How to Ask for Donations? Common Mistakes to Avoid
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Struggling to get donations? You’re not alone! Asking for help can feel tough.
Most of us who have tried fundraising must face this situation: How do we ask for donations?
While running a non-profit organization or individual fundraising campaigns, urgent situations arise when we must ask for donations. But at that moment, a common thought hits us: we don’t want to become a burden for others, and what would be my approach that doesn’t feel fake to them?
Many soft-hearted people and for-profit organizations are here to help. You just need to know whom you are reaching and how you are asking.
In this article, we will explain how to ask for donations for your non-profit or individual fundraising campaign and provide tips on avoiding common mistakes.
TL;DR: How to ask for donations
In this blog, you will learn the following.
How to tell your story and be transparent about your goals
Why specific asks and urgency drive more donations
Where to reach people, email, text, social media, and beyond
How to personalize your message to boost response
The power of simple, effective donation forms using tools like Paymattic
Why follow-ups and ongoing engagement matter
10 tips on how to ask for donations
Asking for a donation means asking for help. You must ask for help in a warm and polite tone, right? So, in the beginning, keep that in mind. Then, outline a fruitful plan that actually works. Nobody knows your journey and why you are here, so your whole story should be reflected in your plan.
Here are ten tips for crafting your story and donation ask.
Crafting a compelling story: Share your ‘Why’
People love transparency. They want to know if their contributions are going to a legitimate cause. Think about yourself: could you believe someone without knowing them closely? Transparency is the top thing to consider when raising funds for a reason.
As the saying goes, honesty is the best policy, so be honest while telling your story. If supporters connect themselves with your story, they will like to donate to your cause. Here are a few suggestions that can keep your mind while crafting your story:
- The actual reason for your fundraising
- The financial goal and how long the campaign runs
- The outline of your fundraising campaign activity
Be specific: Clearly define what you’re asking for
One of the biggest mistakes fundraisers make is not clarifying what they are asking for. You are not guaranteed that your asking will be counted without proper acknowledgement. Just asking ‘donate to our cause’ is not enough to emotionally connect with the supporters. You must make them feel their contribution will add value to someone’s life.
Break down your goal into tangible, relatable needs. For example:
- Instead of “We need your support for our school, “say, “Your $20 will buy notebooks and pencils for one child for a semester.”
Remember, the more specific you are, the more confident and connected your donors will feel.
Create urgency: Inspire immediate action
Donors are encouraged to supports when they see their immediate action can help to reaching gaols. Without urgency, it will feel like ‘okay, I will donate later” for them.
Displaying a donation progress bar on your website is the best way to inspire immediate action. People love to see visual indications rather than analyzing data. A donation goal bar will show your donors the amount you’ve already raised and the goal you’ve set to reach. When they see that a small contribution is needed to reach the milestone, they will encourage more to donate.
Choose the right channels: Where and how to ask
Knowing your targeted audience is the first step in advertising your campaign to the right audience. When you know your audience, it will help you connect with them in the right channel.
After identifying your audience, it’s time to reach them. Here, reaching means finding them in the right channels. Suppose your target audience is Gen-Z, and you try to reach out to them via email. All your efforts will go in vain, and you won’t get the expected results because it’s not the perfect platform to get them. So, first you need to figure out where your audience is. As maximum fundraising campaign runs for all types of audiences, so you have to try multiple channels.
Consider the following channels to ask for donations. Don’t rely on just one method. Diversify your outreach across:
- Email: Great for detailed, personalized appeals.
- Text messages: Perfect for short, urgent asks with high open rates.
- Social media: Ideal for visual storytelling and quick updates.
- Your website or blog: A central hub for in-depth info and donation forms.
- Face-to-face or phone calls: Best for major donors or long-term supporters.
Track which platform can bring more engagement, keep it in mind and run your next campaign based on this.
Personalize your message: Make donors feel seen
Personalizing your message matters and ultimately helps to increase your CTA. When crafting a message for your supporters, customize it so that they are willing to click. Personalization makes people feel recognized, increasing the chance of a positive response, and they’re more likely to give more. Supporters who contribute before acknowledge their previous support, which makes them feel valued.
Some tips to make your donors feel prioritized:
- Start emails or texts with the donor’s name when possible. It’s a simple touch that makes a big difference. For example, “Hi Sarah, your past support meant a lot to us…”
- Show that you remember how they’ve helped before: “Thanks to your donation last year, we were able to feed 100 families. This year, we’re aiming even higher.”
- In your ask, let them know they matter. “We couldn’t do this without supporters like you.
Make it easy to donate
A complex donation setup may ruin all of your fundraising efforts. People want to help, but they also want it to be quick, clear, and hassle-free. Even the most heartfelt donation request can fall flat if the donation process is complicated and confusing. Avoid using long forms that feel overwhelming to the supporters, and also let donors choose how they give: credit/debit card, Stripe, PayPal, bank transfer, mobile wallets, etc.
Paymattic makes it easy to build donation forms that are fast, mobile-ready, and tailored to your needs. With features like one-click recurring donations, global payment gateways, and drag-and-drop fields, you’ll create a smooth giving experience in minutes, no tech skills needed.
Avoid overused terms: Reimagine ‘Donate’
“Donte now.” Remember how many times you heard this word? I hear it a thousand times in a year. It’s not that this word is bad, but overseas, a word may feel generic and not grab the attention of the people. When you ask for a donation, you need to use “inspire action” to really capture attention and help supporters think beyond the obvious.
Swap out “donate now” with more engaging and emotionally charged alternatives, such as:
- Change a life today
- Fuel the mission
- Be a hero to one child
- Join the fight
- Support the cause
- Make an impact
Remember, your words set the tone for how people feel about giving. Use verbs that evoke emotion, show value, and paint a picture of real-world impact.
Provide examples: Real-life donation request templates
Collecting donations online via text is difficult and can cause customers to lose interest. That’s where online donation forms come in.
A donation form simplifies the entire process instead of manually handling donations or directing people to a generic payment link. It helps you share your message, collect essential donor info, and securely accept payments all in one place.
Start fast with Paymattic’s donation form templates
Not sure where to begin? Meet Paymattic, it makes it easy to start with pre-designed donation form templates for different causes, like education, emergency relief, charity events, and more.
With drag-and-drop customization, multiple payment gateways, and recurring donation support, you can launch a full-fledged fundraising campaign in minutes, no coding needed.
Have a look at some of the templates available in Paymattic:
Donation form template with progress bar
Fundraising form for treatment
Madhobi
This is Madhobi, a content writer at WPManageNinja with expertise in technical writing and email marketing. Outside of work, she likes traveling and exploring new places.
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