Field Trip: Why Donors Give?

What motivates a donor to give a donation? Is it an emotional connection? Because someone they respect asked them? Or a well-worded appeal or ad?

One thing I know for sure is you can't convince people to care. Why a prospect cares about your nonprofit is mostly based on their own lived experiences and values. Your marketing is not to get people to care but connect with those who do.

And those who care will care for different reasons. Understanding donor motivations is key to attracting supporters and finding new ones. So boy was I glad to have Jane Pfeiffer on this week's The Influential Nonprofit. She is the founder and President of Fieldtrip, a cause-focused agency dedicated to helping purpose-driven organizations help others.

Fieldtrip did a bunch of research into why donors give. This goes way beyond typical demographics to focus on donors' mindsets, and how they view both important social issues and their approach to empathy.

Jane shares these three segments and how best to connect with each. This is incredible, innovative look at your donors' mindset and motivations. 

“What I run into so often is so many people think that if they're aware, they automatically care. And so people equate growing awareness with growing donations, and that's just not a guarantee”

CHECK IT OUT HERE

In case no one has told you yet today, you are awesome!

Maryanne