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E-mail DanPhilanthropy's Dirty Little Secret
September 16th, 2009 - by Dan AllenbyI recently listened to the Provost of one of America’s top research universities give a lecture on active learning. A renown neuroscientist, he described how students today (with unlimited access to information through the internet) are no longer satisfied to simply study a particular subject. They want to do things.
They’re not interested in just reading about a foreign city, they want to go there. They don’t want to look at pictures of an MRI machine, they want to use one. They don’t want to listen to someone talk about money, they want to make real investments. The dirty little secret of learning, he said, is that without actually doing things, we forget.
Philanthropy has a similar secret.
To a donor, making a gift is an experience. Too often, though, it gets treated like a transaction. Their relationship with your organization likely started long before they received your solicitation and it shouldn’t end when you send them for a receipt.
Active donors are more likely to renew their financial support in the future, so don’t be afraid to ask them to volunteer their time, solicit their friends, or promote your organization on Facebook. Donor retention problems are rarely the result of not soliciting donors enough. It’s usually the result of not asking them to do enough.
Beyond making a gift, what do you ask your donors to do?
Donors are people, first, which means that they individuals, and behave in ways that are, if not unique, then at least different from one another. They run the gamut from people who are looking for little or nothing from their giving experience, but want to discharge an obligation they feel, to those who want to permanently change the world. Intelligent fundraisers know that their approach needs to be tailored to each individual donor, and before they go too far, they need to understand their donor. This process is known as “development.” So there is a spectrum of motivations that donors have, and those who are looking to “make a difference” need, want and expect to become fully engaged. These individuals should be asked to do many things, and the intelligent development officer should reach out to communicate with them on a variety of subjects over an extended period.
Dan,
Philanthropy’s Dirty Little Secret is a great post. Your comment “To a donor, making a gift is an experience.” is thoughtful, down to earth, and useful.
Thanks for the wise observation.
Chris Vrotsos
Prospect Research