This is a guest post from our partner, Qgiv.

As a nonprofit, much of your focus falls on fundraising and securing what you need to further your mission. But sometimes you’ll run into challenges like issues with payment processing or limited fundraising resources.

As proud partners, Sphere and Qgiv are working to change that. With Qgiv’s fundraising software, you can streamline each and every aspect of your fundraising process and boost your donation revenue. From there, you’ll be on your way to achieving your nonprofit’s goals!

There are many ways nonprofits can use Qgiv. From events to online campaigns, here are the top ways you can benefit:

1. Online Donations
2. Event Registrations
3. Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
4. Mobile Donations
5. Silent Auctions

Leveraging a robust fundraising platform is the key to raising more. Let’s take a closer look!

1. Online Donations

Many nonprofits are moving to online donation forms, but the ways in which they create their forms will vary. Some are turning to third-party payment processors, though there are other solutions that may be more appropriate and built with nonprofits’ specific needs in mind.

Fundraising software like Qgiv that allows you to create and customize an online donation form can drive more donations by encouraging completion. This is because you can:

• Brand the page to match the rest of your website. Maintaining consistent branding between site pages instills a level of trust with your donors. This will reassure donors that their gift is going directly to you and that their information is safe.
• Set up recurring donations. Recurring donations give your supporters the opportunity to give on a regular basis (monthly, annually, etc.) so they can continuously support your organization without much effort on their end.
• Suggest giving amounts. Suggested giving amounts help guide your donors who are unsure of how much they want to give. Having a point of reference is helpful and can often encourage donors to give larger gifts.
• Offset processing fees. Donors that use GiftAssist through Qgiv can offset the processing costs associated with their donation, which means you get to keep more of the donor’s gift.

Qgiv offers each of these elements while remaining PCI-compliant, which means your donors’ payment information and other personal data will always be safe and secure. Leverage online donation forms that can be customized to your organization (and offer security!) and you’ll be on your way to bringing in more donation revenue.

2. Event Registration

When attendees register for your event, that’s your nonprofit’s first chance to make a great impression. Registering for events should be easy and efficient for supporters, and with the right platform, your nonprofit can make sure that signing up is a breeze.

With Qgiv’s registration software, you can create a smooth user experience when supporters come to register for your events. For example, you’ll be able to:

• Provide a variety of registration options, such as packages for groups, discounts, and private VIP packages.
• Boost event attendance by enabling social sharing options so guests can invite their friends.
• Automate your process by cloning annual events and accessing real-time registration data so you can focus more on planning an amazing event.
• Easily reach out to your attendees to remind them about your event.

By incorporating event registration software into your strategy, you’ll be able to boost event attendance, accommodate different registration needs, and ensure your focus remains on running the best event possible.

3. Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Peer-to-peer fundraising is a powerful, socially driven fundraising method that can help you tap into new donor networks that you wouldn’t have otherwise reached. During a peer-to-peer campaign, nonprofits recruit their supporters to fundraise on their behalf.

Here’s how it works:

1. Your nonprofit sets a campaign goal and posts its main campaign page.
2. After some coaching and training, your peer-to-peer participants set up their own individual campaign pages.
3. Your participants share their campaign pages with their greater networks.
4. People in those networks are encouraged to donate to participants or create their own fundraising page.

But just running this type of campaign isn’t enough. It’s important to leverage a peer-to-peer fundraising platform that handles multiple participant campaign pages and allows you to track the progress.

According to Qgiv’s guide on peer-to-peer fundraising, you can increase your fundraising results using software elements like gamification. Gamification incorporates “game-like” elements to spark friendly competition and further motivate your supporters. These include:

• Leaderboards, which display the participants who raise the most funds.
• Fundraising thermometers, which show your progress towards your goal.
• Badges, which reward participants once they’ve reached a certain milestone or achievement.

Using the right peer-to-peer fundraising platform can maximize your results and keep you on track to reach your ultimate goal. When you leverage software that offers gamification elements, provides robust reporting, and collects donations through personalized campaign pages, you’ll be on your way to hosting a successful fundraiser.

4. Mobile Donations

As most of us are constantly on our smartphones these days, nonprofits can and should offer convenient ways to give straight from a phone. With Qgiv’s text fundraising features, you can offer an easy, straightforward giving channel to your donors.

There are two types of solutions you can take advantage of:

• Text-to-donate. This is a mobile fundraising method wherein donors initiate a gift via text before visiting a mobile form to complete their donation.
• Text-to-give. This is a mobile fundraising method wherein donors are billed the donation amount on their phone bill.

Both of these solutions make it easy to give on the go and can significantly widen your donor network, as more and more donors prefer to give on their phones. Find more donors by implementing this type of software into your fundraising strategy and provide a positive user experience as individuals give.

5. Silent Auctions

When it comes to hosting large events, using a software solution that can streamline each aspect of your planning process is essential. We’ve already discussed event registration software, but what about creating donation opportunities at the event itself?

If you’re planning to host a large event that includes a silent auction, you can use Qgiv’s silent auction software to streamline the bidding process, payments, and more. Once you learn how to run a silent auction, you can raise a lot with the right tools.

These include:

• Real-time bidding. Rather than using web-based forms or paper auction sheets, use a silent auction software app that allows bidders to build a watch list and set maximum bids, and streamlines the overall bidding process.
• Registration and check in. Make it easy for supporters to register for your event and check in upon arrival.
• Event purchases. Let guests purchase raffle tickets or merchandise via the silent auction app and add them to a running tab.
• Checkout. Streamline the checkout process by allowing guests to pay for auction items they won, as well as other purchases and donations, through the app.
• Reporting. Robust reporting features let you view event registration, bids, and other transactions. You can then export all of this data to your integrated CRM.

Simplify every aspect of your silent auction using Qgiv’s auction software. When your guests have a good experience at your event, they’re more likely to give again and take part in future events. When there’s less frustration surrounding the planning and execution process of your auction, this will benefit everyone involved.

Part of planning a successful auction also means procuring the right items. Check out a list of great auction item ideas here.

Your payment processing shouldn’t cause a headache. With solutions brought to you through Sphere and Qgiv’s partnership, you can raise a lot more through additional channels you might not have otherwise been able to access.

Keep your donations and payments organized and your campaigns running smoothly with easy-to-use software features that will keep your donors coming back. After all, they make up the foundation of your nonprofit. Reach new heights with the right solution for you!