What Is Multichannel Fundraising?

Multichannel fundraising is much like a strip of Velcro—on one side, there are hundreds of tiny hooks, while the other side is full of corresponding loops. If you connect one hook and loop, you’ll get a slight lift. Connect them all, and you’ll exponentially increase its strength to lift more weight!

Your direct response fundraising efforts work just the same. Your compelling offer (your hook) reaches people through various platforms (your loops)—like direct mail, email, social media, broadcast mediums, events, etc.

But like Velcro, the magic happens when your message connects with donors across multiple channels, which generates a stronger lift in response and engagement over a longer period of time.

Multichannel Impact

At Douglas Shaw & Associates, we take a multichannel approach to help our clients communicate a compelling need in simple terms with a clear call to action to current and prospective donors. Then we strategically synchronize and sequence their message across platforms, optimizing for the nuances of each channel.

After observing our clients over a 12-month period, we were able to isolate donors who were only giving through a single channel—either print or digital—versus those who connected with an organization across multiple channels.

Over that year, organizations saw giving increase exponentially for donors who were connected and engaged through multiple networks and platforms—in fact, their total donor value more than doubled.