How Funders Can Better Equip Grassroots Nonprofits to Diversify Their Revenue

Most funders already understand the importance of supporting nonprofits with capacity-building resources "beyond the grant" to help them achieve their mission. But where do you begin as a funder with many areas to focus on? 

One clear area of focus is fundraising. While receiving a grant from a funder can breathe new life into an organization, nonprofits must continue to work to diversify their revenue to become sustainable for the long term. To that end, Resilia has identified four resources nonprofit organizations regularly use to amplify their fundraising efforts. 

This blog post will explore these resources to help funders understand how they can better equip their grantees to diversify their revenue. 

Fundraising Resource #1: Storytelling to Connect with Donors 
For thousands of years, people have used storytelling to connect with others, share experiences, and convey ideas. In the nonprofit world, storytelling is critical to success, particularly regarding fundraising.

To inspire people to donate, nonprofits must create emotional connections between their mission and potential donors. And there is no better way to do that than through storytelling. Here are just a few reasons why telling powerful stories is so crucial for nonprofits:

• Stories make a cause relatable. Nonprofits often work on issues that are complex, abstract, or far removed from people's daily lives. Telling a story that brings their cause to life and makes it tangible can help donors connect with their mission on a personal level. A story can show how an organization is making a difference in someone's life, which can help donors feel that their contributions are having a real impact.

• Stories inspire action. Hearing a powerful story can motivate them to donate, volunteer, or advocate for a cause. A story can create a sense of urgency and help donors understand why their support is so critical.

• Stories build trust. When people donate to a nonprofit, they want to know that their money is being used effectively and efficiently. Telling stories that showcase successes and highlight impact can help build trust with donors, showing them that their contributions are being put to good use.

While storytelling is valuable, nonprofit leaders often need help capturing information that will genuinely move an audience. Many nonprofit leaders don’t have a writing background, are intimidated by a blank screen, or don’t have the time to get their impact stories in a publishable format.

That’s where a storytelling tool can help. Some over-hyped solutions may use A.I., but those tools can be intimidating and have unpredictable results. Resilia offers an easy-to-use Story Builder tool with various templates to help nonprofits tell and format their stories using photos, video, and text. Formatted stories can be shared easily via emails and social media links, providing greater visibility to donors and volunteers. 

Through the Resilia Funder Program, funders can give grantees access to the Story Builder tool to improve their fundraising. 

Fundraising Resource #2: Online Donations Portal to Accept Funds Wherever Donors Are

Online donations are a fundamental part of every nonprofit’s revenue strategy. When potential donors land on a nonprofit’s donations page, it should be easy for them to donate. Small, grassroots organizations already face innumerable challenges, and using complicated tools that hinder donors is the last thing they need. 

An ideal online donations platform should have the following features to make the donation process as seamless and straightforward as possible: 

• User-friendly interface: The platform should be easy for organizations to set up and allow donors to donate.

• Multiple payment options: The platform should support multiple payment options to accommodate different preferences. It should also allow donors to set up recurring billing to make regular donations throughout the year.

• No hidden fees and donor-paid transaction option: Ideally, a grassroots nonprofit should be able to set up its donations platform for free without worrying about hidden fees. Even better, the donations page should allow donors to pay any transaction fee as part of their donation.

• Hassle-free payouts: Small nonprofits generally need revenue quickly, so their donation platform must make weekly, automatic payments to their bank accounts.

• Mobile compatibility: Donation platforms should be optimized for mobile use as more people use mobile devices to make transactions.

• Customizable donation page: The platform should allow organizations to create a customizable donation page highlighting their mission – enabling them to convert visiting supporters into donors.

• Social media integration: The platform should allow organizations to share their donation page link on social media platforms to reach a broader audience.

• Donor recognition: The platform should provide a way to recognize donors for their contributions, such as personalized messages or certificates of appreciation.

Funders can equip nonprofits with a simple yet powerful online donations portal through the Resilia platform. Resilia Donations enables nonprofits to set up a customized donations page for free, allowing donors to pay a flat, all-encompassing transaction fee as part of their donations.

Fundraising Resource #3: Grantmaker Database to Find More Grants

To ensure sustainability, it’s vital that nonprofits, after receiving one grant, do not rely on a singular grantmaker. To gain further help, tens of thousands of organizations offer grants to nonprofits in numerous cause areas and communities across the United States. 

Funders strive to establish trusting, long-term relationships with their nonprofit partners. However, encouraging grantees to seek continued funding from other sources need not weaken a long-term relationship; instead, it shows that a funder cares about a nonprofit’s longevity.

Finding grants on a one-by-one basis can be time-consuming for nonprofits, but there are several online resources where funders can direct their partners for help. One such resource on the Resilia Platform is Funder Finder, which provides nonprofits access to a searchable database of 60,000 funders in one place. Nonprofits can filter their research by funder name, location of impact, area of focus, or other keywords. They can pull up important information such as total grants awarded and board members, making their ability to inquire and apply for grants much more accessible.

Fundraising Resource #4: Training, Campaign Templates, and Personalized Coaching 

Many funders know that encouraging their nonprofit partners to scale existing fundraising programs can help the organizations define their long-term goals while ensuring they make the most efficient use of existing resources. However, many smaller, grassroots organizations may need to gain the experience or knowledge required for long-term budgeting or campaign planning.

It’s critical that funders provide access to training, advisors, and other resources that will empower nonprofit leaders to plan effectively and efficiently run their organizations. Some funders may offer training courses, hold periodic seminars, or even hire consultants to work with their nonprofit partners for brief periods.

 Resilia provides another approach, offering nonprofits a range of solutions to enhance their fundraising capabilities and knowledge – on-demand – through three key access points: 

• Online Training and Resource Platform. Built by nonprofit experts, the Resilia Nonprofit Platform includes an academy of searchable, actionable online video courses to help nonprofit leaders quickly get up-to-speed on fundraising and other topics critical to their organizations. The platform also includes fundraising campaign templates, donor letters, and other resources to help leaders save time using proven tools.

• 1-on-1 Coaching and Mentorship. The Resilia Platform enables nonprofits to access 1-on-1 coaching sessions with experienced nonprofit experts. Nonprofit teams can find answers to questions regarding nonprofit organization management, fundraising, board management, program management, compliance, and much more.

• Peer-to-Peer Learning. Through an online community, quarterly convenings, and peer-to-peer webinars, nonprofits can hear from organizations facing similar challenges as their own, gaining valuable insights, tips, and resources. 
  

"Resilia has allowed us to meet a long-time goal of serving our grantee partners beyond the grant by offering expert and accessible support with capacity building. When our grantees tell us they're stuck on an organizational challenge, it feels good to connect them to Resilia's team who can follow up with resources, problem-solving strategies, or simply an experienced coach to talk things through." -Sohrob Nabatian, Kalliopeia Foundation.

Funders can offer their nonprofit partners all the capacity-building tools mentioned in this article through the Resilia Funder Program. To learn more about how Resilia can help you support grantees in diversifying their revenue, improving their sustainability, and increasing their community impact, please visit the Resilia Funder Program page.