10 Practical Tips for Fundraising Success: How Do Raise More Money For My Nonprofit?

If your last fundraising appeal didn’t bring in quite the results you hoped for, you’re not alone. Even seasoned nonprofits know that inspiring donors to give — and give again — takes more than just a good cause. It takes strategy, storytelling, and timing. Whether you’re preparing your year-end appeal or launching a special campaign, these 10 practical tips will help you create messages that connect emotionally, build trust, and ultimately raise more money for your mission.

Tip 1: Merge Fields Are Your Friend

There is absolutely no excuse for not using mail merge letters or merging in someone’s first name into an email. This technology has been around for two decades and is commonplace with all email services. You can even do it in Gmail using third-party plugins like GMass. If you say “Dear Friend” and keep it a distant, vague relationship, then the donor will feel the same way about you.

Bonus: Get creative with your merge fields! Merge in the year they first gave or use that to calculate the number of years they’ve been supporting you. Mention in the letter the designation of their last gift to make it feel more personal.

Tip 2: Segment Your Lists

We get better results when we write letters to a specific audience. “All Contacts” is not specific enough. If you want to increase the response to your appeals, speak directly to your audience’s heart.

For example, differentiate between donors and non-donors. You can say “as a supporter” or “maybe this would be a good opportunity for your first gift.”

Bonus: Get more specific! Send 3+ variations of your letter. Some narrower audiences may include current donors vs. lapsed donors, monthly donors vs. annual givers, or even current families vs. past families if you’re a school. A hospital could segment people by the specialist they last received treatment from (oncology, cardiology, pediatrics). A grateful patient letter specific to that specialty will be much more powerful.

Tip 3: Tell a Story

Stories make the work you do tangible and relatable. They should illustrate the impact of your work and praise the donors, making them feel that this was their doing. We cannot make up a story for you, but we can provide a framework for you to add the impact into your appeal letter. Start with where the person was before they encountered your organization, what happened when they met your organization, and where they are now. Get a quote or two from the recipient of your services.

Bonus: Get a testimonial on video, even if it’s a cellphone video. It adds to the credibility!

Tip 4: Use Clear and Donor-Centric Language

Sometimes we try really hard not to offend anyone, so we use nuance or imply certain things. For your website, where those you serve may be coming to get information, you may choose to be more nuanced. However, in a brief fundraising letter, you want to be very clear. I would choose “low-income” over “income-eligible” and “tuition-free” over “all-scholarship” every time.

Many organizations need to be careful because those they serve and those soliciting for money have different objectives. Think about the complexities that a crisis pregnancy center faces. Their ideal client is considering an abortion, while the ideal donor may be offended by abortion. This can make crafting a message very difficult.

Bonus: You don’t always have to tell people how to donate. If you have a donate link in your letter, you don’t need to add the words “please use the remittance enclosed to make your donation.” It’s pretty obvious!

Tip 5: Format Your Letter

Having a letter that is easy to read and not over-designed increases the likelihood that people will read it. The more people who read your letter, the more will respond.

Here are some formatting tips:

• Keep your appeal to two pages or front and back.

• Leave “white space.”

• Space your lines out for easier reading.

• Use an easy-to-read font.

• Make the font size at least 11 or 12 points.

• Use headers to break up sections.

• Use short sentences and paragraphs to emphasize points.

• Bold or underline key points to make them easy to spot.

• Use colors that are easy to see, especially for older people.

• Keep ONE, that’s right, one singular call to action per piece — for an appeal, that should be “donate.”

  
  

Bonus: Sometimes I use the PS to add in something else (even another call to action) if I feel it's important. Remember, the PS is the most read part of a letter. One pro-tip is to include in your PS a call to action to visit a section on your site where your giving page is located. Maybe the campaign-specific web page mentioned in Tip 7. If they won’t visit the page to donate, perhaps they will go to "read more stories like this" or "watch a video about XYZ" and happen to see a giving page immediately below that content.

Tip 6: Use Multiple Platforms to Deliver Your Letter

I always recommend that all your appeals go out across multiple platforms if they are essential to your organization. You can repurpose your letter in many ways, but you can always put your appeal out in snail mail, email, social media, and your website.

Here are a few tips on how to make the most of your platforms:

• Send your designed appeal by snail mail with a remittance envelope.

• Send the same letter by email with a similar design and a giving button. If the letter is too long for an email, create a more abbreviated version.

• Pull out the story online with an abbreviated ask for social media and link to the giving page. Post 2-3 times about the appeal over a few weeks.

  
  

Tip 7: Brand Your Giving Page to the Appeal

Create a unique giving page for your appeal. Make the look and feel similar to your direct mail and email letter. A consistent experience helps your donors feel that their giving is going to the right place and avoids them clicking away. This also helps with segmenting donors based on the appeal they gave to!

Bonus: Customize the URL and webpage for people to visit when they give. Include more details about giving on that page. Then, in all your communications about your campaign, you can send people to a short, easy-to-remember URL: YourURL.com/AppealName.

Tip 8: Show Those Smiling Faces

The visuals of an appeal are essential. Nothing raises funds like smiling faces and happy people.

Bonus: As previously mentioned, consider making a little video. If that’s too difficult, try turning your image into a gif. It stands out more than a standard photo!

Tip 9: Time Your Appeal Appropriately (Ask to Touchpoint Ratio)

One of the best ways to ensure a good response to your appeals is to ensure the audience has had enough touchpoints (non-ask interactions) before you ask. If it’s been a while since you’ve asked, but you haven’t communicated consistently since your last appeal, delay a few weeks. Give an update or two about your last appeal before asking again.

Bonus: In a perfect world, there are at least 3 to 4 non-ask communications before you ask again. You need to earn the right to ask for the next gift.

Tip 10: Re-Send Emails to Unopens

In MailChimp, Constant Contact, and other reputable email providers, there is an option to re-send your email to those who did not open it within a certain period (usually 24-48 hours). Check that box and let them do the work for you. Why not? There is no downside. I have seen a 10% increase in response rates since clients have utilized that feature. You’re not bothering the prospect if they didn’t read it the first time.

Fundraising success doesn’t happen by chance — it’s built through thoughtful planning, authentic communication, and consistent follow-up. By putting these 10 tips into practice, you’ll not only increase donations but also deepen relationships with the people who believe in your mission. Every appeal is an opportunity to remind supporters why their generosity matters. So, take a fresh look at your next campaign, apply these strategies, and watch your impact — and your donor community — grow.