We can go back and forth on the semantics — some like the concept of “donor-centered fundraising” and some don’t. Regardless, before we look at the strategy or tactics in raising money from individual donors, we need to take a step back and become donor aware.
What do I mean by that? I mean that we need to be aware that donors are not some monolithic group of money-grubbing, self-centered, pushy, unpleasant humans. Do some people with those characteristics exist within the millions of people who give to nonprofits? Of course. They exist everywhere. We can encounter nasty people (or nasty people with means) wherever we are — in work, school, shops, etc. Are those type of people more common among the donor population? I don’t believe they are. Are people with money more likely to be obnoxious? Maybe, but surely we’ll hear about it more often because they are — maybe due to their wealth — more prominent “names” in many communities.
But nasty human does not equal donor. And donor does not equal self-centered person.
In fact, everyone — certainly every adult — has been a donor sometime in their life. Don’t believe me? Apply these definitions to yourself and your friends or relatives.
Donor: one that gives, donates, or presents something. (Merriam-Webster)
Philanthropist: A philanthropist is a person who donates time, money, experience, skills or talent to help create a better world. Anyone can be a philanthropist, regardless of status or net worth. (Fidelity Charitable)
With that, let’s dispense with the idea that donors are, because of their financial resources, a different breed of human. If, instead, we start with the baseline that donors are just people — with as many different characteristics as any population, we can now move on to better understand our potential and existing donors.
Start with thinking of yourself as a donor. I often hear questions including, “What are donors like?” or “What do donors really want?” Again, think about what you’re like, or what you really want. Do you want to have conversations, while getting to know someone new to you, only to find that the conversation wasn’t sincere or authentic, and instead was just a manipulation to get you to give them money? Do you want to receive a solicitation every single time someone says “thank you” or provides you with a receipt? If you personally would feel uncomfortable in either of those scenarios, it’s safe to assume that some of the people you’re soliciting will feel the same.
Research tells us that the majority of wealthy people are self-made. A century ago, that might not have been the case. But now we know that most millionaires (as many as 80%, according to current studies) are self-made people who, for the most part, didn’t grow up wealthy. Not growing up with means suggests that these people were not exposed to professional fundraisers, so the language, mechanisms and rules that professional fundraisers use might be completely foreign to them.
They also — this 60-80% of wealthy people who are new to wealth — don’t “look like” most people’s vision of a wealthy person. They’re also not likely to be on your list of “past donors” or “major donor prospects”. (For a somewhat humorous example of this, check out this article called “The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy”) It’s this problematic reality that made it difficult for a nonprofit to accept a large gift from me when I first had significant resources to give. I guarantee you that there are many, many folks in the same position today. Many of them want to give, but because they’re not on your “list”, they’re ignored.
There’s lots more about this in my books, but for now, let’s tackle the question “What do donors really want?” I’ve seen many articles professing to know what donors want, from thank you notes to how they like to be approached to why they give money. Nobody knows what “donors” want, because each donor is an individual, living, breathing, human beings. Donors are all over the map on their likes and dislikes, their preferences on being thanked or communicated with, their interest in hearing about your organization’s successes and failures, and so on.
So how do you learn what your donor or donors prospects want? You ask them. You build an authentic relationship with them. You see them as a partner. Once you do that, the rest will become clear, and you’ll be much more successful (and much less stressed).
Having said that, I’ll leave you with a very simple article that does address the question of what donors want — but you’ll see that it’s really what human beings in general want when they give to someone or to some organization. Check it out here.
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