How to Maximize Technology in Fundraising for 2025

As hard as it is to believe we are reaching the halfway point of decade, one thing that we know for sure is that the technological development in the nonprofit world is certainly not moving backwards. So while we do have the option to not adapt to any of it to our work, the nonprofits that choose to evolve will be many steps ahead in their fundraising efforts in 2025. With almost infinite tools available now and new ones coming out constantly, it can be tough to determine which ones to actually implement. As we move towards the new year, here are some tangible strategies to effectively integrate technology into your fundraising practices next year with minimal cost.

1. Implement Advanced Data Analytics (AI or Otherwise)

Utilizing advanced data analytics can transform your fundraising strategy. By analyzing donor data, you can gain insights into donor behaviors, preferences, and giving patterns. This information allows you to create more targeted appeals that are more likely to resonate with your audience(s). This can be as simple as dropping analytics into ChatGPT to analyze patterns and get high level feedback. This could also be just investing some time into your CRM to make sure you track as much donor data as possible. If you rely on memory for tracking these details then it’s inevitable that things will be missed. Tracking these behaviors can also help you anticipate when they are most likely to give and what messages they are most likely to respond to.

2. Enhance Donor Experience with AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) can significantly enhance the donor experience by providing personalized interactions and keeping the admin side of fundraising more organized. Some of the places where AI shines the brightest are idea generation, analysis of complex data, and text generation for copy that can be edited by a human. AI can also help personalize donor communications at scale, ensuring that your messages are tailored to the interests and past interactions of each donor.

3. Optimize Mobile Giving

While you will not get the bulk of your donations through mobile giving, mobile device donations do continue to rise. So this is a low-effort tweak that you can make to ensure that donations aren’t lost because of sub-par UX. Ensure your online donation processes are streamlined for mobile devices, with easy-to-use forms and quick payment options like digital wallets and credit card screens that are brought up immediately. A mobile-friendly approach not only broadens your reach but also caters to younger audiences who tend to use their smartphones for transactions more than the older generations.

4. Set Up Your Nonprofit to Accept Cryptocurrency

Embracing cryptocurrency as a form of donation can tap into a new donor base and provide an additional revenue stream. Many donors don’t even know they can donate crypto, and even more nonprofits don’t accept it. So if you put even a little bit of effort into this you can be in the top percentile of nonprofits in this area. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum are becoming more mainstream, and accepting these can open a path to donations that would otherwise be unattainable. It also provides an extra layer of transparency, as blockchain technology can track transactions visibly and securely.

5. Engage with Social Media Fundraising Tools (Sparingly)

For the record, social media isn’t the best way to secure donations, but having a social media presence can offer new ways to engage donors directly to increase awareness and social proof. This can be an easy way to share data quickly with a lot of people. While you don’t get the personalization factor, you can get in front of a lot of people with a pretty low-friction method. Think “Less is More” when utilizing social media for your nonprofit. Doing a just little bit, albeit consistently, will typically yield the best results.

In 2025, technology offers some easy opportunities to enhance fundraising efforts, and more are continuing to come out. By adopting these strategies, nonprofits can not only improve efficiency and reach but also create more engaging, personalized, and impactful donor experiences. Be choosy about which tech you wish to adapt to your nonprofit, so you can spend more of your time focusing on the fundraising activities that generate the most revenue.

Need help bringing more fundraising revenue to your nonprofit? We can help you with that! Schedule a call with one of our team members and we can talk about strategies to maximize your fundraising revenue.