Prediction #2: Activating and Elevating Middle of the Pyramid
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital engagement and fundraising tactics for all nonprofits. How do you sift through what has staying power and what is a flash in the pan? Our team put together a list of our predictions on where digital fundraising is headed in 2021.
2020 felt like a sprint and a never ending time loop at the same time. The lines between personal and professional life blurred together, sometimes in a hilarious way. We became Zoom experts (well, not all of us) and then got Zoom fatigue.
For nonprofits, it was a year of tremendous change and challenges. Traditional engagement tools like in-person events were non-options and many organizations struggled to navigate operating in the digital space.
Looking forward to 2021, it's clear that many of these changes accelerated by the pandemic are here to stay. With finite resources, nonprofit organizations need to be strategic about where they apply time and money. Going back to the way things were is not an option, so where should advancement shops direct their focus?
I took a leap and came up with my top five predictions for digital fundraising in 2021. Each prediction is its own blog post - give them all a read and let us know your thoughts by adding a comment below!
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Prediction #2: Activating and Elevating Middle of the Pyramid
Think about your organization’s current major gift portfolio. Now think about it a decade down the road; who are your major gift donors? We know that for most organizations, 90% of their dollars are donated by 10% of their donors. Is your pipeline prepared for a time when your current major giving donors are not around?
To put it another way, do you know who your major gifts will come from in 5 to 10 years?
Chances are, those prospects are currently giving at leadership levels. The middle of the giving pyramid has been notoriously difficult to manage; they are not quite ready to enter a major gift officer’s portfolio, but they deserve more personalized outreach than mass marketing.
These prospects have the potential to make transformative gifts in the future. How is your organization making sure those gifts are going to your organization and not others?
Mid-Level Donors Deserve Your Attention
I believe in 2021 we will see strides taken to elevate the experience of these mid-level donors.
How? By pairing the personal outreach that happens at the major gift level, with modern digital marketing tactics. This can be done in a number of ways, one of my favorite trends is the evolution of the Digital Development Officer (DDO).
This is a staff position that is assigned a portfolio of those mid-level prospects we were just talking about. These staff members build relationships with their portfolios by creating and curating digital content, across a number of channels.
How We Can Help
At {{firstname}}, we can work with your team to create a Digital Development Officer program. In fact, we have helped a number of client partners launch DDO programs that have successfully scaled their mid-level outreach and relationship building capabilities/capacities.
Read more from {{firstname}}’s co-founder, Justin Ware on how Digital Development Officers can elevate efforts like Giving Day and add an essential outreach component to your fundraising operation.