Donor Participation Project

Analyzing Survey Data with ChatGPT-4 and Code Interpreter for Nonprofits Nonprofit organizations frequently conduct surveys to gather insights and feedback about their initiatives. With the advent of technologies like ChatGPT-4 combined with the Code Interpreter, analyzing this data has become more intuitive. We’ll dive into how nonprofits can utilize these tools to gain deeper insights from their survey data. Getting Started with ChatGPT-4 + Code Interpreter To access the Code Interpreter with ChatGPT-4, follow the steps below: 1. Upgrade to ChatGPT Plus: The plugins are not available for free accounts. Simply navigate to ChatGPT and click on the “Upgrade to Plus” option located at the bottom right corner and follow the prompts to purchase. 2. Enable the Code Interpreter: Click on your account name (bottom right corner). Choose Settings. In the Setting menu, opt for Beta features. Toggle on the Code Interpreter. No need for activating through the ChatGPT plugin store. 3. Select Code Interpreter Mode: When creating a new prompt, hover over GPT-4 at the top. A dropdown will appear, allowing you to switch between standard GPT-4 and the Code Interpreter powered version. Ensure the Code Interpreter is selected before starting your chat. Uploading Data Files When the Code Interpreter plugin is active, a small plus icon appears on the left side of the text box. This facilitates the uploading of text-based files such as Excel, Word docs, and more. Do note that ChatGPT currently can’t interpret non-text-based files like images or PDFs. Engaging Questions for Analyzing Survey Data Once your data is uploaded, you can start asking questions to analyze it. Here are some sample questions nonprofits might find helpful: - “Can you give me a summary of each column?” - “Based on the responses, what recommendations would you make to our fundraising team?” - “Can you plot responses on a map? Please color code the pins according to…” - “Can you zoom in on …?” - “How do I know if these answers are representative of our population?” - “Can you display each column in the most appropriate type of chart?” - “Can you categorize each answer in column XYZ according to its sentiment?” Extracting Insights with ChatGPT-4 Even without the Code Interpreter, ChatGPT-4 provides advanced summarization capabilities, offering an improved “understanding” of data compared to its predecessors. To gain insights from survey data, you might use a prompt like: “Here are answers to a survey question. Please summarize the answers and highlight the major topics mentioned. For each topic, include a quote and the number of responses that mention it. SURVEY ANSWERS [Copy & paste survey responses directly from the spreadsheet.]” This will offer you a concise overview of the predominant topics and sentiments in your survey data. Conclusion For nonprofits aiming to make data-driven decisions, tools like ChatGPT-4 combined with the Code Interpreter are invaluable.

Leveraging Surveys to Build Donor Relationships Over Time Nonprofit fundraisers know that long-term, generous donors don’t appear overnight. It takes time and effort to build meaningful relationships that inspire major gifts. According to fundraising expert Dr. Russell James, surveys can be an effective tool for developing these lifelong donor connections. Rather than relying solely on emotional stories, long-term donor relationships depend on understanding supporters’ personal values and life journeys. Surveys are an efficient way to gain insight into many donors at once. Thoughtful questions can reveal how donors identify with your mission and what victories they hope to see. For example, you might ask, “What values do you share with our cause?” or “If money were no object, what would you change about this issue?” The answers provide a glimpse into donors’ autobiographical memories and passions. With this knowledge, you can then frame your work as part of donors’ larger life stories. Describe how your victories over challenges reflect donors’ values and priorities. Show them that they are part of the story too. This approach transforms your appeals into tales of shared triumph that resonate deeply. Rather than a single story, long-term engagement benefits from an unfolding narrative. Dr. James suggests featuring a different aspect of your mission each month in direct mail or email appeals. For example, focus on education programs one month and community services the next. This helps donors appreciate the full scope of your work and how various parts reflect what they care most about. Of course, the setting where you interact with donors also matters. Events, in particular, should evoke feelings of abundance to encourage generosity. While you need not be extravagant, a nice venue and quality experience signals to donors that they are valued and your work is meaningful. This warmth contributes to a long, fruitful relationship where donors give readily and often. In summary, leverage surveys to discover your donors’ passions and values. Weave these insights into a sustained story of shared meaningful victories. Do this well and your donors will loyally support you for life. The key is knowing them profoundly through the gift of listening. Surveys provide the questions; donors provide the answers.

The Value of Building Trust: How Engagement Leads to Dollars For nonprofit fundraisers, building trust with donors is essential. Donor relationships built on trust and engagement lead to more consistent and larger gifts over time. However, many organizations struggle to make the case for investing in engagement. A recent podcast featuring fundraising experts Louis Diez and Ron Cohen provides data-driven insights on how trust pays off. Diez and Cohen’s analysis of nearly 10,000 donors from multiple organizations found a clear correlation between donors’ level of engagement and lifetime giving. Donors who reported interacting with an organization at least five times in the past year and said they felt “always” or “very often” valued gave at higher levels. For example, donors who gave between $2,500 to $10,000 were twice as likely to be highly engaged as the average donor. Highly engaged donors were five times more likely to have made gifts over $100,000. Extrapolating from these findings, Cohen estimates that increasing the number of highly engaged donors—even modestly—could result in over $1 million in additional lifetime revenue. Of course, revenue generation is not guaranteed, but focusing on engagement and trust-building strengthens relationships in a way that motivates giving. How can organizations build trust and increase engagement? Cohen and Diez recommend reporting back to donors on surveys and campaigns to show their impact, acknowledging all gifts sincerely, and inviting more touchpoints that make donors feel valued. - For major donors, that may mean in-person meetings. - For annual fund donors, sharing stories of how gifts were used can help build emotional connections. While relationships take work, focusing on engagement and trust pays long-term dividends. Diez urges organizations not to see engagement as a “wishy-washy feel good thing” but as a strategic imperative. By valuing and cultivating supportive communities, organizations build goodwill that generates revenue and spreads through advocacy and word-of-mouth. Though soft on the surface, trust produces hard results. The data shows engagement matters—and building trust leads to dollars.

Integrate Your CRM and Fundraising Tech for Seamless Donor Experience For nonprofits, providing a seamless experience across channels is key to building lifelong donor relationships. However, most organizations use a patchwork of separate systems to manage fundraising, marketing, and donor data. As a result, fundraisers spend countless hours pulling reports, exporting and importing data between platforms, and ensuring a single view of the donor. There is a better way. By integrating your customer relationship management (CRM) system and fundraising technology, you can track all donor interactions in one place and trigger personalized outreach automatically. For example, you can send an email receipt as soon as a gift is processed in your CRM. Within 24 hours, the donor receives a video thank you. A handwritten note follows several days later. Six months later, they are included in a cultivation mailing. This type of automated, multi-channel stewardship helps build loyalty and retention over the long run. The key is choosing fundraising tools that integrate directly with your CRM. Look for platforms that allow you to match data fields between systems so you have a complete donor profile and history readily available. See if the tools offer workflow triggers and automations to follow up based on donor actions and gift amounts. For many nonprofits, transitioning to an integrated tech stack is challenging due to data privacy concerns, tight IT budgets, and reliance on legacy databases. However, cloud-based fundraising tools and CRMs are making integration more accessible. They provide real-time data access for your whole advancement team and eliminate the need for time-intensive data requests. With the shift to remote work over the past year, seamlessly integrated technology has become even more critical. For nonprofits adapting to virtual fundraising, integrated systems support personalized outreach at scale while keeping students, volunteers and staff employed. The key is finding solutions, like ThankView, that are tailored to the needs of nonprofits and higher ed institutions. By partnering with fundraising professionals, they can provide the right tools and guidance to boost your stewardship during challenging times and beyond. Overall, investing in an integrated tech stack gives fundraisers a single source of truth about their donors and ensures personalized, impactful outreach that drives donor loyalty in the long run. While the initial transition requires effort and resources, the rewards of a seamless donor experience are well worth it.

Major Gifts Need Donor Stories: Connecting Personal Narratives to Your Mission To secure major gifts, nonprofits must understand and connect with donors on a personal level. According to Dr. Russell James, a leading expert on philanthropic psychology, donors give the largest gifts when organizations effectively elicit their life stories and identify how those narratives link with the organizational mission. Large donations represent a major life investment for donors, so their giving choices are deeply personal. Through surveys and in-depth conversations, fundraisers can discover donors’ core values, meaningful relationships, life experiences, and perceptions of significant life victories. With this understanding, nonprofits can then frame their case for support around the donors’ self-concept and autobiographical memories. For example, a nonprofit supporting medical research may ask donors about their experiences with illness and healthcare. A university can invite alumni to share memories of their time as students and the lifelong impact of their education. A performing arts organization could survey patrons about the role that arts and culture have played in their lives. Armed with this insight, the nonprofit can then demonstrate how donations will fuel victories and advance values that resonate with the donor’s sense of identity and purpose. The stories and settings the nonprofit shares should also reflect the donors’ abundance mindset, as research shows people give more when they feel financially secure. An opulent donor event, for instance, reinforces that mindset more so than a barebones gathering. While mass communication campaigns have their place, major gifts fundraising requires highly personalized outreach. Nonprofits must devote time and resources to understanding donors’ narratives, then strategically connect those stories to the meaning and importance of the work. The keys are: - Listen to learn their story; - Frame requests around their values and vision of victory; and - Choose language and settings that inspire an abundance perspective. With the right approach, donor stories can transform into major gifts that change lives through the power of a shared mission.

From Manual to Automated: Scaling Your Nonprofit’s Fundraising Efforts For nonprofit fundraisers, time and resources are always in short supply. Manual processes limit productivity and prevent organizations from reaching their full fundraising potential. Automation is the key to doing more with less. Nick Pringer, CEO of the Prenger Solutions Group, shared how his firm helped nonprofit clients scale their fundraising using automation. For the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix’s $10 million annual appeal, Prenger’s team used marketing automation to convert 21% of online donors into recurring givers, significantly increasing revenue. The first step is evaluating your data infrastructure. Many nonprofits struggle with inaccurate or disorganized data, limiting their ability to automate. Pringer recommends starting small by automating “affirmation” emails, like thanking recent donors. These small automations have little downside if errors occur but can make a big impact. Fix data issues as you go. With good data, you can automate more advanced fundraising workflows. For example, automate sending a welcome email to first-time donors from your CEO or development director. Set up a follow-up email two months later highlighting the impact of their gift. Automate sending recurring giving invitations to donors as they fulfill pledge payments. These personalized touches make a memorable impression and boost loyalty and lifetime value. Of course, legal and IT approval can be challenging. Don’t try to explain the benefits yourself. Prenger advises having the technology vendor address concerns directly. They are best equipped to articulate how the system works and proper data security measures. Legal and IT teams simply want to ensure there are no issues, so addressing their questions thoroughly upfront smooths the approval process. While manual processes feel familiar and safer, they prevent nonprofits from maximizing their potential. With the right approach to data, tools, and approvals, fundraising automation can scale your organization’s impact by boosting donor participation and revenue. The time to start automating is now. Your donors—and your mission—will thank you.

Building Virtual Connections: How Nonprofits Can Use Gaming to Engage Supporters The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the growth of gaming as a way for people to connect virtually. This trend presents an opportunity for nonprofits to engage supporters through online gaming communities and fundraising events. According to Diego Scharifker, Gaming Partnerships Manager at the USO, the average age of a gamer is 33 and nearly two-thirds of gamers are adults over 18. These gamers want to connect with others, not isolate themselves. The USO has built a gaming program around this desire for connection, enabling military service members to connect with each other and their loved ones back home through gaming. For nonprofits looking to get started with gaming, Scharifker recommends connecting gaming to your mission. Identify how gaming can help you achieve your goals, whether it’s raising awareness, building community, or fundraising. Then, survey your supporters to determine what kinds of games they like to play. Build your gaming program around the interests of your community. To fundraise through gaming, empower supporters to organize events on your behalf. Provide incentives for people to participate and donate, such as gaming gear or the opportunity to play with celebrities and influencers. However, the incentives don’t have to be expensive. get creative by offering experiences like face painting or drinking creamed corn on camera in exchange for donations. Steward gaming influencers the same way you would major donors. Keep the lines of communication open, share updates about how their contributions made an impact, and invite them to participate in future events. While some gaming audiences prefer to remain anonymous, work to collect contact information from as many donors as possible so you can cultivate long-term relationships. Tap into the expertise of the gaming industry by creating an advisory council. Work with gaming companies, e-sports organizations and influencers to ensure your program remains relevant and impactful for supporters. Gaming, like any new initiative, requires an investment of time and resources to be successful. But by connecting gaming to your mission and supporters’ interests, nonprofits can build virtual communities and drive fundraising through this fast-growing channel.

Cultivating the Right Mindset: How to Conquer Anxiety and Optimism in Fundraising Meetings Fundraising meetings with donors can bring up anxiety and unrealistic optimism in fundraisers. To have a productive conversation, you need to cultivate the right mindset. Start by understanding the mental shortcuts, or biases, you may rely on. Anchoring bias occurs when a donor mentions a constraint, like “money is tight this year,” causing you to lower your ask amount. Don’t drop your ask. Instead, acknowledge their concern, then reframe the conversation around their values and priorities to keep the original ask on the table. Optimism bias makes you overconfident in a meeting’s outcome. Prepare by considering at least three scenarios where a donor may not give at the level you expect. Have responses ready for objections and be willing to listen, not just pitch your case. Pessimism bias fuels anxiety about how a donor might respond. Run through the meeting in your mind, imagining questions a donor may ask. Role play the interaction with a colleague to gain confidence and fluency in your responses. Remember, some anxiety is normal and can motivate preparation. But don’t catastrophize. The negativity bias focuses your mind on past failures instead of your skills and accomplishments. Keep records of your wins and milestones to avoid underestimating yourself. Refer to them to stay optimistic through temporary setbacks. Fundraising is a learned practice, not an inborn talent. With preparation and persistence, any fundraiser can excel. System 1 thinking taps into your intuition and emotions. System 2 thinking accesses reason and logic. Use both for the best outcomes. Allow intuition to guide relationship building with donors, then engage logical reasoning to articulate your case for support. Staying focused on your mission and believing in your work can help motivate donors and yourself. Have confidence in your abilities through preparation and practice. The right mindset, balanced optimism, and managing anxieties and biases will lead to more natural, confident conversations with your supporters. Overall, mindfulness, active listening, and continuing to improve your craft will serve you and your organization well.

Establish Ground Rules and Expectations Effective fundraising teams operate with a shared sense of purpose and trust. As a leader, it’s your role to establish the ground rules and expectations that will build this foundation. Craig Evans, leadership coach for fundraising professionals, recommends facilitating open conversations with your team to determine the guidelines you’ll follow. Start by asking your team what rules and expectations they believe are necessary to feel supported in their work. Encourage honest and thoughtful responses by assuring team members there are no “wrong” answers. You may get suggestions like “assuming good intent,” “active listening,” or “asking for help when you need it.” Share a few of your own ideas to get the discussion going, but let your team shape the overall list. Once you have input from the whole group, work together to refine and finalize your ground rules. Review these at the start of each year and when new members join your team. To make the rules feel official and help them guide daily actions and decisions, print and frame copies to display in your office. Refer to them at meetings and in performance reviews as well. Repeat this process to determine what your team members expect from one another to foster a collaborative environment. Then, ask them to share what they expect from you as their leader. Be prepared to listen with an open mind��you’ll likely gain valuable insight into how you can better support your team. Share your own expectations for them in return to ensure everyone is on the same page about their roles and responsibilities. According to Evans, the time required for these conversations will be well worth your investment. Ground rules and mutual expectations “become operational” and help build trust within your team. They also make it easier to address issues by establishing a shared standard of accountability. Most importantly, inviting your team’s input shows them you value their needs and opinions. Overall, taking this inclusive approach will help you transform a group of individuals into a highly effective fundraising team. How’s this? I focused on highlighting the key benefits of establishing ground rules and expectations, explained the specific process Craig Evans recommends, and provided an example to illustrate how this applies to a fundraising team. Please let me know if you would like me to modify or expand the article in any way. I’m happy to refine and improve it further.

Focus Outward: Why “You” Matters More Than “I” in Fundraising Communications Nonprofit fundraisers spend significant time and resources crafting messaging to appeal to donors and encourage their support. However, the language we use in these communications often focuses too much on “us”—the organization—rather than “you”—the donor. To truly engage donors and inspire them to give generously, we must adopt an outward focus in our writing. When writing for donors, avoid starting sentences with “I,” “we,” or “our.” Instead, address the donor directly using “you.” For example, rather than saying “We awarded 10 new scholarships this year thanks to your support,” try “You made it possible for 10 deserving students to receive scholarships this year.” This subtle shift places the donor at the center of the impact and helps them feel personally connected to your mission. Ask open-ended questions to engage the reader Such as “How can we work together to help even more students access higher education?” However, be sure to provide context for your questions. Donors want to understand the challenges and opportunities, not guess at them. Follow up your questions with compelling stories and data that inspire them to act. Show how donors are part of the solution, not just funders of your organization. Highlight the change they are making possible in people’s lives. For example, say “You gave John hope for a brighter future” rather than “Your gift supported our youth programs.” Capture the human impact and emotions to forge a deeper connection between the donor and your cause. Conversational, authentic language also helps to focus outward. Use an active voice, contractions, and vary your sentence structure. Write the way you would talk to a friend. While a formal tone may seem respectful, it creates distance rather than fostering intimacy with the donor. An outward focus requires empathy, listening to understand what motivates your donors to give and framing communications around their interests and impact. When donors recognize how they can transform lives through your organization, they will become loyal champions of your mission. So, keep “you” at the heart of your messages—it’s the key to donor participation.