However, these donors are some of your most reliable supporters. They demonstrate a deep commitment to your cause by consistently giving sizeable amounts. Your mid-level donors are your future. Take care of them, and they’ll be your future major donor or lead campaign gift.
Social media is one of the most powerful tools for cultivating relationships with mid-level donors. This guide will show you how and why developing a social media strategy that prioritizes them is worth your time.
The Critical Role of Mid-Level Donor Retention
This positive growth in giving highlights the potential for increasing support from individuals for your cause, especially considering that charitable donations in the United States reached an incredible $557.16 billion last year.
Despite this optimistic outlook, the number of households that donate to charity has declined steadily over the past two decades from a high of 68 percent in 2002 to less than 50 percent of households today. This “donors down, dollars up” phenomenon means that donations are coming from a much smaller pool of supporters.
Many factors contribute to this phenomenon, such as declining trust in nonprofits, demographic changes, and socioeconomic pressures on families. As a result, nonprofits are chasing fewer donors. This makes donor retention, particularly for mid-level donors with proven giving affinity and capacity, a critical focus for fundraisers in 2024 and beyond.
To seasoned fundraisers, focusing on donor retention shouldn’t come as a surprise. Reducing donor lapse is one of the best strategies for increasing net fundraising gains. In other words, spend more time keeping your supporters than trying to find new ones.
Why Mid-Level Giving and Retention Matter
Despite comprising a smaller percentage of your donor base, mid-level donors can represent up to 50 percent of your annual revenue.
These donors are essential because they provide:
- Significant Revenue Contributions: As we just mentioned, mid-level donors often provide a significant portion of your annual donations. By retaining these donors, you can secure a steady and reliable income stream.
- Future Major Donors: When stewarded well, some mid-level donors have the potential to become major givers or make planned gifts. Viewing mid-level giving programs as part of a long-term strategy rather than one-time appeals is crucial for earning major support down the line.
- Increased Engagement and Loyalty: Mid-level donors have already shown commitment to your cause. By giving them attention and recognition, you can deepen their loyalty.
To cultivate mid-level donors, go beyond traditional methods and leverage tools like social media for engagement. As part of a modern nonprofit marketing plan, social media provides an ideal platform for personalized interaction and ongoing relationship building.
Why Use Social Media for Mid-Level Donor Cultivation?
Fundraisers are always looking for an inside edge to connect with prospects. At the same time, there’s a constant struggle for up-to-date information about our donors.
Social media assists with capturing both. In an age where donors increasingly want a more intimate giving experience, gift officers can use social media to meet that demand.
Use platforms like Facebook and Instagram to deepen connections with constituents. After all, these platforms are the ultimate two-way channel for conversation, making them crucial for mid-level fundraising.
How To Use Social Media To Fuel Mid-Level Donor Relationships
Recognizing social media’s potential, how do you make the most of these opportunities to build relationships and boost loyalty?
Let’s explore tips for crafting a strategy that creates meaningful connections with all donors, especially mid-level ones.
1. Treat Your Donors as Investors
The key to using social media as a fundraising tool is to think of your organization as a publicly traded company and your donors as stockholders. Like any good corporate strategist, your goal is to turn your donors into long-term investors.
Your social media channels are the perfect way to keep people informed and increase confidence in your work. Investors (your donors) want to see the results of their donations and feel appreciated!
Let them know their donations are contributing to an important cause by showing them the results! The ROI for your donors is the “feel-good factor.” Donors want to feel that they are making a difference.
2. Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin
Developing an effective social media strategy requires focus and planning. Here’s what Melissa Nelson of Nelson Strategic, a marketing consultancy specializing in the nonprofit sector, advises:
“Nonprofit organizations should know which platforms their audiences are on and not be all things to all platforms. Social media is a commitment. I always recommend not to start a new social media channel unless you are committed to a strategy with consistent, creative, and informative content. Do what is most effective and focus on doing that well.”
In other words, it’s better to have a strong, active presence on a few platforms than a weak presence on many.
3. Try Social Media Advertising
If your social media strategy needs some help, consider paid advertising. Social media advertising offers nonprofits a way to reach specific audiences, making it easier to engage supporters.
To make the most of social media advertising, try the following:
- Promote content that highlights your nonprofit’s mission, success stories, and upcoming events.
- Create engaging calls to action, such as donation or event appeals, to drive immediate support.
- Use targeting features to create tailored ads that align with the specific interests, demographics, and behaviors of your mid-level donors.
Getting Attention’s list of nonprofit advertising examples highlights a campaign from Doctors Without Borders. The organization created a Facebook Fundraiser and designed Facebook Ads to amplify its Giving Tuesday efforts. Within the two weeks Doctors Without Borders ran its ads, the campaign generated an incredible 2.8x return on ad spend. 60 percent of donations came from new donors while 40 percent came from returning donors, emphasizing the power of targeted ads.
4. Focus on Purposeful Content Creation
Social media is a proven, quick way to share purposeful, varied content with donors. Dunham + Company’s study suggests this is the best formula for optimized Facebook content:
- 50 percent inspirational
- 10 percent conversational
- 10 percent celebrational
- 20 percent informational
- 10 percent connection
This content strategy will help you form support connections that can turn into real fundraising dollars.
5. Share Project Updates
You already relay information to donors via various channels. Just share that information on social media. Highlight your success by letting donors—not just your top-level donors—see the impact of their investment.
For example, if your healthcare-focused nonprofit unearths a major development in cancer research, your social media followers (especially your committed donors) will want to hear about it! Create a blog post on your website, then share it on social media with eye-catching infographics. This will create buy-in and long-term investment from your donors.
6. Encourage Followers to Interact
Double the Donation’s nonprofit marketing guide highlights that one of the best aspects of social media is its ability to facilitate two-way communication. Here are some ways to accomplish this and forge deeper donor relationships:
- Encourage supporters to share your posts, expanding your reach and visibility with their networks.
- Respond to comments and like supporters’ posts that mention your organization, showing appreciation and fostering a sense of community.
- Create dedicated pages or groups to facilitate discussions and build a vibrant community for your cause by encouraging supporters to engage with each other.
- Highlight stories, photos, and testimonials from supporters on your social media channels, making them feel valued.
By implementing these strategies, you can leverage social media’s interactive nature to strengthen relationships and create an engaged, dedicated donor community.
How To Use Social Media With Other Marketing Strategies
While social media is a powerful tool on its own, its impact can be amplified when used in tandem with other marketing channels such as email and Google Ads.
Here’s how to combine social media with other crucial marketing channels:
- Google Ads. Use Google Ads to target specific demographics and topics that align with your mid-level donors. Create Google Ad campaigns that complement your social media efforts, such as promoting specific fundraising campaigns or events. Plus, if you qualify for the Google Ad Grant, you can tap into this paid advertising channel for free.
- Email marketing. Drive traffic to your social media pages through email campaigns. Share highlights from your social media posts in your email newsletters to keep subscribers engaged. Encourage them to follow your social media channels for real-time updates and opportunities.
- Your nonprofit’s website. Integrate social media feeds into your website to showcase real-time posts and foster a more dynamic user experience. You can also encourage website visitors to follow your social media channels or share your blog posts by embedding social media buttons on your site.
These are just a few channels to consider. Don’t forget about direct mail campaigns, text outreach, and announcements at events.
By using social media with other high-visibility channels, you can create a comprehensive nonprofit marketing plan that maximizes donor engagement and strengthens relationships with your mid-level donors.
Next Steps: Building A Sustainable Future
For mid-level donors in particular, social media platforms provide powerful opportunities to forge personal, meaningful supporter relationships. Loyal and passionate mid-level donors deserve intentional communication and can be champions for your organization for years to come.
Going above and beyond to engage your mid-level supporters via social media communicates that you value their engagement.
About the Authors
Rachel Santos is Senior Marketing Manager for the Winkler Group. Rachel connects nonprofit partners with resources they can use to impact their communities—providing industry insights, research, and strategy so that they can expand their reach in carrying out their missions and making a difference. Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn.
Anna Lipscomb is Marketing Events Manager for the Winkler Group, a national capital campaign planning and management firm headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina. A graduate of Clemson University, Anna is passionate about community development, sustainability, and the arts. Connect with Anna on LinkedIn.
References
Dunham + Company. (2018). Nonprofits & social media: a missed connection. https://www.dunhamandcompany.com/fundraising-research/socialmedia/.
Giving USA Foundation. (2024). Giving USA: the annual report on philanthropy for the year 2023.
School of Philanthropy, Indiana University Lilly Family. (2024). The philanthropy outlook 2024-2025 report. https://scholarworks.indianapolis.iu.edu/items/499ae1f5-c885-4aa3-aa49-1f27534dd096.
School of Philanthropy, Indiana University Lilly Family. (2021). The giving environment: understanding pre-pandemic trends in charitable giving. https://scholarworks.iupui.edu/bitstream/handle/1805/26290/giving-environment210727.pdf.