Interested in cultivating volunteers as donors? It’s not as complicated as you may think—volunteers already have a passion for your mission, making them among your most likely donor prospects.
According to the Global Trends in Giving Report, 85% of volunteers donate to the nonprofits they volunteer for.
Plus, Giving USA 2024 revealed that the total number of donors in the United States dropped by 3.4% in 2023. Your organization is likely looking to engage new audiences in your fundraising efforts to diversify your revenue streams.
We recommend adopting the same strategy you use for regular donor cultivation to turn volunteers into donors. In this guide, we’ve outlined volunteer-specific strategies to implement at each stage of the cultivation process.
1. Prospect Identification
Start by identifying current volunteers who are most likely to become donors through prospect research.
The prospect research process allows you to focus your cultivation efforts on your top prospects, helping to boost your return on investment (ROI).
Use the data stored in your volunteer management system to identify volunteers who:
- Have been involved with your organization for at least six months;
- Are currently active (attend at least one volunteer opportunity per month);
- And show support in other ways, such as social media advocacy.
These traits indicate that a volunteer is highly engaged with your mission and willing to support your organization outside of their regular volunteer duties.
Demographic factors can also indicate a willingness to give, including age. The average donor in the U.S. is 64 years old. Older donors are more likely to be interested in planned giving or bequests. Emphasize these giving opportunities as an effective way to create a legacy at an organization that means so much to them.
2. Cultivation
The next step to turn volunteers into donors is to put fundraising opportunities on their radars.
Volunteers might be very plugged into your volunteer events but may not have as much familiarity with your organization’s other ongoing activities. Introduce them to your fundraising efforts by taking these steps:
- Invite volunteers to fundraising events. Personally invite volunteers to events such as fundraising 5Ks, silent auctions, or golf tournaments. Make it clear you’re inviting them as an attendee, not an event volunteer.
- Engage volunteers through peer-to-peer fundraising. Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns empower supporters to create personalized fundraising pages and raise money on behalf of your nonprofit. Recruit volunteers to create fundraising pages to introduce them to the fundraising process.
- Ask current donors to reach out to volunteers and discuss giving opportunities. Have current donors act as peer marketers by introducing volunteers to fundraising opportunities. For instance, you could have donors email volunteers about how to get involved in fundraising and what donations go toward.
These efforts will give volunteers more context for the scope and purpose of your fundraising activities, allowing them to investigate opportunities to support your organization in a new way.
3. Solicitation
After introducing volunteers to fundraising activities, send a personalized donation solicitation.
Volunteers will be more likely to respond positively to your gift requests when you:
- Personalize the request with volunteers’ names. Use your donor management solution to facilitate individualized personalization. According to Bloomerang’s donor management software guide, some donor database systems (also called nonprofit CRMs) can auto-populate supporters’ names in email greetings. You should also include volunteers’ names in direct mail materials.
- Reference volunteers’ past involvement and thank them for their dedication to your mission. Show volunteers the gratitude they deserve by acknowledging the ways they’ve already supported your mission. Reference specific volunteer roles they’ve taken on or programs they’ve helped with to further personalize your message.
- Explain why you’re reaching out. What is your current fundraising need and how can volunteers help? Explain whether you’re seeking support for a specific campaign or your annual fund. Be clear about the programs or projects volunteers’ gifts will go toward.
- Connect donations to your volunteer program. Volunteers already have a strong attachment to your volunteer program, so show them how their donations can positively impact this initiative that’s so meaningful to them. For example, explain how donations help you purchase much-needed supplies for volunteers or allow you to keep the gas tanks full for the vehicles that volunteers use during their shifts.
- Ask for a specific gift amount. This specificity helps volunteers understand the types of gifts you’re looking for and may motivate them to contribute. For example, after explaining your current fundraising needs, you could say “Would you be willing to give $50 today to support our Save the Turtles campaign?”
- Send the request using each volunteer’s preferred communication method. Use your CRM to determine which platforms volunteers use the most to engage with your organization. This could include text-to-give, email, direct mail, a phone call, or an in-person meeting.
These efforts will give volunteers more context for the scope and purpose of your fundraising activities, allowing them to investigate opportunities to support your organization in a new way.
4. Stewardship
Integrating volunteers into your donor pipeline isn’t complete after their first gift.
You must continue building relationships with volunteers to retain their support and encourage them to become repeat donors.
Maintain volunteers’ involvement by showcasing the impact of their donations using platforms like social media and email. Use those channels to demonstrate the positive difference that donations can make by sharing:
- Beneficiary testimonials, including photos, videos, and direct quotes from beneficiaries sharing their experiences.
- Infographics, maps, and charts demonstrating the positive impact of donations on your mission.
- Mission-related success metrics, such as how much you’ve been able to grow your reach because of donor support.
You might already conduct similar stewardship activities when showing volunteers how their work benefits your mission. You can easily transform these communications to be donation-focused by pulling donation data from your online fundraising platform and CRM.
5. Retention and Moves Management
The final step in fully incorporating volunteers into your donor pipeline is to retain them and encourage them to increase their investment.
Volunteers will be more likely to grow their giving over time when you:
- Send multiple gratitude messages. Send a variety of thank-you messages to volunteers to make your gratitude known. Right after volunteers donate, send an immediate thank-you email with their donation receipt. Then, plan additional gratitude touchpoints, including a phone call or handwritten letter.
- Ask for feedback. Send volunteers a survey asking for their input about the donation process. Did they have a straightforward giving experience? Did they understand exactly how their donation would be used? Take their feedback seriously and follow up to let them know how you’ll incorporate their insights into your fundraising process.
- Follow up relatively quickly with additional donation requests. Don’t be afraid to ask volunteers for another gift! One of the most common reasons for donor lapse is simply because donors forgot they ever gave in the first place. Keep your giving opportunities top of mind by highlighting recurring donation options, such as your nonprofit’s monthly giving program. Ensure all donation requests are personalized based on volunteers’ past gift amounts.
From this point, the donor pipeline becomes a cyclical process where your nonprofit continually stewards donors and encourages them to renew or upgrade their support.
Volunteers already have incredible potential to become donors.
By tapping into their generosity and passion for your mission, you can support your fundraising efforts and potentially even find new major donors. Your success will rely on your ability to fully integrate volunteers into the donor pipeline and treat them the same as other potential donors.
