Issue 11: Homes for Generosity
Tim Sarrantonio
Generosity Experience Design | Empowering nonprofits to build a community of generosity
It’s been fun seeing all the folks posting about heading to Portland, Oregon for the Nonprofit Technology Conference. While I’ve attended in person in the past, I’ll be joining today virtually when I present “Community Catalysts: Designing Equitable Technology Donation Programs” with Ben Williams of the Connect Center .?
We’ve been working with a beta group of a few nonprofits on a different way to donate products and services to nonprofits. I've unfortunately witnessed a continued backsliding in these offerings throughout our sector, with even some of the other CRM vendors getting rid of their CSR offerings.?
The reality is that it is difficult to get adoption - the biggest thing I’ve learned is that it isn’t just about the technology but in fact is very much about supporting the people. There’s a long way to go for us to really ramp our own initiative up but it has led to some of the most important work and collaborations I’ve had yet in my time with Neon One.
And I get to work with Ben Williams and other great leaders in charting a new path forward on nonprofit tech CSR. If you’re attending the conference, tune in later today for my session .
Generosity in Action
Few voices resonate as powerfully and inspirationally in the realm of philanthropy and community development as that of Dr. Froswa' Booker . As the visionary leader behind Soulstice Consultancy , Dr. Booker-Drew has made significant strides in pioneering innovative strategies that are not just about giving but about engaging and empowering communities at a grassroots level.
On the latest episode of Untapped Philanthropy, we had the honor of delving into the mind and motivations of Dr. Booker-Drew, exploring her dynamic blend of passion and expertise that champions the transformative power of relationships. Her work is a testament to the belief that the foundation of real change lies in the strength of connections between individuals, organizations, and communities.
Listen here
Tips & Tricks
Earlier this week I asked folks what’s the biggest missed opportunity in how nonprofits utilize household data . So far, the top vote is segmentation and I think that is a very solid choice. To assist with that, I’m drawing out some insights from this great article that the Neon One content team wrote about this topic.?
Segmenting donors by campaigns supported, giving behavior, gift size, engagement levels, lapsing donors and archetypes are all helpful in different ways. To see how this works in action, we can use a common scenario as an example. It’s not unusual for multiple donors to come from the same family. In one common scenario, a parent gets their children involved in an organization and that child continues their support into the next generation. You still want to treat these individuals as unique people, even though they’re all from the same household and have probably interacted with your organization in similar ways. To manage that for the lifetime of your relationship with them, you’d use segmentation.?
Let’s use the following example family. You have Rhonda, a 65-year-old novelist and a regular supporter of your literary foundation. She has both donated to your annual fund and volunteered for events like galas and dinners. Also involved in your organization is her daughter Nina, a 22-year-old literacy coach who volunteers her time for many of your projects focused on children. Finally, you have her son Tim, who is 25 years old and works as a curator at a museum. He donated once several years ago to a fundraiser in partnership with his museum, but has not responded to any subsequent appeals.?
Since all of these individuals are from the same family, they may automatically get grouped together in your CRM. But they all have very different ways that they engage with your organization! Segmenting them will help you customize your communication to each of them just as it will help you target communications to other types of supporters in your database.?
Segmenting by engagement level is ultimately about recognizing and understanding your strongest supporters. If you wanted to try this, you would group your donors based on whether they’re highly, moderately, or minimally engaged. Supporters like Rhonda and Nina, who volunteer and donate, would fall into your high and moderate categories. You could then adjust your communication and recognition strategies based on that level of engagement. Your highly engaged donors may be invited to special events or ceremonies, receive frequent updates, and even serve as a pool for potential board involvement and other commitments. Moderately engaged donors may receive regular (but less frequent) communications, periodic updates, and regular invitations to support your cause in new ways.
Meanwhile, your least-engaged donors can be periodically reviewed to gauge the possibility of future support. Someone like Tim may be worth targeting with a lapsed donor campaign to see if he might like to re-engage. If you notice a large portion of your least engaged donors haven’t interacted with your organization in years, you may safely decide to remove them from your database.
Read the rest:
Data Dive
I find myself returning to the report I wrote a few years ago to help guide the foundations of where I think we need to go. Within that 78 page beast, we were able to collect over 50 different research initiatives.?
Since I’ve been focusing on households, I wanted to draw out some important insigh specific to racial categorizations of household generosity that the Urban Institute outlined a few years ago that still stands today. Taking a look at the latest available data on wealth and charitable giving, it is clear that black families, though hindered by a history of structural barriers and practices that have blocked asset building and wealth creation, are choosing to prioritize philanthropy. Of all racial or ethnic groups in the dataset, black families have contributed the largest proportion of their wealth—which can include savings, used cars, land, and investment accounts—to charity since 2010.???
Although charitable giving is a highly personal decision, some sociocultural and historical factors shape philanthropic preferences among black donors—both individually and collectively—and may shed light on why we observe these differences in charitable giving through wealth.
From a sociocultural standpoint, high-net-worth black families are reportedly more likely to have family traditions around giving than their white counterparts. They also report more fulfillment from their charitable giving. These factors likely contribute to a lasting social commitment to give, even as income and wealth fluctuate.
From a historical and institutional perspective, black communities have robust networks and organizations that support and facilitate charitable giving and help maintain high levels of charitable participation.
Black communities have some of the oldest and most deeply entrenched identity-based funds (e.g., Black United Funds , foundations affiliated with civic and fraternal organizations, and giving circles ) that are created, led, and supported by community members.
These institutions allow for collective giving, simplify the giving process, and serve as brokers between donors and recipient organizations. This collective support around giving may create certain norms and standards for how families give.??
Read the report
Community Spotlight
Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the quarterly meeting of the Fundraising.AI initiative, which is helping guide a responsible and beneficial framework for artificial intelligence in the nonprofit sector.?
Yet, one of the things that was clear is that we need less tech vendors and more nonprofits involved. So if you want to shape the future of AI and fundraising and will be attending AFPICON, I have something for you.
Join a group of like-minded ?? professionals for a quick IN-PERSON morning conversation about the intersection of RESPONSIBLE AI and Fundraising at the upcoming AFP conference in Toronto, Canada.
领英推荐
Tuesday, April 18 · 8am - 9am CDT (location available upon registration)
We will discuss:
? Direction for a comprehensive study on AI and Fundraising
? Process to deploy a Responsible AI framework for Fundraising
? Plan for the first worldwide Fundraising.AI Zoom meeting
Don't delay. Space is limited.
Register here ? https://lnkd.in/g_xT5ehb
Upcoming Events
Nonprofit Tech Circle: Effective Email Appeals
March 13, 2024 | 1:00 PM ET
Email is one of the most favored and effective fundraising channels. How can you make your email appeals as successful as possible? Join this month’s Nonprofit Tech Circle to find out!
Neon CRM Monthly Release: March 2024
March 19, 2024 | 3:00 PM ET
Join Neon CRM product experts as we release the Neon One Generosity Indicator! Learn how to leverage your data to understand your supporters better. And that’s not all we have in store…
Simplify, Connect, Thrive: The Ultimate Guide to Frictionless Fundraising
March 26, 2024 | 2:00 PM ET
Discover how easy it is to conduct a fundraising event without the frustrations of complex processes. You’ll learn the basics of nonprofit technology, plus simple, time-saving solutions.
An Insider’s Look at The Recurring Giving Report
April 17, 2024 | 1:00 PM ET
The Recurring Giving Report: Data-Backed Insights for Sustainable Generosity releases soon! Join us to learn more about what we found and how to create a stable, sustainable community of donors.
Final Thoughts
While I am not traveling to Portland this week, I will be traveling around but realized that unlike previous years, I have a bit more freedom now! Since we are focusing on creating workshops that bring the insights of our upcoming recurring giving report to your community, I’d love to know where we should go next!
Right now, we’re having discussions or plans for:
There are other folks I’ve chatted with, too, but I’d love to come to YOUR community and put on one of our learning experiences. Let me know where we should go in the comments, especially if you can help me find a local host partner organization like a community foundation, chamber of commerce, or nonprofit professional association.?
Puzzle of the Week