There’s a clear gap between people’s intent to give and their actual behavior and understanding what drives that “say-do” disconnect is the key to unlocking more meaningful donor engagement and long-term impact.
Building brand familiarity through upper-funnel communications like campaigns, PR, social media, and partnerships significantly increases donation likelihood. When donors recognize and trust your organization, they're primed to say yes when you make the ask.
Increasing Charity ROI Through Donor-Focused Approaches
While one-time donations dominate at approximately 68%, about 21% prefer monthly giving and 11% prefer yearly contributions. The strategic implication is clear: always lead with a one-time donation flow while still having a strategy to drive recurring donations, as still roughly one in three donors are open to recurring giving when presented with the option.
Don't overlook the power of proven campaigns. For effective past campaigns, a median 68% of the target audience remains unaware of the initiative. Re-running proven creative with light refreshes during key donation windows allows you to reach "new" eyeballs efficiently, maximizing ROI on campaigns that have already proven to be successful.
Retaining and Growing Your Donor Base Long-Term
Retention begins with understanding that cause priorities vary by audience, with families prioritizing children and youth causes, lower-income households leaning toward homelessness initiatives, and higher-income donors focusing on poverty and hunger. Tailoring your messaging to reflect these priorities demonstrates that you understand what matters most to each donor segment.
The engagement ladder offers a roadmap for growth. With donors representing your highest base of active supporters, create clear upgrade paths that move them from one-time giving to monthly donations, and from financial contributions to volunteering, advocacy, merchandise purchases, event attendance, and peer-to-peer fundraising. This multi-dimensional engagement increases lifetime value while deepening the donor relationship.
Taking Action: Where to Focus Now
Start by auditing your donation experience through the lens of these insights. Are your ask ladders ordered high-to-low? Do your donation pages clearly articulate who you help and how? Are you segmenting prompts by generation, income and/or any other key audience? Have you made both one time and recurring giving easy to select?
The 260 million North Americans who care about charitable causes represent an enormous untapped opportunity. By applying data-driven donor engagement strategies - from optimized ask ladders to generation-specific pathways to clarity-focused messaging - you can systematically bridge the say-do gap and significantly increase your charity's revenue and impact.
Dive Into Insight
Watch this On-Demand discussion on how charities and brands can connect with high-value audiences, build value-added partnerships, and create campaigns that inspire real action. This presentation and on demand recording uncovers critical insights to fuel growth as you climb to your north star. Part 1 dives into Donors and Fundraisers specifically. Part 2 is to come, and will look deeper into Partners and Volunteers. ⬇️
