5 Nonprofit Fundraising Trends for 2015

To get a handle on what’s in store for 2015, NonProfit PRO rounded up some of the nonprofit industry’s finest, who were kind enough to share their nonprofit trends for 2015. Here are five trends on fundraising.

Rachel Armbruster, CEO, Armbruster Consulting Group
1. More organizations are realizing the opportunity with endurance fundraising. While the market is crowded and it is harder than ever to secure spots in sell-out races, organizations can craft a strong strategy and use incentives, training support and a sense of community to create interest in open races.

Nancy Palo, national vice president of community empowerment, Shatterproof
2. Focus on creating a dynamic/personalized experience for each of our participants in every way we interact with them — online, communications, in person, etc. — and use data to inform those experiences.

Lisa Bergen Wilson, vice president of advancement and donor relations, Operation FINALLY HOME
3. Operation FINALLY HOME will focus on donor retention via engagement and reporting. Our greatest goal is securing another national builder partner to join Pulte Group. As our cost to raise $1 is $0.02, the continued reporting from our builder partners of their in-kind donations will further decrease our costs to build mortgage-free homes. Secondarily, we are working to more deeply engage our board members for fundraising but currently involving them in thanking donors and moving them toward engagement that leads to the ask.

Wayne Luke, managing partner, nonprofit practice, Witt/Kieffer
4. Prepare to scale. Once you prove the effectiveness of your model, prepare to scale for impact and sustainability while moving away from dependency on public funding. With high expectations of transparency, not-for-profits must be succinct, articulate and measurable regarding their outcomes and results.

5. Diversify and tap new resources. In additional to traditional awareness campaigns and fundraising events, philanthropy leaders must be equipped to identify, engage and mine new veins of energy, such as crowdfunding and corporate partnerships, to become more deeply connected in key communities.