Digital Fundraising Essentials

Step 1: Where are you now?

This is the critical first step! If you don’t really know what is currently working well and what is not, then it can all seem very daunting. Consider all your key digital fundraising assets and the performance of all your digital communications and channels. Critically evaluate them to build a SWOT analysis that defines your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Then you can focus on playing to your strengths, trying to reduce the negative impact of weaknesses, and developing defined opportunities whilst monitoring the threats.

Step 2: Understand your audience

No organisation has perfect insight, but you can use your understanding to build a persona for each of your key target supporter segments. A persona is a fictitious composite of a typical individual (or organisation) that represents key characteristics and behaviours. It includes demographic information along with likes and dislikes, preferred communication channels, things they want to achieve, and so on. There are lots of free templates online but one of the best free tools for the sector is available here.

Having personas in place will help you to be more in the mindset of the audience when developing your fundraising communications.

Step 3: Map your donor or supporter journey

The communications and channels needed at key journey touchpoints changes. RACE (Reach, Act, Convert, Engage) is a great basic journey model to use for this if you don’t already have your own one in place. Details can be found here.

Map your activities to the journey steps each persona may follow and consider how you can add real value at key touchpoints. Where are the gaps that need to be filled?

Step 4: Set clear goals

Now you’ve mapped your supporter journey, really start to think about you want to achieve with each communication channel at each key touchpoint. PR Smith’s 5S model is perfect for this as it encourages you to define clear goals:

• Sell: This is about income growth targets. For example, at the conversion stage, what average donation are you seeking?
• Serve: This focuses on adding value. What are the benefits you can provide back to supporters? How can you encourage them to interact?
• Speak: This is about getting closer to supporters. What content are they most likely to enjoy and engage with?
• Save: This can be about saving time or money. Easy online processes save time and enable conversion to donation at the point of maximum emotional engagement.
• Sizzle: This is about creating excitement. On and offline events can really build support and generate positive publicity for your organisation.

Step 5: Build your fundraising content

Now that you’ve defined your personas, mapped the supporter journeys, and set some clear goals, you can start building a content plan. Dave Chaffey’s Content Marketing Matrix can really help you get an effective balance of content that considers both rational and emotional connections to reach the head and the heart. You can then build a clear content map for each persona that defines:

• The opportunity or problem to be solved
• The goal or objective you want to achieve
• The communication channels to be used
• The key performance indicators, such as shares, likes and follows

Innovation, Impact and Inspiration – DSC’s annual Fundraising Now conference returns for 2025!

My practical session will cover the core principles of launching or scaling your charity’s digital fundraising efforts. From optimizing online donation platforms to creating compelling digital campaigns, learn how to leverage limited resources for maximum online engagement and income growth.

Fundraising Now 2025 is a one-day intensive online conference that will equip you with actionable insights, tools, and strategies to boost your fundraising effectiveness, build stronger donor relationships, and stay abreast of current trends.

Join us for a day of expert-led sessions, practical workshops, and networking opportunities that will inspire and empower you to achieve the impact your charity needs in 2025 and beyond.

Learn more and register here.