Case Study: The Impact of Awareness in Donor Acquisition

Campbell Rinker recently collaborated with a consulting firm to conduct a pivotal study about how different generations give.  The study of 3,000 American donors, reviewed in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, highlighted the unique journeys different generational groups follow as they discover, give to and continue engaging with a new nonprofit.  It turns out that nonprofits – both secular and faith-based – need to invest much more effort in public awareness and name-building before acquiring a modern donor.  Further, the study demonstrated that contrary to prior practice, once the donor is acquired they now behave differently than they did before.  These insights permit development officers to promote alternative strategies that will be more effective with the modern donor.  Methodology: Online Survey