{"id":41799,"date":"2019-08-26T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-26T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bloomerang2dev.wpengine.com\/?p=41799"},"modified":"2025-09-02T09:25:43","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T13:25:43","slug":"secret-to-upgrading-nonprofit-donors-personal-not-personalized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/secret-to-upgrading-nonprofit-donors-personal-not-personalized\/","title":{"rendered":"Secret to Upgrading Nonprofit Donors? Personal, Not Personalized"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When the concept of \u2018personalization\u2019 first came into vogue, it was due to a reason: People were tired of being treated all the same.<\/p>\n<p>Personalization is related to specialization.<\/p>\n<p><b>People tired of sameness long ago.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>In 1962 Malvina Richards wrote a song called <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Little_Boxes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Little Boxes<\/a><\/span>. It was about social conformity and the undifferentiating experience of suburbia, has been covered many times since, and was even used as the theme song for the television series \u2018Weeds.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Today we\u2019re seeing a flight back to the cities, with all the differentiation and choices they offer. Also, department stores selling everything, specializing in nothing, morphed into \u201cChairs R Us,\u201d \u201cToys R Us,\u201d \u201cOffice Depot,\u201d \u201cVictoria\u2019s Secret,\u201d \u201cJust Desserts\u201d and \u201cPersonal Shoppers.\u201d\u00a0 People today crave specialization. Choices.<\/p>\n<p>Of course \u2018big box\u2019 stores exist too, but the <i>experienc<\/i>e is not the same. Nobody knows your name. Customer service is generally poor. And people generally spend less there.<\/p>\n<h2><b>What Do You Want for Your Donor\u2019s Experience?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>Chances are you want donors to feel really <\/b><b><i>good<\/i><\/b><b> about donating to you.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Because then they\u2019ll be more likely to give again.<\/p>\n<p><b>Chances are you want them to know you <\/b><b><i>know<\/i><\/b><b> them and <\/b><b><i>care<\/i><\/b><b> about them for more than their wallet.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Because then they\u2019ll be more likely to give again and even give more over time.<\/p>\n<p><b>Chances are you want them to <\/b><b><i>trust<\/i><\/b><b> you and <\/b><b><i>value<\/i><\/b><b> you enough that they\u2019re willing to make a passionate, not a token, gift.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Because then they\u2019ll consider you when it comes time to make a major or <a href=\"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/3-secrets-to-acquiring-nonprofit-legacy-gifts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">legacy gift<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If this is what you want for your donor experience, you only have to remember two words:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>SPECIAL.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><strong>PERSONAL.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>If you take these two words to heart, you\u2019ll be leaps and bounds ahead\u00a0of the competition.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>These words should become your mantra, and should underscore everything you do. Your annual appeal writing. Your donor acknowledgements. Your special events. Your newsletters. Your blog posts. Your proposals. Your reports. Your social media.<\/p>\n<h2><b>What\u2019s Not Special<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>Special is <\/b><b><i>not<\/i><\/b><b> automated.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Special requires thoughtful customization. Sometimes you can automate, by segment, <i>after<\/i> you\u2019ve thought through the customization; not before. For example, if you automatically send all <a href=\"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/which-first-time-donors-should-you-make-thank-you-phone-calls-to\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">first-time donors<\/span><\/a> the exact same welcome message, that\u2019 not personal. First you must assess what makes one new donor different from another. It may be the amount of money they give. Or the campaign to which they respond. Or the purpose for which they earmark their gift. Or the fact they\u2019re already a current volunteer or client.<\/p>\n<p><b>Special is <\/b><b><i>not<\/i><\/b><b> cut and paste.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Special requires some knowledge of your audience so you can <i>craft<\/i> a meaningful message that will be relevant to them. For example, if you cut and paste simply to reflect the fact that your donor gave under $100 vs. $100+, you may miss out on other differentiators that are more meaningful to your donor. It could be the fact this is a big upgrade from their previous gift. Or that it\u2019s their 10th year of consecutive giving. Or that they made the gift in memory of someone.<\/p>\n<p><b>Special is <\/b><b><i>not <\/i><\/b><b>sending everyone the same message.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Special requires some understanding of the human being you\u2019re addressing. In all your <a href=\"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/template\/first-time-donor-communication-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">donor communications<\/span><\/a> (especially with donors who give more than your average level gift) you should strive to create an emotional bond. If you know your donor loves inspirational quotes, why not slip one in? If you know their family just celebrated a life cycle event, why not include a congratulations? If you know they just returned from a trip, why not welcome them back and ask if you can set up a date to hear all about their travels?<\/p>\n<p>Many nonprofits <i>claim<\/i> they get personal with their donors but what they really mean is their communications are \u201cpersonalized\u201d (i.e., they use their would-be donor\u2019s name at the top of the email or mailed appeal salutation). No, no, no. Let\u2019s face it; <b>the ability to \u2018personalize\u2019 today is so prevalent as to have become quintessentially impersonal!<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Not special at all.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Let\u2019s Get Personal<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>When you get authentically personal in our digital age, it\u2019s truly perceived as special.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll know you\u2019re getting genuinely personal if you can imagine the person on the receiving end of your message getting emotional about what they receive.<\/p>\n<p><b>Good marketing, and good fundraising, is about helping your donor <\/b><b><i>connect<\/i><\/b><b> some positive emotion to what you\u2019re selling.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Emotional connection is what causes donors to give more. And more.<\/p>\n<p>When we feel emotion it\u2019s <i>special<\/i>, because we don\u2019t feel it all the time.<\/p>\n<p>This feeling is an antidote to sameness\u2026 monotony\u2026 apathy\u2026 and all the negative dulling things Malvina Reynolds wrote about in her famous \u201c<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.malvinareynolds.com\/mr094.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Little Boxes<\/a><\/span>\u201d song.<\/p>\n<p><b>You don\u2019t want your nonprofit to seem like just one more anonymous little box where\u2026 <\/b><i>they all look just the same.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s easy to fall into the undifferentiated nonprofit trap when you use language like \u201cmaking a difference\u201d and \u201ccreating change\u201d and \u201csaving lives.\u201d And when you begin messages with \u201cDear Claire\u201d and \u201cthanks to you Claire\u201d and similar stand-ins for a personal touch. But they\u2019re not authentic; they don\u2019t connect.<\/p>\n<p>Getting personal can\u2019t be 100% automated. At the least, you have to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/businessesgrow.com\/2016\/11\/08\/empathic-marketer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">give your marketing automation a hug<\/a><\/span>. In other words:<\/p>\n<p><b>1. Care deeply<\/b> about your donors. Always <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nonprofitpro.com\/post\/how-revolutionize-your-nonprofit-culture-stop-losing-your-donors-claire-axelrad\/all\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">include donors in your mission<\/a><\/span>. They need you as much as you need them, and you can play a meaningful role in bringing them purpose and joy.<\/p>\n<p><b>2. Listen and ask open-ended questions<\/b>\u00a0of your donors that show you care and help you <a href=\"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/free-download-42-questions-to-ask-major-donor-prospects-before-you-ask-for-a-gift\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">learn more<\/span><\/a> about them as human beings whose values align with yours.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why did you first get involved here?<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What legacy would you like to leave?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>3. Strive to understand<\/b> how your <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/lead-your-nonprofit-from-vision-not-mission\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">brand<\/a><\/span> (vision, mission and values) plays<b>\u00a0<\/b>a role in the real lives of your donors.<\/p>\n<p>In Part 2 of this two-parter about secrets to upgrading nonprofit donors we\u2019ll look at some specific examples of ways to personalize your donor interactions to make folks feel special. The more special you make folks feel, the more likely they are to continue giving. Because\u2026 who wants to ever <i>stop <\/i>feeling special?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Personal is back in fashion.\u00a0Try it on for size.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/resources\/guides\/the-art-and-science-of-retaining-digital-donors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-18873 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/The-Art-Science-of-Digital-Donor-Retention.png\" alt=\"The Art &amp; Science of Digital Donor Retention\" width=\"670\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/The-Art-Science-of-Digital-Donor-Retention.png 670w, https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/The-Art-Science-of-Digital-Donor-Retention-669x200.png 669w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 670px) 100vw, 670px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When the concept of \u2018personalization\u2019 first came into vogue, it was due to a reason: People were tired of being treated all the same. Personalization is related to specialization. People tired of sameness long ago. In 1962 Malvina Richards wrote a song called Little Boxes. It was about social conformity and the undifferentiating experience of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":25851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"cause":[],"article_author":[],"webinar_host":[],"topic":[205,351,206],"class_list":["post-41799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","topic-engage","topic-marketing-communications","topic-retain"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.5 (Yoast SEO v27.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Secret to Upgrading Nonprofit Donors? Personal, Not Personalized<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The more special you make donors feel, the more likely they are to keep giving. Here are some tips on upgrading nonprofit donors through personal messages.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/secret-to-upgrading-nonprofit-donors-personal-not-personalized\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Secret to Upgrading Nonprofit Donors? Personal, Not Personalized\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The more special you make donors feel, the more likely they are to keep giving. Here are some tips on upgrading nonprofit donors through personal messages.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/secret-to-upgrading-nonprofit-donors-personal-not-personalized\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Bloomerang\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bloomerangtech\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-08-26T09:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-02T13:25:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/large-present-featured.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"599\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"328\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Claire Axelrad\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CharityClairity\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@bloomerangtech\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Claire Axelrad\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/blog\\\/secret-to-upgrading-nonprofit-donors-personal-not-personalized\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/blog\\\/secret-to-upgrading-nonprofit-donors-personal-not-personalized\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Claire Axelrad\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ab1b773459a2a4d53264fc80f7df61cf\"},\"headline\":\"Secret to Upgrading Nonprofit Donors? 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