Building Relationships: 4 Creative eCard Uses for Nonprofits

You’re constantly searching for creative ways to tell people about your cause and raise more support for your work. One option is digital greeting cards, which are easy to personalize and transform digital fatigue into meaningful and memorable connections.

Whether you’re sending heartfelt thank yous or launching an awareness campaign, eCards can enhance the way your nonprofit connects with its community. Let’s explore how you can harness the power of eCards to make a lasting impression on donors, volunteers, and employees alike.

Inject creativity and freshness into your fundraising campaigns with eCards. Here’s how you can integrate them into your fundraising efforts:

• Event Invitations: Send personalized eCard invitations for fundraising events that directly link to your registration page.
• Donation Drives: During specific campaigns, send donors eCards with compelling messages about your cause and a direct call to action to contribute.
• Matching Gift Alerts: Inform donors about matching gift opportunities through eCards, encouraging them to maximize their impact by taking advantage of corporate giving programs.
• Birthday Fundraisers: Invite supporters to celebrate their birthdays by hosting a fundraiser for your cause. Encourage them to ask friends and family to purchase an eCard in lieu of giving a traditional birthday gift. The eCard will act as proof that the donation was made in their honor.

Each eCard you send not only helps raise funds but also strengthens relationships by making donors feel engaged with and connected to your cause.

An Example of Fundraising eCards

eCardWidget’s charity eCards guide highlights a holiday fundraising eCard campaign that fueled the year-end efforts of the animal rescue organization One Tail at a Time.

One Tail at a Time launched a collection of eCards that donors could purchase for $25. Each eCard’s proceeds funded a different aspect of the organization’s work, and donors had nine options to choose from. Here are a few eCards that the nonprofit offered:

• The Gift of Critter Care provided medical care, food, enrichment, and a loving foster home to smaller animals like rabbits.
• The Gift of Enrichment funded activities like toys and puzzles to support animals’ brain development.
• The Gift of Senior Care provided quality medical care to senior pets.

Donors could purchase whichever package aligned with their giving motivations and get a fun eCard to send to family and friends in return.

Recognizing your supporters is crucial to nurturing lasting relationships and fostering a sense of community around your cause. eCards serve as an attention-grabbing, heartfelt way to convey gratitude on any occasion.

Show appreciation throughout the year by sending eCards during these times:

• After Contributions: Send eCards to acknowledge donations or volunteer efforts. Explain the contribution’s impact and share beneficiaries’ stories to strengthen your messages.
• Special Occasions: Use eCards to connect with supporters on holidays and birthdays, keeping your nonprofit top-of-mind in a positive and personal way.
• Donor anniversaries: Recognize the anniversary of a supporter’s first donation or involvement with your organization with a celebratory eCard.

By consistently recognizing volunteers and donors, you can foster deeper connections and encourage ongoing involvement.

An Example of An Appreciation eCard

A compelling example of this approach comes from the Girl Scouts of Maine. They designed branded digital cards to empower scouts to express appreciation for their troops’ volunteers.

Scouts were encouraged to personalize an eCard with a heartfelt note and deliver it directly to their chosen leaders. For instance, an eCard might acknowledge a parent for their exceptional support during cookie sales or a leader who inspired a Girl Scout to embrace new challenges confidently. These celebrated each volunteer’s contributions by letting each scout share how they, specifically, were impacted.

eCards are an excellent way to raise awareness about your nonprofit’s cause. They combine visual appeal with essential information to educate your audience. Plus, supporters can share them with friends and family to recruit new donors on your behalf.

Design eCards that inform recipients about the importance of your cause, the challenges your nonprofit addresses, and how their support can make a difference. These cards can be used during specific awareness months or days or in response to current events relevant to your mission.

Offer these eCards for free to inspire more people to send them. Senders can add a custom message to explain why your mission is so important to them. Then, they can post them on social media or send them directly to others.

An Example of An Awareness eCard

Getting Attention’s nonprofit marketing guide shares an example of this strategy from Project Sleep. The organization launched eCards for World Narcolepsy Day, which correlates with its mission to raise awareness about sleep health and conditions.

Supporters could choose from four designs to send to friends and family for free. Each card featured the nonprofit’s website and logo to strengthen brand awareness, increase knowledge about the 3 million individuals living with narcolepsy worldwide, and position the nonprofit as a reliable steward of support.

As of 2022, the average turnover rate at nonprofit organizations was 19%, which is 7% higher than the average turnover rate across all industries. That same article indicates that dissatisfaction with an organization or its culture is the third highest reason for voluntary turnover.

Show your employees you appreciate them and improve your organization’s culture by making recognition a vital part of everyday operations with eCards.

Design eCards that managers can send to celebrate their team’s successes every day or on specific occasions. For example, digital cards for Employee Appreciation Day can help you say thanks and celebrate in a meaningful way on a day all about appreciation.

An Example of Employee Appreciation eCards

To power its recognition efforts, Modivcare launched a campaign encouraging company leaders to send eCards to hardworking employees. They could easily celebrate:

• Everyday accomplishments tied to company values like teamwork and compassion
• Special occasions like anniversaries and birthdays
• Holidays to provide consistent appreciation year-round

Employees could also send personalized eCards to one another to celebrate accomplishments. This helped foster a culture of peer-to-peer recognition and promoted camaraderie. Your nonprofit can easily adopt this approach to recognize employees, foster a positive workplace, and reinforce the value of every team member’s contributions.

Incorporate eCards into your nonprofit’s strategy to enhance communication, deepen relationships, and bolster fundraising efforts. By embracing eCards, your organization can send meaningful messages that resonate with donors, supporters, and employees alike, helping forge a stronger, more impactful community.

Tim Badolato – CEO at eCardWidget

Tim Badolato is the CEO of eCardWidget.com an innovative platform for digital employee recognition, donor acknowledgment, business marketing, and nonprofit marketing. He has a passion for using technology to drive positive outcomes for mission-driven businesses and nonprofits.