Sonya let out a huge exhale and said, "Digital fundraising scares me."

I'd been coaching Sonya for a few months when she finally admitted her fear. It wasn't what I expected her to say.

She'd been carrying around that fear for years, and constantly felt that everyone around her had figured out the digital stuff, so why couldn't she?

As we dug deeper, she told me she lacked the confidence to move forward and often felt like an imposter.

But here's what happened when she stopped avoiding it: she was able to start (re)building her digital foundation with simple strategies, and everything shifted.

She learned to utilize online tools to her advantage, learned and launched her first segmented email campaign, and saw her donor engagement rates increase.

Within six months, she went from being paralyzed by fear to presenting a digital fundraising strategy to her leadership and board.

If you've ever felt what Sonya felt, you're not alone. And the good news? The skills you need are more accessible than you think.

A Digital Reality We're Living In

The average Canadian adult spends nearly 30% of their day on a digital devices, with about two hours on social media alone.

Email accounts for 40% of usage, while messaging apps, including WhatsApp, Teams, and Messenger, account for another 49% of mobile use.

And you guessed it, ChatGPT became the most downloaded application in 2024.

These aren't just statistics. It's a map showing you where your donors already are spending their time.

If you're secretly hoping 'digital' will fade away, I need to be honest with you: it won't. But that's actually good news, because it means the investment you make in learning these skills will pay dividends for years to come.

Build A Digital Foundation

Here's what that transformed everything for Sonya: knowledge is power. When you understand what you need to learn, fear is trumped by capability.

Start by building strength in these three core areas:

1. Master email marketing. Discover how to segment your list, improve storytelling techniques, and craft compelling calls to action. Understand what emails to send during different seasons and why timing matters. Email remains your most powerful fundraising tool, and you already use it every day.
   ​
2. Double down on one social media platform. Don't try to be everywhere at once. Choose the platform where your donors spend their time and understand how it connects back to your website’s donation page. Depth beats breadth every single time.
   ​
3. Strengthen your digital foundational skills. Focus on creating great content, designing donation landing pages that convert, and maintaining a clean and functional database. Your data tells the story of your impact. Learn how to listen in.

Your Implementation Strategy

Once you're ready to move from learning to doing, these strategies will help you build momentum:

• Secure a commitment from leadership and board of directors. Digital transformation needs organizational buy-in. Make the case for why this matters.
• Treat your first effort as a test or experiment. Don't worry about perfection. Set clear metrics, test, measure, and learn.
• Celebrate wins and extract lessons from failures. Both are valuable data points that move you forward.

Remember, you already have most of these skills. Every time you check email, scroll social media, or shop online, you're using digital tools. You're not starting from zero! You're building on existing knowledge.

The Path Forward

Facing your fears around digital technology can feel intimidating. However, as you advance your learning, these tools become familiar and even comfortable to use.

The software that seems complex today will feel intuitive tomorrow.

Digital fundraising isn't about replacing the human connection at the heart of your work. It's about meeting people where they already are and making it easier for them to support causes they care about.

You have everything you need to start. The question is: when will you take the first step?

--

P.S. If you're not sure where to begin, hit reply and we'll find a time to chat this week.

P.S.S. Monday works right? I finished writing this edition of SPS from the departure lounge at Vancouver airport! I’m happy to be home after my incredible trip to Australia.

Links

Add this metric to a list of strategies to improve your email marketing. Chenell always surprises.

Ready for an effortless approach when designing your next presentation? Gamma.app has wrapped it up with a red bow.

Get a head start on planning for Giving Tuesday 2025. It’ll be here before you know it!

​