Start Seeing Donors

The donor pyramid is a common analogy fundraisers use to represent donor tiers or segments. 


Visualizing the donor pyramid as communities of donors
can prompt new insight.

Yet such pyramids can be so loaded with complexity and numbers that we lose sight of what the statistics represent.

Let's set the numbers aside for a moment. What else do you see in your nonprofit's donor pyramid?

Hopefully, a picture emerges of donors as individuals and the strategic role that each segment plays in your organization's success.

Intuitively, we realize this. The challenge is to operationalize what we know to be true.

The solution in part requires treating different donors differently, to recognize people for their individuality, even as we learn from each segment's statistical profile.

Closer inspection reveals the donor pyramid as communities of donors. Moreover, such a perspective forces new questions.

What is our engagement strategy for our top donors? How can we more effectively apply scarce resources to involve mid-point donors in a meaningful way to lift them to a higher giving level? And how can our organization add value to attract new donors?

Documenting plans for each donor segment, including contact schedules, message, and channel is instrumental in creating consistent and repeatable outcomes.  

Naturally, a donor pyramid is not an end in itself. But visualizing donors is a good place to start.