Hi Reader,

Every fundraiser knows this feeling…

You send an email to a prospective donor. Then another. And maybe even one more.

Still, no response. No engagement. Nothing.

You check your social media posts—a few views, but nothing significant.

It’s soooo frustrating.

You start wondering, what am I missing? Maybe you’re doing okay—after all, you’re getting at least a 2% reply rate. Deep down, you know there’s room for improvement.

What if the answer isn’t sending more emails or posts but trying something different?

In today’s edition of the Social Profit Stack, I’ll share fresh ways to engage with your donors. These days, we bombard our audience with content like emails, social media posts, and invitations—so it’s hard to stand out. But what if you reimagined how you engage donors?

What if you created content that they actually wanted to consume—something they’d even look forward to?

Donor Engagement In 2025

Many nonprofits have already started developing their fundraising strategies for 2025, but if you look closely, are they doing anything differently regarding donor engagement?

I’m a big fan of providing donors with a great online and offline experience. So, how can we offer a different experience that inspires donors by sharing our impact?

Recent declines in giving across the sector show the importance of establishing relationships with donors. Through economic downturns, higher inflation, and more competition from other nonprofits, donors need loyalty within our community.

The good news is that you can create connections by taking the less-travelled approach. It's simple.

Take The Path Less Travelled

For years, we’ve latched on to what should work in our communications, but it’s time to refresh our ideas and focus on connecting with our donors.

These days, would-be donors spend what feels like entire lifetimes doom-scrolling. What would motivate them to take action?

We’re all bored of content these days, so it’s no surprise our content bores our donors.

Mastering social media and other forms of communication from the corner of our desks alongside other important priorities is not the best way to work.

We also know that limited resources tend to kill creativity.

From new technology to donor management tools, you have a world of information to work with alongside mountains of data to help you engage donors. Add these 4 strategies to your 2025 plan:

Be a guest on a popular podcast

The podcast side of content is gigantic but remains a great way to raise awareness of your organization. Many podcasters offer guest opportunities. You can use research to find podcasters you'd like to connect with.

Review potential podcasts with similar target audiences to yours. Similar to fundraising, it's important to discover and cultivate podcast hosts when seeking the right show.

Use Pinterest

Pinterest isn’t just for recipes and crafts anymore.

It’s home to over 50 million active users monthly, three-quarters of whom are women. If this matches your audience, Pinterest is a hidden gem. Add a "Pin It" button to your website so visitors can easily share your content.

Master Writing “Must-Open” Email Subject Lines

Most of us (including me) spend so much time creating content that we don’t spend enough time on one of the most important strategies: the subject line.

Think of it as the entry of a donor journey - if they don’t get opened, how will they know how incredible you are? Consider these subject line tips to get started:

-Time-sensitive, i.e. only 2 days left to match your donations.

-Exclusive, i.e. “You might like this story.”

-Topical, i.e. “See the latest research from [cause]” - keep them curious.

-Personal, i.e. “[Donor name], will you join us at [event]?"

Email remains a powerful way to share your content with your audience with no algorithm to contend with. The most important thing is getting your reader to open it.

Share surveys and polls

You can learn what your audience loves. Donors want to feel heard, and surveys and polls give them that chance.

It’s simple to ask for their input and show you care about what they think. Here’s the trick: keep it short and specific. Ask questions like:

“What part of our impact excites you most?”

“How do you prefer to hear from us?

“What would you like to see us do next year?”

Surveys don’t just give you great insights—they also show donors they’re part of your mission. Bonus? They’re an easy way to start conversations and build stronger relationships.

Trying new strategies might feel risky, but it’s worth it.

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When you take a fresh approach to engage your donors, you’ll create content that stands out, builds trust, and shares your value in the community.

So, which idea will you try first? Hit reply and let me know!

Make 2025 your most creative year yet!

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Write click-worthy email subject lines to stand out from the crowd. Sign up for Co-Schedule’s Email Subject Line Analyzer​

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Do you like the idea of being a podcast guest? PodMatch helps the right podcast guests and hosts find each other faster.