Target Audience Analysis for Fundraising Content

𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝟯% 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄. ➡️ 7% are close but not ready yet. ➡️ 30% are way off. ➡️ 60% are highly unlikely to give at all And that's why fundraising takes time. Because you're working to your donors' timelines - they do NOT work to yours. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 - 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼: ❌ Pitch to a cold audience - the worse possible way to ask for money. ❌ Only target 3% of your addressable market - leaving 37% of givers untapped. The smart money is on - having a strategy to cultivate your FULL prospective audience. 📈 60% won't give - but could be introducers or influencers. 📈 30% are way off giving - but worth initiating a relationship while they’re still open to the idea. This is the optimal time to start those relationships. 📈 7% are open to giving and are actively planning their budgets, timelines, shortlists etc. - so your window of being on that shortlist is now starting to close. 📈 3% are hot to trot. These figures are based on the "buyer's pyramid" - think of it like the 80/20 rule (Pareto Principle). Understanding that only 10% of your qualified prospects list is actually ready to give now or within your financial year - helps you to determine how long your prospect list needs to be for you to reach your target. 📌 𝗜𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 - 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿. Keeping in touch with prospects - is NOT fundraisers wasting their time on people who are not willing to give. It is fundraisers investing their time appropriately with people who are not ready YET. Because - "not yet" does not mean "no". It means, stay in touch - you have a warm prospect who is going to move along the timeline into the "ready to give now" bracket. 📌 𝗣𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘄 - 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗼 𝟯% 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁.  𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟰𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. This is also why you need to retain and trade up your existing donors (new business can be achieved by growing the donors you already have alongside new donors). A combination of - retention, trading up existing donors, new business and initiating relationships with the "not ready yet crowd" - is how you grow a sustainable donor base. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 - 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽..... 😀

6 insights from 18 months (and hundreds) of donor conversations + and what they mean for your 2026 fundraising plans 👇🏽 In our November Fundraising Innovation leaders Breakfast Club our fabulous qual researcher Rachael Millar shared 6 key insights all fundraisers should be thinking about going into 2026 plans. 1. Negative News Fatigue People are turning away from bad news - wars, climate crisis, economic instability - because it feels overwhelming. Many feel powerless or “numbed” by negativity. Opportunity: Focus on hope, progress, and solutions over problems. Localise stories - show small, tangible actions that make an impact. Give supporters agency and control See Hope not Hate mobilisation over the last 2 months against the far-right flag movement for evidence of this. 2. Trust & The “Single Source of Truth” People struggle to know who or what to trust. Conflicting information is everywhere - TV and radio are losing credibility. Opportunity: Charities are more trusted than the government — leverage this. Curate and simplify information for your audience. Offer actionable steps and expert guidance to build trust. Position your charity as the go-to source for reliable insight in your field. Every charity should increase its TikTok & YT output. Countering misinformation should be an organisational objective. 3. Digital Fatigue & Offline Connection Audiences (especially under 50) are questioning screen-heavy lifestyles and craving offline experiences. Reducing screen time has measurable benefits for well-being. Opportunity: Offer offline or hybrid activities connecting people IRL. Tap into nostalgia (e.g., pre-digital hobbies, traditional games, events) Promote wellbeing through community and experience, not just messaging 4. Community & Connection People crave belonging and shared purpose — “finding my people.” Community works across all fundraising areas, not just events. Opportunity: Build community elements into supporter journeys (e.g. peer groups, shared challenges). Encourage participation and collaboration rather than solo giving. Highlight kindness, togetherness, and shared values. Charities need to curate their own fandoms - there is a huge opportunity to double down in this area. 5.  Escapism & Joy Escapism is a major emotional driver - people want “holiday feelings,” daydreams, and light relief. Opportunity: Design experiences that feel immersive, fun, or transportive. Lotteries and competitions tap into “imaginative optimism.” Use joyful storytelling to offset fatigue and re-engage audiences. 6. Boldness Builds Trust Supporters respect authenticity and bravery. The RNLI’s success defending its migrant rescue work shows standing firm on values increases support. Opportunity: Be clear about what your organisation stands for. Don’t shy away from controversy when aligned with your mission. If you want the full write-up, just shout - we’re digging into these themes across all our 2026 product development work.

Where Productive Fundraising Conversations Begin: Content First Fundraising does not begin when a fundraiser contacts a prospect. In most instances it's one contact and that's the end of story. Fundraising begins when a compelling concept (not a formal proposal) is put in front of a viable donor. The more that concept resonates with a prospect’s primary philanthropic purpose, the greater the probability of fundraising success. That means a great deal of forethought must be given to the development of content known to resonate with a donor or groups of donors. They are proving less inclined to give to institutions and more inclined to look across institutions to determine which are addressing issues they care most about – and giving the most to those that best define where their investments will lead to more robust outcomes. This is the new and growing reality of fundraising: content first. That means: ▫️ Strategic plans, to be truly strategic, must tie institutional aspirations to issues donors care most about ▫️ The search for new donors will be a matchmaking exercise, looking for those whose known passions align with one of the institutions top 3-5 objectives ▫️ If the potential for alignment is murky or unknown, the first outreach from the organization must be a discovery interview, not a pitch ▫️ If a tentative alignment is reached, only then can a philanthropist be characterized as a viable prospect ▫️ Fundraisers or other institutional representatives should not approach those prospects without a concept that has a high probability of aligning with their interests ▫️ The approach should test whether theoretical alignment can me made concrete around a specific initiative, which should be presented at the drawing board stage in the form of brief draft document ▫️ If the prospective donor shows interest in the initiative, true fundraising can unfold as parties work together, usually over months, to convert an initial alignment into a gift agreement and the beginning of a productive partnership If organizations hope to raise more money in the face of mounting challenges, to make the most of the fundraising talent at our disposal, and to create realistic fundraising expectations and performance metrics, they must put content first.

I once worked with a university that struggled to meet its fundraising goals. They were reaching out to alumni randomly, hoping for the best. Then we introduced prospect research. The transformation was incredible. By identifying the right prospects and understanding their capacity and affinity, we increased major gifts by 150% in just one year. Here's what we did: Analyzed giving history: We looked at past donations to identify consistent givers and those with potential to give more. Researched professional backgrounds: LinkedIn and other public sources helped us understand career trajectories and potential giving capacity. Examined philanthropic interests: We investigated involvement with other nonprofits to align our asks with donors' passions. Leveraged wealth screening tools: These helped us identify high-net-worth individuals we might have overlooked. Mapped relationships: We uncovered connections between prospects and our board members or major donors. The result? More targeted outreach, personalized communication, and significantly larger gifts. The lesson? Don't underestimate the power of informed outreach. Prospect research isn't just for large organizations - it's a game-changer for nonprofits of all sizes. React 🎓 if you believe in the power of research! Have you had a similar experience with prospect research? Or are you considering implementing it? I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments! Remember, effective fundraising isn't about asking everyone for money. It's about asking the right people for the right amount, for the right project, at the right time. And that's where prospect research shines.

Your Fundraising Strategy Lives in the Rows Does this look familiar?  Spring Appeal. Summer Appeal. Fall Appeal. Year End.  Then the channels are added underneath. Direct mail, email, digital, phone. This uber common way of organizing the world is a major decision point that was probably decided by default, by habit. What's the strategic unit? With this approach, it's the campaign. All the rich differences that make up the people on the file get adapted to the campaign because the calendar came first. But what if the strategic unit is the audience? In this world, the first row is identity - e.g. parent, veteran, conservationist. Identity tells us who the person is in relation to the mission. Then identity subdivides by trait. Two veterans may share the same connection to the cause and still need very different messages. One responds to duty and structure. Another to possibility and meaning. Trait shapes what we say. Cadence sits across those identity and trait groups and determines when we say it. A new donor should not receive the same rhythm as a Mode-of-1 donor who gives annually. A responsive multiple may welcome many asks in a year. The audience is defined by identity and trait, while timing is shaped by the giving pattern layered on top. Budgeting follows the unit of strategy and that is why this matters.  In the campaign-first model, Spring Appeal competes with Fall Appeal for money and the answer to where more money is coming from is another campaign - always. In the audience-first model, identity and cadence groups compete for investment. Campaigns and channels still matter, but they become execution choices. They describe how the audience was engaged rather than defining the strategy. Want more money? Do more audience research to better understand a laggard group and test a more tailored set of interactions. The rows tell you what the organization actually believes drives growth.

How we helped a university venture fund raise $20M in 30 days. The strategy was actually very simple. Most fundraising teams mistake capital raising for a process of pure volume. More calls, more emails, more follow-ups. But in my experience, the real difference is rarely effort. It is strategy. Instead of chasing the broad market, we targeted an audience where trust already existed: the university’s own alumni ecosystem. Using LinkedIn Sales Navigator, we identified alumni who were exited founders, private equity partners, senior executives, and investors with clear investment capacity. We did not send them a generic cold pitch. The outreach was built around shared affiliation, relevance, and access. We invited them to an invite-only, behind-the-scenes innovation evening connected to the fund. Now, venture funds are not the easiest product to close quickly. They are long-term focused, relatively illiquid, and many investors are cautious in the current market. But we were still able to hit the closing goal because the process was structured properly. To break standard investor inertia, we created a clear deadline and offered a temporary management fee discount for investors who committed within that window. Suddenly, a long-term investment decision had a reason to move now.  → Right audience.  → Right engagement.  → Right closing mechanism. Before pushing harder, take a step back and ask whether you are targeting the right people, reaching them in the right way, and giving them a clear reason to act.

AI just identified your next major donor. It also just sent them the wrong message. Here's why both matter. Your AI tool analyzed giving patterns, engagement data, and wealth indicators. It correctly identified a donor with $50,000+ capacity who's been giving $500 annually for five years. Perfect targeting. Terrible execution. The AI sent them a generic major gift appeal about capital improvements. The donor's giving history shows exclusive support for program services. Their engagement data reveals they never open emails about buildings or equipment. The organizations succeeding with AI in fundraising aren't just using better technology. They're combining AI insights with human judgment. 👉 AI can tell you who to approach. It can't tell you how to approach them. 👉 AI can predict giving capacity. It can't predict emotional triggers. 👉 AI can identify patterns. It can't interpret personal motivations. 👉 AI can segment your database. It can't build authentic relationships. Pull up your last AI-generated donor recommendations. For each one, ask: Did you review their giving motivations before crafting the message? Did you consider their communication preferences and timing? Did you personalize the approach based on their relationship history? Did you involve human judgment in the final strategy? If you answered "no" to any of these, you've found your AI problem. The most successful fundraising programs I work with use AI as a research tool, not a replacement for relationship strategy: AI identifies prospects. Humans develop cultivation plans. AI predicts capacity. Humans determine approach timing. AI segments audiences. Humans craft personalized messages. AI tracks engagement. Humans interpret relationship signals. Your AI tools are only as effective as the human strategy that guides them. Stop treating AI as a fundraising autopilot. Start using it as a relationship compass. Because in fundraising, artificial intelligence amplifies human wisdom or human mistakes equally.

This one is for the nonprofit leader who knows their communications could be stronger but hasn't had a clear place to start. Six steps. One afternoon. Here's exactly what to look at. 1. Take stock of what you're putting out. Every channel. Every content type. Instagram, email, donor updates, volunteer communications, website. Write it all down in one place. Anything you haven't touched in 90 days is either dormant or dead. Note that too. No judgment, just clarity. 2. Check if it actually sounds like you. Read 10 recent pieces of your content back to back. Then answer three questions: Does every piece mention what we do and who we serve? Does the tone feel consistent or like different people wrote it? Would a stranger understand us or do they need context we haven't given them? If you answered no to any of these, your voice needs a reset before anything else. 3. Test your message clarity. Ask someone outside your organization to read your website or your last three posts. Then ask them: what does this organization do? Who do they help? Why does it matter? Their answer will tell you more than any internal review ever could. 4. Look at what's actually working. Go back 90 days. What got opened, clicked, shared, or responded to? What landed flat? You don't need fancy analytics for this. Open rates, post engagement, and direct replies tell you enough to know what to do more of. 5. Find the gap between what you're saying and what your audiences actually need. Draw two columns. Left side: what you're currently putting out. Right side: what your key audiences need to hear from you. Donors need to know their investment is making a difference. Volunteers need to feel seen and informed. Community members need to know you exist and that you're for them. Circle anything on the right that has nothing on the left. That's where to start. 6. Ask what you're missing. Look at your last three donor touchpoints, your last three volunteer communications, and your last three community facing posts. For each one ask: did this person get what they needed from this? If you're not sure, that's your answer. Uncertainty here usually means the communication wasn't specific enough for the audience it was meant for. Six steps. One afternoon. You'll walk away knowing exactly what to keep, what to cut, and what to build next. And if you want a thought partner to work through what you find, this is one of my favourite conversations to have. 🧡

I was involved in a Reddit, Inc. chat with a nonprofit leader. His team had set an ambitious fundraising goal, but they were struggling to figure out how to reach it. They knew how much they need to raise. “But how do we break it down? Who should we be asking for major gifts?" How many mid-sized donors do we need? And how do we make sure we don’t leave smaller donors behind?” - he asked. Spot on with every question. Successful fundraising isn’t about one big push. It’s about strategy. I remembered when working for #NPO we used Gift Range Chart. It basically helps #nonprofits break down a fundraising goal by identifying: How many major gifts to pursue from a handful of donors How many mid-sized gifts to seek from a moderate number of donors How many smaller gifts to solicit from the largest donor segment The cumulative total of each gift range He knew about it. But the problem was they were doing this manually in spreadsheets, making it hard to track progress and donor engagement. This is where I said its pretty simple using #HubSpotCRM and AI-driven fundraising tools. Couple of Steps: 1️⃣ Segmenting Donors for Targeted Outreach - DON'T GUESS ANYOMORE HubSpot’s lists can group major, mid-tier, and small-gift donors based on past giving, engagement, and capacity. 2️⃣ Personalizing Engagement with Smart Content - MAKE IT SMART One-size-fits-all messaging doesn’t work. This ensures that major donors see a different message than mid-tier and small-gift donors whether in emails, landing pages. 3️⃣ Dynamic CTAs - INCREASE CONVERSIONS Rather than showing the same call-to-action to every donor, dynamic CTAs adjust based on donor history. A first-time donor might see an ask for a $50 gift, while a previous major donor is encouraged to contribute at a higher level. 4️⃣ A/B Testing - MAKE IT COUNT With email A/B testing, nonprofits can test different subject lines, messaging, and donation asks to see what resonates most with each donor segment. The result? Higher engagement and more gifts. 5️⃣ Automated Follow-Ups - KEEP YOUR DONORS ENGAGED HubSpot’s Workflows ensure that donors receive timely and personalized follow-ups, whether it’s a thank-you message, an impact update, or a future donation ask. No donor falls through the cracks. 6️⃣ Real-Time Tracking & Dashboards - STRATEGIC Fundraising teams can use custom dashboards to track total gifts per tier, spot gaps in their progress, and adjust in real time. While HubSpot helps nonprofits execute strategy, tools like Fundraise Up take it a step further by using AI-driven insights to increase donor conversions: 🔹 AI-Powered Smart Giving Suggestions: AI analyzes a donor’s past giving and engagement to suggest an optimal donation amount, increasing the likelihood of a higher gift. 🔹 Smart Recommendations for Recurring Donations: If someone makes a one-time gift, it can prompt them to upgrade to a monthly donor, using AI to determine the best timing and messaging.

In 2026, the orgs pulling in aligned, long-term funding aren’t the ones with the fanciest decks. They’re the ones who know how to 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. Let me tell you a story. A few years back, I worked with an African org doing powerful, research-driven work for children. Internally? They were deeply respected. But to funders? They looked like just another content shop. They were being underestimated, not because of their impact, but because of their positioning. So we got to work:  • Interviewed current funders to understand what made them say yes  • Clarified the org’s unique value proposition  • Identified the funders they wanted to attract and how those funders talked, thought, and decided We realized something big: all the research, design, local insight, and outcomes? 𝗡𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲. So we launched a monthly newsletter, not a vanity update, but a strategic tool: 📹 Videos explaining their approach 📊 Data simplified through infographics 💬 Thought leadership written in a real, warm voice We sent it to everyone on their list. And very quickly (literally within a couple of months), something shifted. Funders started getting it. 📬 80% of funders that followed were inbound 💰 Bigger gifts, better-aligned partnerships 🎤 Invites to global stages, panels, and strategy spaces Not because they changed their work. But because they started communicating differently. So, if you want comms that drive fundraising in 2026, ask yourself: 🧭 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆: Who are the 3 audiences that matter most this quarter? Do they know what you want them to do? 💬 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Is your narrative designed to inspire action or just describe activities? 📡 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆: Are you showing up where your funders already are? 📊 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗽𝘀: What signals tell you your message is landing? (Engagement, shares, invites?) Communications isn’t an add-on. It’s infrastructure. It’s the bridge between your work and the resources to grow it. What’s one thing you’re doing to strengthen your comms this year? Let’s trade notes 👇🏾 #fundingafrica #fundraising #communicationsstrategy #nonprofitleadership #internationaldevelopment