Issue 9: The Calm Before The Storm

Things are starting to get busier! I think the cobwebs that folks have for the first few weeks of the year are starting to get wiped away and I’m trying to internalize that understanding as I try to plan out my year.?

In the past, I loaded way too much on my plate and when things start to cascade together it can get very stressful. That’s why I’m taking a breath more and assessing “is this truly urgent?” for either my own work or the work my team is doing.?

That also extends out into travel opportunities. There’s been some really cool stuff that I’ve been invited to that just doesn’t make sense when it comes to my most important focus - what will empower small to midsized nonprofits to design magical generosity experiences.?

So I encourage you to take a deep breath at some point today and just assess where YOU are at in that “calm before the storm” feeling. I promise to do the same.?

Generosity in Action

Tomorrow I’ll be joined by Anna V. and Julia Campbell for a conversation that will dive into philanthropic motivations, technology, and actions that nonprofits like yours can take.?

We have a really fantastic giveaway this month (more on that below), but I’m most excited to talk with some of the smartest and most dialed-in folks in the sector when it comes to designing magical generosity experiences.?

RSVP below or stream it on YouTube or Facebook if you prefer those channels.?

Tips & Tricks

While I enjoy LinkedIn and writing content like this, I also am trying to give love to my own company’s blog! That’s why I’m thrilled about this new article I wrote where I drill into the three motivational categories that drive generosity.?

Here’s an excerpt:

"You are not a mind reader, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get inside your donors’ heads.?

By understanding the broad categories of donor motivation, you can begin to get a handle on why people support your organization and bucket different types of behaviors into predictable giving patterns.?

According to the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy, there are three primary categories of philanthropic motivation:

• Situational Motivation: This is giving that’s influenced by current events, social trends, and the immediate circumstances of the giver. These folks are motivated by a sense of urgency or relevance of the situation to their immediate circumstances.
• Relational Motivation: These givers are driven by personal connections, trust, and engagement with the nonprofit’s organization. Personalization assists here since it builds relevancy in a person’s life around the cause your nonprofit focuses on.
• Identity-Based Motivation: This giving is seen as a reflection of the person’s self-concept, values, and a celebration as an expression of who they are. Identity-based giving transcends circumstances and staff turnover, making it the strongest kind of bond a nonprofit can develop.

So why are donors giving to your nonprofit, specifically? Is it situational, relational, or identity-based??

Well, it’s easy to fall into the trap of assuming that all donors are giving because they have a deep love and appreciation for the work that you do. Don’t do it!?

Instead, you should understand that the majority of donors, especially those who are giving for the first time, are likely going to fall into the situational category."?

Read the blog.

Data Dive

I’ve written before that I’m kind of “over” trend articles, but I do very much appreciate the more comprehensive overview whitepaper that NonprofitPRO comes out with each year. And I’m not just saying that because I’m their #1 Trend.?

Here are a few of my favorites:

"Successful nonprofits will invest their time in building a community-driven fundraising strategy. This has always been the backbone of a successful fundraising campaign, but the ways we build community are changing. We are seeing generational shifts as younger donors declare their participation in a cause through their donation. However, nonprofits are too often constrained in how they engage with their donors. Instead of answering this call as a starting point to build real connection, we are treating it as a mere transaction. Rather than thinking of it as the beginning of a holistic relationship, nonprofits too often think of the donation as a start of a one-way relationship. While the sector is often asked to operate under a particular paradigm, 2024 marks a moment to explore how the entire social sector needs to evolve to answer the call of meeting the moment of giving with a sense of belonging to create more loyal, consistent and generous donors."

• Soraya Alexander , President of Classy and COO of GoFundMe

"Social good will finally use community as a tool. To date, we’ve used the word “community” as a descriptor for a group of people who live in a certain area, have a certain disease or even love a certain sports team. None of those are correct. A community is a group of people who share an idea and can/do communicate with each other. When a real community forms, big things happen as identities are strengthened through social validation. This is transformational change, not incremental change."

• Katrina VanHuss , Founder of Turnkey for Good

"With the exception of issue-based or political nonprofits, most nonprofits will see a decline in overall donations, which will squeeze our ability to meet programmatic need. This will put funding need more on the shoulders of foundations. Pressure from nonprofits and donors will cause foundations to change up their practices and allow funds to move quicker into nonprofits. And they will start to spend down their endowments more so than at any time in recent memory."

• Jamie Bearse , CEO of Build a Better Nonprofit

"Without question, nonprofits are going to be eager to leverage AI in their work in 2024. Yet the old principle of garbage in, garbage out still stands and the outputs that AI technology generates will only be as good as the data it’s fed. As nonprofits look to incorporate AI into their work — whether it’s personalizing messaging to deepen relationships with specific audience segments or generating donation propensity modeling — they’ll also start to place emphasis on first-party, high-quality data collection strategies. This isn’t a new concept for 2024, but it will take the limelight, especially as third-party data availability phases out and data privacy continues to stay top of mind for the audiences that nonprofits are trying to reach."

• Kristen Friedel , Senior Director for Data Analytics, Media Cause

Download Here!

Community Spotlight

I held my first digital coaching workshop on Monday and while I was a bit out of sorts because I did it in a New York City coworking space versus my normal setting, I think the concept has legs and I’m going to look forward to expanding on it and deepening its resources for folks.?

The format was simple - I presented on the topic for the first half while also encouraging people to interact with the content itself as well as write down their own notes and plans. The second half is where I brought someone on stage and walked them through how to build a donor motivation archetype. I need to cut down on the first half and give more space to the coaching, but things worked out.

However, my absolute favorite quote came from attendee Vicki Brummond, MBA , who said

It’s vital we keep in mind that donors don’t give TO our organizations, instead, they give THROUGH our organizations - to achieve goals dear to their heart. It’s about their life story, values, & people . .

Put that on the wall in front of every nonprofit leader’s desk! When grounding this mindset in a reality that we work better together than separately and magical things can happen.

I am looking to hear from YOU on what topics that I should do live coaching on. My vision is to bring on an expert to drive the expertise on the topic while I manage the experience, the interactivity, and provide a framework for coaching through the lens of Generosity Experience Design. All virtual, all free, and will include tons of goodies.?

Comment today on this thread to suggest either a topic or an expert you’d love to see as part of this monthly series!?

Upcoming Events

I am thrilled to be joining David Graves and our partners at Visa and Community Boost at the upcoming Nonprofit Marketing Summit. We’re thrilled to sponsor this event and I hope you also check out Abigail Jarvis as well.?

To help folks get the most out of the conference, I’ll be raffling off a VIP pass that is a $497 value that includes all the notes and recordings from this 3-day high-impact virtual event, custom slides and speaker content, exclusive VIP swag, entry to an exclusive book giveaway, and much more!

Register today!

Final Thoughts

I’ve started to read All About Love by bell hooks and she talks about how we as a society are afraid to talk about love. I found that an interesting and insightful reflection.

While working on some of the curriculum for our Catalyst Initiative, I remember when Dr. Toni Josato remarked that ultimately Generosity Experience Design is about love and I think that is absolutely the core point.?

When discussing love, we tend to bucket it into romanticism or something fleeting or familial. Yet, love is so much more than. It is the very basis of connection, understanding, and hope.?

It allows us to find spaces for empathy and meaning in both ourselves and others. It is the way we will figure all of this out.?

I know I end up sounding like a Jerry Springer summary at the end here, but the reality is that the sector is going to be hit with a lot of headlines that scream “BAD NEWS” and some of that will be driven by initiatives that I’m involved with. But my deeper understanding is that reports that help show what has happened are only part of the story.

The point of the nonprofit sector is ultimately to give space to love. True, deep, meaningful, connective, and collaborative love. So as long as we can hold on to that as our guiding principle, then there’s always hope.

Puzzle of the Week