Spoiler: Data Can Reveal The Key To Your Donors’ Hearts (and Wallets)

When times are tough, and wallets shrink, how do you keep your nonprofit a top priority for your donors? The goal is to be a fixed line item in a donor’s budget — non-negotiable, even in hard times. To achieve this, you must understand where your donor’s values align with your organization's. In this episode of the Go Beyond Fundraising Podcast, we tackle this question and others with GivingDNA’s General Manager Rebecca Segovia, and VP of Client Success Ryan Carpenter. Spoiler: Data can reveal the key to your donors’ hearts. The donor knows your case for support, but do you know theirs? Once you understand why a donor supports your cause, you can build a more intentional relationship with them. Becca and Ryan will discuss how data can help unearth your donors’ reasons for investing in you. Just having data isn’t enough. It matters how you use it. Data can support your strategies, uncover opportunities, and build relationships. Simply asking donors why they give to your cause and what communication they prefer can be a powerful way to build trust and win their loyalty. To make the most of your data, first ensure it’s clean and consistent. Then, recognize what you’re tracking. You’ll have demographic information, but what else do you know about your donors? Interests, passions, giving behavior, communication preferences — all of this helps you get to know your donors better. Finally, look for trends. What outreach are people responding to? Your year-end appeal, a summer campaign, or something else? Can you tell when their habits change? These insights will show you where to focus resources. Once your database is clean, stories about your donors will emerge. Demographics, psychographics, communication preferences, disposable income, and other data points will paint a more colorful and detailed picture of your donors. In turn, you’ll be in an ideal position to deliver customized experiences that leads to deeper loyalty, more revenue, and a secure future.