Data-Driven, Not Data-Creepy: Personalizing Donor Outreach Without the Scare Factor
Every October, we are reminded of what a good scare feels like: a floorboard creaks, a door opens on its own, a phone rings when you’re home alone.
Donors can get that same feeling from a fundraising appeal. You open the mail, see a reference to something you never told anyone, and think, how do they know that?
Personalization is one of the most effective tools for fundraising but it can also give donors the creeps. Here are some ways you can leverage it discerningly:
The line isn’t about how much you know
Protecting donor data is a necessity, but trust depends on more than privacy alone. Donors aren't concerned with the volume of data an organization holds. They care about whether they can understand how the organization knows what it knows.
That’s the test. If a donor can look at a line of copy and think “right, I told them that,” or “right, I’ve given to them for years,” it feels like they are being remembered. If they can’t figure out where this personalization came from, it feels like they’re being watched.
So, as fundraisers, we need to ask three questions of any personalization:
Did the donor give us this information, directly or through their relationship with the organization? Gift history, a survey answer, an event they attended, a preference they shared.
Would they expect us to have it? A monthly donor expects an organization to know that they give monthly. Nobody expects an organization to know they visited the FAQ page on the organization’s website twice last week.
How does using the data help? A donor who has upgraded their gift two years running has shown they’re more invested, so an ask that reflects that momentum, paired with a thank-you feels like recognition. An ask that jumps well past their prior giving because a model says they can afford it feels like being sized up.
Use the data to change what you do, not to announce what you know
The creepiest personalization is the kind that narrates donor behavior: we noticed you opened our last three emails. Nobody wants to hear that.
The best personalization is invisible to the donor. It shows up as an ask amount that feels right, a story that matches what the donor cares about, a channel they actually respond to, and a cadence that doesn’t exhaust them. The donor should never think, “they have my data,” they should think “this organization really knows me.”
Data is the engine that drives the train. It should rarely appear in the copy itself, and when it does, it should be in reference to a donor’s commitment and impact. “Thank you for standing with us through the last 5 years” creates a vastly different emotional connection than “We see you’ve increased your engagement in email recently.”
Know where they live, and why it matters to them
A donor’s address is one of the most underused pieces of first-party data organizations have, and one of the least creepy. Donors provide it knowingly, and they expect it to be used. Many programs use geography for acquisition opportunities.
However, there is an opportunity to use this data to make the issue itself real. A donor in a state facing water contamination, a drought, or a proposed pipeline experiences environmental concerns differently than someone living two time zones away. Sending both audiences the same national story may leave relevance on the table.
Here’s some things to think about when using donor’s address:
Change the story, not just the state name. As production moves to digital printing, creating copy that acknowledges a local fight, a specific threat, or win that is happening where the donor lives is no longer necessarily cost prohibitive. A donor should finish the letter feeling that the organization understands their lived experience of the situation, rather than that a mail merge selected for their state.
Speak at the state or region level. Speaking about what’s happening in a donor’s state feels relevant. Speaking about a neighborhood starts to feel like surveillance.
Only go local when there is a local story to share. Don’t burn donor trust by inventing a connection to their state or region that doesn’t exist. A region-specific appeal works when there’s a true reason for a donor to care.
Treat it as a test, not an assumption. It can be tempting to assume that local always beats national. We’d rather let the data tell us. Split the audience, hold everything else constant, and see which version lifts response. Some issues reward hyper regional storytelling, and some don’t. Let the data tell you.
Model quietly, write openly
Say you’re promoting a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) to IRA holders over 70 ½. Age modeling can help guide who receives that insert, mail piece, or email. That’s smart segmentation and strategy.
However, the copy shouldn’t then follow to say, “we know you just turned 72.” It should speak generally, “If you’re 70 ½ or older, there’s a tax-smart way to give from your IRA.”
With this copy a donor feels informed, rather than profiled. Modeled data should help us decide who receives what, but the copy should speak to a situation rather than a specific person.
A gut check that costs nothing
Before anything goes out to a donor, we suggest a simple test: imagine saying the line aloud to the donor face to face. If it sounds warm and inviting, keep it. If it sounds like something you’re going to need to explain, rewrite it.
Trust your instincts. Behind every record in your database is a person who chose to give. The goal of the data is to help you treat each of them that way. When it’s used well, this information makes a donor feel remembered and important. Used carelessly, it makes them feel followed.
This Halloween, leave the tricks to the trick-or-treaters. Your donors should get the treat: a message that shows them you know them, appreciate them, and remember them for the right reasons.
Looking for some more strategies of connecting with your donors? Connect with us here!
About the Author:
Becky has spent the last decade mastering the art of direct response fundraising. When she isn't crafting compelling campaigns, you can find her adventuring with family or lost in a good book.