Soup Shopping, With Emotion
How much research does your nonprofit undertake to inform your fundraising strategy and messaging?
Probably too little. Either for lack of resources, or because you just don’t believe in it.
Take a look at this Wall Street Journal article, The Emotional Quotient of Soup Shopping, if you want a taste of how far commercial marketers take their research. Look for Campbell Soups to drop the spoon, update the bowls, and make the food appear steaming hot.
I have yet to hear of a nonprofit suiting up prospects in a biometric vest to measure their neurological response to direct mail copy!
But short of that, what kind of research does your nonprofit undertake to better understand, communicate with and motivate your donors … and attract new ones like them?
I’m not talking here about data analysis — individual giving histories and response data, package or channel testing, potential value or share of wallet screening — though obviously this knowledge is crucial. And probably more "real" or "hard" to most fundraisers, as compared to "soft" research that tries to get into the heads and hearts of current and prospective donors.
Here’s one "soft" research approach you might consider.
Interview some of your best donors … some who have made large gifts consistently, and some who have simply remained loyal over a considerable period of time. Talk about their commitment … what first caught their attention … what sets you apart in their mind … where their gift to you fits into their overall giving … why they stick with your organization … what is it they are trying to accomplish by giving to you … how do they feel when they give.
No doubt there will be plenty of descriptive information conveyed in such interviews … logical, analytical stuff. But beneath all that, listen carefully for the emotional content … that’s what you’re really after. And that’s what you want to take away and figure how to tap into on a broader scale and more consciously through your fundraising and other marketing communications.
If you can afford it, get professional research help and tools to do this. As with other aspects of fundraising, experience (with methodology, with listening, with interpretation) does count! But don’t let lack of resources stop you from becoming a close student of your own best donors.
Become the anthropologist of your organization’s donor community. You’ll be rewarded.
Tom
5 responses to “Soup Shopping, With Emotion”
Behavioral Science Q & A
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I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
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Great post today. I’m a big on encouraging npo’s to interview not only donors, but also staff, program folks, people in the field, volunteers and founders (that group of passionate people who had the vision in the first place). The stories you’ll unearth may very well change your whole perspective and put new bounce in your step. Remember to ask open-ended questions, and, most importantly, to probe: “How did that make you feel?” “Can you paint a picture of that for me?” Not only will you discover incredible stories, but you’ll also draw the interviewee closer to the cause by reminding them why they’re involved.
Love this perspective. i think that the close connection and understanding we can get from our donors when communicating in this way is really crucial. People will respond better with this type of thoughtful understanding, and I think it would make many fundraisers even better at what they do. Great ideas!
Tom
This is rock-solid guidance you’re sharing. Regarding the interviews I’ll add that whoever conducts them ought to have experience doing interviews, and also strong people skills. The answer people first give to a question seldom contains the heart of their story. They’re not deliberately being evasive. It’s just human nature to give “surface” answers. The really good insights, feelings, and motivations are something a skilled interviewer needs to gently draw out.
Another thought is take the staff that answers the phone and give them quality sales and customer service training. They can use every phone call to ask a couple key questions and flood the nonprofit’s database with valuable information. In the long run it’s a very inexpensive research method.
Would have been nice to see a picture of a campbells soup can that brought “emotion” to the table.
What a welcome post! I’d like to affirm that using this kind of qualitative research is where breakthroughs are found. Here’s a testimonial:
“…it was the first time an organization had ever asked what was important to me. It influenced how I think about myself philanthropically and how we need to treat others.”
— Retired vice chair of the largest privately held company in the world … just before he made a commitment of significance.
One key we’ve seen in working the way you suggest — anthropologist-like — is how vital the assumptions embedded in the questions are. Positive questions get positive stories, as nearly 20 years of research using appreciative inquiry has shown.
(I’ve been on a public search on LinkedIn to find groups and blogs like yours. Fresh, innovative thinking with a bias toward the possible, rather than the despairing. And a depth. So far, I’ve also seen three comments, and my sense is that you attract just that kind of person.)