How to Start a Fundraiser: A Guide for Nonprofits

Every successful fundraiser begins with a clear plan. Whether you’re a first-time fundraising coordinator or a seasoned nonprofit leader looking to sharpen your approach, the steps you take before, during, and after a campaign determine whether donors give once or stay with you for years.

The stakes are real. According to data from the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, the average donor retention rate hovers around 43%. That means more than half of all donors don’t give again the following year. The good news? Nonprofits that invest in strategic fundraising with the right tools, clear goals, and thoughtful stewardship, consistently outperform those averages.

This guide walks you through how to start a fundraiser from the ground up, covering everything from setting goals and choosing your format to promoting your campaign and building lasting donor relationships.

Step-by-step guide to starting a fundraiser

1. Define your mission and set fundraising goals

Before you send a single email or set up a donation page, you need clarity on two things: what you’re raising money for and how much you need.

Strong fundraising campaigns are built on specific, mission-aligned goals. Vague appeals like “support our work” rarely inspire action. Specific ones do.

Start by answering these questions:

What program, project, or operational need will this fundraiser support?
How much do you need to raise and by when?
Who are the donors most likely to give to this specific cause?
What does success look like beyond dollars raised?

Once you have answers, translate them into a SMART goal: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For example: “Raise $25,000 by December 31 to fund our after-school literacy program for 200 students.”

This clarity does more than guide your team; it also gives donors a reason to act. People give when they can see exactly where their money goes and why it matters now.

2. Choose your fundraising format

One of the first decisions you’ll make when learning how to start a fundraising campaign is choosing your format. Each approach has distinct advantages, and many nonprofits use both.

Online fundraising

Online fundraising removes geographic barriers, lowers overhead costs, and makes it easy to reach donors at any time of day. It’s particularly effective for:

Year-end giving campaigns.
GivingTuesday drives.
Peer-to-peer campaigns where supporters fundraise on your behalf.
Monthly giving program recruitment.

When learning how to start a fundraiser online, focus on three essentials: a compelling, mobile-optimized donation page; a clear and urgent message; and a multichannel promotion strategy using email, social media, and SMS.

Keep your online donation form simple. Every extra field reduces conversion. Make your campaign goal visible so donors can track progress and feel motivated to give.

When learning how to start a fundraiser online, focus on three essentials: a compelling, mobile-optimized donation page; a clear and urgent message; and a multichannel promotion strategy using email, social media, SMS.

Keep your online donation form simple. Every extra field reduces conversion. Make your campaign goal visible so donors can track progress and feel motivated to give.

In-person fundraising events

Galas, luncheons, golf tournaments, and auctions create experiences that deepen emotional connection to your mission. They’re harder to organize but often deliver higher average gift amounts and stronger donor engagement.

The tradeoff is complexity. Managing ticketing, seating, auction items, and real-time donations simultaneously requires careful planning and ideally support from purpose-built tools.

Hybrid approach

Many organizations combine online and in-person fundraising to build momentum, engage donors, and continue outreach afterward.

3. Leverage fundraising event software and nonprofit auction software

Using the right tools can make your fundraiser easier to manage and more efficient.

Fundraising event software that supports various event types can help you:

Create branded event websites with integrated ticketing and registration.
Manage tables and seating.
Track and manage sponsors.
Provide real-time insights via dashboards, monitoring revenue and participation.
Seamless QR code check-in and self-checkout.
AI-assisted event readiness tools that help you prepare smarter.

For organizations planning an auction, nonprofit auction software adds a layer of engagement that paper bid sheets simply can’t match. Mobile bidding lets guests bid from their own devices without requiring an app download. Features like real-time outbid notifications, Max Bid functionality, and AI-generated item descriptions create urgency and competition that drive higher bids.

Focus on simplicity for both your team and your donors. The easier it is to give, the more successful your fundraiser will be.

4. Build campaigns that connect with donors

Technology enables your campaign. Story and strategy are what make donors give.

The most effective fundraising campaigns share three qualities:

A human story at the center
Data informs. Stories inspire. Lead with a specific beneficiary, a tangible outcome, or a moment that captures why your mission matters. Make the donor the hero. Their gift is what makes the story possible.
A clear, urgent ask
Tell donors exactly what you need, how much it costs, and what happens if they give today. Deadlines and matching gift opportunities create urgency without feeling manipulative.
Consistent messaging across channels
Whether a donor encounters your campaign through email, social media, direct mail, or at an event, the message should feel unified. Inconsistency creates doubt. Consistency builds trust.

When these elements work together, your campaign becomes clearer, more compelling, and more effective at turning interest into action.

5. Promote your program using fundraising software

Even the most compelling campaign fails without an audience. Promotion, supported by fundraising software is how you turn a well-crafted message into real donor action.

Email remains the highest-ROI channel for nonprofits. Build a series that begins before your campaign launches, peaks around your event or deadline, and follows up with gratitude and impact updates. Personalization matters here: emails that reference a donor’s name and past giving consistently outperform generic broadcasts.

Social media expands your reach. Organic posts, donor spotlights, behind-the-scenes content, and campaign countdowns all build momentum. Encourage board members, staff, and loyal donors to share — peer networks are often more persuasive than direct outreach from your organization.

SMS drives urgency. Text messages have open rates far exceeding email, making them effective for event-day reminders, last-minute donation pushes, and campaign deadline alerts.

Direct mail still works — for the right audiences. Older donors and major giving prospects often respond better to physical mail than digital outreach. A well-timed appeal letter, particularly one that includes a QR code linking to your donation page, can reinforce digital campaigns effectively.

The key is consistency: use all of these channels together, with personalized messages, across the duration of your campaign.

6. Follow up after your fundraiser

Here’s where most fundraisers fall short: the work doesn’t end when the event does.

Retaining a donor typically costs far less than acquiring a new one. Yet too many nonprofits treat post-campaign follow-up as an afterthought.

A structured donor stewardship plan is what separates organizations that plateau from those that grow sustainably. Stewardship is the relationship-building process that happens after a donor gives, and it’s the single most powerful driver of long-term donor retention.

Effective stewardship follows five steps:

Accept the donation with a clear process for reviewing, tracking, and acknowledging every gift.
Acknowledge and thank the donor promptly, ideally within 24 to 48 hours.
Provide personalized recognition that reflects the donor’s giving level and preferences.
Communicate the impact of their gift with specific stories, data, and program updates.
Cultivate the relationship by keeping donors engaged between asks through newsletters, events, and mission updates.

Different donor segments deserve different stewardship strategies. New donors need trust-building and impact proof. Loyal mid-level donors respond to recognition and community. Major donors expect personal, one-on-one relationship investment.

From your first fundraiser to a sustainable program

Learning how to start a fundraiser is the first chapter of a much longer story. The organizations that grow their revenue year after year aren’t just good at running events or crafting appeals; they’re good at building systems that work over time.

That means setting clear goals, choosing the right format for your audience, using technology that removes friction, telling stories that connect donors to your mission, promoting consistently across channels, and following up with stewardship that makes every donor feel valued.

Building a fundraising program, not just running a single campaign, comes down to one thing: treating every donor interaction as a long-term investment. Donors who feel connected, informed, and appreciated give more, stay longer, and bring others with them.

You don’t have to figure it all out alone. The right platform gives you the tools, coaching, and confidence to execute and keep improving with every campaign you run.

Ready to start your fundraiser and set it up for success from day one? Bonterra Network for Good combines an all-in-one fundraising platform with expert coaching and AI-powered guidance so small nonprofits can raise more with less effort. Request a demo today and see how Network for Good can help you hit your fundraising goals with confidence.