Checklist
Marketing checklist for nonprofits and charities
9 tasks to raise more and keep donors giving, ranked by return.
- 9 tasks
- First win in week 1
- Free to read
Marketing checklist for nonprofits and charities: what goes on the list?
A nonprofit marketing checklist has 9 tasks: tell one specific beneficiary story per campaign instead of generic appeals, set up a monthly recurring donation option, and thank every donor within 48 hours. Charities that ask new one-off donors to switch to monthly giving typically convert 10-20% of them, which compounds into far more stable income than one-off appeals.
Last updated 3 August 2026
| Factor | Detail |
|---|---|
| Best first channel | Donor thank-you process + monthly giving ask |
| Typical monthly cost | £30-£100 in tools |
| Time to first result | 1-2 weeks |
| Biggest leak | One-off donors never asked to give again |
Nonprofits often lose more from donor churn than they gain from new-donor campaigns. A first-time donor who never hears from the charity again after their gift rarely gives a second time, no matter how good the original campaign was.
This checklist is for small to mid-size nonprofits and charities running on a CRM like Donorfy, Salesforce Nonprofit, or a spreadsheet. Every task can be run by a single fundraising or communications lead without a large team.
The checklist
Work down the list, top to bottom.
Ordered by return. Each task names the first step and how you know it's done.
- 01
Thank every donor within 48 hours of their gift
A fast, personal thank-you is one of the strongest predictors of a second gift, yet many charities send a generic automated receipt with no warmth and no follow-up for weeks.
First step: Set up an automated email that fires within an hour, followed by a personal note or call for gifts over a set threshold.
- Done when
- The last 10 donations all received a thank-you within 48 hours.
- Effort
- 2 hours setup
- Cost
- £0-£20/mo (email/CRM tool)
- 02
Add a monthly recurring giving option to every donation form
Recurring donors give more over their lifetime and provide predictable income, but most donation forms default to one-off giving and never actively suggest the monthly option.
First step: Set the monthly option as the pre-selected default on your donation form, with one-off as the secondary choice.
- Done when
- Form is updated and at least 10% of new donations in the following month are monthly.
- Effort
- 1 hour
- Cost
- £0 (usually a form setting)
- 03
Tell one specific beneficiary's story per campaign
Generic appeals about a broad cause raise less than a specific, real story about one person or family, because donors connect with a concrete outcome they can picture.
First step: Interview one beneficiary (with consent) and write a short, honest story of their situation and the specific help provided.
- Done when
- Story is published and used as the lead in your next appeal email or social post.
- Effort
- 4 hours
- Cost
- £0
- 04
Send a simple annual impact report to all donors
Donors who never see what their money achieved have no reason to give again beyond emotional guilt; a clear, specific report of outcomes justifies continued giving.
First step: Write a one-page report with 3-4 specific numbers (people helped, meals provided, etc.) and email it to your full donor list.
- Done when
- Report is sent and open rate is tracked against your normal email average.
- Effort
- 1 day/year
- Cost
- £0-£20/mo (email tool)
- 05
Run a lapsed-donor win-back campaign
Donors who gave once 12+ months ago and never again are a warm list already familiar with your cause, and a personal update on what's changed since their gift often reactivates a meaningful share.
First step: Pull a list of donors who haven't given in 12+ months and send a personal update with a clear, simple ask.
- Done when
- Campaign is sent and at least 2% of recipients have given again.
- Effort
- 3 hours
- Cost
- £0-£20/mo (email tool)
- 06
Set up Gift Aid claiming and mention it on every donation form
Gift Aid adds 25% to every eligible UK donation at no cost to the donor, and forms that don't clearly explain it lose that extra income on every gift.
First step: Add a clear Gift Aid checkbox and one-sentence explanation to your donation form if not already present.
- Done when
- Gift Aid opt-in rate is tracked and at least 60% of eligible donors are opting in.
- Effort
- 2 hours
- Cost
- £0
- 07
Ask board members and major donors for 3 introductions each
Board members and major donors know other people with capacity to give, but rarely make introductions unless specifically asked, since it can feel presumptuous to volunteer.
First step: In your next board meeting, ask each member to introduce you to 3 people who might support the cause.
- Done when
- At least 5 introductions have been made and one follow-up conversation booked.
- Effort
- 2 hours
- Cost
- £0
- 08
Publish a short video showing the work in action
A 60-90 second video of the actual work, not a polished promotional piece, builds more trust than text alone because donors can see the cause is real and active.
First step: Film a short, unpolished clip of a program in action on a phone and post it with a specific call to donate.
- Done when
- Video is posted and has at least one tracked donation attributed to it.
- Effort
- 3 hours
- Cost
- £0
- 09
Track donor retention rate year over year
Retention rate tells you whether your thank-you process and impact reporting are working; without it, a charity can grow new-donor numbers while quietly losing existing supporters unnoticed.
First step: Calculate what percentage of last year's donors gave again this year, using your CRM's giving history.
- Done when
- You have a written retention percentage for the last 12 months and a target for next year.
- Effort
- 2 hours
- Cost
- £0
Mistakes
What goes wrong most often.
Sending a generic automated receipt instead of a real thank-you
A cold, automated receipt with no warmth misses the strongest moment to build donor loyalty. A personal note or call, even briefly, meaningfully improves the odds of a second gift.
Only asking for one-off gifts, never recurring ones
Donation forms that don't actively suggest monthly giving leave predictable income on the table. Make the monthly option the default choice, not an afterthought below the one-off amount buttons.
Never reporting back on what donations achieved
Donors who never hear what happened to their money have little reason to give again beyond habit or guilt. A short, specific annual impact report closes that loop and justifies continued support.
Questions
The things people ask about this list.
What's the first marketing task for a small nonprofit?
Thank every donor within 48 hours of their gift, with a personal note for larger donations. It costs little to nothing, takes about 2 hours to set up, and is one of the strongest predictors of a second donation.
How much does monthly giving actually improve income?
Recurring donors typically give more over their lifetime than one-off donors and provide predictable monthly income, which makes budgeting easier. Charities that make monthly the default option on their donation form typically convert 10-20% of new donors to it.
Is Gift Aid worth the setup effort?
Yes, for any UK charity with eligible donors. It adds 25% to every eligible donation at no cost to the donor, and a clear checkbox with a one-sentence explanation on the donation form usually gets 60%+ opt-in.
How do you win back donors who stopped giving?
Send a personal update explaining what's changed since their last gift, paired with a clear and simple ask, to everyone who hasn't given in 12+ months. This reactivates a meaningful share since they're already familiar with the cause.
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