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

Who are your supporters? It’s likely you can give a rough breakdown – they are men of a certain age. They are women in a certain field. By virtue of being your donors, you know they are interested in a particular cause.

You likely have a good handle on which appeals work, and which don’t. You know which demographics are more likely to give, and among these who will give one off donations, and who might stray into legacy territory.

But beyond demographics, do you really know who your donors are? At the Institute we spend a lot of time thinking about this. Because before people choose to give to a charity, they are not donors. They are people with their individual likes and dislikes, their political affiliations, their family set up, their life experiences.

Rather than donors, they are liberals, conservatives, parents, grandparents, cancer survivors, or animal lovers. These attributes are what psychologists call identities. They are not the ‘James’ or ‘Emma’s’ that we get to see through segmentation exercises. These identities are what people choose to express through their giving.

If there is one thing that we’ve learned about these identities in the last few years is that they are not created equal. Some identities are way more powerful in driving giving than others, and it is not always immediately obvious what the most significant identities are for which cause, during what kind of supporter journey, and when.

Because it all depends! Yet if we want to understand – to see who the people who support us are and what they feel when they do – then we must properly invest in careful investigation. It’s the kind of investment that donor centricity – true donor centricity – deserves. It goes beyond thinking of people as donors, to consider them instead as people who give.

What is the value of this, beyond good fundraising practice? Well, once we understand who our people are, we can speak to them in ways which resonate – and celebrate the specific identities that have motivated their generosity. We can in turn transform our communications from formulaic or even transactional to meaningful, relationship fortifying engagements which champion the people who give to us.

It takes an extra mile to carry out meaningful two-way conversations with our people, people-to-people. But when we do, the difference can really be felt. Examples abound from our work of charities whose supporters thank them for their words:

“XXX, I have to tell you that your responses to donations, both right after we make them and this follow-up message, are so heart-warming that they alone will encourage me to donate again later." 

"Receiving your e-mail has been a true emotion in times when such real positive feelings are too few. I just wanted to congratulate all of you for doing an incredible job and for giving me and all of us the possibility to share your big and ambitious dream. I’m truly honored to be part of this and thank you for what you do everyday."

“You are so nice and full of positive energy, I deeply appreciate your kind and warm words."

As these examples show, communications are no longer an intrusion but something people anticipate excitedly.

After a year in which our collective foundations have been rocked, there is a chance to do things differently. So, a challenge for 2021 then  – get to know your donors. Really get to know them. Understand who they are, what they believe in, what communities they are part of, what they identify as. All of this will serve to bring about a mindset shift that ceases to see donors simply as supporters, evolving instead to recognise that they are people who give. This in turn can transform how you speak to your people – with conversations becoming truly two-way and meaningful. The quality of your relationships will undoubtedly improve. So too will your fundraising capacity.

Find out more about the science behind Donor Centricity 3.0, and how we can help you get to know your donors.