How do you know what you don’t know?
These scenarios are typically called “unknown unknowns,” and they’re one of the most difficult aspects of planning and long-term strategy. For example, who in the nonprofit space could have predicted the global pandemic in 2020 and everything that followed?
We’ve talked and written a lot about audience-first fundraising and the path toward nonprofit organizations embracing this strategic shift. That’s because it’s not the future of fundraising; it needs to be the present.
You can probably think of audience groups within your donor file a few different ways—donor pyramid, donor lifecycle or possibly generational. We’ve even highlighted some key audiences to consider, like mid-level, monthly and lapsed donors.
But what about the audiences you don’t know about? The ones you haven’t considered? The unknown unknowns?
In this blog post, we’ll break down 10 key audiences you didn't know you had—or maybe haven’t considered lately:
- Frequent Donors
These individuals give multiple times a year, but they’re not monthly donors, and they haven’t cleared the bar for your mid-level program. Instead of simply speaking to them like your standard core donors, treat them like sustainers. Give them more personalized recognition and opportunities to deepen their involvement.
- Business Donors
Some donors give in celebration of business milestones, appearing like regular contributors. Engage them with tailored communication, highlighting partnership opportunities and shared impact stories.
- Tribute Donors
Tribute giving offers a unique way to honor others and their contributions, and it’s not limited to health-related causes. Position your organization as the go-to for memorial or celebratory gifts by creating dedicated campaigns and messaging. Consider a few tips for engaging this group.
- Match Donors
These supporters love the excitement of matching gifts, but they simply don’t show up for other appeals and opportunities. Rather than lamenting that, try leaning into their habits and only include them in your match campaigns.
- Match Sponsors
Speaking of matches, mid-level or business donors can make excellent match sponsors. Test messaging to engage them as leaders in driving your mission. We’ve seen success with clients who have built campaigns to ask for support from match sponsors.
- Disaster Donors
These individuals step up during emergencies, from hurricanes, to wildfires, to tornados and even pandemics. Consider reaching out to them for smaller-scale emergencies, like animal rescues or facility replacements (e.g., a broken freezer that will result in spoiled food). This helps to keep them engaged more frequently with relevant appeals.
- Legacy Donors
Those who have supported you for 10+ consecutive years deserve special acknowledgment. Recognize their loyalty with exclusive communications or small gestures of gratitude. A little something extra goes a long way here for this dedicated group.
- Hispanic/Multicultural Donors
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 68 million people in the U.S. spoke a language other than English at home in 2019—a number that has tripled since 1980. Within that group, 62% speak Spanish. Are you reaching out to these 42 million potential donors in the language they speak?
- One-and-Done Donors
Reignite the passion of donors who only gave once with impact stories, updates and opportunities tailored to their initial giving interest. Or you may consider that this group is not worth the effort, and you can reinvest those dollars in another audience that delivers a better ROI.
- Almost Donors
Some people visit your donation form but don’t complete the gift—let's call them “almost” donors. Consider a few small pushes to get them over the hump:
- Abandoned cart paid media retargeting—ad creative that tries to get them to come back and finish their gift
- Exit stall lightbox—a popup that displays as they are trying to exit the page or use the browser’s back button. This would be a little bit of a “wait, don’t go” plea.
- Follow up email—sent to those who clicked a donate link in an appeal but didn’t make a gift.
By identifying and engaging these overlooked audiences, you can strengthen relationships, maximize impact and create a donor-centric approach that thrives in any fundraising climate.
Feel free to drop a note in the comments about other audiences we’ve missed. Let’s reduce that number of unknown unknowns!