Posts in Philanthropic Psychology
(Guest blog) Donor Love Series: Part Two - Instead of “donor as hero”, why not “donor as fellow human being”?

Advocates of donor-centred fundraising and the community-centric fundraising movement have butted heads over the last few years. But what if we could invite donors to be part of something where the essence of who they are allows them to forge deeper connections than “donor as hero”?

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Positives or Negatives? Neither?

“Negatives raise more money than positives”, right? Maybe. But is it even the right debate to be having? We believe not. The discussion should be around how we can fundraise in a way which is meaningful to the donor and delivers them the opportunity to enhance their wellbeing. In this blog, Prof. Jen Shang explains more, with an example from USA for UNHCR.

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Donation intention and threat – what’s the link and why does it matter?

Threats or danger posed by our environment are nothing new and have continuously challenged humans for centuries. Now we have new insight shedding light on how threats affect people’s intention to donate. What better time to understand the impact of threats on donation intention than right after a global pandemic? It turns out that this knowledge can seriously impact your fundraising!

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A New Beginning for Donor Loyalty and Retention – At Last

For almost thirty years I’ve been championing the importing from the commercial world of satisfaction, commitment, and trust as relationship measures that can help nonprofits manage loyalty. But it’s long past time to stop our reliance on our for-profit colleagues and begin to create new models and perspectives for ourselves.

At IFSP we are just beginning to see the results from our new two-year study of donor loyalty and retention focused on the factors that drive actual future behaviour.

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And The Problem with High Net Worth Philanthropy Is…? A Post-Modern Perspective

The knives are out for philanthropists. Editorial coverage of their motives, gifts, and impact is increasingly negative, particularly in the UK, but in the USA and elsewhere too. Does it matter? Many worry that it does. Is Philanthropist the identity we should use to define others when they give and how are we fuelling differences in terms of superiority/inferiority by using terms like major donor. This blog by Prof. Adrian Sargeant explores a post-modernist look at philanthropy.

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Donor Centricity: Where Did It Come From and Why Does It Matter?

I don’t see donor centricity as the dominant paradigm in fundraising. For that to be true, the majority of organizations in our sector would need to be able to identify donors needs and follow through on their satisfaction, and they do not. The metrics we use to assess our practice are almost exclusively financial and we care little for our supporters and how we make them feel. True donor centricity would require organizations to look to the wellbeing and growth of their supporters. And as a sector, we’re not there yet.

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Think you know your donors? There’s always more to learn

Do you really know who your supporters are? The more you understand about your donors’ identities, the more you can speak to them in ways that resonate. To kickstart 2021, we’re challenging everyone to really get to know who the people that support you are. Want to know how to go about it? Read on.

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20% of fundraisers don’t feel valued. Does this matter?

One in five fundraisers feel undervalued and believe they are not considered professionals.

Our research found fundraisers being recognised as professionals leads to greater philanthropic orientation, which in turn leads to greater fundraising performance.

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