TeamRaiser, Blackbaud’s peer-to-peer fundraising solution, is an expansive product that can revolutionize and enhance your nonprofit’s fundraising potential—if you know how to use it correctly!
TeamRaiser offers a variety of peer-to-peer fundraising tools to help your nonprofit engage supporters, plan a stellar event, and raise more money than ever before. Specifically, its features include customizable donation pages, dynamic email management, gamification tools, and analytics, to name a few. With so much you can do using this Blackbaud software, it’s vital that you develop a smart strategy before embarking on your next TeamRaiser fundraiser. How do you do that? We’ll show you 9 simple ways:
- Work with an experienced TeamRaiser consultant.
- Define your goals for TeamRaiser.
- Pair TeamRaiser with the full Luminate Online suite.
- Clean up your TeamRaiser data.
- Configure TeamRaiser to meet your needs.
- Try a custom TeamRaiser fundraising solution.
- Brand your TeamRaiser pages to match your nonprofit.
- Leverage donor data to plan the perfect TeamRaiser event.
- Train your staff to use TeamRaiser effectively.
Let’s get to the tips so you can get to fundraising!
1. Work with an experienced TeamRaiser consultant.
Whether you have an idea of where you want to go with TeamRaiser and need help bringing it to life or you’re truly starting at square one with no specific strategy in mind, a nonprofit technology consultant can lead you in the right direction.
Think of it this way: a consultant is an expert you want in the room to make sure that your nonprofit is getting as much out of TeamRaiser (and the rest of your fundraising software) as possible.
Depending on your needs, the consultants may provide support in any (or all) of the following areas:
- Online fundraising consultation.
- TeamRaiser implementation.
- Custom fundraising solutions.
- TeamRaiser training.
- Data cleaning and migration.
- General counsel and support.
Consultants are dedicated to your team’s success in terms of fundraising, donor engagement, and any other metric you might use—it’s their full-time job, after all! They’ll work with you to get a full picture of what your goals are, what your donor base looks like, and in which areas you need the most guidance. Then, the consultants will outline a map to success within a set time frame.
Make sure you find a consulting firm that’s well-versed in TeamRaiser and other Blackbaud software you use. That way, your consultant will be able to actually put your strategy in motion by configuring the backend of your software to match your goals.
This TeamRaiser Tip at a Glance
A nonprofit technology consultant can help your organization define your fundraising goals and work with TeamRaiser to achieve them in the most effective way.
Ready to launch your TeamRaiser project with your consultant’s help? Click the button below to get started with DNL OmniMeida’s expert consulting team today!
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2. Define your goals for TeamRaiser.
Because TeamRaiser can do so much, nonprofits who jump into the platform headfirst might find themselves overwhelmed with the possibilities and unsure where to actually begin. Before you can start configuring or using your software, you have to understand exactly what you’ll be using it for.
That is, what does your nonprofit hope to accomplish with TeamRaiser? Chances are your answer will revolve around peer-to-peer fundraising, but there’s a lot more at play.
TeamRaiser is a powerful tool for boosting and managing engagement, so a clear big-picture strategy is the only way to make the most of it. To refine your answers, you’ll need to have a thorough understanding of where peer-to-peer fundraising fits into your larger fundraising strategy. If you’ve never hosted a peer-to-peer campaign, you should take some time to strategize and set goals around your:
- Fundraising amount. How much money do you plan to raise through your peer-to-peer campaign?
- Timeline. Will your campaign be time-sensitive or run throughout the year?
- Supporter involvement. How many individuals can you expect to fundraise on your behalf?
- Events. Will you host one or multiple fundraising events, and at what point in the campaign will they take place?
- Donor acquisition. How many new donors do you want to attract during the campaign?
From there, you should have a stronger idea of your general peer-to-peer fundraising goals and will be at a good place to determine where TeamRaiser can fit in (or if you’re better off choosing another Blackbaud peer-to-peer fundraising platform to suit your needs).
With TeamRaiser, you can adjust almost any aspect of your peer-to-peer campaign by redesigning the user experience for your donors and fundraisers. But before you can dive into development, you’ll need to work with your consultant to outline a configuration plan that’s realistic and well-aligned with your general fundraising goals.
This TeamRaiser Tip at a Glance
Don’t overwhelm your fundraising team by jumping into TeamRaiser without a well-thought-out plan and an achievable objective for your peer-to-peer fundraiser.
3. Pair TeamRaiser with the full Luminate Online Suite.
If you’re already a TeamRaiser user, you may be familiar with another key product in Blackbaud’s catalog: Luminate Online. This software suite can be the perfect tool for crafting and then implementing your TeamRaiser engagement strategy.
As one of the most inclusive software packages on the market, Luminate boasts a host of built-in tools as well as add-ons to enhance the platform’s abilities. Focused on online engagement and marketing management, this suite of tools can perfectly complement your new TeamRaiser configuration. Check out our guide to Luminate Online for a more comprehensive overview of its features and uses.
More broadly speaking, though, Luminate Online’s toolkit includes a number of features that can kick your TeamRaiser campaign into high gear. These include:
- Comprehensive email marketing tools.
- Customizable online donation forms.
- Fundraising campaign management.
- Event and calendar management.
- Custom event registration forms and tools.
A suite of email marketing tools alone can be game-changing for your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. Imagine automating a full stream of emails to be scheduled across a volunteer’s entire engagement with your campaign — welcome messages, onboarding and instructions, scheduled updates, surprise announcements, social media share requests, and more.
While adding TeamRaiser to the mix is a natural option for Luminate users looking to try peer-to-peer fundraising, it’s also possible to use TeamRaiser without implementing the full Luminate Online software. Need help deciding if you need the full Luminate experience or just TeamRaiser? Double the Donation’s buyer’s guide to Luminate Online can help you answer these questions and put you on track to discovering the true scope of your nonprofit software needs. Plus, if you’re already using Double the Donation and Luminate Online, the two integrate seamlessly.
This TeamRaiser Tip at a Glance
To determine if you should invest in the full Luminate Online Marketing solution or partially implement TeamRaiser with your current platforms, make sure you’re aware of your fundraising needs and have a plan in place to integrate your systems.
4. Clean up your TeamRaiser data.
Good data habits are a cornerstone of any successful organization’s internal culture. Keeping your databases tidy makes them useful, plus it means migrations will go smoothly when the day comes.
If you’re switching over to TeamRaiser or Luminate Online from another platform, it’s vital that you only transfer exactly what you need. That means cleaning up your database or fundraising software to make sure it’s in pristine condition before you set up TeamRaiser.
Luckily, taking time to examine the state of your donor list is always a good practice, so you can consider this a golden opportunity to purge your system of outdated information and make room for new supporters and accurate data.
If you’re not up-to-date on your spring cleaning, there are really only a few major elements you need to keep in mind:
- Lapsed donors. If it’s been years since a supporter has made a gift, opened an email, or attended an event, it may be time to let go. You should purge your database of any constituents who have been inactive for over two years.
- Duplicate data. Having twin donor profiles can lead to misplaced information, doubled communications, and staff work overlap. Whatever platform you’re using should have preventative measures in place to keep duplicates at bay, but you should still check for any that fell through the cracks and consolidate duplicate profiles.
- Outdated contact information. If a donor changes their mailing address, phone number, or email, it’s easy to inadvertently add a new field to their profile rather than replace the existing one. To make sure that hasn’t happened, ask your supporters to update their contact information before migrating data to your new platform.
If cleaning house sounds stressful, don’t fret. Your consultant can walk you through every step of the process and help you learn valuable practices that can make your data more manageable (meaning less cleanup later on). You’ll be better off after the process, as you’ll only be left with the data that can make an impactful difference in the operation of your organization. Your consulting team can also help you with the data transfer process to make sure no valuable intel gets lost in the shuffle.
This TeamRaiser Tip at a Glance
Before you tackle your peer-to-peer fundraiser, make sure your data set is squeaky clean and free of outdated or incorrect information.
5. Configure TeamRaiser to meet your needs.
The default TeamRaiser peer-to-peer fundraising software offers a lot, but perhaps the best perk of this platform is that it’s highly customizable in order to do even more.
With each fundraiser or event that you create, you’ll have the opportunity to define custom settings that contribute to the overall peer-to-peer experience. These options can include (among many others):
- Your fundraising and recruitment goals.
- Donation form fields.
- Event registration fields.
- Gamification and achievement features.
- Participation types.
Your organization’s TeamRaiser configuration should be perfectly tuned to suit your exact goals, priorities, and techniques. With so many options to set exact specifications and customizations, you owe it to your organization and your campaign to make the most of the software.
For the best results, work with a TeamRaiser configuration consultant or another implementation expert to ensure you’re getting the most from your new software. This is particularly important if your organization has never before worked with such a comprehensive peer-to-peer fundraising platform.
This TeamRaiser Tip at a Glance
Before even thinking about starting your next campaign, make sure your TeamRaiser configuration is perfectly customized to suit your goals.
6. Try a custom TeamRaiser fundraising solution.
In addition to the adjustments you’ll make while setting up a new TeamRaiser campaign, there are also customization options available in the backend of TeamRaiser that can extend the software’s core functionality.
For example, see how the North Shore Animal League worked with the consultants at TeamDNL to build out custom participant center options for memorial and tribute fundraisers.
As you can see, this memorial fundraising page features: the “Create a Fundraiser to Honor a Loved One” title, custom text telling a page viewer exactly what they can do, a searchable “find a fundraiser feature,” the option to start or donate to a fundraiser, access to the participant center, and listings of the top fundraisers.
All of those features combine to give the North Shore Animal League the exact landing page they need for the memorial and tribute fundraiser section of their site.
Keep in mind that custom fundraisers aren’t available out-of-the-box. In order to design these kinds of unique options for your peer-to-peer fundraiser, you’ll need to work with an experienced consultant who understands TeamRaiser and can tailor-make it according to your specific needs.
TeamDNL even offers a customizable mobile app to get your donors engaged on the go! Blackbaud consultants are the perfect partners to offer new resources like this as well as help your organization perfectly fine-tune its TeamRaiser configuration. Combining peer-to-peer fundraising elements with other activities, like advocacy campaigns, within a mobile app can be an extremely effective way to mobilize supporters.
This TeamRaiser Tip at a Glance
To get the most of TeamRaiser, you should take advantage of its plethora of configuration options and consider bringing on a developer to extend the product even further.
Discuss customized TeamRaiser solutions.
7. Brand Your TeamRaiser pages to match your nonprofit.
Your TeamRaiser fundraising campaign is only one piece of your nonprofit’s ongoing efforts. In order to tie your fundraiser into the rest of your initiatives and present a united image of your organization’s mission, you should implement a strong branding strategy in your TeamRaiser campaign.
Blackbaud provides some built-in customization options for the design of your TeamRaiser campaign pages, but to create a thoroughly branded campaign, you may need to bring on the help of a consulting firm that’s comfortable with web design. Some branding options for your campaign page or participant center might include:
- Adjusting campaign page colors to match your website.
- Including your nonprofit’s logo.
- Adding high-quality images or an embedded video.
- Using a unified set of fonts for your copy and buttons.
A strong brand can convey a sense of professionalism to your supporters, making them more likely to trust your organization with their payment information. When donors land on your peer-to-peer pages, they need to immediately recognize that the pages belong to your nonprofit, which is why taking steps to customize your TeamRaiser campaign pages is critical.
Plus, when your brand sticks in donors’ minds, they’ll be able to remember your organization and your mission more easily. Spreading awareness for your cause will be a breeze!
This TeamRaiser Tip at a Glance
Work with your consultant to design TeamRaiser pages that match your nonprofit website and the rest of your brand.
8. Leverage donor data to plan the perfect TeamRaiser event.
In-person events make smart additions to any peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, especially when they’re perfectly timed within the broader scheme of your project. A kick-off or grand finale fundraiser is a great idea, but a strategically planned booster event can help your team grow and then maintain momentum as your campaign picks up steam. Your TeamRaiser configuration should serve as an asset for your event planning!
TeamRaiser’s participant centers already act as personalized hubs for your fundraisers to manage their engagement with your campaign and access communication tools. They’re also great resources for your team as you plan an event and messaging schedule for your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign!
Here’s an example. Your event communications schedule should lay out your actions at particular stages leading up to your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign’s event, and it should include email, website, and social media updates:
TeamRaiser already includes powerful event planning and registration tools. Just be sure to configure TeamRaiser to provide you with all the necessary contact information and engagement data you need. That way your team can adapt its communications strategy in real time leading up to your event. For instance:
- Determine which social media platforms are generating the greatest responses. Compare these engagement metrics with donation amounts and sources to find where and how to focus on promoting your event.
- Analyze email open rates to ensure your important updates aren’t going unnoticed. If they are, it’s time for a strategy adjustment.
- Set up registration tools through TeamRaiser. Your volunteers need a direct way to promote your event and invite their contacts to get involved in-person. Track engagement metrics with these tools to fine-tune your strategies leading up to the big day.
Of course, a TeamRaiser configuration consultant or other Blackbaud expert can always help you build out exactly the solution you need. For instance, you might need to streamline the registration process, customize the event site’s mobile responsiveness, and develop custom integrations or configurations for your tried-and-true event planning tools.
This TeamRaiser Tip at a Glance
TeamRaiser’s event features and intuitive data reporting capabilities make it a powerful tool for planning and promoting your campaign’s kick-off, finale, or booster events. Create a custom configuration for the best results.
9. Train your staff to use TeamRaiser effectively.
With software that’s so powerful, it takes more than a quick flip-through of an instruction manual to truly understand TeamRaiser’s abilities. Becoming a master of TeamRaiser takes time, and it’s not a feat your nonprofit should attempt on your own. That’s why we suggest investing some time and resources into training your staff on the TeamRaiser platform before you attempt to launch your peer-to-peer campaign.
When it comes to finding the right kind of training, there are two basic options your team can pick from: working with Blackbaud’s team of TeamRaiser trainers or seeking help from an outside consulting firm. While both camps will have expert advice on using your TeamRaiser system, you’ll want to consider other elements before choosing how you’ll train your staff:
- Cost. Blackbaud training services typically have a fixed price as part of their fundraising solutions, so you may be able to find a wider range of price options by searching for outside help.
- Flexibility. Nonprofit consultants are likely to have greater flexibility when choosing their exact subject matter, teaching style, and communication method (i.e., in-person training sessions vs. video chat or over-the-phone support). Weigh your options and the preferences of your staff.
- Scope. If your needs don’t fit into Blackbaud’s list of training courses, a consultant has the power to personalize their subject matter. Consultants can also organize your sessions around specific goals, rather than taking a regimented approach.
- Timeline. Training isn’t a software vendor’s main focus, so they may not be able to prioritize your organization’s training. If you have a tight timeline and want to get up and running quickly, you might be better off seeking out a consulting firm.
No matter which route you go, make sure you work with your training team to set attainable, time-specific goals for your staff. If you don’t have clear objectives from the start, you may end up spending more time (and money) than necessary.
Learn more about Blackbaud training by reading our helpful post on the topic!
This TeamRaiser Tip at a Glance
Before you can launch your TeamRaiser peer-to-peer campaign, you’ll need to ensure your staff is fully trained on using the software. You can work with Blackbaud’s training team or reach out to a nonprofit consultant who can design a personalized training course.
TeamRaiser is a powerhouse of a peer-to-peer platform, so it’s important that you understand how to work with the software to accomplish your nonprofit’s specific fundraising goals. With some deliberate preparation and some help from expert nonprofit technology consultants, you’ll be ready to configure your Blackbaud system for surefire success.
And for even more information on Luminate Online, check out these additional resources:
- Luminate Online: A Nonprofit’s Guide. Read our ultimate guide to Luminate Online Marketing to gain insight into every aspect of Luminate Online, including a walkthrough of the buying process, top benefits, key best practices and more!
- Is Luminate CRM Right for Your Nonprofit? Luminate CRM provides Salesforce users with a comprehensive donor management and engagement tool, all within their existing Salesforce interface. Plus, Luminate CRM can integrate with Luminate Online for even more fundraising power! See if this software is right for you by reading our helpful post.
- Luminate for Blackbaud: 5 Questions to Ask Before You Buy. Thinking about investing in Luminate Online? Discover if this powerhouse tool is a perfect fit for your nonprofit by reading Double the Donation’s thorough evaluation of Luminate Online Marketing.
- Top 8 (Tested) Technology Solutions for Nonprofits. Do you want more ways to fundraise online? Check out our list of technology solutions made specifically for nonprofits. You’re bound to find exactly what you’re looking for.
