How to make your donor funnel work for you

A lot of people think fundraising is easy. But behind every gift is a carefully crafted fundraising and marketing strategy designed to raise awareness, build support, and inspire action.  

Donor funnels are there to help you map and manage this process. In this article, we’ll walk you through each stage of the process and look at how you can use your donor funnel and supporting “donor journeys” to take your fundraising to the next level. 

What is a donor funnel?

A donor funnel is a strategic framework used by nonprofit organizations to drive the donor recruitment process. Adapted from traditional marketing strategies, it’s made up of five key stages that work to raise awareness and turn first-time donors into lifelong supporters.

How does it differ from a nonprofit marketing funnel?

Donor funnel. Donation funnel. Nonprofit marketing funnel. It doesn’t matter which term you use. They all refer to the same process and are there to help you turn passive interest into active support. 

The benefits of using a donor funnel

It might feel overwhelming, but it is well worth taking the time to understand the donor funnel process. Why? Because when you work each stage together, donor funnels can help you:  

• Clarify your strategy: Fundraising is a multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary practice. A donor funnel helps organize your ideas and bring clarity and flow to your fundraising efforts.
• Pace your practice: When funds are tight and targets are high, it’s tempting to jump straight to the ask. A well-planned funnel will help pace your approach and give prospective donors the time and space they need to engage. 
• Build deeper relationships: Good fundraising means putting your donors first. Use your donor funnel to flip the narrative and walk the process through from a donor’s perspective. 
• Improve conversion rates: Tracking metrics at each stage of your funnel makes it easier to identify pain points. For example, maybe you’re great at generating interest but struggle with retention. A donor funnel makes these gaps visible so that you can take action.

All of the above will help streamline and focus your team’s time, energy and resources. It might feel strange at first—working through each step of the donor funnel rather than cutting straight to the ask, but it’s an important process to follow. After all, the stronger your donor relationships, the higher your return on investment. 

Understanding the five stages of the donor funnel

In this next section, we’ll walk you through each of the five different stages of the donor funnel and show you how the process connects and flows. Remember: not every prospect will move through every stage, so don’t worry if (when) donors drop off. What matters is that you’re tracking your progress and making smart adjustments to keep improving.

Stage 1: Initial awareness (generating prospects)

It starts with the awareness stage. As the name suggests, the goal here is to spark connections with potential new donors. Don’t try and do everything at once. In this first stage, you’re looking to focus on three key things:

1. Getting people to hear (and remember) your nonprofit organization’s name.
2. Building a basic understanding of your nonprofit’s raison d’être.
3. Generating interest and offering a clear pathway for people to find out more. 

To reach people who might be interested in supporting your cause, you need to be where they are. Many nonprofits use platforms like LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram to drive awareness. Others build visibility through media exposure (think feature articles, podcasts, and radio) or digital and outdoor advertising like Google Ads, billboards, and transit advertising. 

Once you’re out there, you need to make it quick and easy for people to follow up—for example, by adding a QR code or a link to your website.

Top tip: The more you know about your target audience, the easier it is to choose communications platforms and channels that align.  

Stage 2: Interest (turning prospects into leads)

This next step helps deepen connections and turn “top-of-the-funnel” prospects into engaged leads. By the time you’re done, your potential new donors should:

1. Understand and empathize with your “why”.
2. Trust your nonprofit organization as experts in the field.
3. Feel a sense of urgency and need to take action.

With so many nonprofits competing for attention, turning awareness into genuine interest isn’t easy—but it can be done! Once again, social media plays a key role. Creative and engaging communications (video reels, polls, live chats and webinars) are a great way to encourage people to find out more. Long-form content like newsletters, email marketing, blogs, and educational resources can also help showcase your expertise and add value. 

No matter which tactics you use, engagement is always a two-way street. If someone messages you or attends an event, take the opportunity to get to know them. The more you learn about each other, the closer they’ll feel to your cause and the more likely they are to support it.

Top tip: Make data collection a priority. Use newsletter sign-ups, event registrations, and gated content —like information resources—to gather emails and build direct connections.

Stage 3: Involvement (turning engagement into support)

To move someone from engaged to involved, they need to take active steps to support your organization. This doesn’t have to mean giving money. What you’re looking for here is:

1. Proactive engagement and a response to a specific call to action.
2. A positive experience that they will want to repeat.
3. To show potential donors that their support matters.

There are many ways people can contribute without donating. Some might share your social media posts or join an online challenge (#NoMakeUpSelfie anyone?) Others might sign a petition or participate in an event. A few rare gems may even volunteer their time.

Whatever form their support takes, it’s important to treat every action as the gift that it is. Take the time to say thank you and recognize their contribution. This is their first experience with you, so set the tone and show them that their support—financial or otherwise—makes a difference.

Top tip: Personalizing content doesn’t have to be time-consuming. A good CRM with AI and donor data included makes automating and sending tailored notes and communications quick and easy.

Stage 4: Investment (securing that first donation)

This is the point where prospects become first-time donors. Don’t expect people to read your mind. If you want donations, you have to ask for them, so make sure your supporters know: 

4. Why their support is urgent.
5. Exactly what you need and how their money will help.
6. The impact their generosity will have. 

There are lots of different ways to make an ask. For individual donors, cross-channel campaigns tend to deliver the best results—pairing the personal touch of direct mail with the reach and immediacy of digital channels. Plan ahead and be intentional. You’ve invested time building the relationship, so don’t lose momentum now.

Above all, make sure your donation process is quick and easy. You can do this by including pre-paid envelopes in your mailing packs, creating a campaign page for your website, offering multiple payment options, and making sure your online donation form is secure and user-friendly.  

Top tip: Don’t forget to say “thank you”. Donors who are thanked 48 hours after they’ve given are four times more likely to give again. 

Stage 5: Stewardship (turning one-time donors into long-term supporters)

Relationships take years to build and only moments to lose. That’s why this final stage is so important. With consistent care, a first-time donor can become a regular supporter. They may even go on to be a major donor or leave a legacy gift.

To make that happen, you need to:

1. Keep donors engaged with regular, meaningful updates.
2. Deepen the emotional connection by sharing powerful stories and impact data.
3. Actively guide supporters up the donor pyramid.

Of course, this kind of relationship-building doesn’t happen overnight. Stewardship is a long-term investment built month by month, year by year. But it’s worth it. Retaining donors is far more cost-effective than recruiting new ones, so make sure you have the systems and strategies you need to keep them involved.

Top tip: Don’t be afraid to ask. People won’t convert to a regular gift or leave a legacy in their will if they don’t know you need one.

How to use the “donor journey” to bring your donation funnel to life  

With your donor funnel up and running, it’s time to take your fundraising and marketing strategies one step further. Imagine your donor funnel is the map. By layering in tailored “donor journeys” you can start charting the individual routes different groups will take.

An individual giver, for example, might discover you on Instagram, visit your website to learn more, take part in a social media challenge, and donate through a digital campaign. A major donor, on the other hand, might read about you in an article, follow you on LinkedIn, attend an online event, and meet you for coffee—only giving after a series of one-to-one interactions and a carefully timed ask.

It’s the same funnel. Just a different donor journey. 

To set these paths, start by segmenting your donors into distinct groups and building a foundational set of donor profiles (snapshots that define donors groups by demographic, motivations, and interests). With these in hand, you can use your funnel to map out the tactics and tools needed to bring each stage of the five stages—and your final donor journey—to life.

Intrigued? Read our blog on how to optimize donor journeys

Practical tips to boost donor engagement

So there you have it. A step-by-step guide to help you understand the world of nonprofit marketing funnels, generate new prospects, and build lasting support. To help you on your way, here are a few final tips, tricks, and tactics to boost engagement and make sure your nonprofit organization stands out from the crowd. 

Tip 1: Variety is the spice of life

Increase your chances of support by offering multiple ways for people to get involved. Campaigns, challenge events, sponsorships, and volunteer opportunities all draw people in. The more touchpoints you create, the stronger your relationships will be.

Tip 2: Connect without asking for cash 

Donors are people, not ATMs. Wherever possible, connect in a low-pressure environment where the goal is simply to build a relationship. This might be an event, a newsletter, or a thoughtful update—anything that creates connection without an ask. 

Tip 3: Tell stories and share impact

People give to people, not organizations. Raise the voices of your community, share real-life stories, and use impact data to show people how their support is making a difference. 

And finally: let your passion and enthusiasm for the cause shine through. At the heart of every fundraising and marketing strategy are people. So embrace the process. Take every chance you can to get to know your supporters, and use your donor funnel—and accompanying donor journeys—as a tool to guide and build deep, long-lasting relationships.

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Jennifer Ruthe

Jennifer is a senior nonprofit professional with over 10 years' experience in fundraising and communications. She’s worked on countless campaigns in individual, corporate, and high-value giving.