Fundraising Success Stories for Raising Money RIGHT NOW During COVID-19

Are you at an organization where you’re actively raising money right now, or are you taking a “wait and see” approach?

We’re many weeks into the Covid-19 crisis, and I can’t believe I’m still having the same conversation with Executive Directors, day-after-day, week-after-week. Too many EDs still aren’t sure this is a good time to raise money… so they wait.

If you’re ED or board members aren’t convinced that you need to raise money NOW, send this post their way.

This post is a catch-all of the strategies, tips, and thinking for raising money during this crisis. If you’ve been following me since the start of Covid-19, some of what I’ve written here will sound familiar. But I haven’t shared the fundraising success stories at the end before, and they are all inspiring!

5 Reasons You Should be Raising Money RIGHT NOW During COVID-19

People at all types of organizations (in addition to front-line causes) are finding real success raising money during Covid-19, and I share their inspiring words below. But first, let’s review — here the 5 key reasons you should be asking for money right now.

1. You won’t raise money if you don’t ask.

This was true before this crisis and it is still true today. If you don’t ask, you won’t get.

2. Your assumptions could be wrong.

Just because you don’t have money to give (or don’t want to give with so much uncertainty) doesn’t mean that’s true of others. Don’t make assumptions about what people can or can’t do, or what they will or won’t do. Many people are giving right now, and you won’t know until you ask.

3. People are desperate to help.

It’s human nature to want to help. By giving donors the opportunity to give back, you are providing them with a sense of purpose and a way to lend a hand during this difficult time.

4. You are being negligent if you don’t ask.

If you’re not asking for donations right now, you are neglecting your community, your clients, and your organization. Let that sink in.

5. Your nonprofit needs funding.

Enough said.

3 Steps to Raise Money RIGHT NOW During COVID-19

So, now that you know you should be asking for money, here’s a 3-step approach so that you can raise funds remotely during this crisis.

1. Clarify your case.

Get clear on why you need money now. Answer the following questions:

Why do you need money now?
How has this crisis impacted your programs, services, clients or staff?
Have you canceled fundraising events or lost revenue?
What’s the vision for the future?

2. Segment your donors.

Identify your best donors to ask during this crisis:

Largest
Loyal (over several years)
Monthly (recurring)
Most recent
Legacy

3. Contact your donors remotely, and make the ask.

For donors you know, reach out and schedule virtual (video) meetings, if possible. For those you don’t know, an impromptu phone call is the way to go. Here’s a brief outline for how to speak with both types of donors:

Check in and catch up — ask how they are doing and if they’ve been able to transition to work from home.
Ask questions and listen carefully — why are they supporters of your organization?
Share an update about your organization — what’s going on with your clients, your staff, and your programs? Share your plan for opening back up and/or continuing your work.
Ask permission to ask — would they be interested in learning how they could help?
Thank them and confirm what you heard them say.

Now you know why you should be asking, as well as the most effective way to do so. Call your biggest and best donors, and ask them to support you through this challenging time — that is the key to your fundraising success during the Covid crisis.

Fundraising Success Stories During COVID-19

If these stories don’t inspire you to continue (or start) asking for money during Covid-19, I don’t know what will. You can also join the conversation on my LinkedIn page and Facebook page, where dozens of fundraisers are sharing their success.

Check out some of these fundraising success stories, and feel inspired!

Happy to report we raised over $11K from 80 donations (over 30 from First time givers). Generosity is not canceled… and in fact, it’s contagious!
— Wendy Hamilton, Bald Ridge Lodge

We are a faith-based 12 month substance abuse recovery program. Today is our live streaming virtual gala. Thus far, we have raised $77000!
— Jason Wilson, Director of Development, Adult and Teen Challenge MidSouth

What we did was convert our Earth Day appeal to a “9-1-1” appeal, asking for special gifts to help us get through the cash flow crisis so we could stay open with minimal layoffs. It worked great! In the last six weeks, we’ve raised over $48,000 (about twice what Earth Day would have done) and we haven’t even sent the mailing yet. Our donors have stepped up for us, in a big way.
— Melissa K. English, Deputy Director, Ohio Citizen Action

I’ve been encouraging my team to connect with their donors via Zoom, as I find these to be very successful. I had a meeting with a donor yesterday and asked him to support our Action fund that is supporting front-line workers in the Hospital. He was very interested in helping out and will make a major gift. The reason why I’m sharing this with you is because even though asking a donor to engage in a Zoom call may seem intimidating, it’s incredibly rewarding and in fact builds the relationship even further due to the intimate nature of being in someone’s home.
— Sue McCoy, MA, CFRE, Director of Major Gifts, Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation

One of our major supporters is a dairy farmer in Iowa. I’ve seen the problems with milk being dumped in Wisconsin and was afraid of what I might hear when I called this donor. To my great surprise he said he was doing great and that all of his milk went to blue Bunny ice cream and Americans were eating more ice cream now than ever before because it’s a comfort food. And then a few days later a nice check showed up in the mail.
— Mark S. Hoekstra, Talking Bibles

We have a $250,000 shortfall. They (board members) love a target and have taken the $1000 gift level to encourage all board members (that give below that amount) to join the $1000 club and have inspired at least 5 donors (2 who gave $18 last year) to step up. Our board collectively have made 250 check-in calls to previous donors over the last 3 weeks, which is the lead up to our Annual Campaign (renamed the JCC Covid-19 Crisis Campaign) launching this week. We have a donor who has provided a $10,000 matching fund to the campaign for the last 3 years and, when asked, increased his donation to $20,000.
— Beth Freeman, Associate Director of Development, JCC of Greater Vancouver

Every donor I’ve spoken with this week has validated their previous pledge commitment for land acquisition for our open space preservation project, including one for $25,000. I’m sure there will be some who can’t, but so far… so good. Another silver lining for us is that we may find that the price has come down on the property.
— Jane

We are an all-girls catholic high school in Wilmington, DE. In place of our canceled annual gala, we held a virtual giving day last Tuesday. The day before, we received a $25,000 matching gift donor challenge. We’ve raised close to $73,000 since last Tuesday, and the campaign continues.
— Tina Kelleher, bCRE-PRO, Director of Philanthropy, Padua Academy

Even More Inspiration During COVID-19

For even more inspiration during this crisis, I’ve written another post featuring inspiration and resources for fundraisers during Covid-19.

And if you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to join our free online community of weekly Townhall meetings, which are full of tips and inspiration to work through this crisis:

Weekly Townhalls: Fundraising through the Coronavirus Crisis »

And lastly, if you’ve found your own success fundraising during Coivd-19, I want to hear you shout it from the rooftops! Or at least, write about it in the comments below. Help inspire others to keep asking during this crisis!