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Identifying & Engaging Major Donors for Nonprofit Success

12/17/2024

Declining gift amounts and donor files don’t have to be doom and gloom. Strategic major donor data-driven models powered by advanced Ai algorithms are the key to sourcing new prospective major donors and moving existing donors up through the pyramid.

Our nonprofit partners are embracing the power of data and artificial intelligence to revolutionize how their organizations identify and engage with major donors. The continued forward momentum of this advanced tech is making major donor fundraising efforts more efficient, consistent, and personal.

Can Ai really do that? Let’s find out.

Understanding Major Donors

Major donors aren’t just defined by their financial contributions; they are the lifeblood of philanthropic missions, aligning their values and vision with the nonprofits they support. Ai and machine learning provide nonprofits with unparalleled insights that cannot be uncovered by the human eye, even the most talented statistician, into specific donor behavior, preferences, and tendencies of this key group of givers, making it possible to zero in on individuals most likely to become major donors.

Characteristics of Potential Major Donors

To identify potential major donors, we use Ai and ML to analyze a plethora of granular data points, such as:

1. Donation History: Frequency, recency, and amounts of past donations can signal a potential major donor.
2. Engagement Level: Interactions with your fundraising campaigns, social media, and attendance at events are strong indicators of donor commitment.
3. Demographics: Age, education, occupation, and other socio-economic factors can help predict a donor’s capacity and willingness to give.
4. Wealth Indicators: Real estate ownership, investment holdings, commercial purchase behaviors and trends over time, and business affiliations give insights into a donor’s financial potential.
5. Affiliation Networks: Connections to other major donors or involvement in philanthropic circles can be significant indicators of a donor’s propensity to give.

Keeping track of and using these data points, our model ensembles create profiles of potential major donors with incredible precision.

Uncovering More Potential Major Donors

Now that it’s clear what a major donor may look like, it’s vital to highlight these individuals in your acquisition campaign planning. Maybe your original acquisition audience contained about 2% of major donor candidates. However, after using the Donor Science method, we increase that to 6%. Because of the granular data analysis, more significant indicators, like propensity, are revealed and can be included in your campaign plan in order to convert this group of potential supporters more effectively.

Leveraging Ai and ML for Fundraising Campaigns

Once we’ve identified potential major donors, the next step is crafting a targeted fundraising campaign. Here’s how our Ai and ML approach empowers your campaigns to be more successful:

1. Data-Driven Communication:
Ai-driven analysis can evaluate what messaging from previous campaigns generated major donor responses. Through this historical analysis, decisions can be made around the types of communication that inspire action from major donors. Whether it’s an upgraded premium, a personalized video message, or an invitation to an exclusive event, showing that you understand and value the donor’s unique journey with your cause can significantly boost responses.

2. Prescriptive Analytics:
ML models analyze broad volumes of historical data to predict future behaviors and trends. This enables nonprofits to not only identify when a donor is more likely to give at a higher level but also what kind of messaging, images, ask arrays, and even fonts and colors will be most effective. Prescriptive analytics can inform the timing and content of your outreach, maximizing the likelihood of a positive response and larger gift amounts.

3. Relationship Building Through Multiple Channels:
The major donor individual is a busy and dynamic human being. Syncing your outreach efforts through an omnichannel approach will generate additional acknowledgment of your cause. Mail, email, streaming, and phone calls are all incredible ways to spark and keep interest. Donor Science™ and Ai can also help you hone in on where major donor candidates respond or are present on a regular basis. Integrating your organization into those channels gets you in front of them in a cohesive way.

The Future of Nonprofit Success

Integrating deeper donor data and artificial intelligence into your nonprofit’s major donor strategy empowers your organization for true growth. You’re able to identify major donors with nuanced precision and target them with data-driven campaigns, increasing your likelihood of response and the ability to fund your mission.

These technologies turn data into actionable insights, crafting a sophisticated roadmap for major donor engagement that is both strategic and deeply personal. As we move forward, it’s vital to recognize the boundless potential that Ai and ML bring to the table.

Together, we can transform the landscape of philanthropy, one major donor at a time. Let’s build a future fueled by innovation and driven by our shared mission to make a difference.