One of the biggest challenges for any nonprofit marketer is making the most of limited resources. Even when budgets are tight and you’re short-staffed, you still need to create giving campaigns that pull in new donors—and prove those results to your organization’s leadership.
Nonprofits often use both digital campaigns and print marketing materials for fundraising. QR Codes are a practical tool that bridges the gap between the two. With a simple scan, potential donors can go from a printed brochure to an interactive online page to get more involved.
There are countless potential use cases for QR Codes at religious institutions and nonprofit organizations, and we’ll look at some of the best ways to implement them in your next campaign. We’ll also break down how to track QR Code engagement to see which strategies work best for your audience.
Note: The brands and examples discussed below were found during our online research for this article.
Key takeaways
- QR Code scan counts are a starting point, not a finish line. The metrics that matter to funders are donation conversion rate, volunteer sign-up completion, and event attendance attribution.
- Donor trust is built by design, not assumed. Branded short links and recognizable custom domains reduce hesitation and protect your scan-to-completion rates.
- QR Codes can serve every stage of the supporter journey, from first-touch awareness campaigns through post-donation stewardship and grant reporting.
- Multi-chapter and distributed nonprofits need a QR governance model with naming conventions and channel-specific codes to maintain brand consistency without losing local agility.
- Grant reporting and donor transparency are underused QR Code applications. Routing funders to live impact dashboards via a printed annual report reduces friction and builds credibility.
What makes QR Codes valuable for nonprofits
QR Codes fill a helpful role in nonprofit outreach campaigns: They connect offline touchpoints with online resources to encourage action. Many nonprofits use offline materials like direct mail, event signage, and custom merchandise to build brand awareness.
However, key donor actions like donations and volunteer signups happen online. In fact,email marketing, Facebook, and Instagram continue to be the three most effective nonprofit marketing tools.
QR Codes are an easy way to turn these two separate engagement tactics into one seamless experience. They’re quick and affordable to create, there’s no app required to scan them (just a smartphone camera), and they’re simple and intuitive to use. It’s also easy to measure QR Code engagement, which helps with accurate donor and grant reporting.
10 ways nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) can use QR Codes
Let’s look at some of the top ways to use QR Codes for nonprofit fundraising and operations across the supporter journey. We’ll cover how each use case works, where to place your code, and how to track it.
1. Donation drives and fundraising campaigns
One of the most popular QR Code strategies for nonprofits is linking to a mobile-optimized online donation form, so interested parties can give directly from their smartphones.
There are plenty of places to include QR Codes for donations: on signs at fundraising events, on direct mailers, in brochures. Include a simple call-to-action like “Give now” so potential donors know what to expect.
For fundraising campaigns, you should always use Dynamic QR Codes rather than static ones. You can update the destination URL for a Dynamic QR Code at any time, so if your fundraising form changes mid-campaign, you won’t need to reprint the code.
To determine whether your strategy is effective, compare scan count against donation form completion rates and calculate the percentage of initial scans that ultimately lead to a conversion. If you use Bitly Codes, you can track scan volume right in your account dashboard via Bitly Analytics.
2. Event registration and check-in
Both in-person and digital events are essential for attracting donors and volunteers. Before the event, you can use QR Codes on print invitations, posters, and email footers to send people to an online registration page. This helps you estimate how many people will be attending and plan accordingly.
When the event starts, place a QR Code on a welcome sign that links to a check-in page. It’ll make the check-in process more efficient while reducing administrative stress for your team.
To reduce friction and encourage completion, link to a branded landing page (like a Bitly Page) with specific event information, rather than your website’s homepage. Track QR Code success, calculate the number of scans that led to completed registration, but compare that against event attendance to get a clearer picture of ROI.
3. Volunteer recruitment and onboarding
Strategically-placed QR Codes make it easy for interested volunteers to sign up. You can place them on local bulletin boards, on print materials at partner businesses—anywhere you interact with your community.
Make sure to use Dynamic QR Codes here, so even if you need to adjust your volunteer sign-up page throughout the year, you won’t need to print new assets. Volunteer sign-up rates are a key metric to track for this campaign.
4. Donor stewardship and thank-you experiences
In addition to facilitating donations, QR Codes can help keep donors engaged once they’ve already made a contribution.
For example, you can send donors a thank-you card with a QR Code that leads to a personalized video message. You could also place a code on an in-office donor recognition wall that leads to an interactive impact gallery, or include them in anniversary brochures to link to a program update page.
When used strategically, these QR Codes help keep donors connected with your organization, which can boost brand loyalty and encourage future donations. To determine whether or not this strategy is effective, monitor the repeat donation rate among those who receive or interact with them.
5. Awareness campaigns and storytelling
Building an emotional connection with your audience is a must for non-profits, especially when you’re trying to raise awareness. On posters, billboards, and merchandise, you don’t have much space to tell your whole story.
That’s what makes QR Codes a powerful tool for out-of-home marketing. It’s an opportunity to share more information and connect new audiences with your website, without cluttering up your media.
You can include QR Codes in your promotional materials that link to video stories, written testimonials, and other forms of social proof. Use CTAs like “Learn more” or “Explore here” to encourage intrigued audiences to scan.
The primary goal of an awareness campaign is to get your brand out there, rather than attracting donations right away. Track key metrics like time-on-page and social media shares to determine whether your awareness campaign is working.
6. Annual reports and program updates
Many nonprofits need to send annual reports to donors and board members, or create detailed grant applications to secure additional funding. When drafting these reports, you have a few options: Print hefty brochures that eat into your limited budget, or produce a more streamlined report with a QR Code on it.
These QR Codes can link to updated pages or even a live digital dashboard with your latest performance metrics. This gives these important decision-makers access to the latest data, rather than outdated numbers. QR Code functionality also indicates that your organization is digital-forward and cares about efficiency.
By including a scannable QR Code on your printed reports, you’ll be able to track engagement levels directly. Monitor total scan volume for each QR Code, as well as the average time-on-page, to see how people are responding.
7. Merchandise and physical goods
If your nonprofit sells merchandise as part of your fundraising efforts, that’s a great opportunity to incorporate QR Codes into your marketing strategy. You can place QR Codes on apparel, tote bags, water bottles, and other merch to expand your reach to new audiences.
These codes can link to any page you want to promote, whether that’s an about page, donation page, volunteer page, or something else. When designing your products, make sure the QR Code is large and clear enough to scan properly using a variety of different mobile devices.
Avoid Static QR Codes here, as they can quickly become outdated. Instead, opt for Dynamic QR Codes, so you can always redirect them to an active webpage as campaigns change.
8. Membership sign-ups and recurring giving
Recurring donations help nonprofits build financial stability, and fortunately, they’re also becoming more common, increasing by 144% over the last several years. You can encourage them by using QR Codes to link to membership pages where new donors can sign up to make recurring gifts.
Place these QR Codes on brochures, flyers, billboards, signage, or any other in-person marketing materials. But make sure each QR Code links to a dedicated, mobile-optimized landing page instead of your homepage to make the sign-up process more efficient. Bitly Pages offers mobile-friendly, no-code landing page templates to help you get started.
When tracking these QR Codes, keep an eye on recurring donation growth and membership upgrade rates as key indicators of success.
9. Partner and sponsor activations
Partnering with local corporations or businesses can help boost brand awareness without extensive media spend. QR Codes work great on any co-branded materials or sponsor signage, making it easy to link to dedicated landing pages that encourage donations and volunteer signups.
If you have multiple partners or sponsors, create a unique QR Code for each one, rather than reusing the same one. This makes it easier to calculate which partner is driving the most scans or conversions.
For example, if you have two local business partners, use two different QR Codes on the event fliers you leave with them. Then, track both to see which location generates more engagement.
You can use QR Codes to A/B test other variables too, including campaign copy, visuals, placement, and more. Stick to testing one variable at a time for direct comparison.
10. NGO field operations and international programs
Many NGOs are managing global operations across several countries or regions. QR Codes can be a powerful tool for sharing information with your international teams.
Place codes in field offices that connect to helpful training materials or translated resource libraries for your staff. You can also use QR Codes to share program intake forms with beneficiaries, rather than printing them out.
In this situation, every landing page destination should be multilingual for accessibility. But remember, internet access can vary significantly between countries. Keep landing pages lightweight, so they’ll load even when users have minimal bandwidth. Generate a short URL to go with each QR Code as an alternative if audiences cannot scan.
Although these QR Codes are functional rather than promotional, you can still add your brand’s colors and logo for visual consistency. You can also track scans to see which resources are providing the most value around the globe.
How to measure QR Code performance beyond scan counts
QR Code scan counts are a helpful metric, but they don’t always tell you whether your outreach efforts were truly effective. You’ll need to pair scan data with other key metrics to get the full story. Here are some essential KPIs to track:
- Conversion rate for donation pages
- Volunteer sign-up rates
- Recurring donation rate or membership upgrade rate
- Event sign-up rate with QR Code attribution
- Digital resource download rate
Bitly Analytics helps you track metrics like scan volume for QR Codes and click volume for short links, as well as device type used, geographic location (city/country), and referral source (depending on your plan). You can combine this information with data from other analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, to get the full picture.
By monitoring these metrics, you’ll quickly identify which outreach and marketing campaigns are generating the best results for your organization.
Understanding industry benchmarks can help too. For example, donation pages have an average conversion rate of 11% on desktop and 8% on mobile devices. With this information, you can plan future campaigns and adjust your budget so that every dollar generates ROI.
Building trust so donors actually scan
Some donors or volunteers might be hesitant to scan QR Codes, especially if they’re not familiar with the technology. To get these audiences to engage, you’ll need to build trust with them so they feel comfortable scanning:
- Start by making sure your QR Code design aligns with your branding. Small details like colors, logos, and patterns can make your code feel more professional and integrated with your marketing materials.
- Include a reassuring CTA with each QR Code to let audiences know exactly what to expect—something like “Scan here to give securely at [domain]” so audiences know they’re going to a donation page.
- Use a custom short domain that’s easily recognizable to anyone familiar with your brand. It’s a small detail that instantly makes your QR Codes look more trustworthy.
Managing QR Codes at scale: A governance playbook for distributed nonprofits
QR Code management can be tricky if you’re a small marketing team handling multiple nonprofit chapters and locations. If you don’t keep things organized, you can quickly end up with QR Code sprawl, which makes it very difficult to find the exact codes you’re looking for.
To prevent this, establish a governance model before you generate your first QR Code. Establish clear naming conventions for each code, such as [chapter] [campaign] [channel], so you know what it’s for just by looking at it. This makes it easier to find and redirect QR Codes later as marketing materials change and new team members join.
Bitly’s tagging features make QR Code management easy, letting you group codes by campaign. You can also track scan volume for the entire campaign, in addition to individual QR Codes.
How to create and manage nonprofit QR Codes with Bitly
Ready to get started? Here’s how to make a QR Code with Bitly for your nonprofit organization:
- Choose a destination URL for your QR Code. If necessary, create a dedicated landing page with Bitly Pages.
- Enter your destination URL in the Bitly platform to generate a QR Code. Customize it with your nonprofit’s visual brand elements, such as colors, patterns, frames, and logos.
- Download the QR Code in your desired file format and add it to your marketing materials.
- Include a CTA and a corresponding short URL near the QR Code for accessibility. Check the code’s size and contrast before printing.
- Test the QR Code using several different device types to make sure it scans properly before distributing your marketing materials.
- When your landing pages change, be sure to adjust the destination URLs for your Dynamic QR Codes. To do this, select the pencil icon next to the code you want to update, then click Redirect, enter your new URL, and click Save changes to finalize.
Start connecting every scan to a real outcome
QR Codes are a valuable tool for any growing nonprofit. They help you unify print and digital engagement to create a better experience for everyone, plus they’re affordable, accessible, and trackable.
Bitly gives you everything you need to launch your QR Code strategy and boost your nonprofit’s engagement. With Bitly, you can generate branded QR Codes, short links, and landing pages in just a few clicks, plus every asset is trackable via Bitly Analytics.
It’s a simple way to make every outreach campaign integrated, on-brand, and impactful.
Get started with Bitly today to integrate QR Codes into your nonprofit’s marketing strategy.
FAQs
Can I update a QR Code after it’s already been printed on materials?
Dynamic QR Codes make this straightforward. When you create a QR Code through a platform like Bitly, the code itself stays the same, while the destination URL can be updated at any time through your account. So if your donation page changes, your event registration closes, or you want to redirect supporters to a new campaign, you simply update the link and every printed piece with that code automatically points to the new destination. For nonprofits working with long print lead times or tight budgets, this is one of the most practical reasons to choose dynamic over static codes from the start.
How do I know if my nonprofit’s QR Code campaign is actually working?
Scan counts tell you how many people engaged, but the metrics that matter to your board and funders go further. Track donation completion rate (how many scans resulted in a completed gift), volunteer sign-up completion, and event attendance attribution alongside scan volume. Bitly Analytics surfaces geographic reach, device type, referral source, and scan trends over time, and when you pair QR Codes with UTM parameters, you can connect scan activity directly to the conversion outcomes you report upward. Set a reporting cadence before launch so you are comparing performance consistently across campaigns.
Are QR Codes safe for donors to scan? How do I make sure they trust it?
Donor hesitation around scanning unknown codes is real, especially for supporters who are less familiar with the technology. The most effective way to build confidence is through design: use a branded short link with a recognizable custom domain on your printed materials so donors can see exactly where they are going before they scan. Pair the code with clear microcopy like “Scan to give securely at [yourdomain.org]” so the destination is never a mystery. Consistent branding across the code, the landing page, and your organization’s visual identity reinforces that the experience is legitimate and intentional.
What’s the best way to use QR Codes if our nonprofit has multiple chapters or locations?
Create channel- and location-specific QR Codes rather than using one code everywhere. This gives each chapter or location its own trackable link while keeping national leadership visible to overall performance. Before you scale, establish a naming convention (for example, [Chapter]-[Campaign]-[Channel]) so codes are easy to find, audit, and retire. Centralized campaign management tools, like those available in Bitly, let distributed teams manage their own codes within a shared organizational structure, so local agility and brand consistency can coexist without creating QR sprawl across events and partner materials.
Can we use QR Codes in our annual report or grant applications?
Embedding QR Codes in printed annual reports, grant applications, and program brochures is one of the most underused applications in the nonprofit sector. A code that routes a grant officer or major donor directly to a live impact dashboard or updated program outcomes page reduces the friction of static print reporting and signals that your organization is data-forward and accountable. It also shortens the feedback loop with funders who want current data without waiting for the next printed update. To measure effectiveness, track funder engagement rate and time-on-page to understand how well these codes are supporting your funding conversations.
