Skyrocketing Ramadan Donations: How Charities Are Winning with Automation
Imagine the impact: Anjuman-e-Jamali (Vancouver) sees a massive 80% increase in voluntary donations during Ramadan, resulting in tens of thousands of extra dollars to support their cause and fund their projects for the betterment of the community. That's exactly what happened when I helped this organization leverage the power of automation!
The Problem: Missed Opportunities & Strained Resources 😪
Before our collaboration, their donation process relied on basic automation. They would send a single personalized message requesting a donation and might remind patrons in person – if they remembered. This approach had a major flaw: during Ramadan, people are understandably busy with religious observances and family traditions. Donations easily fell by the wayside . Additionally, manually tracking and following up with potential donors consumed countless hours for the organization's team. This strained their productivity and took away valuable time they could have dedicated to religious observances.
The Solution: A Nurturing Pipeline & Time Saved ⏱️
We transformed their system using a sales CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool. This allowed us to create a nurturing pipeline for potential donations, while also freeing up the team's time. Here's how it worked:
- Stages: The pipeline had four stages:
- Qualified: This stage identified potential donors who had expressed interest in contributing.
- First Contact: This stage sent a personalized message to the patron, thanking them for their interest and inviting them to donate.
- Second Contact: If the patron didn't respond, they received a gentle reminder about the donation opportunity.
- Third Contact: A final message was sent to encourage the patron to contribute before Ramadan ended.
- Personalized Automation: Each stage triggered an automated workflow that sent a personalized SMS and email reminding the patron about their potential contribution. This gentle nudge kept donations top-of-mind throughout Ramadan.
- Gratitude Automation: Another workflow monitored the organization's payment notification emails. As soon as a donation arrived, an automated thank you message went out via email and SMS, expressing appreciation for the patron's generosity. This would also mark the "Deal" (Sales speak) complete in the CRM closing the loop on the initial contact.
The Impact: A Resounding Success 👏 & Increased Productivity 📈
The results were incredible. By automating reminders and expressing gratitude, we saw a staggering 80% increase in donations compared to the previous Ramadan. This translates to tens of thousands of dollars in additional support for their important work. Importantly, the automation also saved the organization team tens of hours in manual tracking and follow-ups. This increased their productivity and allowed them to focus on religious observances and other aspects of their mission .
The Takeaway: Automation for Good!
This case study is a powerful example of how automation can be used for good. By streamlining the donation process, ensuring timely communication, and freeing up valuable time for the team, we helped this non-profit reach their fundraising goals and achieve a greater impact on their community.
Could your organization benefit from automation? Let's explore how it can take your mission to the next level!