Top 2020 Digital Fundraising Trends

A new decade is cause for excitement and celebration. As fundraisers, the new year signals a fresh slate, new opportunities, and most of all, a loftier financial goal. You’re probably looking for ways to retain and grow your donor base and you probably want to do it bigger and better than you did in 2019.

With nonprofit fundraising constantly evolving, it’s time to step up your game and consider the following digital trends when revitalizing your overall 2020 strategy.

Top 2020 Digital Fundraising Trends Your Nonprofit Should Consider:

1) Mobile Optimization

Did you know that mobile users make up nearly half of all traffic to nonprofit websites? With mobile traffic continuing to outpace desktop and tablet traffic, there’s no denying that phones are the future. In fact, when it comes to mobile giving, the M+R benchmark notes a 15% increase since 2018, which is why mobile optimization earns a top spot on our 2020 digital fundraising trends list. 

It’s imperative to cater to the mobile experience by making your website mobile-responsive. In short, this means your layout is simplified and your text is readable. With a smaller display, there’s less real estate so you want to eliminate distractions by highlight your most valuable content. 

Also, with mobile wallet options (such as Apple and Google Pay) on the rise, you want to ensure that payments can be easily accepted via mobile. If you can’t process mobile transactions, you risk losing many potential donations. 

For a modern donation page that’s optimized for any device and allows for your donors to give on the go, consider CauseVox donation pages. With CauseVox, you can custom-brand a donation form as an extension of your website, collect donations with ease, and view fundraising insights as they roll in, in real-time. 

Tip: Looking for some quick and easy ways to make your website mobile-friendly? Check out these 7 steps. 

2) Recurring Giving Options

Over the past year, recurring monthly gifts have increased by 17% and in 2020, this digital fundraising tactic continues to trend. With recurring gifts, donors designate an amount to be given on a regular basis. 

The great thing about this process is that it’s automated, meaning that you don’t have to repeatedly ask your donor to give. Instead, their gift will be automatically deducted at regularly scheduled intervals (until they choose to stop giving). 

Donor retention is a big thing and you’re less likely to experience donor churn in the long-run with recurring donations. 

Not only does this translate to more predictable revenue source but recurring donors generally give more over time, which translates to a higher ROI compared to one-time donors. In fact, the average recurring donor will give 42% more in one year compared to a one-time donor! 

In terms of frequency of gifts, monthly recurring gifts are probably the most popular and common. So, if you haven’t already make sure that the recurring gift option on your donation form is enabled.  

With fewer clicks and a streamlined process, CauseVox’s donation page makes it easy for donors to give. With a monthly recurring donation option that you simply toggle on, we’re making it that much easier for your donors to engage with you on a regular basis.

3) Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Next on our list of 2020 digital fundraising trends is online peer-to-peer (p2p) fundraising, which helps you raise more with less effort. If this isn’t already a strategy in your fundraising arsenal, it’s time to consider adding it. 

Peer-to-peer is a great way to leverage existing relationships to help raise funds quickly and easily. By empowering your supporters to help fundraise on your behalf, p2p is a cost-effective way to swiftly increase awareness for your cause. Best of all? Peer-to-peer fundraisers work for nonprofits of all sizes. 

Peer-to-peer fundraisers are extremely versatile. They’re great for long-term campaigns or one-time events (i.e. GivingTuesday). We’ve even seen some nonprofits replace their traditional live galas with an online alternative – an UnGala – as a means to reduce overhead, increase revenue, and reach a broader audience.  

At CauseVox, we’ve seen that fundraising campaigns that use peer-to-peer fundraising raise 2x as much as those that don’t, making it a powerful opportunity to grow your fundraising in 2020.

Tip: The key to any successful peer-to-peer fundraiser starts with having the right clutter-free platform. 

4) Digital Ads

Another rising trend is investments in digital ads. In fact, in 2018, M+R Benchmark participants reported that their digital ads budget rose by 144% over the previous year. With increased investments in digital ads, we anticipate this 2020 digital fundraising trend to only grow with time. 

Digital advertising is one of the most efficient strategies to increase a nonprofit’s reach because it’s fairly inexpensive. While the costs can be pretty negligible, it’s still important to do your homework to see how to get the most bang for your buck. In the meantime, here’s two popular options with Facebook and Google:

Facebook Ads

With Facebook Ads, you set when you want to run your ads and really hone in on your targeted audience. Facebook ads are customizable and work with any budget. 

For best results on a budget, you can target:

• Warm Audiences: Those who already like your nonprofit on Facebook
• Lookalike Audiences: People who like similar nonprofits to your organization

Starting from as low as $5 per week, you can choose the amount that sounds good to you. 

Need some inspiration? Checkout the Facebook Ads Library.

Google Ad Grants

If we’ve learned anything from this year’s Digital Fundraising Summit, it’s that a Google Ad Grant is low-hanging fruit in terms of boosting online engagement across the globe. With the opportunity to receive up to $10,000 every month in free in-kind advertising, 

Google ads are a great way to increase visibility, revenue, and your volunteer base. Check to see if your nonprofit is eligible. 

Jumpstart Your 2020 Fundraising Efforts With CauseVox.

It’s time to get on board with 2020’s top digital fundraising trends with CauseVox. Whether you’re looking to start a p2p campaign, make your website more mobile-friendly, or boost recurring donations, you’ll get 1-1 support to raise more with less complexity.

Get started today for free.