Vot-ER: Building a Donor Stewardship Program

Vot-ER is a nonprofit organization that develops nonpartisan civic engagement tools and programs for every corner of the healthcare system —from private practitioners to medical schools to hospitals. Recognizing the potential to increase their resources and grow healthcare as an arena to register to vote, they strategized methods to add small-dollar donors to their existing strength in gifts from foundations and major donors. 

Overview

With a $25,000 grant from Progressive Multiplier Fund, Vot-ER embarked on an ambitious project to revamp their entire digital program and launch a sustaining donor program. Facing the challenge of over-reliance on inconsistent funding sources, Vot-ER sought to diversify their revenue streams by building a small-dollar donor base. The organization began with an internal audit of their CRM and developed robust protocols around data collection, management, and reporting. After careful consideration, they partnered with digital fundraising consulting firm Whole Whale in September 2023 to build a comprehensive digital engagement and fundraising program.

Key Strategies & Tactics

Vot-ER's digital fundraising initiative consisted of several integrated components designed to establish a sustainable foundation for ongoing revenue generation:

• Infrastructure Development: Conducting comprehensive audits of digital assets, including Google Analytics, Google Ads compliance, and donation landing pages to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Website Optimization: Enhancing navigation, mobile responsiveness, and analytics configuration to create a seamless user experience for potential donors.
• Strategic Email Campaigns: Developing targeted messaging with optimized donation buttons, achieving remarkable open rates of 42.5% for their general list and 62.5% for lapsed donors.
• Tiered Organizing Approach: Creating a pathway from badge users to sustaining donors to one-time donors, building relationships rather than pursuing immediate transactions.
• Targeted Digital Advertising: Launching campaigns across Meta and LinkedIn platforms to reach healthcare professionals and civic engagement supporters.
• Giving Tuesday Campaign: Implementing a focused campaign to test messaging and audience engagement during a key fundraising moment.

Lessons Learned

• Authentic Audience Building: Creating an engaged donor base through genuine connection rather than purchased lists yields stronger long-term engagement.
• Gratitude Framing: Messaging centered on appreciation proved particularly effective for audience acquisition and nurturing.
• Strategic Timing: Aligning campaigns with major events like SCOTUS decisions, Pride, and elections significantly increases engagement.
• Human Design Principles: Applying these principles creates authentic connections that resonate with potential supporters.
• Leadership Continuity: Transitions in leadership can delay implementation, highlighting the importance of succession planning.
• Messaging Complexity: Communicating the connection between voting and health outcomes requires careful framing and testing.

By The Numbers

The Multiplier Effect

Impact

Through this experiment, Vot-ER established a foundation for financial sustainability that extends far beyond immediate fundraising results. "Their infrastructure, audience development, website improvements, email campaigns, and list acquisition has been stellar. To make up 10% of our universe in 6 months is awesome. And now we can start to nurture them and ask for money. We are building long-term relationships, not swiping right like crazy and seeing who will bite," said Brooke, Development Director at Vot-ER.

The project's impact reaches into healthcare settings across the country, where Vot-ER's approach is helping to ensure that patients from historically underrepresented communities have pathways to participate in the democratic process. As Aliya Bhatia, Executive Director of Vot-ER, explains: "By embracing healthcare-based voter registration, we not only advocate for improved health outcomes but also fortify the democratic foundations of our nation. This integration ensures that patients and healthcare professionals alike have the necessary resources to participate in the democratic process, ultimately fostering a healthier, more inclusive society."

The digital infrastructure built through this project positions Vot-ER to capitalize on future political moments and healthcare-related news cycles, ensuring their vital work connecting civic engagement and health outcomes can continue to grow. By investing in strategic HR and building scalable systems, the organization has enhanced staff retention and created the capacity to nurture the thousands of new supporters brought into their movement through this initiative.