Turning one-time actions into lifelong support with More Strategic

Written by Alex Stuart | Oct 24, 2024 8:29:58 AM

In the world of nonprofit fundraising, it’s easy to focus on the big wins—virtual events that bring in a flood of new supporters. But what happens after those events? How can organizations turn a one-time interaction into a long-term, meaningful relationship?

At a recent webinar, Julie Roberts and Megan Maya from More Strategic joined us to explore exactly this. Together, they introduced the This is Beyond framework, which looks at how to engage supporters well beyond their first fundraising action and turn one-time fundraisers into lifelong supporters.

This blog will dive into the challenges faced in building long-term relationships (and what to look out for in your own nonprofit!), the This is Beyond framework, a real-life success story from Australian charity, Cerebral Palsy Alliance, and key insights and strategies shared during the webinar.

Watch the webinar

Missed the live event? Don’t worry! You can watch the full webinar recording below and catch up on all the insights shared by More Strategic.

Key challenges in building long-term relationships

Many nonprofits struggle to keep the momentum going after a successful campaign. During the webinar, Julie and Megan identified three key challenges that often get in the way of building long-term relationships:

A product-centric focus: Too often, organizations focus on individual campaigns or products—whether it’s a fun run or a Giving Tuesday appeal. While these events are crucial, this approach can overlook the broader opportunity to build an ongoing relationship with supporters.
Siloed teams: Different departments—events, marketing, individual giving—often work independently. Without a unified strategy, it’s hard to maintain engagement with supporters once a specific campaign ends and many nonprofits miss key opportunities to engage because communication between teams isn't happening when it needs to.

Lack of long-term focus: There’s often a push for immediate results, which means organizations don’t invest enough in nurturing their new supporters and encouraging them to stay involved. Whilst immediate income can be important, it's also key to look at what can be achieved in the long run and make sure your nonprofit is investing in the future.

These challenges make it harder to create strong, lasting connections with supporters, but the This is Beyond framework was designed to tackle these barriers so let’s take a look.

The This is Beyond Framework

The This is Beyond framework offers a structured approach to turning one-time fundraisers into long-term supporters. It’s broken down into four key stages:

Prospect: The first step is capturing consent and collecting supporter information during campaigns. This ensures you can keep in touch and invite people to stay involved. By using GivePanel's 1-click fundraiser registration form for example, you can collect 100% of your supporter's contact data, giving you the means to contact them when you need to. Additionally, retargeting these prospects, particularly using digital ads, can also be an effective way to bring them back.
Engagement: Once you’ve identified potential long-term supporters, it’s important to use multiple channels—email, SMS, social media—to keep them engaged. The webinar emphasized the importance of personalized communication. Reaching out to supporters at the right time, and in the right way, is key.
Bridging: This stage addresses the gap that often occurs between campaigns. Organizations need to think beyond the immediate moment and have a strategy for keeping supporters engaged in the long term. The challenge here is that many nonprofits don’t have clear ownership over this stage, which can lead to missed opportunities.
Next best offer: Finally, you need to offer supporters a meaningful next step—whether that’s asking them to become a regular donor, join another event, or support in a different way. Personalization is critical here; the more tailored the ask, the more likely supporters will continue their journey with your organization.

Steptember case study

Megan shared a great case study from Steptember, a campaign run by the Cerebral Palsy Alliance in Australia. It encourages participants to take 10,000 steps a day throughout September to raise money for people living with cerebral palsy.

One key factor in Steptember’s success was collaboration between the event team and the individual giving team. Both teams worked together on strategy, budgets, and goals, which helped convert participants into regular donors.

They also used a “nudge journey” to gently encourage participants to stay connected with the cause beyond the event itself. Through post-event surveys, follow-up emails, and SMS, they were able to identify who was most likely to become a regular giver and nurture those relationships.

For example, after the campaign ended, they sent out a survey to participants to gauge their interest in continuing to support the Cerebral Palsy Alliance. This survey alone led to 12 new regular givers and 74 potential gift-in-will leads. Small touches like these, introduced right after an event, make a big difference in keeping the connection alive.

Tools and strategies for better conversion

So how do you take these ideas and put them into practice? Julie and Megan covered several practical tools and strategies that can help turn first-time fundraisers into long-term supporters.

Telemarketing (TM): While some organizations are hesitant to use telemarketing due to concerns about privacy or public trust, Julie highlighted its effectiveness. She recommended sending a pre-call message (via email or SMS) to set expectations and make people feel more comfortable. This method can build trust and help ensure that the people who answer the phone are already somewhat interested.
Surveys and propensity models: Using surveys to collect insights about supporters’ interests and motivations is another helpful tool. Pair this with a propensity model—analyzing past supporter behavior to predict who’s most likely to convert—and you can prioritize outreach to those most engaged with your cause.
Multichannel stewardship: Regular communication, whether through email, SMS, or even a personal thank-you call, is essential for keeping supporters engaged. The webinar stressed that high-value fundraisers (those who raise large amounts) should always receive personal recognition. A thank-you call goes a long way in making them feel valued!

Key learnings

So what did we learn from all of this? First, cross-functional collaboration is essential. It’s not just about having great events or campaigns—it’s about making sure different teams work together to maintain supporter engagement long after a campaign ends.

Timing is also important. Starting follow-up activities shortly after a campaign helps keep the momentum going and makes it easier to convert one-time supporters into long-term contributors. For example, Steptember found that starting their follow-up right after the event ended led to faster conversions.

Looking ahead, the This is Beyond project will continue working with charities to test new approaches, including using platforms like WhatsApp to engage supporters. With every new intake of charities, the program refines its strategies and shares learnings so that more organizations can benefit.

Ready to get involved?

If your nonprofit is interested in turning one-time fundraisers into lifelong supporters, the This is Beyond program could be a great opportunity. You’ll work alongside other charities to learn, test, and grow your engagement strategies.

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