to be more tangible than ever. X dollars create X impact. This is what we’re focused on right now, but also have fun with it and celebrate the wins.

Stewardship is Key

Definitely focus heavily on gratitude and stewardship right now. The way you said thank you to your recent Giving Tuesday Now donors is going to have a big impact over the next 12 to 18 months. It’s something we’re all dealing with but you have to believe people want to help. It’s up to you to create a compelling offer but then to continue to ask and don’t get scared. Your organization has to continue to fundraise right now. Maybe one out of a 100 or 500 says, “Oh, that was tone-deaf”. Well maybe for that particular person and what they’re dealing with right now. Just remember the people that give to you are grateful for what you’re sharing. Focus on creativity and really focus on your segmentation to make the appropriate asks. But keep fundraising and do it in a hopeful way.

Cameron Ripley