The Cost of Delay: How much is your nonprofit leaving on the table?
Posted: April 14, 2025
Why Waiting Until Tomorrow Could Cost Nonprofits Millions!
We’ve all said it: “I’ll get to it tomorrow.” It’s a harmless phrase, until it’s not.
For nonprofits, procrastination isn’t just a bad habit; it’s a costly one. Every day you stick with outdated fundraising tools, you’re losing money that could fuel your mission.
We know times are busy. We know there are a multitude of things to do during the day that just ‘need doing’.
It’s not about being lazy, or disorganised.
What makes us feel good now (which could be a task that does need doing), has a stronger hold over us than what makes us feel good in the long run.
As Dr Pychyl told The New York Times in an article recently: “Procrastination is an emotion regulation problem, not a time management problem.”
So…
What if today’s $50,000 could become $75,000, $100,000, or more tomorrow?
Acting today can unlock savings, spark growth, and set your nonprofit on a path to much, much more in impact.
Let’s dive into why waiting is the real risk, and put some simple actions into place using the Better Giving Donation Calculator to show you how you can start winning today.
The Cost of Delay
Time is money so they say and for nonprofits, that’s a fact. Sticking with high-fee donation platforms can mean losing 3%, 5%, or more of every dollar raised.
On $100,000, that’s $3,000 gone. Money that could fund your next campaign, hire a part-time staffer, or buy critical supplies.
Multiply that by months or years, and the losses stack up fast.
“There’s always tomorrow to do this” sounds comforting, but tomorrow can be too late. Every day you delay, you’re leaving impact on the table and your mission deserves better than that.
The cost isn’t just financial; it’s the opportunities you miss when funds dry up. Don’t let procrastination shrink what you could achieve.
The Opportunity Cost.
The opportunity cost, the value of what you lose by choosing one path over another, is another hidden threat to nonprofits that don’t diversify their donation methods, leaving millions in unclaimed gifts on the table.
When organizations stick to outdated options like checks or just offer basic credit cards, they miss out on the revenue that modern donors – expecting seamless choices like digital wallets, direct bank transfers, cryptocurrency, or stock transfers – are ready to give.
Every missed donation represents more lost funds. It’s an opportunity lost!
Break it down to build it up with ‘Pomodoro’
If you’ve been using other donation platforms, then switching platforms might feel like a daunting leap.
But it doesn’t have to be. Let’s borrow from the Pomodoro Technique to make it manageable. Set an 15-minute timer and break it into small bites of time:
- 3 minutes: Try the Better Giving Donation Calculator – It’s free to access and fast!
- 10 minutes: Review and maybe share your results with your team. See how much you could save and raise.
- 2 minutes: Book a meeting with us to talk next steps.
That’s it!
Just 15 minutes to go from “maybe” to “wow, this could work.”
Big changes don’t need big time commitments; they need small, smart steps. Why overwhelm yourself when you can start simple and build up?
The calculator’s your first move. Try it now for free.
But there’s more.
Act Today, Win Tomorrow
It’s a great adage, “What you do today can echo through eternity”. We have to look to the future.
You could turn today’s $50,000 into tomorrow’s $60,000 or more – not through luck, but through action.
Better Giving cuts fees and reinvests savings, so every donation works harder for your cause.
The Donation Calculator also shows you the numbers about how you could be putting that money to work: Not just how much you’re losing today, but how much you could gain tomorrow by switching.
Picture what an extra $25,000, $50,000, or more could do: new programs, broader reach, a legacy that lasts.
Don’t let “tomorrow” become your excuse and you can benefit from the delight that is ‘compounding’! “Next week, next month, next year” sounds safe, but before you know it, the time’s gone.
Take that step now.
Use the calculator to see how you can see your donations grow in years to come.
Watch your future unfold.
The difference between today’s fundraising and tomorrow’s potential isn’t magic.
Don’t let procrastination cost your nonprofit millions in missed impact.
Try the Better Giving Donation Calculator now:
It’s quick, it’s free, and it’s the first step to a bigger, bolder future.
Then book a call.
Your mission can’t wait. Why should you?
