Being at the helm of a non-profit can be fulfilling but it can also be very stressful.
There is a lot to keep an eye on, to ensure everything runs smoothly, and the money you raise goes to all of the right places to benefit the public. There is much that can be done, however, to make the whole process a lot smoother, and in turn, decrease the stress levels you might be experiencing, which can be no bad thing.
Fundraising and donations are at the heart of every non-profit, so you need to look there first, and then once this box is ticked, look at other solutions that take the weight off your shoulders and allow you to get back to what you should be doing – helping people.
Innovative Ways to Raise More Funds
You name it, you’ve probably tried it. Leaflets, flyers, exposure in printed media, as well as mentions or advertising on both TV and radio. Depending on what you do, some will have been more successful than others and might have either had a limited range or a scattergun, less targeted approach.
Using SMS mass texting might not be the first thing that springs to mind, but it is most likely that you’ve never heard of it. This is a way of getting in contact with everyone on your database at once, and when used effectively, can get better response rates than email.
The key phrase here is ‘used effectively’ so you need to not just look for information on SMS mass texting, but mass texting for nonprofits specifically. This can mean the difference between success and failure for a campaign, so it is not an area where you should be cutting any corners.
Other Software and Services That Can Make Running Your Non-Profit Less Stressful
Mass texting is useful for fundraising, but running a non-profit comes with a whole load of admin as well, which can be a source of stress. Finding the right solution in the right areas can make that all but disappear.
Chatbots – This might sound like it is out of left field, but having an on-page ‘guide’ as your donors navigate your website can go a long way to them clicking off the page before contributing. Answering questions in real time means they don’t have to go looking for an FAQ page or look wait for an answer to an emailed question.
Payroll software – Volunteers are great, but the chances are people also work for you for a wage, or at least for expenses. This needs to be right, so to take the chance of human error out of the equation, you could invest in payroll software. Making sure everyone gets paid probably takes up more time than you’d like, so automating this is important.
Communication software – Finding the right solution here can take time, but you are probably already aware it does not involve long email chains or a single WhatsApp group. You need something that keeps everyone in the loop, even if they happen to be giving their input from an entirely different time zone. Better communication brings better results, which in turn means your non-profit can get more done with less in a shorter amount of time.