What Do Donors Want?

The psychology of fundraising will be more thoroughly covered in another blog post, but while we are thinking about donors and how to appeal to them, it makes sense to say a few words about what is going through the minds of those who are willing to give money for your nonprofit. 

Many non-profits assume that people give money for specific causes for “nothing,” but this is rarely the case.  Studies have shown that people who are likely to give money to non-profits generally do so because they feel they get some “value” from giving.  

People give to non-profits for a number of reasons:    

• To assuage a fear: Many people give to non-profits because they fear the eventually of a specific event or situation.  Some people, for example, are afraid that women are not treated well enough and that violence against women may affect their home.  Others fear becoming homeless or losing their jobs and give to food banks to ensure that a social support system exists for those who have less money. 

While you never want to prey upon people’s fears or exaggerate their fears, knowing that people react in this way can help you target your fundraising efforts and can help you understand why some donors give generously.

• To make a contribution: Many people feel that by giving to a non-profit they are making a valuable addition to society.  This is absolutely correct - non-profits do the work that many working people simply do not have the time or the resources to do themselves.  Donors can contribute to this work through volunteering or through money donations.  This is certainly a “giving value: you will want to stress in order to increase donations. 

You may want to emphasize how donor money will be used to a make a real difference in people’s lives, for example, and you will want to explain to your donors and contributors how their help of your non-profit is a contribution that the donors are making to society.

• Tax deductions: The fact that many gifts to non-profit companies are tax-deductible is often an extra bonus for many donors.  No one likes to pay more taxes than they absolutely have to.  For this reason, you will want to tell your donors when their gifts can be tax deductible and ensure that they get the receipts they need to make their tax deduction claims.

• A chance to win: Charitable lotteries and charity casinos are becoming more and more popular.  These events draw not only donors who support a specific non-profit, but these fundraising efforts also draw people who simply wish to win a nice prize and also like the benefit of helping a charity while they get a chance to win. If you are running a lottery or raffle, you will want o emphasize to your donors their good chances of winning as well as the contributions they are making to society.

• Emotional benefit: If you look at most successful fundraising campaigns, they generally appeal to the emotions rather than just the rational mind.  Non-profits that raise money for international relief, for example, often show emotionally charged pictures of people who do not have the basics of life.  Animal shelters often show saddening pictures of pets that have been abandoned.  The idea is not to manipulate your donors, but rather to make sure that their emotions as well as their intellect understand the importance of your group’s cause.  You likely developed or take part in your non-profit because you think that your group’s cause is an important one.  You need to communicate to your donors why the cause is important on an emotional level so that they feel the importance of your non-profit, not just understand it. 

• Immortality: For a few people, donations are made in order to have a plaque or a statue dedicated to them.  Some individuals like to be known as philanthropists.  In many cases, these individuals are willing to offer larger sums of money in exchange for recognition of their gifts.

• Products: Some people take part in fundraising because they want whatever products or services a non-profit is offering through their fundraising efforts.  If you hold a book sale to raise money, for example, you can expect book lovers to show up, whether they want to support your non-profit specifically or not.  If you have useful goods or services you are offering as part of your fundraising, you will want to emphasize this to potential donors.

Now that you have a sense of who will be offering you money, and where to find these individuals, you can start tailoring ideas to suit your potential donors.