Fundraising success isn’t about asking more often; it’s about asking smarter. In a recent webinar, Payments Operations Manager Riley Fraatz and Senior Sales Engineer Rachel Franks walked through proven strategies organizations are using to increase donations by as much as five times. The conversation centered on one core principle: when you combine the right tools with data-driven tactics, you can transform how supporters engage with your mission and dramatically increase revenue.
The session broke down five practical tactics that address common fundraising challenges, from fractured systems to donor drop-off rates. Each strategy is designed to reduce friction, deepen relationships, and build sustainable revenue streams that give your organization the freedom to plan ahead with confidence.
Whether you’re a small team or an established organization, these insights will help you make every ask count.
Common fundraising challenges that limit growth
Before diving into solutions, Riley and Rachel identified five universal challenges that hold fundraising programs back.
Fractured systems are the first culprit. Most organizations juggle disconnected tools: one for donations, another for email, another for supporter data. When these systems don’t talk to each other, you end up troubleshooting integrations instead of engaging supporters.
Disconnected supporter journeys are another barrier. When donors interact across multiple tools and channels without cohesion, every touchpoint feels transactional rather than part of a shared story. That makes it harder to build lasting momentum.
Difficult reporting slows everything down. When data lives in multiple systems, pulling together accurate insights becomes time-consuming. Without real-time visibility, it’s impossible to identify opportunities or make proactive decisions.
High donor drop-off during checkout represents immediate lost revenue. Every unnecessary field or non-mobile-friendly form increases the likelihood that donors will abandon their gift.
Finally, limited tools to retain recurring donors undermine your most reliable revenue stream. Without automation and self-service options, recurring programs require constant manual oversight.
Each of these challenges can be solved through intentional system design and smarter, integrated fundraising tactics.
Personalize your donation asks with data-driven targeting
The generic “Hi, friend” email doesn’t work anymore. If it ever did. Personalization is essential for cutting through the noise and making donors feel seen.
Research shows that personalized calls to action perform over 200% better than generic ones. Yet nearly half of donation emails still don’t even include a supporter’s name. This often stems from fractured systems where data about donations, volunteers, and events live in silos.
Integrating your systems, or creating structured data imports and segmentation, makes personalization possible. Here are three ways to start:
- Target by giving history. Match your ask to a donor’s established giving pattern. Dynamic ask amounts based on past gifts make your appeals feel relevant and respectful.
- Segment by geography. Localize your outreach to highlight regional issues, events, and impact. When donors see themselves in the story, they’re more likely to engage.
- Align with interests. Track supporter behavior like petition signatures or event attendance and connect future asks to those same issues. It signals that you understand what motivates them.
When donors feel known and valued, giving becomes personal, not transactional.
Build fundraising campaigns with purpose and storytelling
Generic donation requests get generic results. Campaigns built around clear goals and compelling stories consistently outperform one-off asks.
For example, an education-focused nonprofit might launch a “Back to School” campaign with a $10,000 goal to fund classroom programs. By tying donations to a tangible outcome and deadline, you create urgency and meaning.
Story-driven campaigns also make it easier to connect actions, such as petitions or events, to donations. Direct supporters to campaign-specific pages that reflect the story they just engaged with. When your narrative, visuals, and goals align across every channel, supporters experience one cohesive journey.
Finally, track every donation and engagement back to its campaign source. Unified tracking allows you to measure what’s working and continuously refine your approach.
Use reporting and analytics to drive smarter fundraising decisions
Effective fundraising is built on insight, not instinct. Strong reporting gives you the clarity to identify high-performing channels, nurture loyal donors, and spot opportunities for growth.
Automated tagging and segmentation help you track donors by total giving, frequency, and recency, not just gift size. Use these insights to trigger timely outreach, like personalized messages to first-time donors around the moment they’re most likely to give again.
Zooming out, monitor key metrics such as recurring donor churn rate, retention by donor tier, and year-over-year revenue growth. Real-time reporting turns these data points into actionable strategy, allowing your team to focus on what works instead of reconciling spreadsheets.
Optimize for mobile-first giving and seamless checkout
Most donation drop-offs happen on mobile. Even motivated donors will abandon a gift if the checkout process is clunky or time-consuming.
Text messaging has a 99% open rate, and 90% of those messages are read within three minutes, making mobile the most powerful fundraising channel available. But to convert clicks into gifts, the donor experience must be fast and frictionless.
Simplify checkout: Use mobile-friendly donation pages with minimal fields.
Offer flexible payment options: Include Apple Pay, Google Pay, and card update automation to prevent failed transactions.
Keep everything on one page: Combine payment methods and donation frequencies to minimize navigation.
With Direct Debit via Bacs now available through NationBuilder Payments, UK organizations can give supporters a trusted, seamless way to give and build greater donor confidence.
Grow recurring revenue through sustainable donor relationships
Recurring giving provides the stability every organization needs to plan long-term. Monthly donors have an average lifetime of eight years and give significantly more over time than one-time contributors.
Make recurring giving the default ask on your donation pages, while still offering flexibility. Choose software that supports automatic recurring gift migration and card updating to prevent donor loss during processor changes.
Empower donors with self-service tools that let them update payment details or adjust giving frequency. This autonomy strengthens trust, reduces staff workload, and keeps revenue flowing consistently.
Quick fundraising wins you can implement today
Start small with these easy, high-impact improvements:
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Personalize every donation email. Add supporter names and use smart fields for key details.
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Convert repeat donors to recurring. Personally invite multi-gift supporters to make giving automatic.
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Ask about interests. Send a short survey to learn what drives supporters’ engagement.
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Optimize one mobile donation page. Test and refine your highest-traffic page first.
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Automate your thank-you email. Send immediate gratitude and share one next step to stay involved.
Each small adjustment compounds into stronger relationships and higher giving.
Bring it all together for smarter, more sustainable fundraising
Smarter fundraising isn’t about doing more—it’s about focusing on what works. By combining personalized outreach, story-driven campaigns, real-time insights, and mobile-first tools, you can make every ask more effective and build a sustainable foundation for growth.
Watch the webinar recording or resources below to explore these strategies further. And when you’re ready, start a trial to take advantage of NationBuilder’s integrated fundraising tools designed to help you create connected donor experiences from first ask to recurring gift.
Helpful resources
💰 NationBuilder Payments overview
▶️ Video playlist: Effective fundraising on NationBuilder
👤 Personalization tips for fundraising
📱 Mobile giving optimization tips
📅 Boost online fundraising with a digital event
🔄 Recurring donation strategies
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