Why charities should champion the personal connection in fundraising

Often donors support a charity due to a deeply personal connection with it. Some may themselves be in receipt of a charity’s support. Sometimes the good cause involved has given invaluable help to a friend or family member. 

Meanwhile, admiration for a charity’s mission or leader may be another strong attraction –  or perhaps the supporter has been a long-term volunteer for the charity. 

For others, it is simply that giving to a particular charity helps their emotional wellbeing and is a “major mood booster”, according to the Charities Aid Foundation. It found that a fifth of people gave to charity as it “made them feel good”.  

Understanding the link between a charity and its donors is crucial for fundraisers so that they can nurture relationships like these over many years.

It is particularly important in 2023, as a Charity Commission report last year highlighted the potential for charity supporters to switch allegiance across different charities. Based on focus group interviews this research found the public is keen “to support causes rather than charities per se”. 

The regulator’s research found people are less attached to charities and instead support good causes and want to ensure their donations are making a difference. The research suggests they could move to another charity with a similar mission if they feel their giving is not making the impact they had hoped.  

Here we look at why nurturing donors’ personal connection to good causes can help ensure they are retained by charities as long-term supporters.  

Understanding personal connections 

Research published by the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy in 2022 highlights how understanding why donors support good causes and charities is crucial to improving retention rates.  

Their report found that digging deeper into the charity/donor relationship can “drive retention strategy as the focal connection can be strengthened”. 

This can be found out through more detailed surveys, says the report, which specifically ask questions around donors’ personal connection to a charity and why they support its mission.  

“Given the scale of the opportunity, it seems timely to consider what we know about the factors that drive donor loyalty/retention,” says the report. 

Nurturing personal connections   

 
Once each donor’s personal connection is found, communication with them can be tailored to focus on this relationship, whether it be as a supporter, beneficiary, or volunteer.  

The Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy recommends this communication is two-way, with donors given “a voice by sending a brief message to a focus of their love” linked to the charity they are supporting.  

This could be sending a message to a family member who is being supported or even the charity’s chief executive if the donor particularly admires them.  

As part of its research the Institute “asked people to send a message of support to the organisation’s team”. Based on this successfully nurturing the relationship between them and their chosen charity, the research said that “we now believe it would be smarter to allow donors to send a message to the specific stakeholder that is the target of their love”. 

Benefits of understanding personal connections 

Charities can benefit from nurturing personal connections in several ways, most notably through cost savings and making fundraising campaigns more efficient, according to the Institute. Benefits include:  

Reducing acquisition costs  

Acquisition costs are reduced as it is no longer necessary to replace as many lost donors as possible. Too often charities must invest in recruiting new donors when existing supporters are not retained. 

Boosting the average gift size  

Happy and loyal donors are more likely to give larger gifts to a charity that understands and nurtures their personal connection to its mission. This in turn cuts the number of appeals that are needed to meet targets.  

The Institute points to research that found when appeal targets are not met, charities tend to run more campaigns. “While this may work in the short-term, excessive communication can itself cause additional donor attrition,” it adds. 

Increasing the chance of major gifts 

The prime time for charities to discuss major gifts with supporters is the fifth or sixth year of their support. But if donors are not being retained for this period because a charity has not understood their personal connection to a good cause, then this chance is lost.  

Taking advantage of upselling the charity to donors 

This means using a personal connection to find ways to upgrade their giving. This can include giving more, giving more often, volunteering, or leaving a gift in their will.  

Using feedback on personal connections 

Charities can use responses from surveys and other communication around personal connections to spot common themes. This can help make further fundraising campaigns more efficient. For health charities for example, it could be that most donors have survived a particular challenge, such as cancer or a heart attack. For youth charities it could be that many donors were helped when they were young.