Market Segmentation In Fundraising

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.

Could social media help raise $5.5M in just 24 hours? The The University of Georgia's annual Dawg Day of Giving campaign rallies students, alumni, and supporters to donate in a single day. High stakes, 100+ social posts to manage, and a small team of three strategists covering 400,000+ people. This year, they 5x'd their social-attributed revenue. How? They listened before they posted. Using social intelligence, they tracked real-time conversations across the Georgia Bulldogs community - fan-generated content, emotional alumni moments, trending topics they would've missed otherwise. They turned those insights into content that resonated. Their analytics revealed something counterintuitive: static image carousels were outperforming video. So they stopped pouring resources into video production and doubled down on what was working. Data killed their initial assumptions. And they were able to generate better results with less effort. The outcome: → $5.5M raised in 24 hours → 522% increase in revenue attributed to social → 54% YoY increase in digital giving revenue → 1M+ Instagram views on a single campaign Social isn't just a brand awareness play. When you combine listening with data-driven content, it becomes a revenue engine. What business impact could your organization be driving with social?

Unlocking Engagement: Email strategies for charities Crowded inboxes present a challenge, but they also hold untapped potential for charities to foster meaningful connections. At the launch event of the DMA (Data & Marketing Association) UK's Email Benchmarking Report 2024 we were asked... "What advice would the panel give to charities looking to retain audience engagement and encourage second actions?" In this article written exclusively for the 'Research Hub' (part of the DMA Email Council) I explore innovative approaches including: ◽ redefining supporter lifetime value ◽ leveraging behavioural data for ‘next best actions’ ◽ crafting emails that cut through the noise with some great examples from previous Awards winners Curious to know how your charity can drive deeper engagement and inspire more than just financial contributions, this article will tell you. You'll also find a link to the full benchmark report as well. I'd love to get your comments below on how you're using email to gain non donation support for your charity.

Welcome to the Future of Fundraising. I’ve talked extensively about the challenges fundraising organizations face not being able to personally engage with the majority of their donor base. One question my team and I still get asked regularly is “how is autonomous fundraising different from a segmented, multi-point marketing campaign?” Email and text marketing are essential fundraising tools that allow organizations to quickly share updates with supporters and promote time-sensitive events or campaigns. These campaigns do have their place, but they lack the ability to adapt to the individual preferences needed to meaningfully engage a donor. While segmentation and automation tools that personalize names or donation amounts exist, they do little to mask the fact that the communication is, in fact, a mass broadcast. In contrast, Autonomous Fundraising uses Virtual Engagement Officers (VEOs) to treat each donor communication as 1:1 and unique, the same way human relationship managers do. But unlike their human counterparts, VEOs are not challenged by scale because they tap into the power of Large Language Models (LLMs). LLMs are advanced AI systems that understand and produce messaging that feels natural and conversational, much like how we communicate with one another. They power the VEO’s ability to understand the context of past interactions, giving history, and more to generate personalized content based on that data and circumstances. Whether it’s a birthday message, stewardship note, or tailored ask, LLMs craft messages that resonate with the donor on a personal level. As a former major gift officer, I find what’s equally important about LLMs is that they "listen" and “remember” donor engagements over time. This creates a meaningful back-and-forth that builds stronger connections between donors and organizations. This extends all the way through to capabilities like multi-lingual communication, giving the VEO the ability to reach out and respond to donors in their preferred language, breaking down previous barriers to inclusion and participation. When we first introduced fully autonomous fundraising, we were told that the opt-out rate would be extremely high, somewhere between 5-10% because donors would not want to interact with AI. However, in practice, we’ve found the complete opposite. In marketing, direct mail has a 0.5-2% response rate, SMS has a 1.5% opt-out, and email .25%. In comparison, of the 17,000+ communications the VEO has sent, there is just a .12% opt out. The truth is, people don’t opt out of personal communications. We know 1:1 engagement is the best way to bring donors closer to the missions of our organizations. Increasing donor retention by even a few percentage points can have an exponential impact on the lifetime value of an organization’s donor base, which translates to long-term sustainability of an organization and its ability to fulfill its mission.

A CEO told me becoming more visible online was going to be very uncomfortable for her. She did it anyway. Today, her personal LinkedIn is one of the top drivers of web traffic. When we started working with the CEO of a $500M/year global NGO in July 2025, her LinkedIn presence was minimal, and her content strategy was essentially nonexistent. On our first call, she told me: I don't want this to be about me. I want it to be about the mission. I said: We can find that balance, but your expertise is what's going to build trust with your audience. She said: Let's give it a try. Before we wrote a single post, we did what we always do first: we got specific about who she actually needed to reach. For her, that wasn't a broad donor audience. It was a narrow, high-value one — wealth managers, philanthropic advisors, and donor-advised fund managers who could move meaningful philanthropic capital toward her cause. Once we had that clarity, everything else followed: the content topics, the profile positioning, the outreach cadence, and the way we framed her expertise. Fast-forward to today: - Her posts reached 103,000 impressions, up 891% year over year. - Engagements grew to 3,500, up 1,440% YoY. - Her LinkedIn generated 1,300+ direct link visits to her org's website. - And at least 5 wealth managers and DAF advisors also reached out to book meetings with her directly in response to her content. That last outcome was the whole point, and the one we remained laser-focused on no matter what vanity metrics said or what the algorithm was doing. The CEO saw how powerful it can be to pair personal experience with data and insights, and that you can do it without making it all about you. We've since expanded the engagement to build thought leadership strategies for eight more global leaders at the organization, because a smart CEO sees what's working and asks, "How can we multiply this?" Trust is in short supply right now, and the organizations that are going to grow through it are the ones activating the expertise they already have sitting inside their leadership teams. I'll be breaking down how we structured the full project in my next newsletter. Until then, feel free to drop questions below in the comments!

For nonprofits, community fundraising challenges can help turn one-time supporters into champions. When someone fundraises on behalf of an organization, they bring their own story, network, credibility, and energy. They help people understand why the mission matters, turn passive support into active participation, and often reach people the organization could never reach on its own. When a supporter decides to run, walk, bike, swim, or climb for a cause, they’re also “brandraising”  by sharing what the nonprofit means to them, helping friends, family and neighbors build - through their advocacy -an emotional connection to the nonprofit they care about and bringing in new advocates for the organization. This is one of the things GoFundMe does best: providing a platform where supporters become advocates, organizers, storytellers, and fundraisers for the causes they care about most. A few powerful recent examples that inspired me: The #BurghProud Challenge brought together fans of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Pittsburgh Steelers to fight hunger, inviting people to walk or run 30 miles in 30 days while raising funds for Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. The campaign raised over 1 million for Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. https://lnkd.in/gw_rFSpR Skate Across America rallies supporters around Chad Caruso's amazing journey to raise awareness, inspire action, and create impact. Together, they raise funds and awareness for Natural High, helping provide young people with the tools, inspiration, and support they need to prioritize mental health, avoid substance misuse, and thrive. This is the *second* time Chad has skated across America - he’s an incredible guy.  https://lnkd.in/gmaKdQgK Defenders of Wildlife is empowering supporters to turn their passion for nature into action through community fundraising. Advocates can rally friends, family, and their broader communities to help protect endangered species, defend critical habitats, and ensure future generations can enjoy our natural heritage. https://lnkd.in/gU_S6HTM The best community challenges do even more than raise funds. They spark connections, start conversations, and shine a light on important causes, giving everyone a way to help that feels personal, joyful, and communal. Every day on GoFundMe, we see communities come together through challenges like these to support organizations doing essential work and create meaningful impact.

How to raise $50,000 in 30 days using 7 AI prompts (you’ve never thought to use): AI won’t replace fundraisers. But fundraisers who use AI strategically will absolutely outperform the ones who don’t. These 7 prompts aren’t basic. They’re engineered to unlock human behavior, decision-making psychology, and funding at scale. 1. Prompt: “Analyze our past 10 email campaigns. Identify the emotional tone, structure, and CTA that drove the most clicks and donations. Suggest 3 new email angles based on behavioral trends.” Why it works: Donors respond to patterns. This prompt uses your own data to reverse-engineer what actually moves people, not what feels right. 2. Prompt: “Write a donor pitch using the ‘Commitment-Consistency’ principle from Cialdini, reference a donor’s past actions and show how giving now is aligned with who they already are.” Why it works: People are more likely to act in ways that align with their self-image. Donors who’ve volunteered, signed petitions, or shared your content? This is how you turn engagement into dollars. 3. Prompt: “Create a 3-part story arc for LinkedIn posts that subtly shift a corporate contact from passive observer to strategic partner, without ever asking for money.” Why it works: It’s called affinity priming. AI scripts the story. LinkedIn builds trust. You close the deal. 4. Prompt: “Generate 5 donor thank-you messages tailored by giving tier, use loss aversion and social proof to increase chances of a second gift.” Why it works: “Thank you” is a sales moment in disguise. This prompt makes it count. One client turned 23% of first-time donors into recurring givers using tiered messaging like this. 5. Prompt: “Draft a voicemail script for a lapsed donor using the Ben Franklin effect, ask for a small favor instead of a gift, to reactivate the relationship.” Why it works: People feel closer to those they help. Use it to rebuild trust without making an ask. Often, the donation follows. 6. Prompt: “Identify 3 psychological barriers to giving on our donation page. Rewrite the copy to reduce friction using clarity, scarcity, and immediacy.” Why it works: Most pages leak donations. This prompt fixes that, leading to real revenue recovery. One org tested this and saw their average donation increase from $48 to $71 just by shifting copy. 7. Prompt: “Write a short pitch that reframes our mission as a business case for corporate ESG leads, focused on risk reduction, brand lift, and employee retention.” Why it works: Companies don’t give because of charity. They give because it aligns with strategy. This prompt flips the frame, and unlocks five-figure partnerships. These are just a few of the 40+ AI scripts inside our AI Launchpad Cohort, a hands-on experience for nonprofits ready to raise more with less guesswork. Comment Launchpad and we’ll send you details about the upcoming cohort. With purpose and impact, Mario

Most fundraising appeals are too polite. Too indirect. Too passive. Too focused on what 𝘸𝘦 do— instead of what the donor makes possible. If you want more clarity, more confidence, and more response in your writing, start here: 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽. I call it 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴. And it looks like this: “Together, we help feed people” ➡️ “You feed hungry people” “You are helping provide education” ➡️ “You’re educating children” “With your support, we can offer shelter” ➡️ “You provide shelter to those in need” “Thanks to you, we’re able to offer medical assistance” ➡️ “You’re delivering lifesaving medical care” “Your donations support our advocacy efforts” ➡️ “You’re championing human rights” This isn’t about semantics. It’s about 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. When the donor sees themselves as the one acting, they feel agency. They feel urgency. They feel 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥. So cut the qualifiers. Eliminate the disclaimers. And write like the donor is the one holding the pen. 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲. What’s one sentence in your next appeal you can rewrite with 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 at the center?

"Fundraising is everyone's job." How many times have you heard this well-intentioned phrase? It sounds great in theory but it often leads to confusion and overwhelm in practice. Here's a better approach: "Building a culture of philanthropy is everyone's job." The difference? Instead of turning everyone into reluctant fundraisers, we create an environment where each person understands and supports the mission through their unique role. Imagine a world where your program officer excels at creating amazing initiatives, your finance team ensures fiscal responsibility, and your fundraisers build strong donor relationships. All while working in harmony towards a shared vision. So, how do we build this culture of philanthropy without turning everyone into reluctant fundraisers? Educate: Help all staff understand the role of philanthropy in achieving your mission. Empower: Give everyone tools to talk about your impact and connect supporters to the right team member. Engage: Involve program staff in donor meetings to share frontline stories. Appreciate: Recognize all contributions to the fundraising process, not just closed gifts. Communicate: Share fundraising successes and challenges with the entire organization. When everyone plays to their strengths while supporting a culture of philanthropy, that's when the magic happens. Have you successfully built this culture in your organization? Or are you facing challenges?

As a Communications Officer in an NGO, targeting donors, funders, and partners on social media requires strategy — not just storytelling. Here’s how I would approach it: 1. Segment Before You Speak Not all audiences are the same. Donors want impact, transparency, and emotional connection. Funders want data, scalability, governance, and measurable outcomes. Partners want alignment, visibility, and shared value. A single generic post won’t convert all three. Content must be intentional. 2. Lead With Impact + Evidence Social media is crowded. Credibility wins attention. I would consistently publish: Before/after impact stories Clear outcome metrics (beneficiaries reached, % change, ROI of intervention) Visual dashboards and infographics Short case studies Numbers build trust. Stories build connection. Together, they build funding confidence. 3. Position the Organization as a Thought Leader Donors don’t just fund projects — they fund competence. I would create: LinkedIn articles on sector insights Commentary on policy trends Reflections on lessons learned from field implementation Data-driven threads on SDG alignment This attracts institutional funders looking for strategic partners — not just implementers. 4. Showcase Partnerships Publicly Tag existing partners. Celebrate collaboration. When organizations see their peers working with you, social proof increases credibility. Partnerships attract partnerships. 5. Clear Call-to-Action Every campaign should answer: Are we seeking grants? Corporate sponsorship? Strategic collaboration? Technical partners? The CTA must be visible and specific — website link, proposal deck, contact email, impact report. 6. Retarget & Nurture Social media is the first touchpoint, not the final conversion. Connect with decision-makers on LinkedIn Send tailored follow-up messages Share quarterly impact briefs via email Invite prospects to webinars or virtual field tours Campaigns convert when communication continues beyond the post. Key Takeaways Targeting donors, funders, and partners on social media is not about posting more. It’s about: Strategic messaging. Evidence-based storytelling. Consistent positioning. Relationship building. Because funding follows credibility. #NGOCommunications #FundraisingStrategy #DevelopmentSector #SocialImpact #CommunicationsOfficer #CommunicationsManager