fundraising in a crisis

1. Crisis Fundraising
Templates
A Nonprofit Guide
to Emergency
Communications

2. Introduction
You’re here because your community is experiencing an unforeseen
emergency, or because you want to prepare for the worst while hoping
for the best. Depending on who or what your nonprofit serves, you may
be called upon for urgent support, and being prepared can help you
spring into action as swiftly as possible.
To start, take a deep breath. Your donors believe in your mission. They
trust you and your staff to make it a reality. They’ve supported your
cause in the past, and in this time of need, they’re passionate about
supporting you now.
In addition to the donors you have, there are others who are seeking
to pay it forward with an organization like yours. By encouraging your
board and constituents to share, forward, and retweet your social media
posts and emails, you can attract new supporters and gain support from
your community—even if you have limited time or resources.
To aid you in your emergency efforts, we’ve created readymade email
and social media templates for all of your immediate fundraising needs.
Table of contents
Campaign launch templates
Crowdfunding templates
Monthly giving templates
Fundraising event templates
Volunteer opportunity templates
Keys to fundraising in a crisis
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3. Campaign
launch
Craft your fundraising ask to
reflect the challenges your
organization is facing. Keep in
mind that the key to achieving
maximum engagement during
a crisis is inviting donors to
contribute in multiple ways.
Use these email and social
media templates to convey
how much your donors mean
to you and how you can all work
together to make a difference,
even if obstacles stand in the
way or if resources are scarce.
Lean more about DonorPerfect
fundraising campaigns >>
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4. Campaign launch social media templates
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Save time on your social media campaign by leveraging the opportunities you
listed in your initial email (above) as individual social media posts. You’ll see
how in our examples!

5. Crowdfunding
Invite your supporters to help! By leveraging
crowdfunding tools designed for nonprofits,
your organization can easily equip donors to
serve as digital promoters of your emergency
campaign for a day, a week, or however long
you need.
Learn more about DonorPerfect
crowdfunding >>
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7. Provide your crowdfunding ambassadors with these
email and social media templates so they can get
started spreading the word about your campaign
right away.
Supply your crowdfunders with templates, graphics,
images, and captions that will help your campaign
stand out in their inboxes and social feeds. Be sure
to attach these assets to your invitations before
hitting send.
If you’re using DonorPerfect Crowdfunding, your
supporters will be automatically provided with a
designed email, complete with a link to share,
when they create their individual pages. They’ll
just need to drop in your text!
And don’t forget to have your ambassadors thank
their crowdfunding contributors. Acknowledging the
time, effort, and enthusiasm of the people who took
action will help your crowdfunders gain support in
the future. We’ve included a thank-you template on
page 8!
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Templates for your crowdfunders

8. Crowdfunding social media templates
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10. Monthly giving
To generate sustainable revenue when
your beneficiaries need it most, use
these templates to launch a monthly
giving campaign that addresses your
emergency needs.
Need help? Download your free
Monthly Giving Starter Kit >>
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12. Monthly giving social media templates
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13. Fundraising
events
Bringing people together in
times of emergency, crisis,
or tragdy is no easy task,
especially if they’re unable
to make it in person. You can
still let your donors know
all of the different ways to
participate and spread the
word. These templates will
work for virtual, hybrid, and
in-person events—whichever
makes the most sense for
your mission and situation.
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Learn more about DonorPerfect
event management >>

14. Event social media templates
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15. Volunteer
opportunities
There are members of your community
would love to dedicate their time to help-
ing those affected by your emergency
situation. Use the email and social media
templates to get the word out about your
organization’s specific needs.
To streamline volunteer registration, be
sure to create an online form that syncs
with your donor database. And if the
thought of juggling volunteer schedules
feels like a lot right now, consider a
volunteer management app that can
handle it for you.
Learn more about DonorPerfect
volunteer management >>
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17. Keys to fundraising during a crisis
Fundraisers who are faced with unique and immediate challenges related to their mission - like financial emergencies,
natural disasters, political decisions, personal tragedies, and more - have much to consider. e.g. What is our community
expecting of us? Will we be able to respond quickly enough? Are we helping in a way that is sensitive of the victims’
needs and emotions?
To overcome these obstacles, there are 4 keys to fundraising during a crisis:
Leverage your data
Don’t forget about small details that can make all the difference. Pay
special attention to your donors’ interests and concerns to ensure your
messages hit home.
For example, a constituent relationship management system (CRM) like
DonorPerfect will allow you to review notes about past conversations
you’ve had with supporters, create a list of donors who might have been
affected by your emergency, and integrate a prospect research tool to
learn more about their giving history.
Collect the right information
Ensure your donor data isn’t missing details that could be essential for your
crisis communications, such as emergency contacts, waivers, political
views, giving history, householding information, etc. Make sure your staff
is communicating with donors using the correct phone numbers and email
addresses to ensure recognition and proper documentation.
When you have time, it doesn’t hurt to ask donors to confirm their contact
information in order to stay informed about your emergency efforts. When
you’re under the gun, a nonprofit CRM like DonorPerfect will allow you to
integrate an automatic address updater and include an email signup form
on your website.
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18. Embrace communication alternatives
When there’s no time for handwritten cards or letters, embrace
alternatives like Zoom meetings, recorded video messages, and
automated text messages that will get the conversation going
quickly. Lead with concern about your donor’s well-being or
details about connection to the emergency, making it evident
that you have paid attention to their concerns. How? Donor-
Perfect’s video and text-to-give tools, for example, allow you to
create donor lists based on past giving and other criteria.
Lean into online fundraising
Online donation forms like DonorPerfect’s are easily custom-
izable (with your nonpofit’s colors and photos) for immediate
recognition, establishing a sense of trust in your organization,
and making them one of the most powerful ways to connect
during a crisis.
Share your online fundraising links via social media, email,
and on your website. You can use an existing online form as a
catchall, or create a designated form just for your emergency
situation for more accurate reporting. Includes fundraising
templates like these built in!
Through it all, the team at DonorPerfect is here for you. If
any these features sound like a good fit for your nonprofit’s
emergency situation, please reach out. Give us a call at
800-220-8111 or request more information here.
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