Implementing Motivational Strategies to Increase Funding in Nonprofit Organizations

Nonprofit organization senior leaders conduct business in an increasingly complex and competitive market environment relying on monetary donations to sustain the capacity of their organizations to meet service requirements. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies that nonprofit organization senior leaders used to motivate donors to make monetary donations to their organizations. The target population of the study was 3 senior leaders of a nonprofit organization in the southeastern United States who implemented effective strategies to motivate donors to make monetary donations to their organization. The conceptual framework used for this study was self-determination theory. Data collection for this study consisted of semistructured participant interviews, a review of public and internal organization documentation, and organization performance outcomes. Data for this study were manually coded and thematically organized. The analysis of the data identified relationships, effective communication, active listening, and social media marketing as 4 key themes affecting donors’ motivation to donate to nonprofit organizations. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential to provide practical strategies that nonprofit organization senior leaders can use to motivate donors to make monetary donations to their organizations, thereby enhancing senior leaders’ capacity to provide critical services to members of the communities in their organizations’ dedicated service areas