Brand Tracking Helps Nonprofits Grow Fundraising

Nonprofits depend on donor support to fulfill their missions, but standing out and inspiring action from supporters takes more than just a worthy cause. Understanding how donors perceive and interact with an organization’s brand can be the difference between stagnation and meaningful fundraising growth. Here’s how brand tracking gives nonprofits an edge: 

What is Brand Tracking in Fundraising? 

Brand tracking is the practice of actively monitoring how audiences recognize, understand, and engage with your organization. In fundraising, it’s especially important to know how donors move down the marketing funnel, from first hearing about your mission to ultimately making a donation and becoming advocates. 

Nonprofits can use regular, large-scale surveys to measure brand awareness, test message clarity, and gauge audience emotion at different stages of the donor journey. Ongoing data collection helps organizations know what’s working, what needs adjustment, and where new opportunities may lie. 

The Donor Marketing Funnel 

The donor journey isn’t random. It follows distinct stages. Nonprofit marketers often break this journey into five parts: 

• Awareness: Has the donor heard of your organization? 

• Consideration: Would they think about supporting your work? 

• Investigation: Have they researched or learned more about you? 

• Usage (Donation): Have they given in the past twelve months? 

• Preference: Would they choose you over similar organizations? 

Tracking metrics at every stage reveals where supporters get stuck or drop off, and which communications help move them forward. 

Benchmarking Against Leading Nonprofits 

To truly understand your standing, it helps to compare your organization’s performance against peers. Organizations like American Red Cross, Salvation Army, St. Jude’s, Feeding America, and the Humane Society all serve as benchmarks. 

These comparisons highlight not only overall brand recognition, but also which organizations excel at moving donors from awareness to action. For example, while large national brands often lead in initial recognition, some nonprofits punch above their weight by converting supporters more efficiently further down the funnel. 

Impact of Rebranding 

Even established organizations sometimes choose to rebrand to reflect changing missions or strategies. Market surveys conducted before and after a rebrand reveal how name changes influence the donor pipeline and allow organizations to respond quickly if adjustments are needed. 

Audience Segmentation 

Not all donors are the same. Those with a personal passion for your cause tend to know, care about, and support your work at much higher rates. By segmenting audiences and tracking how different groups move through the funnel, organizations can better target outreach efforts where they’ll do the most good. 

Donors who care deeply about animal welfare, for example, respond very differently than general audiences. Brand tracking can point to these differences and help shape more impactful communications. 

Strength of Movement Through the Funnel 

It’s not just about attracting donors; it’s also about helping them become long-term champions. Nonprofits need to understand which stages in the funnel have the strongest or weakest conversion rates, especially compared to peer organizations. Those insights help refine fundraising tactics and messaging, ensuring more supporters become loyal advocates. 

Brand Perception Statements 

Brand tracking surveys often ask supporters to rank organizations on qualities such as innovation, trust, responsible use of donations, and shared values. Many nonprofits find consistently high marks for “making a difference,” but stumble when it comes to perceptions of innovation. Identifying these gaps lets organizations take action to improve how they are seen by supporters. 

The Influence of Marketing and Unintended Brand Associations 

Public perception isn’t shaped by organizational messaging alone. Donors also form opinions through word-of-mouth, personal experiences, and what they see on social media. Pet owners might see a nonprofit as “pet friendly” even if that’s not part of the official mission statement. Brand tracking reveals these extra associations and helps organizations understand the full landscape of public thought. 

Using Survey Insights for Fundraising Strategy 

Survey results offer more than just numbers. They can reveal the values that matter most to your supporters—whether that’s trust, responsibility, or a shared commitment to innovation. By emphasizing these values in communications and highlighting examples of responsible stewardship or innovative change, nonprofits can deepen connections and build credibility. 

Brand and fundraising aren’t separate silos—they’re two sides of the same coin. A strong, well-understood brand energizes fundraising efforts, while every donor outreach helps reinforce brand identity. Unified messaging and close collaboration between marketing and fundraising teams set the stage for long-term growth and mission impact. 

Keys to Successful Brand Communication 

Consistency is the secret sauce. Donors should encounter the same core messages, tone, and values at every touchpoint, whether it’s the website, email, social media, or events. Nonprofits that clearly demonstrate their impact, share their ongoing commitment to innovation, and show alignment with their donors’ values are rewarded with greater trust and support. 

Brand tracking isn’t just a marketing exercise. It’s a powerful tool for unlocking growth and ensuring nonprofit missions don’t just survive but thrive. 

Learn more about brand tracking in fundraising in our Quick Byte webinar Using Brand Tracking to Identify Opportunities and Challenges in Fundraising with Paul Hebblethwaite, Vice President of Strategy at TrueSense Marketing and  Alison McCarty, Account Director at TrueSense.