In response to a request for submissions for next week’s Giving Carnival – to be held on Tactical Philanthropy and Donor Power Blog  - I have tried to think what “donors wish nonprofits knew about them…”

From how I see it there are two main parts to this:

Firstly they want them to know when to contact them and by what means.

If they are to be contacted by phone they may well have a preference for a time of day ie not w/ends, not early evening when putting children to bed, not too late etc. The same applies to door-to-door collections. I am also VERY put off and annoyed when a street collector tries to accost me on my way to work – it is early, I haven’t woken up yet and I am cutting it fine to get in on time already! Enough griping……

Secondly, and more importantly – whatever the means of contact – is that the donor does not feel as though they are being regarded simply as a source of money, and they do not want to give out of a sense of guilt. They want to be communicated with (not to), feel that they understand the work the charity is doing and thus be engaged in the process more fully. They do not want to feel like a mere ‘donor’ (with its passive connotations) but more as a philanthropist who is investing in the future of others (regardless of the size of their donation). The more personalised the act of giving becomes the more fulfilling the experience is for both parties.

To summarise I think the most important thing is that nonprofits come to recognise the people who support them as individuals. They don’t have to know them personally, but have to make it seem as though they do!

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