What makes you, you?

One camp says it’s all down to your unique genetic code. Based on this nature camp, your DNA determines not just your physical but also your psychological traits. At the other end of the spectrum there’s a camp that puts the emphasis on nurture; it’s what’s outside your body – the environment you grew up in, the experiences you had, your social connections – that shaped the person you are now.

And then, there’s the messy middle. Both nature and nurture matter. Our genetic code creates certain predispositions that require a fertile environment to emerge. Just because something is written on our genes, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will manifest itself. And just because there’s a certain kind of environment, it doesn’t mean everyone will adopt the behavior it promotes.

In a world that’s almost never black and white, this view resonates with me. Yet, it’s considered controversial and attacked by both camps. [For those interested, the above link takes you to a recent New Yorker article on the nature-nature  debate.]

But why talk about this in a fundraising blog?  Because there’s a messy middle in fundraising too.

Opposing forces shape a donor’s giving behavior too. On one hand, you have the donor; their personality, beliefs, and identities that determine the causes they’re passionate about. On the other hand there’s the donor experience and the fundraising messages they’re exposed to.

People chose to support a certain cause because of who they are and because of their inherent values. They picked a cause, and not necessarily an organization. You’re merely the vehicle for the expression of their nature.

That’s not to say the organization is irrelevant.  The organizational brand and mission dictate the Identities that are in-play for you.  We wrote about this in detail on Monday so suffice to say, many people give to reinforce and reflect their nature in spite of lack of nurture with your one-size-fits all appeal, not because of it.

Nurture is reflected in your marketing and the quality of experiences you serve up, and the respect you show to donors’ preferences and choices.  Just because they believe in the cause doesn’t mean they’ll keep supporting an organization they’re not satisfied with. There are many other organizations fighting for the same cause. And honestly, donors don’t even have to engage in charitable behavior to express their nature.

To put it bluntly, if donors are disappointed by our sector’s nurturing, they can just dismiss charities altogether. An environmentalist can live up to her values by recycling. An animal lover by adopting rescues. People don’t need charities to express who they are; charities are merely offering them another way to do so.

Fundraisers have the difficult task of walking the messy middle. Here’s how we try to do it at DonorVoice:

• Discover who your supporters are. What is their innate reason for support (their Identity) and what are their personality traits?
• Adopt an insightful segmentation. Group supporters based on who they are – Identity and Personality – and not based on random factors that don’t explain their giving behavior, like their acquisition channel or their age.  See Monday’s post for more details on this donor taxonomy segmentation.
• Build tailored journeys. Create offers and messages that speak to who the supporter is. If you ever wondered what an “engaging” communication looks like, that’s it.
• Ask for their communication preferences. Everyone talks about being donor-centric. Yet, most organizations don’t ask for donor preferences, or don’t have the capacity to fulfil them. Still, donors prefer to interact with you a certain way. Respect their wishes and win them over. Ignore it and lose them.
• Regularly measure satisfaction. Create multiple listening posts to ensure the experience you’re offering is matching or exceeding their expectations. Be on the lookout for pitfalls and ways to constantly improve their experience.

When it comes to fundraising, who the donor is –nature—matters a lot. The donor experience—nurture—also matters. We can’t focus on one at the expense of the other. Finding our way through this messy middle is the only way to grow.

Kiki