Want to hear something wonderful?
People are more generous than we often give them credit for.
According to the 2025 Generosity Report from Neon One, donors don’t just give money once. They show up in all kinds of meaningful ways.
- They make recurring donations or pledges.
- They volunteer their time.
- They attend events.
- They fundraise.
- They amplify your message online.
In fact:
- About half of the donors in this survey were also volunteers.
- More than 44% of the donors who attended a fundraising event also participated in a peer-to-peer fundraiser.
- About 11.7% donated to their favorite nonprofit every year from 2020 through 2024. Their contributions made up 45% of the total revenue generated during this period.
That’s powerful. That’s generosity. And it deserves to be celebrated and nurtured.
Are You Making Engagement Easier or Harder?
But here’s the challenge.
Are you creating more opportunities for this kind of deep engagement with your nonprofit?
Or are you unintentionally making it challenging for supporters to stay connected? If you’re not seeing this level of commitment from your donor base, you should examine why.
Let’s explore how a clear, consistent brand can help you deepen relationships, encourage multi-channel donor engagement, and keep your community coming back again and again.
Donors Want to Do More Than Give Once
Your supporters could show up for you in more ways than one, if you give them the opportunity.
They’re not just one-time donors. They’re advocates, volunteers, ambassadors, and cheerleaders. Many of them want to be involved beyond their bank accounts.
So why do so many nonprofit websites, emails, and social channels treat them like just a number?
The Problem With One-Dimensional Engagement
If your outreach is only built around fundraising appeals, you’re missing the bigger picture and possibly missing or turning off your most loyal supporters.
Here’s what that may look like:
- A donor can’t easily find volunteer opportunities on your website…
- A one-time donor is not given the opportunity to set up a recurring donation or to join a monthly donor club…
- A pledge is met with radio silence…
- Emails only ask for money but never educate or invite people to advocate for your cause…
- Supporters never hear about your events…
- Your brand voice sounds different depending on where someone finds you…
This kind of disjointed communication leads to confusion and ultimately, disconnection.
Inconsistent messaging can make supporters feel like their efforts don’t matter unless they come with a credit card. That’s not the message any of us want to send.
A Strong Brand Invites Donors Into the Bigger Story
Here’s the shift:
When your brand message is clear, consistent, and aligned with your mission, it becomes a catalyst for deeper connection, not just a one-time transaction.
A strong brand tells your supporters:
🧭 Who you are
💬 What you value
🤝 How they can get involved
🎯 Why their support matters, no matter how they offer it
That clarity builds trust. And trust leads to long-term multi-channel donor engagement across giving, volunteering, advocacy, and more.
How to Build a Brand That Encourages Multi-Channel Donor Engagement
Ready to engage donors beyond the donation? Here’s where to start:
1. Clarify Your Brand Voice and Values
Use a clear, consistent voice across your website, emails, and social media. Make sure your values come through in every piece of content and channel, not just fundraising appeals.
📌 Example: A youth services nonprofit rewrote their email templates to include “3 ways to support us” in every message. Donors could give, volunteer, or share.
2. Make Multiple Engagement Paths Visible
Make sure your website is your one-stop digital source of all relevant information. Create easy-to-find and read pages for volunteering, attending events, joining peer-to-peer campaigns, advocacy tools, or learning more about your mission.
📌 Example: A food bank redesigned its website to add a “Ways to Help” button at the top. It led to increased volunteer signups.
3. Personalize and Segment Your Messaging and Channel
Send personalized messaging based on how people first interacted with you. If someone started as a volunteer, thank them in language that reflects that identity, and then invite them to donate. Continue to communicate with them through the channels and formats they prefer (direct mail, email, SMS, etc.).
📌 Example: A community arts group noticed volunteers weren’t converting to donors. They created a branded “Thank You Volunteers” campaign that invited them to sponsor a local student’s art supplies.
4. Celebrate Every Form of Support
Don’t wait for a donation to say thank you. Publicly celebrate volunteers, event attendees, peer-to-peer fundraisers, and social media advocates. This builds community and reinforces your brand values.
📌 Example: A nature preserve regularly spotlights “Supporter of the Week” on Instagram, sometimes a donor, sometimes a trail cleanup volunteer. Both get the same level of love.
Final Thoughts: Brand Is the Bridge
Donors want to do more for your organization. But it’s up to you to show them how.
A clear, consistent brand doesn’t just drive donations.
It builds relationships
It invites people in.
It keeps them coming back.
So, let’s stop treating engagement like a one-lane road.
Let’s build a full network of donors, volunteers, advocates, and champions through thoughtful multi-channel donor engagement.
Want Help Building a Brand That Deepens Donor Engagement?
That’s what I do.
I help mission-driven organizations clarify their message, strengthen their voice and build a brand that inspires people to show up again and again, in every way they can.
👉 Let’s schedule a discovery call.
Together, we’ll build a brand that doesn’t just raise money but builds a movement.
