Why You Should Survey Your Donors

It is essential for your organization to understand your donors’ motivations, interests, perceptions and experiences. One of the most effective and easiest ways to gain this understanding is through electronic surveys.

Why Survey Donors?

1. Understand Donor Motivations: Knowing why donors choose to support your cause can help tailor your messaging and outreach efforts. It can reveal personal connections to the mission, values alignment or specific aspects of your programs that resonate most strongly.

2. Increase Donor Engagement and Retention: Regularly surveying your supporters demonstrates that you value their opinions and are committed to improving based on their feedback. Engaged and appreciated donors are more likely to continue their support and even increase their contributions over time.

3. Identify Potential Major Donors: Surveys can help identify contributors with the willingness to increase their support for your organization. Understanding their interest and engagement levels allows for more personalized and effective cultivation strategies. For more details on donor cultivation and stewardship, be sure to register for our upcoming free webinar on August 15, 2024 at 1 p.m.

4. Tailor Fundraising Strategies: Insights gained from donor surveys can inform your fundraising strategies, ensuring that your appeals are relevant and compelling. This can lead to more successful campaigns, higher giving rates and better return on investment.

What to Ask in Donor Surveys?

It is important to ask the right questions. Here are some key areas to focus on:

• Demographic Information
• Motivations for Giving
• Donation Experience
• Communication Preferences
• Event and Involvement Feedback
• Satisfaction and Engagement
• Suggestions for Improvement 

How Should You Utilize the Collected Information?

Collecting feedback is only the first step. Acting on it is critical! Here is how you can effectively use the information you gather from your donor survey:

1. Improve Communication: Adjust your development plan and communication strategies based on donor insights. This could mean changing the frequency of updates, utilizing different communication channels or tailoring the content to match donor interest.

2. Enhance Donor Experience: Address any common issues highlighted through the survey, such as technical difficulties in the giving process or lack of easily accessible information about various giving vehicles. For more information about the giving vehicles available to donors, check out this webinar.

3. Personalize Outreach: Use the insights gained to develop more targeted donor outreach. For instance, if a supporter has a specific interest in a particular program, send them updates and appeals related to that program.

4. Identify and Cultivate Major Donors: Recognize the donors with high engagement and potential for larger contributions. Develop strategies to build stronger relationships and encourage major gifts. My colleague Hilary Fulp recently wrote a more detailed article on what motivates affluent households’ giving.

5. Measure and Evaluate: Regularly analyze the survey data to track trends and measure the impact of any changes you implement. Leverage your donor database to input and utilize the information you collect.

Surveying your supporters is a critical practice for nonprofits aiming to build strong, lasting relationships with their supporters. By understanding motivations, interests, and preferences, you can enhance your donor experience, increase engagement and ultimately drive greater giving.