How To Create A Donor Database

My nonprofits in the community - are you planning a donor survey in the next two months? Here are some examples of how you can ensure that the data does not sit silently in your work folders but actually lets it help you take meaningful actions. Example 1: Say your survey question is: "How likely are you to continue donating to our organization in the next year?" ● Data says: If 60% of donors say they are "very likely" to continue donating, but 30% are "somewhat likely" and 10% are "unlikely," this indicates a potential drop-off in donor retention. ● Turning that data into action: Focus retention efforts on the "somewhat likely" group. Create a targeted campaign that re-engages these donors by highlighting recent successes, impact stories, or new initiatives they might care about. Additionally, reach out to the "unlikely" group to understand their concerns and see if any issues can be addressed. Example 2: Say your survey question is: "Which of the following areas do you believe your donation has the most impact?" ● Data says: 50% of respondents say their donation has the most impact on "Education Programs," while only 10% say "Healthcare Initiatives." ● Turning that data into action: Understand the why and promote the success and need for your "Healthcare Initiatives" more prominently, aiming to increase donor awareness and support in this underfunded area. Example 3: Say your survey question is: "What is your primary reason for donating to our organization?" ● Data says: If the top reason to engage is "Alignment with my values" (40%) followed by "Transparency in how funds are used" (35%). ● Turning that data into action: Emphasize your organization's values and transparency in all communications. Regularly update donors on how their funds are being used with clear, detailed reports, and align your messaging with the core values that resonate with your donor base. Example 4: Say your survey question is: "How satisfied are you with the level of communication you receive from our organization?" ● Data says: If 70% of donors are "satisfied", 20% are "neutral," and 10% are "dissatisfied," there's room for improvement in communication. ● Turning that data into action: Understand the "neutral" and "dissatisfied" groups to pinpoint where communication may be lacking. This could involve increasing the frequency of updates, personalizing communications, or providing more opportunities for donor feedback and engagement. Sit with the data you collect. Read the numbers. Read the stories. Read the hopes, barriers, and interests of those humans in your data. The best possibility of a survey is to make the humans in that data feel included and belong by listening and acting on their perspectives. Co-create change with your community in those surveys. #nonprofits #nonprofitleadership #community #inclusion

𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝟯% 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄. ➡️ 7% are close but not ready yet. ➡️ 30% are way off. ➡️ 60% are highly unlikely to give at all And that's why fundraising takes time. Because you're working to your donors' timelines - they do NOT work to yours. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 - 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼: ❌ Pitch to a cold audience - the worse possible way to ask for money. ❌ Only target 3% of your addressable market - leaving 37% of givers untapped. The smart money is on - having a strategy to cultivate your FULL prospective audience. 📈 60% won't give - but could be introducers or influencers. 📈 30% are way off giving - but worth initiating a relationship while they’re still open to the idea. This is the optimal time to start those relationships. 📈 7% are open to giving and are actively planning their budgets, timelines, shortlists etc. - so your window of being on that shortlist is now starting to close. 📈 3% are hot to trot. These figures are based on the "buyer's pyramid" - think of it like the 80/20 rule (Pareto Principle). Understanding that only 10% of your qualified prospects list is actually ready to give now or within your financial year - helps you to determine how long your prospect list needs to be for you to reach your target. 📌 𝗜𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 - 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿. Keeping in touch with prospects - is NOT fundraisers wasting their time on people who are not willing to give. It is fundraisers investing their time appropriately with people who are not ready YET. Because - "not yet" does not mean "no". It means, stay in touch - you have a warm prospect who is going to move along the timeline into the "ready to give now" bracket. 📌 𝗣𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘄 - 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗼 𝟯% 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁.  𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟰𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. This is also why you need to retain and trade up your existing donors (new business can be achieved by growing the donors you already have alongside new donors). A combination of - retention, trading up existing donors, new business and initiating relationships with the "not ready yet crowd" - is how you grow a sustainable donor base. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 - 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽..... 😀

How I get new individual donors (my entire strategy) People think to get new major donors, you need:  - huge brand - big marketing department - gala with celebrity co-chairs and host committee - paid ads - lots of media Here’s my 4-part method (that includes none of that 👆) that’s helped me and my clients raise $66M and counting from individual donors. (Nothing wrong with any of that stuff, it’s just all very difficult to manage, expensive and time-consuming - and good for you if it works for you!) Part 1/4: Referrals ➡️ Ask current donors ➡️ Ask board members ➡️ Ask email subscribers to share the email with a friend I tack a referral ask onto every conversation that I think “goes well” If the donor is all in, then they are likely to intro us to someone else. Easy. Btw, this usually creates more work for me with all the new intros, so I don’t have as much pressure for parts 2-4 to work right away. Part 2/4: Zero-Cost Intimate Gatherings (hosted by donor, board member) What the nonprofit does: (Me)  - Guide the host on the right “who” to invite  - Advise the host on how to share from their heart What the donor or board member does: (Them)  - Plans, executes, and pays for the whole thing  - Invites their network to their home It’s personal. It’s intimate. More people /= better.  We’re going for the RIGHT FIT people. I do this 4x a year. Bada-Bing Bada-Boom.  New major donor pipeline. Part 3/4: LinkedIn: Organic Posts & Outbound Outreach I write about the nonprofit like it’s my job. - My first-hand experience blog-post style on a “vision trip” - Most compelling impact stats and “story of 1” with photos  - Big picture thought leadership stuff I do this 2-3x a week. I connect with people who: 1. Look like the ideal donor profile 2. Mutual connections with my current donors and board members Ideal donor profile: (for example)  - CEO or C-suite of mid-size company  - Generous (volunteer history)  - Cares about [issue or cause] If I need more donors, I’d send 50-100 connects a day. Part 4/4: Convert Raving Fans I look at all the people involved  Who haven’t donated in the last 6-12 months ✅ Event attendees  ✅ Volunteers  ✅ Email subscribers who clicked  ✅ Social media commenters and followers I reach out, gauge interest, and ask them to donate. I do this 1x a week. That’s it. This 4-part method is what I teach my clients with templates and coaching along the way. My client shared with me last week she did this method, and here’s the update: - Donor-hosted event 1 month away with a $250,000 goal, they’ve already raised $150,000 for - the host is giving $50k with new people attending  - Got 20 meetings with new people connected to current supporters and interested in getting more involved (she did 100 outreach connects total) All this in just 6 months. This is an organization with a $1M budget in Indiana, and the ED is the sole fundraiser. If you’d like help with this, let me know. 

If I'm in charge of revenue at a large nonprofit, I can't ignore these realities 👇 -Donors giving below $100 are down ~9% (and have been trending down) -Donors giving below $500 are down 4% (and have been trending down) -Slower income growth & less disposable income for most -Middle-class households under economic pressure -The rapid decline of religion (that has giving as a core tenet) -Decline in institutional trust -Not only is charitable giving largely stagnant as a % of the GDP, but we also haven't been able to grow share of wallet -Donors giving $5k-$50k are up 1% -Donors giving $50k+ are up ~3% And if I look around at what other nonprofits are doing, I might see 👇 -Marketing getting louder -Frequency cranked to 11 -Tired tactics with little differentiation And if strategy is about how an organization applies strength against the most promising opportunity or the most critical challenge, I need to address the problem head on. Three ideas... 1) Instead of getting louder, get closer to donors. -Jeffersonian dinners -"Jobs To Be Done" interviews -Measuring donor satisfaction -Rating the donor experience -Cross train across the org on how to listen to donors -More thoughtful prioritization and segmentation -Do things that don't scale; you will likely not "scale" anyways (but you'll very likely grow!) 2) Focus more energy on the people who *can* give more. That doesn't mean you should ignore the $100 donor. Two things can be true at the same time: most of your limited human hours are best spent on people who can give >$10,000, AND, you can treat the $100 donor like they're an important part of the team (because they are). -Create tiered caseloads (A, B, C, D donors) -Develop a donor engagement plan for each tier -Treat mid-major donors like true partners: frequent report backs, project proposals, town halls, feedback loops, in-the-moment updates -Focus your work in the 'mass' file to identify the best prospects for a mid-major treatment, and work to move as many OTGs to recurring (monthly) or re-occuring revenue (quarterly, yearly, etc.) 3) Promote giving from assets across the donor file—and make it easy to do so Russell James taught me this. When people give from their assets, the gift is likely to be larger. And they are more likely to give again. Giving from assets (like stocks and shares, tax-savings accounts, retirement accounts, DAFs, gifts of life insurance, etc.) is often the smartest way for donors to give—no matter the size of gift. But many donors simply don't know it's an option. -- We're partnering with growth-minded nonprofits to implement all of these ideas, and more. If you think it's time you create a solid midlevel giving strategy (not just a standard appeal with an open ask), give me a shout.

I tracked all fundraising activity for a year so you didn't have to. Here is what I found: - A substantive, in-person visit with a donor resulted in gifts 5x larger than donors who only corresponded via phone calls or emails. - It took roughly 12 touchpoints to secure a visit with a donor. That is a high number, but pretty characteristic of human services. - Each handwritten card produced 1,169x more value than it cost. - Response rate increased dramatically with a voicemail + email combination. - Gifts from DAFs, gifts of stock, and gifts from RMDs became more popular only as donors were informed that those were giving options. Here is what this means: - Meet in person with donors as much as humanly possible. - Make as many attempts as possible to schedule visits with donors. - Write handwritten cards. Like, right now. - Reach out to donors with a multi-channel approach (DM me if you'd like to see a call, email, + handwritten card cadence) - Donors don't always know how to maximize their generosity unless you tell them. Inform them of their options if they give you permission! Ultimately, provide value to your org's donors and watch as generosity unfolds for the benefit of the people your org serves!

Stop chasing Boomer dollars. Your fundraising strategy is stuck in 1997 and younger donors can tell. Here's where this gets messy. Nonprofits still host $250/plate galas. Send generic emails to everyone. Ask for $10K from people still paying off student loans. Then complain millennials don't give. They do. Just not like that. When I worked with K9s.Org, we tried something different. We created a Young Professionals Council. Not a token junior board... an actual advisory group with real influence over programs and strategy. These people didn't have wealth yet. But they had networks we couldn't access. Fresh perspectives that challenged our assumptions. Time and energy to put in. Social media reach that blew ours away. We gave them ownership. They gave us growth. What works with donors under 40: Peer-to-peer fundraising works because social proof beats your brand every time. Make it simple for them to fundraise through their own networks. Show them exactly where the money goes. Dashboards, real-time updates, photos from the field. Vague impact statements don't cut it anymore. Monthly giving over big one-time asks. $50/month is manageable. That's $600/year of recurring revenue you can count on. Let them volunteer, advise, and co-create before you ask for money. They want to be part of the work, not just watching from the sidelines. If your donation page requires mailing a check or takes forever to load... you've lost them already. The biggest mistake I see? Treating young donors like they're just "future major donors" instead of partners right now. You're not building a relationship, you're waiting for them to turn into someone else. That doesn't work. When they do have money to give... they'll remember the organizations that valued what they brought to the table today. Not the ones who put them on hold for a decade. You don't get to wait for them to age into your system. Build something they want to be part of now. What's your experience engaging younger donors? Drop a comment. #YoungDonors #NonprofitFundraising #MillennialPhilanthropy #PeerToPeerFundraising #DonorEngagement

If I were starting from scratch today to find major donors on LinkedIn, I’d ignore ‘donor personas’. Instead, I’d look for identity collisions. Because people don’t give out of guilt. They give when your mission mirrors a moment they’ve lived, or a legacy they crave. Here’s the blueprint to unlock donor discovery in places no one is looking: 1. Search for people living in “Chapter 3” Everyone’s trying to pitch “high net worth” individuals. Instead, search for: “New board member” “Exited my company” “Sold startup” “Retired early” “Philanthropy sabbatical” These are people not looking to make more, they’re looking to mean more. You’re not selling impact. You’re offering them a new identity: The Benefactor. 2. Find people in pain… not just people with power Some of the most generous donors are processing grief. • Look for posts about a parent who recently passed • A child who struggled with mental health • A founder who stepped away due to burnout • A former exec who left a toxic industry • Someone publicly sharing a reinvention Grief unlocks generosity. But you have to approach it with reverence, not recruitment. 3. Build a donor’s room, not just a donor list Everyone has a CRM. No one’s building donor environments on LinkedIn. Try this: • Create a private LinkedIn group for “Social Legacy Builders” • Start a monthly 30-min salon around future-of-giving topics • Interview other major donors and tag their peers • Host “under-the-radar” vision calls (no slides, no pitch) Make it cool to be a quiet philanthropist. 4. Don’t just post. Signal status that attracts donors Major donors don’t just want to fund impact. They want to fund winners. Signal that you’re one: • Show traction with unusual collaborations (even unpaid ones) • Highlight your acceptance into a global fellowship or award program • Share quotes from private conversations with policymakers or leaders It’s not about bragging. It’s about answering one donor question: “Will this person multiply my contribution, or waste it?” 5. Use second-degree connections like warm power plays Instead of this: “Who do I know that’s a donor?” Try this: • Pick your top 3 dream donors • Look at who comments on their posts • Build relationships with those commenters first • Position yourself in their proximity over 30 days • Then reach out with a mutual bridge, not a cold ask You need echo in the right rooms. 6. Track donor energy, not just profile data Tools tell you who they are. Comments tell you who they’re becoming. Use this system: • Set alerts on dream donors • Categorize their posts as: • Identity-signaling (who they want to be) • Reinvention-signaling (where they want to go) • Frustration-signaling (what they want to fix) Then show up as a co-author of their next chapter. You’ve heard “LinkedIn is your resume.” But in philanthropy? It’s your resonance. Comment “LinkedIn” and I’ll send you a free custom video audit of your profile. With purpose and impact, Mario

What is Donor Mapping? Donor mapping is the process of visually organizing your donors based on their level of engagement, giving capacity, and relationship depth—so you can move them forward intentionally. It answers one core question: Where is each donor today—and what is their next step? Why It Matters Most fundraising teams: * Track donations * Track attendance * Track contacts But they don’t track movement And growth doesn’t come from activity—
it comes from moving donors through a pathway The Simple Framework Green: Entry-Level Engagement * New donors (~$1K) * Event attendees (Walk, Luncheon, Gala) * Limited relationship depth Strategy: Build trust * Thank you + follow-up * Introduce mission impact * Invite to next touchpoint Yellow: Mid-Level Engagement * Consistent giving (1+ years) * ~$5K gifts * Participating in events/committees Strategy: Upgrade * Deeper conversations * Introduce leadership opportunities * Begin major gift pathway Red: High Engagement * Board / Host Committee * $10K+ donors * Highly engaged advocates Strategy: Expand influence * Peer-to-peer asks * Network expansion * Lead gifts + sponsorship What Donor Mapping Actually Does It shifts your team from: * “Who gave?” TO * “Where are they in the pipeline?” And more importantly: * “What is our next move?” How It Drives Revenue (This is the key) Growth doesn’t come from: * More attendees * More emails * More events It comes from: * Moving Green → Yellow * Moving Yellow → Red * Activating Red to bring in more donor How to Start (Practical) You don’t need a perfect system. Start with: * A spreadsheet * Your top 100–200 donors * Assign: Green / Yellow / Red Then ask: * Who are we upgrading this quarter? * Who are we activating? * Who are we missing entirely? The Real Insight Donor mapping isn’t about categorizing people. It’s about designing movement. And when you design movement—
you build predictable growth. I’ll be sharing more donor strategies like this through workbook exercises in my upcoming book—tools teams can use immediately to build and scale their fundraising efforts. #Fundraising #DonorStrategy #MajorGifts #NonprofitLeadership #DevelopmentStrategy #Philanthropy #NonprofitGrowth

Want to fail at fundraising? Do this: 🔨 Bombard contacts relentlessly. 🚫 Ask without getting permission first. 🙉 Ignore preferences and boundaries. 💔 Damage relationships with pushy tactics. 💸 Chase quick cash. Forget relationships. 🏧 Treat your database like an ATM. ⏳ Waste time on uninterested prospects. Want to succeed? Do this instead: 🎯 Take the time to build genuine connections. 🎯 Listen more. Talk less. 🎯 Tailor your approach to each person's interests. 🎯 Get permission before asking. 🎯 Share inspiring stories of impact. 🎯 Offer multiple ways to get involved. 🎯 Express sincere gratitude for every gift. 🎯 Provide regular updates, not just appeals. 🎯 Show people who give the important role they play in the mission. 🎯 Build a community, not just a donor list. Remember, great fundraising isn't about the money. It's about the mission and the people who believe in it.

I once worked with a university that struggled to meet its fundraising goals. They were reaching out to alumni randomly, hoping for the best. Then we introduced prospect research. The transformation was incredible. By identifying the right prospects and understanding their capacity and affinity, we increased major gifts by 150% in just one year. Here's what we did: Analyzed giving history: We looked at past donations to identify consistent givers and those with potential to give more. Researched professional backgrounds: LinkedIn and other public sources helped us understand career trajectories and potential giving capacity. Examined philanthropic interests: We investigated involvement with other nonprofits to align our asks with donors' passions. Leveraged wealth screening tools: These helped us identify high-net-worth individuals we might have overlooked. Mapped relationships: We uncovered connections between prospects and our board members or major donors. The result? More targeted outreach, personalized communication, and significantly larger gifts. The lesson? Don't underestimate the power of informed outreach. Prospect research isn't just for large organizations - it's a game-changer for nonprofits of all sizes. React 🎓 if you believe in the power of research! Have you had a similar experience with prospect research? Or are you considering implementing it? I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments! Remember, effective fundraising isn't about asking everyone for money. It's about asking the right people for the right amount, for the right project, at the right time. And that's where prospect research shines.