Donor Experience

The donor journey is evolving (albeit very, very fast). That shouldn’t surprise us but it is good news. We haven’t been left behind completely. Our donors have changed though. Their experience of us and our mission may not be what any of us would want. In this case, relevance is defined by how relevant the experience is for the donor. Passion for our programs, products and services is contingent on amazing experiences. How donors feel about the experience they have with us is one of the most relevant of issues. It begs the question then, “How are we measuring the emotions the experience creates for the donor?”

How we personally decide to react or lead is up to us. It, of course, is not about technology. What is the journey of getting closer to donors and staying relevant really about? Here are some ideas:

1. Create a culture built around the donor and their experience being the focus of all we do.
2. Empower employees to do what it takes to create amazing experiences.
3. Open up the floodgates of innovation.

Saying we want to get closer to donor won’t get senior management on board. While a donor revolution is at the C-Suite doors, someone (meaning you) needs to convince the top that change is imperative. Without that we will fail.

We know that most executives don’t use social networks personally. While they have smartphones, their primary utilization is for email and looking at the calendar to know where to go to next. The reality is that most in the C-Suite won’t read this book. Trying to make a case that this is about technology will be a losing battle.

What is the future of nonprofits built on? It isn’t about how Facebook, Twitter, iPhones, tablets or real time-time geolocation check-ins evolve. The future of nonprofits does depend on relevance and the ability to at least understand technology to be able to make decisions about new opportunities. It does require the ability to strategically adapt to the new opportunities to create a competitive advantage. It is all about the experience.

So much of this is about change. There is a technology revolution occurring. Other nonprofits understand this. But it is also about a whole series of real-world revolutions that are seizing how our donors live which impacts their experience with us. Expectations are moving fast. We can’t afford to get left behind. The kind of change we are talking about involves three things:

1. Listening
2. Learning
3. Adapting

As a digital executive, you can create the culture to make the change. If you can’t change the nonprofit, you can change your department or work team. You have a sphere of influence. You can make an impact.