Treating 100,000 Donors Like People

Originally published May 13, 2016 on LinkedIn as “Can large scale campaigns be donor centric?”

Updated September 2026

When your donor base is a few hundred people, getting to know each of them is possible. When it’s a hundred thousand, and most give $25 to $80 a year, your board is unlikely to approve hours of personal attention for each one.

And yet those annual donors are the bedrock of your organization. Their steady support is what lets you take calculated risks and grow.

Most charities manage this group through macro data – retention rates, average gifts, postal-code analysis. Done well, that keeps you healthy. But there’s micro data sitting in your database right now that can help you serve these donors as individuals, at scale.

1. Respect when people like to give

Look at gift dates donor by donor. If someone gives every November and never responds in June, they’ve told you something.

Keep sending them stories in June – their connection to your work matters all year. But for this group, drop the hard ask outside their giving season. Thank them. Share a story their past gift made possible. Let them know you’ll be in touch again in the month they prefer.

To go further, send a short email survey. Ask whether they noticed the change, when they’d like to hear from you about giving, and why they give. Three or four questions, one minute of their time, and you’ve deepened the relationship.

2. Prepare with the donors who respond to crisis

Some donors give after a news story or disaster – a fire, a flood, a tragedy in the headlines. Invite them to help you prepare for the next one.

A dedicated crisis-response fund, supported by a group of $10 to $20 monthly donors, means the money is ready when the call comes. No more asking the board to borrow from another budget line.

One important note: gifts designated to a specific fund must be used for that purpose. Define the fund’s purpose clearly and broadly enough to be useful, write it into your gift acceptance policy and explain it plainly to donors.

3. Ask why on your donation form

Most donation forms ask for your name, the amount and payment details. Almost none ask why you’re giving.

Try this on your next reply form or online page: “My gift of $____ is because…” with a few options and a write-in line. Donors who tell you their motivation have given you something precious. Your thank-you call or handwritten card becomes personal. Over time, you learn which stories each donor wants to hear – the research updates for one, the education programs for another.

What donor care really means

Caring for donors means paying attention to their motivations and needs. The question for your team is: “Is this the right opportunity for this donor, and are we honouring the way they want a relationship with us?”

It means remembering that a $10 donor has a name, a story and reasons of their own.

The same care extends to the people your charity serves. Over the past few years, the community-centric fundraising movement has asked the sector to make sure donor stories never come at the expense of the dignity of the community. The best campaigns do both: they honour the donor’s generosity and tell community members’ stories with their consent, in their own voice, as whole people.

Donors support the work they care about, at the times that matter to them. Build your program around that, and they’ll stay.

Try this

Pull a list of donors who have given in the same month for three years running. Next campaign, send them a thank-you with no hard ask outside that month, and compare their giving to the year before.

Be well.

Sources

1. Community-Centric Fundraising – https://communitycentricfundraising.org/