No matter how savvy your marketing, how shiny your website, or how clever your campaigns, if you’re missing this one thing, then you’re likely turning away potential donors.

Research tells us that Millennials engage more with causes than with organizations. That means that it’s important now more than ever to convey the cause behind your nonprofit as you recruit new donors, especially from the next generation.

Whereas your messaging and appeals once focused on your organization, it’s now crucial that you talk about your organization in a way that presents it as a cause.

We’ve gathered the ideas below to help you get started with casting your organization in a new light:

• Make your donor, not your organization, the hero. People don’t want to be guilted into giving; they want to be “prided” into giving. Highlight your donors and their gifts in your appeals and communications.
• Talk about your why – the “cause” or reason behind the actual work you do. In all messaging, make sure you’re communicating the why behind your work. Invite people into your mission and purpose, not just the method. Donors want to be sure their gifts make a real difference.
• Show the tangible impact of the way donor gifts make a difference. In messaging and appeals, on your website and social media, make sure you are constantly sharing meaningful information that shows how the work your organization does—through donor gifts—really changes lives. Use compelling stats, stories, photos, videos—anything and everything that shows the end result of each dollar given.
• Give people a chance to belong. When you make the donor experience feel like an opportunity to be included in something bigger, donors become quickly invested in your work. Create a monthly giving program that feels like a club membership. Hand out branded t-shirts, pens, bookmarks, magnets, or other swag to your supporters, and make sure you offer plenty of shareable branded graphics for use on social media. People want to champion causes and share their passion with their friends and on social media.
• Offer other ways to get involved besides just giving. Let them know about volunteer opportunities, activism, prayer needs, ways to fundraise for you, and more. Make sure you communicate with them regularly via a newsletter and social media.

 What would you add to the list? How do you position your nonprofit as a cause, not an organization?