Your supporters are the backbone of your nonprofit. From setting up your events to donating to your campaigns, volunteers and donors fuel the change you’re able to spark in your community. However, your supporters lead busy lives, and it’s easy for them to put your nonprofit on the back burner if they’re not constantly engaged.
One of the best ways to reach supporters with compelling messaging and inspire them to stay involved with your nonprofit year-round is by leveraging eCards. eCards, or digital greeting cards, are the best way to stay connected with your supporters, recognize their contributions to your nonprofit, and encourage their ongoing participation.
In this guide, we’ll cover three strategies to maximize your nonprofit’s use of charity eCards and elevate your engagement strategy, leading to greater retention rates for your organization. As a result, you can easily secure the support you need to fulfill your mission!
Develop an eCard fundraiser
If you’re looking for an innovative way to encourage recurring giving and acquire new donors in the process, look no further than an eCard fundraiser. During an eCard fundraiser, your supporters give to your nonprofit in exchange for the ability to send a branded eCard to anyone in their network.
eCards are incredibly versatile and can be tied to a number of occasions and uses, including but not limited to:
- Birthdays
- Holidays
- Anniversaries
- In memory of a loved one
- Saying thank you
- Hoping a friend or family member gets well soon
- General awareness cards for your mission
You can also offer fill-in-the-blank eCards that allow supporters to personalize the message and occasion as they see fit. Offering a variety of eCards year-round can help you ramp up giving and increase visibility for your cause.
To maximize the success of your eCard fundraiser, use the following best practices:
- Invest in eCard software: The right eCard platform will give you all the tools you need to create your digital cards, including intuitive design tools and templates to streamline the creation process. Plus, it should come with embedded sharing features so supporters can easily send off eCards right from your website via email or SMS and even share them to social media platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn.
- Brand your eCards to your nonprofit: Kwala’s guide to nonprofit branding recommends including your unique color scheme, fonts, visuals, and logo to your eCards. This way, you can boost awareness of your cause and introduce yourself to recipients who haven’t heard of your organization before.
- Embed fundraising eCards into your donation confirmation page: This makes it as simple as possible for supporters to send an eCard right after they donate. As a result, they’ll have a positive user experience and be more likely to contribute to another eCard fundraiser in the future. Make sure to work with eCard software that will readily integrate with your content management system.
You might also choose to create a separate landing page on your website dedicated to your eCards. Here, supporters can view the different eCards available, select the one that best fits the occasion, add their recipient’s contact details, choose a donation amount, and provide payment details.
Make sure to promote your eCard fundraiser widely by sharing the link to your donation page or landing page so supporters can dive right in. Your supporters will appreciate the chance to send a thoughtful note to a loved one, and your nonprofit will earn plenty of donations in return!
Use eCards to thank your donors
Your donors play a significant role in your mission, and they deserve to be recognized for it. eCards are a meaningful way to acknowledge your donors’ contributions, show that they’re valued, and retain their support for the long run. Plus, they can be sent during a variety of occasions to increase year-round engagement, including holidays, birthdays, invitations to events, and anniversaries.
Suggested alt text: A graphic showing examples of occasions you can send eCards to donors, including after donations, holidays, birthdays, invitations, and anniversaries.
eCardWidget’s guide to thanking donors outlines the following tips for using eCards to enhance your donor recognition strategy:
- Send your eCards promptly: Aim to send a thank-you eCard within 72 hours of a donor’s contribution. This lets them know that your nonprofit greatly appreciates their generosity and helps to reinforce their sense of importance in pushing your mission forward.
- Personalize your thank-you messages: Don’t send out a generic note that could apply to any donor! This can leave supporters feeling like they aren’t truly valued by your organization. Customize your thank-you note with a personalized greeting to the donor (such as “Dear Bella” instead of “Dear Valued Donor”) and a reference to the specific donation amount they gave.
- Specify the impact: It can also be helpful to explain the tangible connection between a donor’s gift and the difference it will make in your community. For example, you might say “Your gift of $50 will provide warm meals for five families in need this week!” This demonstrates to donors that they are the driving force behind all of the great work your organization is able to accomplish.
- Invite them to engage further: While you shouldn’t immediately ask donors to give again, you can direct them to other ways to increase their involvement. For example, you might ask them to sign up for your email newsletter, follow you on social media, or apply to volunteer. This way, they can stay tapped into your organization and grow a deeper connection with your cause, leading to more donations down the line.
Keep in mind that the most successful stewardship plans pair thank-you notes like eCards with other strategies, such as sending a new donor welcome packet, calling supporters on the phone, and inviting donors to an exclusive donor club (depending on how much they give). Develop a donor stewardship matrix so you can identify which donor engagement tactics you’ll use for different groups of donors.
Show volunteer appreciation with eCards
Along with your donors, your volunteers are a pivotal part of your nonprofit’s journey, helping you with everything from marketing your campaigns to conducting your community programs. What better way to show your volunteers how much you value their contributions than with a personalized eCard?
Just like with your donor recognition strategy, it’s essential to personalize your eCards to your volunteers by referencing the specific action they took that benefited your organization and the impact this made. Here is an example message you might send a volunteer in your eCard:
Dear Kevin,
Your dedication to organizing our Annual Adoption Palooza this year has made an incredible impact on our mission. Your tireless efforts allowed us to find new homes for 100 pets and we are endlessly grateful. Thank you for being an integral part of our cause.
You can also incorporate eCards into your volunteers’ community culture by using them as a peer-to-peer tool. Empower volunteers to recognize team members, such as other volunteers, staff, and board members, by making eCards accessible to customize and send right from your website or volunteer portal. This will help to strengthen your team, keep motivations high, and boost retention.
Wrapping Up
eCards are one of the most modern, flexible ways to successfully reach your supporters and engage them at any time of the year. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box with your messaging and use eCards in whatever way best supports your engagement strategy. With comprehensive eCard software, you’re free to unleash your creativity and begin building stronger relationships with your supporters today!
Tim Badolato – CEO at eCardWidget
Tim Badolato is the CEO of eCardWidget.com an innovative platform for digital employee recognition, donor acknowledgment, business marketing, and nonprofit marketing. He has a passion for using technology to drive positive outcomes for mission-driven businesses and nonprofits.
