How To Make A Sales Funnel For Nonprofits

Nonprofit organizations face unique challenges in donor acquisition, volunteer recruitment, and supporter engagement. A well-designed sales funnel (often called a “donor journey” in the nonprofit sector) can help organizations attract supporters, share their mission, and convert visitors into donors, volunteers, or advocates. This guide will show you how to build, market, and implement a conversion funnel specifically for your nonprofit organization.

If you're a nonprofit leader looking to increase donations, engage supporters, and expand your organization's reach, there are several excellent platforms that can help you build effective nonprofit-focused funnels without requiring extensive technical knowledge.

The first step to making your nonprofit sales funnel is choosing the right platform. However, selecting from numerous options can be overwhelming, especially when you're focused on program delivery and mission fulfillment. Keep reading this guide to see our suggested picks and a step-by-step guide to making a sales funnel for your nonprofit organization.

The Best Platforms For Nonprofit Sales Funnels

When choosing a platform for your nonprofit sales funnel, you need specific features that address the unique needs of mission-based organizations. The ideal platform should include impact storytelling capabilities, donation processing, volunteer sign-up forms, and email nurturing sequences. It should also help you segment supporters based on interests, engagement level, and giving capacity. Based on these requirements, we've ranked the top 5 platforms for nonprofit sales funnels:

1. ClickFunnels

Get started with ClickFunnels (Free Trial) 🚀

ClickFunnels offers nonprofits a comprehensive solution with templates that can be customized for donation campaigns, event registrations, and volunteer recruitment. Its drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to create multi-step funnels that tell your organization's story, showcase impact, and process donations. ClickFunnels integrates with popular payment processors and CRM systems while offering powerful automation features for donor nurturing. It provides a 14-day free trial to test all features.

2. Leadpages

Get Started with Leadpages (Free Trial) 🚀

Leadpages offers user-friendly templates ideal for nonprofit lead generation and donation campaigns. Its alert bars and pop-ups are effective for promoting urgent fundraising appeals, event registrations, or volunteer opportunities. Leadpages makes it easy to create lead magnets such as “Impact Reports” or “Community Action Guides” that engage potential supporters while capturing their information for follow-up.

3. Unbounce

Get started with Unbounce (Free Trial) 🚀

Unbounce provides nonprofits with highly customizable landing pages perfect for specific campaigns, programs, or fundraising initiatives. Its Smart Traffic feature automatically directs potential supporters to the landing page variant where they're most likely to convert based on their interests. Unbounce excels at A/B testing different messaging and offers to optimize conversion rates for donations and volunteer sign-ups.

4. Instapage

Get started with Instapage (Free Trial) 🚀

Instapage allows nonprofits to create personalized landing pages for different programs or supporter segments. Its collaboration features make it easy for nonprofit teams to work together on campaign creation. Instapage's heatmap analytics help identify which aspects of your mission story or impact reporting most resonate with potential supporters.

5. Elementor

Get started with Elementor (Free Version Available) 🚀

Elementor provides WordPress users with a flexible platform to create custom nonprofit funnels. Its donation forms, testimonial showcases, and impact visualization features are particularly suited for nonprofit messaging. The platform's free version offers sufficient functionality for many nonprofits just getting started with digital marketing, with the Pro version adding features like popup builders and form widgets.

Conclusion

After evaluating multiple platforms, ClickFunnels stands out as the best choice for nonprofits due to its comprehensive approach combining storytelling capabilities, donation processing, and supporter nurturing in one integrated system. While it requires a monthly investment, the potential return through increased donations and supporter engagement makes it worthwhile for growth-focused organizations.

However, if you're working with a limited budget (as many nonprofits are), Elementor's free version provides an excellent starting point with many essential features at no cost.

Now that we have identified our top choice, let's show you how to make a nonprofit sales funnel using ClickFunnels.

How to Make a Sales Funnel for Nonprofits Using ClickFunnels

Building an effective nonprofit sales funnel involves creating an emotional connection with potential supporters while making it easy for them to take action. The following steps will guide you through making a funnel that converts visitors into donors, volunteers, or advocates.

Step 1: Sign Up for ClickFunnels

Create your account and take advantage of the 14-day free trial to explore all features before committing.

Step 2: Define Your Nonprofit's Goals and Supporter Personas

Before building your funnel:

  • Clarify your organization's mission and impact objectives
  • Identify your ideal supporter profiles (donors, volunteers, advocates)
  • Understand their motivations, values, and engagement preferences
  • Determine the primary actions you want them to take
  • Gather your most compelling impact stories and statistics
  • This clarity will guide your funnel messaging and call-to-action strategy

Step 3: Make Your Mission-Focused Landing Page

  • Add a compelling headline highlighting your cause and impact potential
  • Include an emotional video showing your organization's work
  • Add bullet points highlighting key statistics or urgent needs
  • Feature beneficiary testimonials or transformation stories
  • Offer a valuable lead magnet (impact report, educational guide, etc.)
  • Create a simple form to capture basic contact information and interests
  • Include trust indicators like accreditations, partner logos, and years of service

Step 4: Design Your Lead Magnet Delivery Page

After prospects submit their information:

  • Thank them for their interest in your cause
  • Provide immediate access to your promised resource
  • Include a brief video expanding on your organization's approach
  • Add impact stories that create emotional connection
  • Feature a specific initial engagement opportunity (small donation, simple volunteer task)
  • Make it easy to take action directly from this page
  • Include social sharing options to expand your reach

Step 5: Build Your Supporter Segmentation System

Create an interactive experience that:

  • Asks about specific cause interests within your mission
  • Identifies preferred engagement methods (donating, volunteering, advocating)
  • Gathers information about giving capacity and frequency preferences
  • Provides immediate value through personalized impact opportunities
  • Directs supporters to the most relevant next steps based on their responses
  • Captures additional contact information for targeted follow-up

Step 6: Make Your Donation Page

Design an optimized donation experience:

  • Create clear giving levels with specific impact descriptions
  • Include both one-time and recurring donation options
  • Add compelling visuals showing the impact of each donation amount
  • Implement a streamlined, mobile-friendly payment process
  • Add trust elements specific to financial stewardship
  • Include tax deduction information and transparency statements
  • Feature donor testimonials addressing common concerns

Step 7: Develop Program-Specific Funnels

Create separate funnel paths for different aspects of your mission:

  • Specific programs or initiatives
  • Volunteer recruitment and management
  • Advocacy campaigns
  • Event registrations
  • Corporate partnerships
  • Each with tailored content, impact stories, and specific calls to action

Step 8: Implement Supporter Nurture Sequences

Set up automated email campaigns that:

  • Deliver impact stories and program updates
  • Share beneficiary testimonials and success metrics
  • Provide educational content about your cause
  • Offer varied engagement opportunities based on interests
  • Express appreciation for support at all levels
  • Create a sense of community and belonging
  • Include transparent reporting on fund usage

Step 9: Make Your Volunteer Management System

Design processes for volunteer engagement:

  • Clear descriptions of volunteer opportunities and requirements
  • Simple registration and scheduling systems
  • Orientation and training resources
  • Volunteer recognition programs
  • Impact reporting specific to volunteer contributions
  • Pathways from volunteering to other forms of support

Step 10: Build Your Donor Retention and Upgrade Funnel

Create systems for deepening donor relationships:

  • Personalized thank-you sequences
  • Impact reporting tied to specific donation amounts
  • Giving milestone celebrations and recognition
  • Donor community engagement opportunities
  • Strategic upgrade requests based on giving history
  • Legacy and planned giving introduction for qualified donors

Step 11: Measure, Track, and Optimize

Monitor key metrics to continuously improve performance:

  • Conversion rates at each funnel stage
  • Average donation amount
  • Donor retention and lifetime value
  • Volunteer recruitment and retention rates
  • Email engagement metrics by content type
  • Acquisition cost by marketing channel
  • Program-specific support metrics

By following these steps with ClickFunnels, nonprofit organizations can make an effective sales funnel that turns visitors into committed supporters, guides them toward meaningful engagement opportunities, and builds long-term relationships that sustain your mission. This systematic approach helps maximize your impact while making efficient use of limited marketing resources.