Your Best Nonprofit Donors are Hiding in Plain Sight: 10 Ways to Find Them

As a nonprofit fundraiser, you’re likely under a fair amount of constant pressure to find new donors and raise more money.

But a more reliable path to success is to identify donors who are already in your current donor pool and moving them up to become bigger donors than they are right now.

Best of all, these donors are right in front of you… hiding in plain sight.

10 Ways to Find Your Best Nonprofit Donors Hiding in Plain Sight

In an effort to keep the donors you have, increase their giving, and identify new donors, here are 10 ways to identify donors (new and existing) for your important cause.

1. Begin with Board Members

Fundraising always begins with your board. Board members should lead by example and give first. If your board members aren’t all donors to your organization, start here. Not only that, your board members should be helping identify potential donors from their networks.

2. Identify Your Largest Donors

Before you even think about finding new donors, start with the donors you have.

Begin with your largest donors from the last two years, and make a plan to cultivate them and ask them to consider giving even more. At a bare minimum, you want to keep these donors happy and engaged so they continue to support your organization for years to come.

3. Segment First-Time Donors

First time donors are the number one group pulling down your donor retention rate. If you can get individuals in this group to make a second gift, they are more likely to make third and fourth gifts.

Make a plan to engage first-time donors immediately after their first gifts. Pick up the phone to let them know how happy you are they have joined the ranks of your supporters. This is a great time to ask them to join your monthly giving club.

4. Lead with Loyal Donors

Generate a list of those who have given for five or more years (at any dollar amount). They are your most loyal donors and need to be treated as such. They clearly care about your organization and your cause.

If you haven’t acknowledged these folks as loyal donors, there’s no time like the present. Depending on their level of giving, this maybe the right opportunity to ask them for more. Someone who has been giving $100 per year for five years, is probably just as happy to give $20 per month (or more) to be part of your monthly giving program. And, by doing so, they will be more than doubling their annual gift.

5. Love Your Legacy Donors

Legacy donors (those who have decided to make planned gifts) are also likely to give increasing larger annual gifts. Don’t count them out simply because they have you in their will. On the contrary, they have made a declaration of how much they love your organization. If they can support it during their lifetime, they are highly likely to do so.

6. Find Former Donors

Former donors — LYBUNTS (those who gave Last Year But Not This Year) and SYBUNTS (Some Year But Not This Year) — are not great prospective donors, but they are better prospects than someone who has never given. So make a plan to get your LYBUNTS and SYBUNTS back.

Let these donors know how much you miss them, and what kind of impact they had when they last gave. Invite them back as a low-level monthly donor and let them know what a difference they will continue to make to your mission and cause.

7. Ask Volunteers

If you haven’t asked your volunteers for donations, you’re missing a huge opportunity. Many organizations are hesitant to ask volunteers to give, because they feel they do enough already.

In reality, your volunteers are among those most likely to give. After all, they care about the cause, see the difference you are making up close, and are dedicated to achieving your mission. They may want to help even more than what they can do in their spare time. Don’t discount your volunteers — they are likely to be the best donors you have.

8. Engage Clients

Depending on your mission, your clients could be great potential donors. Whether they are patients, patrons, former students, members, or something else, they are likely to feel grateful your organization exists. Let them know their “fee for service” (tuition, ticket price, membership dues, hospital bill, etc.) doesn’t cover all the needs or costs of providing your organization’s service.

9. Recruit Community Members

Once you have run through those listed above, then (and only then) is it time to scour the community for new donors. New donors can come to your organization in a variety of ways, including through your events, social media outreach, traditional marketing, and more.

These new potential “community” donors are the most expensive to recruit and attract. However, if your organization is doing important work in the community, it’s likely that the wider community is already familiar with your work. Reach out through events, online, by mail, via phone, and in person.

10. Return to Your Best Donors

When you have gone through the first nine steps and are still coming up short of your goal, it’s time to return to your very best donors — your largest and most loyal donors — and ask them for additional support. They are likely to want to see you succeed, and when the need is great and compelling, they are also likely to make a second or even third gift.

Your Best Donors Are Always Closest to Home

Assuming your organization is similar to most nonprofits, you’re probably losing 50% or more of your donor base every year. The better you get at keeping the donors you have, the less new donors you will need to find each year.

You may have thought the greatest donors would be “out there.” But they are actually much closer to home. Start with these 10 ways to identify those donors and grow their support, and I promise, your fundraising will see a boost this year.

Have other ways of identifying donors in plain sight? Let me know in the comments below.