Revolutionize Nonprofit Fundraising with Workflow Automation; plus 8 tasks to automate

Ready to transform your nonprofit’s fundraising game? Fundraising workflow automation revolutionizes your efforts. Imagine freeing yourself from repetitive tasks and dedicating more time to what truly matters—your cause.

In this blog, we’ll show you how to:

• Supercharge your fundraising with workflow automation tools;
• Maintain strong donor relationships with less manual effort;
• Overcome common hurdles, like keeping the personal touch in automated communications;
• and, you'll experience the liberation that comes from automating routine chores, allowing for a deeper dedication to your nonprofit’s mission!

Discover how these powerful tools can save you countless hours and significantly boost your fundraising revenue. Get ready to embrace smarter, more efficient strategies and watch your nonprofit thrive!

Table of Contents:

• What is fundraising automation?
• The benefits of workflow automations
• The challenges of automating communications
• What to look for in an automations software
• 8 tasks to automate with fundraising workflows
• Conclusion

Fundraising Automation for Nonprofits

We get it - the world of nonprofit leadership is demanding! You’ve got a million tasks on your plate, all of them pulling your attention in different directions. Simplifying your workload by implementing workflow efficiency isn’t just ideal, it is necessary to your mission!

Fundraising automation is all about making life easier by using technology to handle your fundraising tasks with little to no human input. From updating your nonprofit CRM to sending engagement email drips or creating donation receipts, fundraising automation simplifies your work and saves you time.

Imagine if every time you wanted to thank a donor, update your database, or send out an email campaign, it was as easy as flipping a switch. This innovative tech transforms the way charitable organizations streamline their workflow, automating mundane duties and allowing employees to concentrate on pivotal projects.

So, what exactly is a “Workflow Automation"?

Fundraising workflow automations are automated processes and systems used to streamline and optimize the marketing efforts of fundraising campaigns - a series of tasks that a system can automatically handle for you, reducing your workload. These automations help manage repetitive tasks, personalize communications, and improve donor engagement without requiring constant manual input.

A great example would be a “New Donor Welcome series.”

• After donors give their first gift, they are immediately sent a receipt and thank you email.
• Then an automatic welcome email is sent to the new donor.
• A few weeks later, they are sent an impact email.
• After that, they are added to the Monthly Newsletter.
• And finally, an email ask is sent several months later.

Now that you know what workflow automations are, how do they help your fundraising?

The Benefits of Fundraising Workflow Automation

With fundraising workflow automation, you’ll save heaps of time that would otherwise be spent on countless hours of manual work. It's like having a helpful digital assistant that ensures everything runs smoothly while you concentrate on your mission!

The top benefits of workflow automations include:

1. Efficiency: Reduce the time and effort spent on repetitive tasks, allowing staff to focus on strategic activities.
2. Consistency: Ensure consistent communication with donors, which helps in building trust and maintaining engagement.
3. Personalization: Tailor messages to individual donors or segments, improving the relevance and impact of your communications.
4. Guarantee appreciation: Did you know 13% of first-time donors never receive a thank you? Automatic receipts and thank you emails let your donors know their impact matters.
5. Scalability: Easily scale your marketing efforts as your donor base grows without a proportional increase in workload. By simplifying workflows and boosting interactions with donors, your nonprofit is empowered to raise more.
6. Data-Driven Insights: Collect and analyze data from automated campaigns to understand donor behavior and refine your strategies.
   

This technology saves countless hours that would otherwise be spent on tedious tasks, letting staff focus on mission-focused tasks, while still engaging your donor base. And these small gestures, like thank yous and emails sent to the right donor segment at the right time, go a long way in building trust. And when your supporters feel valued, they’re more likely to keep giving. The more you talk to people, the more they buy in. It’s a win-win!

Navigating Challenges in Fundraising Automation

While automating fundraising efforts has clear benefits, it comes with challenges, too.

• Losing the personal touch: One concern is the loss of personalization. It’s important to combine effective, personalized automations with well-timed human interactions. Smart workflow automations allow you to send personalized messages to the right segment at the right time, allowing you more connection points with your donors.
• Merging new tools with legacy systems: Merging new automation tools with legacy systems or data formats can be complex. To navigate this, careful planning is essential. To avoid issues, choose management solutions that seamlessly integrate, ensuring smooth data flow without the need for manual sorting of contacts or financial information.
• Training and implementation costs: Nonprofits often have limited budgets and time, so it’s important to find a solution that is easy to implement. Tools that offer onboarding assistance and free training help ensure your nonprofit is able to get started quickly without taking a major hit to the budget.

To combat these common challenges, look for a tool designed with your nonprofit in mind!

What to Look for in a Workflow Automation Tool

There are plenty of fundraising workflow automation tools available, but a tool is only useful if you use it. Here are our tips for finding a fundraising workflow automation tool that will actually help your nonprofit:

• Seamless Integration: Choose a tool that works effortlessly with your existing tech setup. If you have to copy and paste information between platforms, the tool isn’t simplifying your tasks. This includes automatically updating your nonprofit CRM! The goal is to reduce your workload, not create extra manual updates between systems.
• Intuitive User Experience: If a tool is hard to learn or use, your team won’t fully embrace it. Request a demo to see how it works and inquire about training and support to help your team get the most out of the tool.
• Scalability: Choose a tool that can grow with your organization. As your fundraising efforts expand, you'll want a solution that can handle increased data and more complex workflow, without a hefty price increase!
• Strong Customer Support: Opt for a tool backed by responsive and helpful customer support. This ensures that any issues or questions you have can be quickly addressed, keeping your operations running smoothly.

Examples of Tools for Fundraising Marketing Automations

• Email Marketing Platforms: DonorDock, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or Sendinblue for automated email campaigns.
• CRM Systems: DonorDock, Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack, Bloomerang, or DonorPerfect for managing donor data and segmentation.
• Social Media Management Tools: Hootsuite, Buffer, or Sprout Social for scheduling social media posts.
• Event Management Software: Classy, OneCause, or Eventbrite for automating event registrations and communications.

By leveraging fundraising marketing automations, nonprofits can enhance their fundraising efficiency, build stronger relationships with donors, and ultimately increase their fundraising success.

Why DonorDock is the Perfect Choice for Your Nonprofit

When it comes to finding the right fundraising workflow automation tool, here's how DonorDock helps streamline your fundraising efforts:

DonorDock’s workflow automations effortlessly integrate with online donation pages, its CRM, and email marketing outreach ensuring a smooth flow of data between each platform in one software.

DonorDock is designed with users in mind. Its intuitive interface makes it easy for your team to learn and use effectively. With a free demo, a free trial, and extensive training resources, DonorDock ensures your team can quickly get up to speed and make the most of its features.

As your organization grows, DonorDock grows with you. It's built to handle increased data and more complex workflows, making it a reliable partner for both small nonprofits and large organizations alike. Plus, you’ll continue to have access to free live training and Q&A sessions. As your team grows, you’ll know everyone can confidently use DonorDock.

DonorDock offers exceptional customer support, with a responsive team ready to assist you whenever needed. Whether you have questions or encounter issues, DonorDock’s support ensures your operations run smoothly.

By choosing DonorDock, you’re investing in a solution that will simplify your processes, engage your team, and support your organization's growth.

8 Tasks to take off your plate with fundraising workflow automations

1. New Donor Welcome Series

Trigger: Donor gives their first gift

Potential steps in the series:

• Automatic receipt and thank you email sent immediately;
• Welcome email sent to the new donor 2 days after gift;
• An impact email sent 2 weeks later;
• Then, they are added to the Monthly Newsletter;
• And finally, an email ask is sent several months later.

2. Recurring Gift Email Drip

Trigger: Donor gives their first recurring donation

Potential steps in the series:

• Automatic receipt and thank you email sent immediately;
• Prompt to call new donor 2 days after gift;
• Welcome email sent to the new donor 5 days after gift;
• An impact email sent 2 weeks later;
• Monthly “thank you” emails that include an impact statement;
• Yearly prompt to send a handwritten thank you on their donor anniversary;
• If they lapse in giving, automatically retag them as lapsed donor.

3. Lapsed Donor Re-engagement

Trigger: Donor has lapsed in their giving

Potential workflow automation:

• Automatically tag donor as lapsed;
• Automatically send a personalized re-engagement email thanking them for their past gifts, updating them on the impact of their donations, and highlighting current projects or needs;
• If no response or donation, send follow-up 2 weeks later;
• Create task for staff to call or text lapsed donor 4 days later;
• Send a survey to gather insights on why they stopped donating and what might encourage them to re-engage 1 week later.

4. Event Registration and Follow-Up

Trigger: Constituent signs up for an event

Potential steps in workflow:

• Automatic confirmation email sent immediately;
• Send email with full event details 2 weeks before event;
• Send event reminder email 3 days before event;
• Automatic feedback survey sent the evening of the event;
• Send thank you email 1 day after event;
• Send event impact email 2 weeks after event.

5. Volunteer Onboarding

Trigger: Signup form submitted from new volunteer

Potential steps in workflow:

• Automatic email sent acknowledging receipt of the application with an overview of the next steps;
• If necessary, create a task for staff member to review application and credentials, run background checks, etc.;
• Email sent confirming approval or rejection;
• Send welcome email outlining onboarding steps, volunteer login, etc.
• Point of contact email sent from staff or volunteer who will be point of contact sent 2 days later;
• Text message engagement sent monthly or quarterly to connect with volunteer;
• Send volunteer feedback survey 1 year into volunteering.

6. Volunteer hours tracked

Trigger: New volunteer hours are tracked in CRM

Potential workflow:

• Thank you email sent 1 day after hours are tracked;
• Volunteer added to monthly mailing list;
• Volunteer opportunities and recognition email sent 2 weeks later;
• Impact email sent 2 weeks later;
• Email detailing unique volunteer benefits or events 1 month later;
• Email with new volunteer opportunities sent 1 month later;
• Volunteer opportunities email sent every 6 months.

7. Membership email drip

Trigger: New membership is created

Potential workflow:

• Automatic thank you email with membership benefits sent immediately;
• Added to the monthly newsletter;
• Feedback survey sent 6 months into membership
• Impact email sent 2 months before expiration;
• An email detailing membership benefits and cost, plus a renewal reminder sent 1 month before expiration;
• Reminder email sent 2 weeks before expiration;
• Final reminder sent 3 days before expiration;
• Restart membership drip if they renew membership;
• If not, send a feedback survey 1 week after membership expiration.

8. Matching gifts automation

Trigger: New gift is made, not tagged with matching gift

Potential workflow:

• Automatic thank you email sent immediately;
• Corporate Matching Gift information email sent 1 week later;
• Impact email sent 2 weeks later;
• How to Submit a Matching Gift email sent 1 month later;
• Final Reminder and Appreciation email sent 2 months later.

Conclusion

Fundraising automation is the beacon for nonprofits looking to elevate their game. Embracing this tech means freeing up time for what truly matters - your mission.

Automation lets you connect with donors on a deeper level without drowning in manual tasks. Fundraising automation workflows can revolutionize your efforts.

In this blog, we’ve shown you how to:

• Supercharge your fundraising with workflow automations tools;
• What to look for in a good automations software;
• and 8 workflow automations to implement today!

Fundraising automation is all about making life easier by using technology to handle your fundraising tasks with little to no human input.

There are plenty of fundraising workflow automation tools available, but a tool is only useful if you use it.

So start today. Lean into fundraising automation and watch as doors open to new possibilities, streamlined processes, and enhanced donor engagement. The future of nonprofit fundraising starts now.

By choosing DonorDock, you’re investing in a solution that simplifies your processes, engages your team, and supports your organization's growth. Embrace fundraising automation with DonorDock and watch your nonprofit thrive. Check it out today!