Retaining First Time Donors this GivingTuesday

GivingTuesday presents an invaluable opportunity for nonprofits to capture the generosity of first-time, spontaneous givers. These donors, who contribute without prior planning, can be the unsung heroes of your end-of-year fundraising. While they may yet be known to you, you are likely already on their radar. According to a recent report from the Blackbaud Institute, 72% of spontaneous gifts went to organizations with whom the donors were already familiar. GivingTuesday provides an opportunity for these donors to reconnect with your organization through word of mouth, peer-to-peer, or social media campaigns.

Understanding how these donors select organizations to give to and what encourages them to donate again can help you make the most of the surge of first-time givers attracted by your GivingTuesday efforts. This is even more important as you seek to expand your donor rolls. In this same survey, more than 60% of spontaneous givers say they intend to give again or already have. Read on to learn more about who these first-time spontaneous donors are, and how to turn their GivingTuesday gifts into lasting support.

Leverage the Power of Word of Mouth

Word of mouth is a powerful force in attracting new donors, especially first-time, spontaneous givers. For Millennials and older generations, the most common way spontaneous donors learned about giving opportunities was through friends, family, or colleagues. This means that personal recommendations and shared experiences can significantly influence someone's decision to support your cause. Once again, GivingTuesday offers a clear path to stewarding these donors: encourage your current supporters to share their positive experiences and the impact of their donations with their networks. This kind of organic sharing can extend your reach and introduce your organization to potential donors who might not have discovered you otherwise. Personal stories and endorsements are incredibly compelling, so consider featuring testimonials and success stories on your social media platforms and in your email newsletters. This can create a ripple effect, bringing new supporters into your community through trusted personal connections.

Focus on Younger Donors and Donors of Color

Younger generations and donors of color are pivotal in expanding your donor base and GivingTuesday offers a unique opportunity to gather their support through spontaneous giving. Consider: only 12% of all donors have made a spontaneous gift in the past 12 months, but this rate is 25% higher among Millennial, Gen Z, and Black donors. Among all people who have given at least one spontaneous gift in the past year, Millennials and Gen Z have the highest rates of spontaneous giving, with 38% and 59% of their donations being spontaneous, respectively.

Through targeted GivingTuesday outreach, you can tap into a significant pool of potential supporters. Personalizing your communication and demonstrating the tangible difference their support makes can help build a stronger, more diverse donor community. Engaging younger donors through platforms they frequent, like social media, and providing ways for them to see their impact can turn first-time gifts into lasting relationships.

Make Giving Easy

Streamlining the donation process can make all the difference in converting interested visitors into actual donors. Think of it as removing any potential roadblocks that might deter someone from following through with their intention to give. First and foremost, ensure that your donation forms are easy to navigate and complete. A clutter-free and intuitive design can significantly enhance the user experience. This is especially crucial for mobile users who make up a growing portion of online donors.

Your website serves as both the face and the heart of your organization. It's where many spontaneous donors decide to give, so it needs to effectively communicate why someone should support your cause. Consider using concise and emotionally impactful bullet points or infographics that make your case for support clear. Make sure that your donation form is easy to find and use, preferably with no more than one click from your homepage. Even better: consider a lightbox on GivingTuesday with a brief, compelling reason for why their donation matters and what it will achieve can reassure donors that their money is going to good use.

Retain and Set the Stage for Next Year

Turning a one-time donation into ongoing support can significantly boost your organization's impact. Many spontaneous donors are open to making their contributions a regular habit. In fact, nearly a third (30%) say they are already or very likely to become regular donors, either on an annual or monthly basis. In a recent survey, we identified five factors that correlate with intent to become a regular donor. They are:

• Youth: Younger donors say they are more likely to become regular donors.
• Prior awareness: Spontaneous donors who knew of you before are more likely to stick around.
• Research: Donors who researched the spontaneous gift before making it have a high likelihood of giving again.
• Organization type: Donors to children's and refugees' charities are more likely to convert.
• Source of opportunity: Donors who learned about the opportunity in the workplace or received a direct ask from the organization are more likely to become regular givers.

The first donation is just the beginning of what can become a meaningful relationship. After someone makes their first contribution, take the time to understand their motivations. Surveying first-time donors can provide insights into what prompted them to give and what they hope to see from your organization moving forward. Spontaneous donors are often driven by messages that pull at their heartstrings, but they are also interested in the tangible impact that their donations are making. Two-thirds or more of spontaneous donors cited these factors as mattering "a great deal" in their decision to give again:

• They trust that the organization will do the right thing (74%)
• The organization has a good reputation (72%)
• It's easy to donate (69%)
• The organization uses their money wisely (69%)
• Support will help those in need right now (66%)

Consider these your top priorities when not only thanking first-time donors but also in building your brand awareness for pre-donors. Evidence these factors on your website and communications, knowing that future first-time donors are weighing their options for the next giving day. Laying the groundwork now will enable you to secure even more spontaneous, fist-time gifts next time.

What Now?

Now you know a little more about who spontaneous donors are and how they prefer to be engaged with. As you button up your GivingTuesday campaign, keep these factors in mind with the goal of securing the first gifts of spontaneous donors who are already aware of your organization and primed to give. You'll find that many of the best practices from GivingTuesday already resonate with these donors (remember that spontaneous donors are ready to give year-round, so don't be afraid to refer back to your campaign playbook). Even more importantly, keep these donors front of mind in your stewardship practices after GivingTuesday.

Ready to take the next step? This year's updated Ultimate End of Year Fundraising Toolkit can be your guidebook for putting the finishing touches on your campaign and making a lasting impression on these first-time donors. Inside you'll find time-tested examples of optimized online donation forms and end-to-end digital campaigns; expert insights into peer-to-peer engagement to tap into this network of spontaneous donors through trusted sources; email and social media templates; and stewardship scripts to keep the conversation going.

Source: The Blackbaud Institute, First Impressions: Spontaneous Giving Insights (2024)

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