3 effective donor cultivation ideas in the age of rising acquisition costs and AI

Over the last decade, the world of fundraising has changed a lot. For many nonprofit organizations, traditional methods—such as mailing solicitations, running email campaigns, and making year-end appeals—no longer deliver the same results. These efforts now cost more and bring in less, leaving nonprofits in need of more effective ways to reach new donors.

Part of this shift comes from how people decide which causes to support. Today’s prospective donors are more influenced by personal connections. To keep up, nonprofits need to rethink their donor cultivation strategies. Building trust and creating strong relationships matter equally as much as how and when you ask for gifts.

Below, we’ll explore why it’s getting harder to acquire first-time donors, give practical ways to improve donor cultivation in this era of giving, discuss the role artificial intelligence (AI) and data can play in this work, and explore how GoFundMe Pro can help.

Why it’s getting harder to acquire new donors

For many nonprofits, attracting potential donors is becoming more difficult as trust continues to shift. People are more likely to believe recommendations from friends, influencers, and community members than from organizations. Even people they know only through social media are often viewed as more persuasive and credible than brands or institutions.

At the same time, information overload makes it harder for any single message to stand out. Donors scroll through endless posts, emails, and ads every day. To reach them, nonprofits can no longer rely only on their own outreach. They need to tap into the power of social media and the authentic voices of supporters who already believe in their mission.

This shift has a direct impact on fundraising. Rather than focusing only on traditional channels, like email or direct mail, nonprofits must build stronger donor relationships and expand into earned spaces, such as peer-to-peer sharing, media coverage, and community advocacy. Prospect research can also help identify those most likely to engage, opening new opportunities for connection and trust.

From owned to earned: rethinking donor cultivation

Traditional donor cultivation—through welcome emails, fundraising events, and storytelling—still works, but today’s nonprofits need to go beyond their owned channels. The goal is to meet supporters where they already are and empower them to share your mission with their networks, strengthening your cultivation process and building lasting donor relationships.

Here are some practical ways to rethink donor cultivation in today’s era of earned influence:

• Empower supporters as advocates: Encourage board members, volunteers, and current donors to share personal stories in person or on social media. Hosting in-person meetings can introduce friends and potential donors to your cause.
• Leverage impact creators: Identify community champions or local leaders whose networks align with your mission. Their endorsement strengthens relationship-building and can attract new supporters.
• Simplify participation: Use peer-to-peer fundraising tools or social sharing options that make it easy for supporters to represent your organization and engage others.

By focusing on earned channels, nonprofits turn every supporter into a potential advocate. This approach not only attracts new donors but also strengthens existing donor relationships, creating a foundation for long-term engagement and stewardship.

Remember, every interaction with your supporters is a potential amplifier. Cultivation isn’t just between you and a supporter—it’s also between a supporter and their network.

Getting the most from your owned channels

You can also improve donor cultivation by optimizing how you use your owned channels and leveraging the resources already available to your nonprofit. Here are a few high-impact ways to make the most of them:

• Claim your Nonprofit Page on GoFundMe: Connect your organization to GoFundMe’s community of 200 million donors with this free resource, expanding your reach and visibility. Your Nonprofit Page acts as your official presence on the world’s largest fundraising platform, where supporters can easily discover your mission, donate, or launch fundraisers on your behalf. Once claimed, you’ll also gain access to donor insights and fundraising data to better understand your audience and strengthen future campaigns—all within one integrated dashboard.
• Create shareable content: Develop Instagram posts, TikTok videos, or bite-sized updates that supporters want to reshare. Use data, visuals, and storytelling to highlight the impact of your organization’s work.
• Personalize outreach: Segment your audience based on interests or past engagement to deliver personalized communications that resonate and increase retention rates.

Using donor data and AI to cultivate smarter

Today’s nonprofits have more insights than ever before. Engagement data, a donor’s giving history, and referral sources offer a wealth of information. However, many organizations struggle to use it strategically. Tracking interactions in a CRM and understanding donor segments can help prioritize outreach and guide cultivation efforts that have the greatest impact.

As AI tools continue to advance, they provide new opportunities to fundraise smarter. GoFundMe Intelligence enhances donor cultivation in several ways:

• Personalized donor engagement: Suggests tailored ask amounts, frequencies, and nudges for every supporter who lands on your donation forms.
• Predictive giving insights: Optimizes campaigns for recurring gifts, one-time donations, or conversions to achieve your unique goals.
• Campaign performance optimization: Uses AI tools A/B tested on over 6 million sessions, with strategies backed by published results.
• Coaching for supporters: Provides AI-driven goal recommendations that automatically adjust as fundraisers gain traction on GoFundMe.

It’s crucial to remember that AI doesn’t replace human connection. Instead, it frees nonprofits to focus on storytelling, creating empathy, and building meaningful donor relationships, while also improving donor engagement and stewardship.

GoFundMe has been at the center of these changes, connecting individual action with collective impact. The platform continues to develop smarter tools to help organizations harness data and AI for more effective donor cultivation and acquisition.

Leverage fresh donor cultivation ideas for a new era of giving

The future of donor cultivation is about nurturing networks. Successful nonprofits design a thoughtful donor journey that includes authentic engagement opportunities and regular follow- up through check- ins and meaningful thank-you letters.

Organizations can also provide volunteer opportunities and initiatives that connect nonprofit donors directly with your beneficiaries. By offering templates and additional resources to staff members, you help maintain consistency in donor management and major donor cultivation, ensuring every interaction strengthens relationships.

The ultimate goal is sustainability: increasing lifetime value and growing a resilient donor base across all giving levels. By combining strategic cultivation with meaningful engagement, nonprofits can strengthen their networks and ensure their mission thrives for years to come. Connect with the GoFundMe Pro team to help you cultivate a sustainable donor base in today’s giving landscape.

Copy editor: Ayanna Julien

Photo by: Nikola Jovanovic