Crafting a Powerful Fundraising Script for Maximized Fundraising!

One of the biggest problems with many growing nonprofits is keeping your new volunteers and staff all on the same page as far as your charity's message, branding and processes. As you start to grow from a one-person organization, making sure everyone stays consistent with your message gets harder to control and the time it can take to train everyone individually can really cut into your nonprofit’s profitability and impact.

A great resource saver is using fundraising scripts that can keep everyone’s communications with your supporters and donors completely consistent with the way you want your organization to be represented to the public. Sort of like our charity auctioneer script here. Not only that, but over time it’s easier to tweak your scripts in ways that can make them even more profitable over time by constantly testing different openings and closings and making changes based on their performance.

And although a powerful fundraising script is a bit science mixed with a little art, it really isn’t that difficult to come up with one that can directly connect your charity to your supporters and engage them in such a way that they feel compelled to give and support your cause.

In fact, in this article not only are we going to discuss what exactly makes great fundraising scripts, how to use one effectively and explain even more ways to continue tweaking it over time to be constantly improving, we’re even going to include a few solid examples to help you get started as quick as possible. In fact, you should be able to start cold calling and getting conversions (when someone makes a donation or supports your organization directly) right from our templates alone!

8 Steps for Creating a Super Converting Fundraising Script for Compelling Fundraising 

One of the main purposes for creating fundraising scripts is so anyone who joins your nonprofit can instantly get on the phone and start having some success at converting either cold calls (people that have never been contacted before nor have contacted your organization) or follow-ups for those that are now familiar with your charity but still haven’t been converted, made a donation.

Luckily there is a bit of a formula when crafting great fundraising scripts using proven sales techniques and a little psychology and good writing. Below you’ll find each one laid out for you so all you’ll need to do is start with one of our templates and go through each of the steps below to begin tweaking and making your script your own.

1. Understand Your Audience

Although you are asking for a donation, in the most basic terms, you’re still asking them to buy or invest in something. It’s just what they are buying or investing in is a cause rather than a product or stock through a fundraising campaign. And just like any for-profit sales team will tell you, the difference between nonprofits and for-profits when it comes to closing someone aren’t that all different.

Knowing your audience means really knowing what motivates them, excites them and what buttons cause them to act. Always try to get a clear understanding of why they may want to back your cause. It also helps to understand their demographics such as education levels so you know what sort of wording to use when you contact them, or their typical salary so you know where to start your ask. The better you understand your potential supporters, the better you can write a script that will compel them to support your cause in one form or another.

Here’s a quick list that you should run through for your typical supporter.

• Demographics: Age, gender, income level, and geographic location of your potential donors can all help you focus your script writing.

• Giving History: Previous donation amounts, frequency of giving, and preferred types of contributions (one-time, recurring, etc.) can help when you want donors to make a larger gift.

• Interests and Values: What causes and issues resonate with your audience on a deep personal level and why they feel that way or even personal or professional connections to your nonprofit’s mission.

• Communication Preferences: Knowing individual’s preferred methods of contact (email, phone, social media) and best times to reach them can help make your pitch easier to listen to.

• Engagement Level: Current level of involvement with your nonprofit (e.g., active volunteers, event attendees, past donors).

• Motivations for Giving: What drives them to donate? Is it personal fulfillment, tax benefits, or supporting a specific project or cause?

• Challenges and Pain Points: Potential obstacles or concerns they might have about donating to your cause such as financial constraints or skepticism when it comes to your organization.

• Feedback and Insights: Any past feedback or insights received from supporters or donors about their preferences and experiences with your nonprofit.

2. Understand Your Own Fundraising Goals and Objectives

Just as important as knowing what makes your supporters tick, knowing your own goals and motivations for fundraising are just as important. Are you aiming to raise a specific amount of money, gain new donors, or increase recurring contributions? Having a clear goal ensures your script stays focused and results oriented.

Or are you fundraising for a specific campaign theme? Whether it’s for a capital campaign, a special event, or year-end giving, tailoring your script to reflect the specific purpose of the fundraising effort can help make your script more concise and focused. If it’s a year end campaign, words like ;this is your last chance to give’ or ‘take advantage of the final tax breaks of the year’ can all be specific themes in your script that puts people over the edge and finally make a contribution.

3. Craft a Compelling Opening

Your opening is so important, especially f you’re cold calling someone that isn’t at all familiar with your organization. This is where you need to grab their attention and keep them hooked so they are willing to listen to your entire script. Use the donor's name if possible, and reference their past involvement or interest if there is any. The more personal you can make the opening to each person, the easier it will be to continue on with the rest of the script.

You can begin with a personal story, a powerful statistic, or a thank you message for past contributions if it is a follow up with past donors. For example, if you are an animal charity you may begin with, “Hello Mrs. Johnson, I’m Bill and I’m calling from (charity name) because I can see you’re interested in animal welfare. Just the other day I read a statistic that as many as 2000 cats here in (city) go hungry everyday. I actually had the sad oppertunity of seeing the devastation first hand when our charity went on a call we got about…” You get the idea!

4. Tell a Story that Connects

All sales people will tell you, emotions sell. Period. And it is the same for donors. If they can’t feel anything about the necessity and importance of your cause, why would they feel compelled to support you. This is where story telling comes in. You can use storytelling to highlight the impact of your nonprofit’s work and the relief it has given those less fortunate. Try to share real-life examples of how donations have made a difference and how continued support can help your nonprofit achieve even greater outcomes.

Explain why action is needed now. Is there a critical deadline? A matching gift opportunity? The more you can make the story personal to them the stronger their desire to get involved and help in some way will be. It doesn’t mean they need to give money, they may simply be prompted to start volunteering, or share your Facebook donation button with all of their family and contacts

5. Keep the Message Clear and Focused

A big problem with many scripts we see is that they go off point in ways like starting to talk about a ton of statistics or information that is dry and boring. Remember, people are busy and they also have very short attention spans. So keep fluff out of your script and stick to a few key stats or information that is truly needed to demonstrate your point. Stick to one central message and make it easy to understand.

Also, do not ramble on or use industry terms or language that could confuse your audience. Stating that your organization is a 501(c)(8) nonprofit means nothing to most people, just saying you’re a nonprofit organization is good enough. The more straightforward the script, the easier it is for donors to connect with the story and your cause.

6. Incorporate a Strong Call-to-Action

A call-to-action (CTA) is when you are directly asking someone to donate. So it’s imperative you clearly state what you’re asking for as well as clear instructions on how they can make a donation or sign up to be a volunteer at your next event.

Whether it’s a one-time donation or a recurring contribution, make your call-to-action (CTA) compelling and easy to follow. For example, “Your gift of $50 can help provide a child here in our county with three meals a day for a month.” Then Include clear instructions on how to give, whether it’s through a link, phone number, or pledge form.

Here are a few simple examples that you can use to improve on.

• "Join us in tackling [specific issue]—your donation directly supports our critical work."

• "Help us provide [specific benefit]—contribute now to make a real impact."

• "Support our [specific project or initiative]—your gift today will drive tangible change."

• "Contribute to our [specific campaign]—your support helps us reach our vital goal."

• "Invest in [specific need or cause]—your donation ensures immediate and effective action."

• "Partner with us to address [specific challenge]—make a difference with your donation."

• "Empower our efforts to [specific goal]—your contribution helps us achieve this mission."

• "Stand with us in [specific cause]—your support is crucial for advancing our work."

• "Be part of our solution to [specific issue]—your donation drives real progress."

• "Support our commitment to [specific impact]—your gift makes a meaningful difference now."

7. Personalize the Script Closing

The closing is just as important as the rest of your script, and whether they made a donation or not, you want them to walk away feeling as though your organization is something they should keep in mind. Wrap up your script by thanking your donor for their time and consideration. Remind them of the impact their gift or involvement will have if they have donated, or end with a reminder of why their support matters now more than ever. Leave them with a sense of hope and the opportunity to make a difference.

8. Test and Refine Your Script for Fundraising 

Once you have a completed script, now it’s time to see just how much better you can make it over time. The better you can make your script, the better your cause will be funded. So always be testing different versions of your script to see which resonates best with your specific audience.

Change up the CTA, story, or opening to compare results. Is your wording too stuffy, or vocabulary usage to formal? Perhaps you’re confusing your audience on how to give directly, or they don’t understand where their funds are going. All of this will become more apparent as you tweak your script for better conversions. And before going live, have others review your script. Feedback from colleagues or even potential donors can help refine and improve your message right from the start.

Fundraising Script Templates

Fundraising script templates like the ones we are providing below can really helps speed up the script writing process by giving you a script that already includes a lot of the major components and just needs to be tweaked to your own charity's information. These are bare bones templates and you can make them as long as you need to get your message across. They’re great starting points when you aren’t familiar with these types of scripts or writing.

Cold Calling

Calling a prospect for the first time that may have never heard of your organization can be a bit daunting, especially for a volunteer or someone that has never cold called before. Our template is a great start and can be changed in order to be successfully used for practically any type of charity. Just be sure to review the points we listed above to make your script speak directly and personally to your prospects.

Opening:

"Hello [Name], this is [Your Name] from [Charity Name]. I hope you're doing well today. I’m reaching out because we’ve been incredibly inspired by the community support we’ve received recently, and I wanted to share an exciting opportunity with you on how you can get involved."

Story:

"At [Charity Name], we’re dedicated to [briefly state your mission, e.g., improving literacy among underprivileged children]. Recently, we had a moment that truly highlighted the positive impact of our work. We met a young girl named Emily, who, just last year, struggled with reading and was falling behind in school and being made fun of by the other students in her class.

Thanks to the support of donors like you, we were able to provide her with the resources and tutoring she needed to get up to speed with her classmates. Today, Emily is not only reading at her proper grade level, but she has now developed a love for books and a confidence we didn’t see in her previously and is thriving academically. We are so lucky to have the opportunity to help Emily and others like her. But without our community’s involvement it’s getting harder each day."

Call-to-Action:

"We’re currently working on our [specific project or initiative, e.g., 'Summer Reading Program'] and are looking for dedicated supporters to help us reach our goal of [specific amount or milestone] in order to continue working with children with these disadvantages. Would you consider making a contribution of [suggested amount, e.g., '$50'] to help fund the continuing operation of our program? Your support will directly help more children like Emily succeed both short and long term. If so, you can contribute to our charity by [Explain the donation process clearly]. Every dollar really helps us continue making our community better"

Closing:

"Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today, [Name]. Your willingness to consider supporting [Charity Name] means the world to us. If you have any questions or need more information, I’d be happy to provide it. We truly appreciate your support and hope to welcome you as a valued partner in our mission. Have a wonderful day!"

Asking For Volunteers

As your charity grows, volunteers will become increasingly important in order to keep costs down and be sure you have enough staff to run your organization optimally. Often times volunteers contact a charity and offer their time and expertise willingly, other times you may find you’re short staffed and need some additional help. Our script template is here to help yu fill any gaps with staff and can be tweaked to conform with any charity and its specific needs.

Opening:

"Hello [Name], this is [Your Name] from [Charity Name]. I hope you're having a great day! I’m reaching out because we’ve been thinking about our amazing supporters like you and wanted to discuss a meaningful way you can make a real difference without needing to pull out your wallet."

Story:

"At [Charity Name], our mission is [briefly state your mission, e.g., 'providing essential resources and support to families in need']. Recently, we held a [specific event or initiative, e.g., 'community outreach day'] where we saw firsthand the ability for volunteers to make a real and personal difference in someone’s life. One volunteer, Sarah, spent just a few hours helping at our food pantry by delivering meals to people’s doors, and the gratitude from the families she assisted was overwhelming. Sarah said it was one of the most rewarding experiences she’s ever had, and it really highlighted how much of a difference even one dedicated volunteer can make."

Call-to-Action:

"We’re currently looking for enthusiastic individuals to join us as volunteers for our upcoming [specific event or initiative, e.g., 'Summer Food Drive']. Your involvement would be invaluable in helping us [specific task or goal, e.g., 'distribute meals to hundreds of families']. Would you be interested in volunteering a few hours of your time to help us make this event a success? Your presence will count for a lot more than you think, both for us and the people we’re helping."

Closing:

"Thank you so much for considering this opportunity, [Name]. Your commitment to helping others is what drives our mission forward, and we would be thrilled to have you join our team of volunteers. If you have any questions or need more information, please feel free to ask. We deeply appreciate your continued support and hope to see you soon!"

Asking for Corporate Sponsors

Corporate sponsorship is a great way to get the community involved and offer exciting goods and services as either fundraising incentives or items to be auctioned of at your next fundraiser. This works great when dealing with local events, or services that can be used anywhere in the world. But asking a business for their support or an individual donor are not necessarily the same. Our script below should help you speak to businesses in a more personalized manner when asking for their support.

Opening:

"Hello [Name], this is [Your Name] from [Charity Name]. I hope your are having a great day. I’m reaching out because we deeply value the support local businesses like yours have shown and wanted to explore a way for us to work together on a project that’s very close to our hearts."

Story:

"At [Charity Name], we’re passionate about [briefly state your mission, e.g., 'empowering underprivileged youth through mentorship and education']. Last year, we hosted a [specific event or initiative, e.g., 'community enrichment fair'] that brought together local families and businesses in a way that truly demonstrated the power that collective effort can have on a cause. One of our standout partners, [example business], provided [specific item or service, e.g., 'educational workshops'], which was really helpful in helping us reach our goals. So may people gave us thanks and showed gratitude and it showed us just how transformative corporate support can be."

Call-to-Action:

"We’re excited to be planning our next major initiative, [specific event or project, e.g., 'Youth Empowerment Expo'], and we’re seeking amazing local business partners like [Business Name] to contribute [specific items or services, e.g., 'event space, catering services, or promotional materials']. Your involvement would not only support a cause that benefits our community but also showcase [Business Name]’s commitment to making a positive impact. We can also discuss ways to help promote your company throughout the event to make sure your willingness to help is returned in kind. Can we count on you to collaborate with us and help make this event a success?"

Closing:

"I genuinely appreciate you considering this opportunity, [Name]. Your partnership could make a real difference for the whole community and specifically those we serve, and we’re eager to explore how we can recognize and celebrate your support. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please let me know. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to the possibility of working together."

Asking Previous Donors to Give Again

Once you get a donation from someone, no matter how large or small, the best thing you can do is to get them to become a repeat donor in one form or another. It may be asking them for another one time gift, or you might ask them to join your recurring donation program. Either way, you need supporters to continue their support as much as possible to keep funds flowing and your organization relevant.

Opening:

"Hello [Name], this is [Your Name] from [Charity Name]. I hope this message finds you well. I’m reaching out to personally thank you for your past support and to share some exciting updates about our recent work."

Story:

"Thanks to generous donors like you, we’ve been able to achieve [specific recent success, e.g., 'significant progress in our literacy programs for underprivileged children']. For instance, your previous donation helped us fund [specific project or success, e.g., 'a new after-school tutoring center'], which has now become a godsend for many students. One young student, Mia, who was struggling with reading, has not only improved her grades but also developed a newfound love for learning. Stories like Mia’s are a testament to the incredible selflessness of your and others support."

Call-to-Action:

"We’re currently working on our new initiative, [specific campaign or project, e.g., 'Expanding Horizons Campaign'], and we need your help to continue this momentum. Would you consider making another donation to support this important work? Additionally, we offer the option to set up a recurring donation, which provides steady support and helps us plan our programs more effectively. Even a small monthly contribution can make a huge difference."

Closing:

"Thank you so much for your past generosity, [Name]. Your continued support means the world to us and to those we serve. If you have any questions or would like more details on how to set up a recurring donation, I’d be happy to provide that information. We truly appreciate your commitment to our cause and look forward to the possibility of partnering with you again. Have a wonderful day!"

Wrapping Up

There are so many reason to be using fundraising scripts whenever possible. These scripts help keep your message consistent, give people the ability to communicate with potential supporters almost immediately, and guarantee some amount of success, especially if you follow our entire guide.

In addition, if you continually update your scripts and improve on them, they can directly have a positive impact on your organization’s finances and help your charity to prosper and grow. And although they make take a bit of time to understand and create effectively, they are more than worth the trouble to and can save you and your staff countless hours of work and missed opportunities.