To build an engaged donor community, focus on listening and meaningful conversations. This advice came from frontline fundraisers at the recent Donor Participation Project conference.
Heather Thompson, a fundraiser at a social services organization, found that dismantling internal silos and engaging both donors and program participants led to new insights. Her organization surveyed both groups, asking open-ended questions about their hopes, dreams and challenges. Nearly 30% of donor respondents wanted to explore using the organization’s services—showing the narrow line between donors and program participants. Overall, the survey revealed an opportunity to build interconnectivity across groups.
Other presenters recommended using social media and online communities to facilitate open dialogue. Caitlin Barma of Almaviz suggested using private online communities with email distribution to regularly engage audiences. She noted social media’s low organic reach, requiring paid promotion to connect with followers. In contrast, owned communities foster authentic conversation and deeper relationships.
Dr. Russell James, a fundraising expert, emphasized that people give to enhance their identity and relationships.
Asking questions that help donors articulate their identity and values in relation to your cause is key. For example, ask what donors’hopes are for their community or how they first learned about your organization. Follow up by framing your work as a way for donors to achieve meaningful victories and enhance their identity.
Aubrey Bergauer recommended “auditioning” content on social media to see what resonates before including it in newsletters. She also advised modifying successful content by 10% to improve it over time. Her mantra “done is better than perfect” encourages taking risks and learning from failures.
Building an engaged donor community requires time, but following these frontline insights on listening, facilitating open dialogue, and enhancing donor identity can transform transactional donors into lifelong advocates. With creativity and persistence, any nonprofit can achieve this vision.
View the full recording of this session in our Resource Library.