Bro, it’s all about the audience

?? It’s the most wonderful time of the year! ???

That’s right—it’s back-to-school season. No more arguments over video games. No more feeding bottomless stomachs with snacks all day. No more hearing the word “bro” 47 times an hour.?

My two middle school boys returned to the classroom last week, and it’s just suddenly so … quiet.??

In this peaceful space, I actually got to thinking about that word “bro” and how they use it. You see, I rarely hear it when they’re talking to me, or their grandparents or any adults really. But it flows so naturally when they’re among their peers.??

In linguistics, this is often called code-switching. They instinctively know how each audience likes to be spoken to, and they adapt their words to match expectations.?

The kids might be smarter than we give them credit for. After all, brands have gotten wise in recent years to this idea of how to speak to different audiences—and it’s making its way into the nonprofit space.?

By now, you’ve probably heard the term “audience-first fundraising.” It was a big topic of discussion at The Bridge to Integrated Marketing & Fundraising Conference earlier this month, as Jarred Schremmer shares in his takeaways.??

“Audience-first” may feel like the latest buzzword in the nonprofit sector, but there’s some real meat behind this idea of meeting different groups of donors where they are and adapting your communication to match.?

In this month’s newsletter, we’ll dig deeper into this topic. Here’s what we have in store for you:?

• Why audience-first matters—and how to adapt?

• How to think about creative and audiences?

• One organization that is putting the plan into action?

• The right research helps you understand your donors?

• An Olympic-sized roundup of nonprofit news?

I hope you enjoy. Or, as my kids might say: Bro, this newsletter is fire. No cap.??

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Making the shift to audience-first fundraising?

Whew, OK. Audience-first fundraising is a big topic to unpack, so let’s start with a quick overview.?

The TL;DR version is that we need to stop thinking about strategies, investment and planning by channels (direct mail, digital, etc.) and start thinking by audiences (new donors, lapsed, monthly, mid-level, etc.) instead. RKD Group CEO Chris Pritcher lays it out well in?this blog post.??

“Think about our current mindset in fundraising,” Chris writes. “We start by picking a channel, then we say, ‘We need to send a campaign.’ Once that’s determined, we look at the offer and then choose the audience that receives it. This is completely backward from what we should be doing.”?

Chris suggests that we start by identifying who we want to have a relationship with, then consider the offer, before reaching them in their preferred communication style and channel.?

This is a big change, and we all know change is not easy.???

In fact, Chris has a follow-up post on the necessary balance of inspiration and adaptation to achieve success. You need a big idea (inspiration), but you also need the small, iterative steps to get there (adaptation).??

He uses Apple’s launch of the iPod in 2001 as an example of this in action:??

• Before the iPod, MP3 players were clunky devices holding about 30 songs.?

• Steve Jobs introduced the inspiration of "a thousand songs in your pocket"—something unheard of at the time.?

• The Apple team then made adaptations to develop new storage technology, create intuitive user interfaces and rethink product design.?

• Without the bold inspiration, the final product may have just been a jump from 30 to 60 songs in your pocket.?

• Without the steps of adaptation, Jobs’ vision would never have come to life.?

Check out Chris’ five-part road map to guide nonprofit organizations through changing their approach to fundraising.?

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Matt DiBenedetti shares his approach to creative?

Meet Matthew DiBenedetti , the new Senior Vice President and Executive Creative Director at RKD Group.?

With more than 25 years of experience, Matt leads our omnichannel Performance Creative practice. His unique expertise in blending data, technology and creative strategy is set to transform how we support our clients, helping them engage donors in more impactful ways than ever before.?

In the latest episode of the RKD Group: Thinkers podcast, Matt discusses his background and approach to audience-first creativity in the nonprofit sector. Listen here.?

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Audience-first: Moving from ideas to action?

Megan England , VP of Strategy, has been working closely with our clients to begin the shift to audience-first fundraising.?

Food Bank For New York City (FBNYC) is a great example.??

They’re moving from campaign-focused strategies to prioritizing relationships, transitioning from channel-centric messaging to strategic audience investments. During the pandemic, FBNYC also acquired a large group of digitally savvy donors where traditional direct mail tactics no longer resonated as effectively—and speaking to this audience looks a little different compared to other newly acquired donors.?

In her blog post, Megan walks through some of the steps FBNYC has taken this year:?

• Transitioning toward a human-centered fundraising approach, aiming to enhance long-term donor engagement and ensure sustainable growth?

• Reimagining direct mail to align with digital expectations by incorporating QR codes and vanity URLs for online giving?

• Focusing on data-driven insights to better understand and reach the most engaged donor segments?

FBNYC is now set up well for the year-end giving season. This audience-first strategy is designed to enhance decision-making, improve communication relevance and provide a better donor experience, with the goal of ultimately increasing donor engagement and retention.?

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Understanding donor motivations is essential?

The move to audience-first fundraising is rooted in data. We need information about people to best communicate with them—who they are, how they behave, what motivates them, etc.?

GivingTuesday has been conducting weekly surveys on donor motivations and behaviors to produce a quarterly summary called the GivingPulse Report. There’s a wealth of data in there, and RKD Group has teamed up with GivingTuesday to provide actionable strategies for this data.?

This is one way we can improve fundraising—for everyone. Check out the first edition of the Field Guide.????

Meanwhile, RKD has conducted research on donor motivations from several of our clients. We asked donors questions like:??

• What motivates you to make repeat donations??

• Which of the following statements best describes your personality??

• Which programs should animal welfare organizations prioritize in their messaging??

• Which of these statements resonates most with you??

• And much more …??

Eddy Camas Camas, our VP of Strategy, summarized the top findings and provided his recommendations for what to do with these insights. Check out the research findings for animal welfare donors and food bank donors.??

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Go for gold?with insights around the nonprofit sector??

What was your favorite highlight of the Paris Olympics????

While Simone Biles’ gold redemption, Noah Lyles’ photo finish and Mondo Duplantis’ world-record pole vault are high on my list, I’ll go with?Julien Alfred winning the 100-meter dash?to bring home the first medal?ever?for St. Lucia. In just under 11 seconds, she instantly became a national legend.???

Incredible stuff.??

Speaking of the Olympics, Lisa Jones Rossi gives a nod to the Games in the?August edition of Rossi’s Roundup. Here are a few other items she covers:??

• The findings from the Q1 2024 Fundraising Effectiveness Project report?

• A new study that explains a $20 billion loss in charitable giving??

• Data that shows DAF donors are more generous?

• How to fundraise in an election year??

And there’s so much more. I may not have the power to hand out gold medals, but if I could, I’d certainly grant one to Lisa for her tireless dedication to providing insights around the nonprofit sector.??

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Thanks for taking the time to read this month’s issue—I hope you thought it was “fire.” As always, I wish you all the best in your fundraising endeavors.???