You want more individual contributions to your nonprofit, but it feels nearly impossible to inspire your donors to give.

You’re not alone– I see tons of nonprofits struggle to raise funds for their programs.

Most nonprofits struggle in fundraising because they approach fundraising as a checklist item that occurs once or twice a year. Instead, they should focus on building relationships all year long so that when the time comes for an annual campaign, their donors and other supporters are ready to give from their hearts and their wallets.

It makes sense, right? Your donors are people, too. Asking them for money can feel like a marriage proposal. And what comes before the proposal? Courtship! Every day, you can woo and court your donors so they feel loved, appreciated, and valued for their contribution to your mission.

Today I’m sharing five ways to show your donors some love, and not just once a year. These these year-round strategies will build relationships with your nonprofit donors, for your volunteers, for the people who really make a difference for your mission.

Reach out personally

Many nonprofits are already reaching out personally. For example, a lot of folks will send thank you letters when they receive a donation, they’ll send holiday cards to inspire year-end giving, they’ll acknowledge gifts and contributions at their gala. I want to challenge you to really think about how you can take that to the next level. Is there a way that you personally, as a nonprofit executive director, development staff, or even intern, can find a way to really involve a personal touch when thanking your donors? There’s a big difference between stewardship and just thanking donors in terms of whether it's a task or a culture in your nonprofit. Framing this personal thank you for your donors as part of your culture is a fantastic way to show that your relationship with them is something that you value and cherish.

Right now you may be thinking, “We already struggle to just get the thank-you notes sent out the door on time!” I know it's a challenge because every day you're working hard, you're getting your programs done and sometimes at the end of the day you're flat-out exhausted. I want to acknowledge you for your hard work! Even if it’s just one call or extra thank-you, how can you find time to reach the next level of gratitude for your donors?

It's really important to remember that your donors, volunteers, even those who make small donations are incredibly important, and they can grow to be larger donors for your organization. One of my clients and a nonprofit that I'm on the board of is FIUTS. During the holiday season we make donor thank you calls. The board gets together, the student leaders get together and we get a list of everyone who's made a gift to FIUTS over the past year. We all take a phone, either a land line or our own cell phone and we just start dialing. We're not asking for money, we're not doing any prospecting, we're just calling to acknowledge the donor’s gift and share that we are so grateful for their contribution. Some calls last a few minutes, others go on for a little while as our community members connect and chat.

FIUTS started the donor thank-you calls last year and it's been a really popular activity. Our donors and the volunteers have really taken to it because they see how valuable they are to the organization. And for me, I know my fellow board members and I really enjoy doing it because it feels like we're connecting our values with the mission of the organization.

So my challenge to you is, how can you make this more personal? How can you show your donors just how grateful you are for their contributions?

Tell their story

It's really valuable for you to invest time and energy into showcasing the people who are in your circle of support. Your circle of support is your donors, your volunteers, your staff, your stakeholders. Take time to tell their story is a really powerful way of connecting to their motivation and ambition.

As you set out to tell their story ask, “What inspired this volunteer or donor to connect with your mission?” “How were they inspired to serve and contribute to your organization?”

This is so powerful because it pulls the curtain back on some of the intrinsic motivation that your donors and your supporters have. It helps other people who see their story identify with them and see themselves getting involved with your organization.

I see some nonprofits doing this on Instagram and I LOVE it! I we should spend more time focusing on giving our donors, our supporters, and our volunteers the respect and recognition that they deserve. Because not only is it an inexpensive way of generating more love and support for your nonprofit, but it also provides a solid way of generating a greater social following, greater awareness in your community, and general goodwill.

Reward them

Your circle of support may be large or it may be really small. That’s OK! If you can find a way to give out little gifts or accolades to the people who are supporting you with their time, talent or their treasure, you will be surprised at how much they reward you in return.

The Washington FFA Foundation is another organization where I serve on the board of directors. They do a great job of rewarding their donors with recognition. Every year during the annual state FFA convention, they recognize every single person who makes a donation during the year. They have a slide show and the names of donors runs like the credits after a movie. It's very important to the foundation and to the board that we recognize our donors. And even though we can't afford to send them a branded tote bag or a water bottle or another gift, we decided that we wanted to reward every single one of our donors, even if they give us $10, by displaying their name on screen in front of about 3,000 FFA members and highlighting them on the website.

What's one way that you can go above and beyond to reward your supporters with something that they're going to find meaningful? It may be a physical gift if it's in your budget, or it may be something intangible like a special award or recognition in front of their peers.

Affirm their identity

This is something that most nonprofits can improve upon. That there's always an opportunity to affirming what people are doing and their beliefs about their work with you. There's a great book titled The Seven Faces of Philanthropy by Price and File based on a 1994 social science study. In it, they outline the seven types of people and how they give for different reasons. They have different beliefs and intrinsic motivations about why they give either money or their time to your organization.

If you can understand the reasons and the internal beliefs that are driving people to support your mission and reaffirm those, you will connect with them on a deeper level.

One way to do this is in your thank you letters, your emails, and your website copy using a strategy that I learned from online marketer Amy Porterfield. She sends out an email that she calls the “What this tells me about you” email. In it she writes, “Thanks so much for doing this thing or making a donation or downloading my guidebook. What this tells me about you is that you're the type of person who ____________. You believe that ______________________. You're looking for something that __________.”

And so what this concept does is it really reaffirms the recipient’s identity. And it really shows the donors that you understand them, that you're in their head, you understand their motivations, you understand their ambitions, and you understand their values.

Some people donate based on an intrinsic belief that doing good is good for the world. Some folks do it to build a legacy. Some donors give for praise and accolades. If you can deeply understand where they're coming from and then speak that language back to them, you'll inspire them to live up to that identity and be more engaged with your organization.

Connect the dots

And then my final thought is to connect the dots. What I mean by this is to really connect the programs and the daily operations of your nonprofit with the people who are making it possible.

Your donors and volunteers give a lot and so do your program staff. How can you find a way to involve them more frequently in your day to day operations? Social media is a great opportunity to do just that. If you're not already doing Instagram Live or Instagram Stories, you can use those platforms to show behind the scenes of your organization. Go live during your staff meeting and show how you're brainstorming ideas for new programs. Demonstrate how you’re focusing on new ways to improve program delivery for your existing clients.

When you connect the dots, you help your circle of support see the impact of their donations and their time. Perhaps you're a nonprofit that doesn't work in a space where there are many volunteering opportunities or perhaps they are limited. Connecting the dots and showing folks what you're doing behind the scenes and the impact of their contributions on your mission is a fantastic way to engage them and excite them outside of volunteer opportunities.