Why Personalize?

As the past 20 months have seen businesses begin to shift their operations to an increasingly digital world, the quality of digital experiences became a focus for nonprofits and donors alike. 

To remain competitive, a highly personalized donor experience was seen as the primary means of driving donor loyalty and differentiation, as well as generating more financial support. 

Organizations today are in a battle for donor attention. We are competing across millions of other causes and campaigns around the globe, and it’s a constant fight to just stay relevant. 

Point blank, the ROI on personalization is clear: more personalized donor experience translates to higher and more recurring levels of giving. 

In fact, nearly 60% of respondents in a recent survey said they’d donate up to 10% more if, for example, fundraisers could be more explicit about where their money is going. Going a bit deeper, roughly 80 percent (83 percent in the US alone) believe it is “important to know the real outcomes of their charitable donations or volunteer work with nonprofit organizations.” Donor loyalty is on the line. If brands fail to offer a personalized experience, 45% of consumers say they’re likely to take their support elsewhere.

According to data from Segment’s “State of Personalization” report, there is a trend gaining momentum around the way our donors and audience feel about personalization.

60% of consumers say they will become repeat buyers after a personalized shopping experience with a retailer. When Segment asked consumers the same question in 2017, only 44% said the same. What’s more, nearly half say they’re less likely to make a purchase from a brand after an unpersonalized experience.

Mass messaging is dying, and nonprofits only face two choices: personalize or perish. The digital acceleration sparked by the pandemic has created a new reality and new expectations. If we fail to take this seriously, donors will simply walk away and support other organizations, but if we harness the power of personalization and execute a strategy to connect with meaningful storytelling, we can secure lifelong supporters to our mission.