Introducing The Seven Digital Fundraising Steps to Success
A Practical Guide to Getting Results
Hey there! It’s me, Porter Mason, The Donation Guy. Remember? No? Yeah, it’s… been a minute. It’s been 406 days actually.
Look, before you get upset, let’s be clear—I haven’t been slacking off over here at Donation Guy headquarters! I’ve been doing big things! Important things! World-changing things! Things like, oh, I don’t know, giving cool presentations at nonprofit conferences! Things like raising millions of dollars for amazing organizations! I’ve been out here saving the DAMN world, people!
Also, my daughter got hermit crabs. (Their names are Hershey and Hermione. They’re a whole vibe.)
But now I’m back! And as promised, I’m here to help you grow your digital fundraising program with practical tips that actually drive your program toward boring, predictable growth.
You Need a Framework to Frame Your Work
And let’s be real: You’ve been busy too! Between your inbox full of member complaints, endless Slack notifications, and your kid’s meltdown about how the moon is too far away (they’re not wrong), you’ve got a whole lot going on. And on top of that, you’re supposed to build a thriving digital fundraising program? What? How? When?!
That’s where The Seven Digital Fundraising Steps to Success come in. Think of these as your roadmap for getting focused, eliminating distractions, and making progress—even when the world around you is chaotic (and often literally on fire).
This is a practical, proven approach I’ve used with organizations I’ve worked with that helps you prioritize and get things done, growing your program one boring step at a time.
Here They Are: The Seven Steps to Success
Now, before you run off to another Zoom call with a shady data/AI/snake oil salesperson promising to double retention by “targeting the right donor with the right ask at the right time as long as you pay us the right exorbitant fee with the right credit card”, don’t worry! I’m not putting these behind a paywall, people. I’ll just give you all the steps now. And then we’ll spend the next few months breaking them down further and getting into specifics.
So here they are, The Seven Steps. This is what you should do, in priority order, to get your digital program into shape:
Step 1: Fix Your Forms
Your donation forms are like the front door to your fundraising. If it’s squeaky, drafty, or takes three clicks too many to complete (the door analogy broke down), donors are walking away. We’ll focus on making sure the right options are in front of your donors, getting defaults are working in your favor (hello, recurring gifts!), and keeping the language simple, clear, and human. These are the quickest wins with the biggest results, no matter the donation platform you use.
Step 2: Send More
One email a month? Cute. But not nearly enough. I know, I know, you’re worried about annoying people. And your own anec-data looking at your inbox makes you want to be the very demure, very mindful organization who only sends email every other fortnight. But the truth is, you are in your supporters’ promotions inbox, and it’s a feed, not a to-do list. When you don’t send, you’re not on their radar. We’ll talk about how to expand your calendar, fill in dead spots, and streamline production so sending emails doesn’t feel like climbing Mount Everest every time.
Step 3: Get People Engaging
If you’re putting your email and posts out there into the world and getting nothing back from your supporters, this is a problem. Think of it like hosting a party where no one interacts: awkward and a little sad. And let’s be real—we’re not just here for the joy of engagement (though it’s nice to feel nice). We want engagement because the people who click, comment, and respond are the ones who, you know, tend to give you money when you ask. It takes work and focus, but you can make tactical moves that help build the responsive, money-giving community you want.
Step 4: Nurture Your List
Here’s the truth: people won’t join your list unless you ask them to. And no, your one tiny opt-in button at the bottom of your homepage doesn’t count. We’ll talk about how to give people a reason to sign up, nurture those relationships, and—just as important—clear out the folks who’ve ghosted you so your list stays healthy and engaged. If you’re on this step, your digital program has reached puberty, and just like real puberty, hygiene becomes important. You gotta build good habits and clean those lists, people!
Step 5: Track Stuff Better
If you’re still relying on feelings or surface-level data, it’s time for an upgrade. We’ll talk about how to track metrics that actually matter, like which channels are working, which emails are bringing in donations, and how to measure real ROI. We’ll also discuss the limits of data and testing depending on program size, and when (statistically) your instincts come back in to play. And look, this isn’t about becoming a data scientist, but… there will be math. And spreadsheets. You’ve been warned.
Step 6: Run Ads? Maybe?
Ah, paid ads—the siren song of digital marketing. Management loves ads! Board members suggest ads! People see ads! You put in a nickel of ads, and you get back a dollar of revenue? Right? Right?!?! The truth is, ads can be necessary, but they can also burn through your budget faster than you can say, “algorithm change.” We’ll explore whether ads make sense for your organization and how to run them without feeling like you’re gambling.
Step 7: Learn and Repeat
This is the secret sauce, folks. The best fundraising programs aren’t built on one-off successes—they’re built on learning, improving, and doing it better the next time. We’ll focus on how to evaluate what worked, what didn’t, and how to create a culture of continuous improvement in your digital fundraising efforts.
What’s Next?
Now that we’ve got the big picture laid out, here’s the plan: I’ll help guide you through some specifics of what to do in each step over the next few months. Later we’ll also get into how you know you’re ready to move on from one step to the next.
That’s right: I’m sticking around! The next post is already scheduled for seven days from now, beating my previous record by 399 days. I’m committed to getting one post out every week for the foreseeable future, and you can hold me to it.
What’s coming up next week? We’ll start with Step 1: Fix Your Forms. I’ll drop some tips that are the absolute highest ROI moves you can make heading into year-end fundraising. Trust me, you do not want janky donation forms when the giving season hits.
Thank you for sticking with me, and I’m excited to help you take your digital fundraising program to the next level. And as your reward for reading all the way through, here’s a picture of the mighty Hershey, lover of lettuce, friend to all children:
See you next week! Let’s do this.