When money gets tight, the instinct for many nonprofits is to stop spending.
You don’t want donors to think the nonprofit is in trouble. You don’t want to seem desperate. You tell yourself you’ll wait until things improve before you reach out.
That instinct can cost you more than the shortfall ever would.
The thing most fundraisers get wrong about crisis appeals
There’s a fear baked into this conversation that I want to name directly. It goes something like: if donors find out we’re struggling, they’ll lose confidence in us. They’ll question whether we can be trusted with their money. They’ll leave.
The evidence says the opposite.
Over and over, when nonprofits are honest with their donors about where they’re at, those donors have shown up. That’s because they genuinely care for the cause and the people behind it.
Your donors didn’t start giving because everything was going well. They give because they believe in what you do. That belief doesn’t disappear when you’re honest about a hard moment. Often it deepens.
What the evidence shows
In 2009, Starlight Children’s Foundation faced a $2 million shortfall as corporate and event income collapsed under the global financial crisis. Their CEO wrote one of the most personal and transparent letters we’ve seen. She named the specific services that would be cut, the specific children who would miss out, and exactly what was needed by a specific date.
The campaign, sent during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) to donors who were themselves feeling the economic pressure, more than doubled the net income of the previous year’s appeal.
Net income increased by 116%.
The average gift rose 36%.
The response rate held firm.
Telling donors the truth, in the middle of a financial crisis, raised more money than the year before.
During COVID, members of The Fundraisingology Lab ran crisis appeals with results that still amaze me.
One animal welfare organisation raised $30,000 in a single day from an email appeal.
Another raised $27,000 in four hours from an email that simply checked in on donors with a donate button at the footer. One donor, who had previously given $10,000, responded to that email with a gift of $20,000.
In another case, a fundraiser sent their first crisis email, raised $8,000, and felt deflated. Then at 8pm the same evening: a major donor came forward with $100,000, a family foundation offered $100,000 in matching funds, and another foundation confirmed $15,000. All in response to one honest email.
What makes a crisis appeal work
Looking across these examples, a few things stand out.
- Starlight named the services at risk and the number of children affected. Vague appeals for general support don’t move people the way specific, honest ones do. Tell donors exactly what the gap is and exactly what you need.
- Name a deadline. Tie your ask to a real date. A board meeting, a financial review. A deadline isn’t a pressure tactic. It gives donors a reason to act now rather than later.
- Let one person sign it. Not “the team.” Not “the board.” One person, in first person, writing as themselves. The Starlight letter worked because a real human being was clearly on the line. Donors respond to people, not organisations.
- Ask. This sounds obvious but it needs saying. A check-in email with a donate button at the footer raised $27,000 in four hours because it asked.
- Tell them what happens next. Starlight promised to update donors on how the funds were spent. That promise kept people close. When your crisis passes, close the loop. Tell donors what their gifts made possible.
The question worth asking yourself
If your nonprofit closed tomorrow, would your donors know you’d been struggling? Have you given them the chance to help?
The nonprofits that came through the GFC and the pandemic with their relationships intact and their income stable were the ones who trusted their donors with the truth. The donors repaid that trust with generosity that surprised even the fundraisers who asked.
Your donors are on your side. Give them the opportunity to help you.
We’ve put together a free guide with the evidence and the arguments you need for exactly this moment.
Download Fundraising in Tough Times: 5 Things Smart Fundraisers Do When the World Gets Uncertain. It covers crisis appeals, donor communication, and how to protect your fundraising income when everything feels uncertain. Free, practical, and ready to use today.
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- To Survive Scary Times, Don’t Panic!
- How to Balance Doom & Gloom with Happy and Hopeful in Your Fundraising Appeals
- Fundraisers Gotta Keep on Truckin’
